Dead by Daylight Frequently Asked Questions Answered
Key Takeaways
- Matchmaking is based on MMR (Matchmaking Rating), which is character-specific, not account-wide. Switching to a new Killer puts you against lower-MMR Survivors.
- The grind to unlock all perks takes ~1,500 hours for Survivors and ~2,000 hours for Killers if starting from scratch. Focus on meta perks first.
- Licensed characters (from movies/games) cost real money (~$5 each). Non-licensed characters cost 9,000 Iridescent Shards (~40 hours of playtime to earn).
Gameplay
Q: How does matchmaking work?
Each Killer has individual MMR. Each Survivor shares account-wide MMR. Your MMR goes up when you 'win' (escape as Survivor, 3-4 kills as Killer) and down when you 'lose.' The system tries to match players within ±100 MMR.
Soft MMR cap: ~1,600. At this level, you're playing against the top ~5% of players. Queue times increase significantly above 1,600.
Q: What counts as a 'win'?
- Survivor: Escaping through the exit gate counts as a win. Hatch escape is neutral (no MMR change).
- Killer: 3 kills = win. 2 kills = draw. 0-1 kills = loss.
Q: How does the Bloodpoint economy work?
| Action | BP Earned |
| -------- | ----------- |
| Match complete (Survivor) | 15,000-25,000 |
| Match complete (Killer) | 20,000-32,000 |
| Daily Ritual | 30,000-60,000 |
| Tome Challenge | 25,000-45,000 |
Bloodpoint cap: 2,000,000 (can't earn more until spent). Prestiging a character costs ~1,200,000 BP.
Characters & DLC
Q: Which DLCs are worth buying?
| Priority | DLC | Character(s) | Perk(s) |
| ---------- | ----- | ------------- | -------- |
| 1 | The Artist | Artist | Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance |
| 2 | Curtain Call | Clown | Pop Goes the Weasel |
| 3 | Resident Evil | Nemesis | Lethal Pursuer |
| 4 | Hellraiser | Pinhead | Deadlock |
| 5 | Halloween | Laurie Strode | Decisive Strike |
| 6 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Quentin Smith | Wake Up, Pharmacy |
Q: Can I earn licensed characters for free?
No. Licensed characters (from movies, TV, other games) cost Auric Cells (real money). Non-licensed original characters can be earned with Iridescent Shards (in-game currency).
Current licensed IPs: Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Nightmare on Elm Street, Saw, Ghostface, Stranger Things, Hellraiser, Alien, Alan Wake, and more.
Q: Do I keep my progress if I switch platforms?
Cross-progression exists between: Steam ↔ Epic Games ↔ Stadia (discontinued). No cross-progression between PC and consoles (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch).
Perks & Prestige
Q: What does Prestige do?
| Prestige Level | Effect |
| --------------- | -------- |
| P1 | Unlocks that character's 3 unique perks for ALL other characters at Tier 1 |
| P2 | Perks now unlock at Tier 2 for all characters |
| P3 | Perks now unlock at Tier 3 for all characters |
| P4-6 | Bloody cosmetic pieces |
| P7-9 | Charm rewards |
| P10+ | Prestige badge border upgrades (every 10 levels) |
Get each character to P1 first (wide) before going for P3 on anyone (deep).
Q: How many perks are in the game?
237 Survivor perks and 231 Killer perks as of June 2026.
Technical
Q: Why is my game laggy?
DBD uses peer-to-peer (P2P) connections through dedicated servers. If the Killer has bad internet, everyone lags. There is no 'host advantage' but Killers with 200+ ping create miserable experiences.
Minimum recommended: 30ms or lower ping, 60 FPS stable.
Q: Is crossplay enabled by default?
Yes. PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Switch all play together. You can disable crossplay in settings, but it dramatically increases queue times.
Q: Does the game have anti-cheat?
Yes, Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC). It's not perfect. You will encounter cheaters occasionally at high MMR. Report them in the post-match screen.
Community
Q: Is the community toxic?
Parts of it are. The post-game chat can be brutal. You can close the chat box (click the arrow) or set your profile to private to reduce harassment. The 'teabagging' at exit gates is considered BM (bad manners) by some, celebration by others.
Q: What is 'camping' and 'tunneling'?
Camping: Standing near a hooked Survivor to prevent rescue. Not bannable. Tunneling: Focusing the same Survivor who just got unhooked to eliminate them quickly. Not bannable. Both are valid (if unfun) strategies in ranked play.
Q: Is the game dying?
DBD has maintained 30,000-60,000 concurrent players on Steam alone for 8+ years. It's not dying. New chapters release every 3 months.