While there are plenty of exciting licensed characters to try out in Dead By Daylight, the game also offers a number of original characters for players to explore. From the very start of Dead By Daylight, the game's developers have worked hard to create fresh characters with plenty of lore to uncover.
Since fans have also been begging for new perks and skills to defend themselves, Dead By Daylight developers have all listened to those suggestions and added an array of original survivors perfectly suited to every playstyle (ranging from quick and quiet to big and scrappy). However, which one has proven the best so far? While they have all been iconic in their own ways, there have been a few characters that are a lot more memorable and preferred than others.
Dwight Fairfield
While Dwight is a great original survivor for players to use while they learn the basics of Dead By Daylight, it's difficult to say that Dwight is a particularly resilient survivor. Dwight's unique perks alone are fairly useful, but an effective Dwight player needs to be able to organize the other survivors in a trial to get the most out of perks (like 'Prove Thyself' and 'Leader').
Unfortunately, Dwight is often seen as a survivor used by inexperienced players, which means other survivors are less likely to follow his lead and killers are likely to attack immediately (expecting a free kill). Realistically, players who like Dwight's perks should unlock these perks as Teachables and use them in builds for other survivors.
Meg Thomas
Meg Thomas is a base game character, well suited to newer survivors learning the ropes in Dead By Daylight. Meg mains don't have quite the same clumsy reputation as Dwight mains due to the fact that Meg comes with a few unique perks designed for escaping from killers.
Where Dwight's unique perks rely on organized teamwork, Meg's unique perks offer much more utility for solo players. Of course, Meg is still a base game survivor, meaning her unique perks like 'Quick & Quiet' are easily overshadowed by other original survivors introduced later on in the development of Dead By Daylight.
Kate Denson
While Kate Denson is not offered as a base game survivor in Dead By Daylight, her unique perks are incredibly useful for newer players. For example, Kate's unique perk 'Windows of Opportunity' can be a true lifesaver for survivors still learning to identify the pallets and windows that can keep them one step ahead of the killer.
However, players will quickly outgrow perks like 'Windows of Opportunity' as their eyes begin to adjust to The Fog. Similarly, 'Boil Over' can be useful against inexperienced killers in Dead By Daylight but is nearly useless as players move onto higher ranks.
Claudette Morel
Claudette Morel features a striking similarity to Dwight Fairfield in the sense that effective Claudette gameplay requires strong teamwork. Claudette's unique perks make her the perfect field doctor for survivors stumbling through The Fog, but the difficulty lies in finding the survivors she hopes to help.
'Empathy' makes it a bit easier to locate injured survivors, and 'Botany Knowledge' allows Claudette to heal them at a quick pace. However, Claudette doesn't have any strong self-preservation perks besides 'Self-Care,' which is really just an inefficient med-kit.
David King
David King is a very unique survivor when compared to the other original survivors offered in Dead By Daylight. A large percentage of Dead By Daylight's survivors focus on escaping chases and repairing generators as their main priorities. David's perks, however, make him perfectly suited to staying in chases for as long as possible.
While this may seem counterintuitive to escaping a trial alive, effective David players can utilize David's size and perks such as 'Dead Hard' to keep the killer busy while other survivors breeze through generators. If players combine David's ability to survive lengthy chases with 'We're Gonna Live Forever,' David players can find large Bloodpoint rewards as bodyguards for other survivors. Ineffective David gameplay, however, often results in very early death.
Yui Kimura
Yui Kimura is one of the first promising original survivors for Dead By Daylight players looking to upgrade from the survivors included in the base game. Yui offers one incredibly strong perk for escaping chases, 'Lucky Break.' This perk suppresses Yui's blood trail and scratch marks for up to one full minute after entering the injured state, allowing for an almost guaranteed escape.
Yui players can also refresh escape routes for other survivors by resetting dropped pallets with 'Any Means Necessary.' However, 'Lucky Break' can only be used once per trial, effectively leaving her with just 3 of the 4 perks she brought with her.
Nea Karlsson
While Nea Karlsson may be included as one of Dead By Daylight's base game survivors, she is still one of the most viable survivors in the game. Inexperienced players may struggle with Nea at first as they learn the tracking mechanics killers use to find survivors. However, effective Nea gameplay makes it nearly impossible for killers to find Nea players before they run out the door at the end of a trial.
Nea's unique perk 'Urban Evasion' allows her to crouch walk at a normal walking speed. This allows Nea players to move quickly while hiding behind obstacles, all without leaving any incriminating scratch marks. 'Urban Evasion' combined with 'Balanced Landing,' which actually accelerates Nea players after falling from a great height, makes this Swedish street artist nearly impossible to catch.
Min Feng
Much like Nea Karlsson, Min Feng comes equipped with perks that make her well-suited to evading Dead By Daylight's scariest killers entirely. First and foremost, Min Feng grants access to the perk 'Technician,' which prevents the loud noise notification killers usually receive after a failed generator skill check.
Beyond this, 'Technician' reduces the range from which killers can hear a generator being repaired in the first place. Combined with Min Feng's 'Alert' perk, which repeatedly exposes the killer's aura, Min Feng players are incredibly evasive.
Élodie Rakoto
While every original survivor in Dead By Daylight offers unique gameplay opportunities, Élodie Rakoto really stands out as a strong survivor. Élodie's unique perks create opportunities for her to build up her inventory with 'Appraisal,' escape from chases with 'Deception,' and even fight back against any killers who manage to put her into the dying state with 'Power Struggle.'
Every one of Élodie's unique perks is strong in its own way, but 'Power Struggle' is essentially an upgraded version of 'Decisive Strike,' which is another popular perk for escaping from the arms of killers. Unlike 'Decisive Strike,' however, 'Power Struggle' does not operate within a time constraint.
Mikaela Reid
Mikaela Reid is one of Dead By Daylight's newest original survivors and one of the only survivors to offer an element of map control for those who play as her. Mikaela's unique perks introduce players to Boon Totems, a brand new game mechanic.
Boon Totems can be destroyed by killers the same way that survivors can cleanse Hex Totems. However, Mikaela's perks 'Boon: Circle of Healing' (up to double healing speed for all survivors) and 'Boon: Shadow Step' (eliminates scratch marks) can create large areas where survivors are nearly untouchable.