Dead by Daylight's latest killer is Sadako from the Japanese horror classic Ringu, and her arrival was met with much fanfare from players. Her debut was anticipated for months, and her playstyle was worth the wait. Sadako is an incredibly fun killer to play, with a few tricks worth learning for both new and old players.
Sadako is a killer that makes heavy use of stealth in order to be effective. While she has no ranged attacks or dashes, she can hide her terror radius and teleport across the map using her powers. Despite only being able to deal damage with her basic attack, Sadako is a very tactical killer. As the latest character to enter Dead by Daylight's ultimate horror crossover, Sadako lives up to her reputation. However, one needs to take the time to fully understand her kit first.
Sadako can demanifest at any time in over to hide her terror radius and become invisible from a distance of 32 meters or greater and intermittently visible within that distance. As a trade-off, she cannot attack while demanifested but can manifest at any time to do so. She can also travel to TVs while demanifested, instantly manifesting and applying a stack of Condemned. If a survivor becomes fully condemned, then Sadako can instantly kill them the next time she downs them. Although Condemned builds up slowly, any survivor with a full meter instantly becomes a priority target. Players familiar with Wraith in Dead by Daylight and his stealthy cloaking ability will find some similarities in Sadako's gameplay, although Sadako's stealth is admittedly weaker than his.
Playing as Sadako In Dead By Daylight
Sadako has excellent synergy with all of her base perks. Scourge Hook: Floods of Rage shows the locations of all survivors, helping Sadako hunt more effectively. Call of Brine rapidly regresses generators she damages and alerts her when survivors work on them. Finally, Merciless Storm forces constant skill checks on survivors repairing generators that are close to completion, temporarily blocking them if they fail. Sadako's base perks are excellent for slowing the game's flow, giving her more time to track down the survivors and finish them off. Finding the best killer perks for Sadako in Dead by Daylight can elevate her to one of the game's most persistent hunters. For instance, she would also benefit from other information perks such as Discordance, helping her maximize her TV manifestations to catch survivors and add Condemned stacks more easily.
Sadako's main weakness is loops. Because she has no abilities that help her in a chase, a strong loop can shut her down easily. To circumvent this, players should try to focus on sneak attacks, using add-ons such as the Well Water or Rickety Pinwheel to keep survivors from noticing her before she can hit them. In addition, survivors will eventually learn to run when they hear Sadako manifesting from a TV, so Sadako players will have to learn how to predict where the survivors will run and act accordingly. Proper practice can turn her into one of Dead by Daylight's best sneaky killers.
Sadako may be Dead by Daylight's newest killer, but she already fits perfectly with the rest of the cast. She is a character with several unique mechanics that can be very effective once one puts in the time to learn how she plays. With definite strengths centered on her stealthy playstyle, she is a very rewarding killer to use and master.
Dead By Daylight is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Stadia, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5.