Dead by Daylight features a diverse roster of killers, each with unique abilities that can dramatically impact your success in the game. This comprehensive DBD Killers Tier List for November 2025 ranks all killers based on their current performance in the meta, considering factors like map pressure, chase potential, and overall effectiveness against skilled survivors. Whether you’re a new player deciding which killer to invest in or a veteran looking to optimize your gameplay, this tier list will help you understand which killers are dominating the current meta and which ones might need some buffs to compete. For more information on Dead by Daylight strategies, check out our Dead by Daylight Beginner’s Guide.
When creating this tier list, I’ve considered several crucial factors that determine a killer’s effectiveness in Dead by Daylight:
| Name | Tier | Power | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse | S | Spencer’s Last Breath | Can blink through obstacles, ignoring pallets and windows |
| Blight | S | Alchemist’s Rush | High mobility, lethal rushes, strong map control |
| Spirit | S | Yamaoka’s Haunting | Invisibility, phase-walking, unpredictable movement |
| Artist | S | Birds of Torment | Map-wide pressure, anti-loop, information gathering |
| Huntress | S | Hunting Hatchets | Long-range attacks, map control, strong snowball potential |
| Name | Tier | Power | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oni | A | Blood Fury | High mobility in demon mode, one-hit downs |
| Pyramid Head | A | Rites of Judgment | Can bypass defenses, strong map pressure |
| Deathslinger | A | The Redeemer | Long-range attacks, zoning tool, anti-loop |
| Plague | A | Vile Purge | Two viable power states, area denial |
| Hag | A | Hex: The Third Seal | Map control, teleportation traps, information gathering |
| Twins | A | Blood Bond | Two killers in one, pressure across the map |
| Pinhead | A | Summoning of the Gatekeeper | Passive map pressure, chain hunt mechanic |
| Name | Tier | Power | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemesis | B | T-Virus | Zombies provide passive pressure, tentacle strikes |
| Executioner | B | Rites of Judgment | Can bypass defenses, strong map pressure |
| Trickster | B | Showstopper | Rapid-fire projectiles, area denial |
| Ghost Face | B | Night Shroud | Stealth, one-hit down potential, information gathering |
| Doctor | B | Carter’s Spark | Area denial, information gathering, madness mechanic |
| Hillbilly | B | Chainsaw | High mobility, one-hit downs, map control |
| Bubba | B | Bubba’s Chainsaw | Multiple hits in one charge, area denial |
| Freddy | B | Dream Pallets | Map control, teleportation, slow-down effects |
| Name | Tier | Power | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demogorgon | C | Of the Abyss | Map mobility, portal network, anti-loop |
| Pig | C | Jigsaw’s Baptism | Reverse bear traps, ambush attacks |
| Michael Myers | C | Evil Within | One-hit down potential, stealth, stalking mechanic |
| Clown | C | The Afterpiece Tonic | Area denial, slowdown, anti-loop |
| Legion | C | Feral Frenzy | Multiple hits, information gathering, mobility |
| Cannibal | C | Bubba’s Chainsaw | Multiple hits in one charge, area denial |
| Name | Tier | Power | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wraith | D | Wailing Bell | Stealth, mobility, one-hit down potential |
| Trapper | D | Bear Traps | Area denial, map control |
| Sadako | D | Deny the Forbidden Tape | Map pressure, teleportation, condemned mechanic |
| Name | Tier | Power | Key Strengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | F | – | No killers currently in F-tier |
The Nurse stands at the top of our DBD Killers Tier List due to her unique ability to blink through obstacles, completely ignoring pallets and windows. Her power, Spencer’s Last Breath, allows her to cover distances instantly and catch survivors off guard. What makes the Nurse so powerful is her high skill ceiling – while she’s difficult to master, a skilled Nurse player can dominate even the most coordinated survivor teams. Her main weakness is her reliance on line-of-sight for blinking and her fatigue state after each blink chain. To maximize her effectiveness, practice your blink timing and learn to predict survivor movements.
Blight secures his S-tier position with Alchemist’s Rush, which gives him incredible mobility and lethal rush potential. His ability to slam into obstacles and change direction mid-rush makes him unpredictable and deadly in chases. Blight excels at map control and can quickly apply pressure across the entire map. His main weakness is his reliance on environmental obstacles for effective rushes, making him less potent on open maps. To get the most out of Blight, practice your rush angles and learn to use his Lethal Rush effectively for surprise attacks.
Spirit earns her S-tier ranking with Yamaoka’s Haunting, which allows her to become invisible and phase-walk, making her extremely unpredictable during chases. Her power gives her a significant advantage in mind games, as survivors cannot see her while she’s phasing. Spirit’s strength lies in her ability to quickly close distances and surprise survivors. Her weakness is her reliance on sound cues while phasing, which can be countered by survivors using Iron Will. To maximize Spirit’s potential, practice your phasing timing and learn to use directional audio to track survivors.
Artist makes it to S-tier with Birds of Torment, a power that provides excellent map-wide pressure and anti-loop capabilities. Her ability to send crows to block paths and injure survivors makes her incredibly versatile. Artist excels at controlling the map and preventing survivors from working on generators. Her main weakness is her slow movement speed and the need for line-of-sight to effectively use her power. To play Artist effectively, learn to use your crows for both information gathering and area denial, and always be thinking about positioning for optimal bird placement.
Huntress rounds out our S-tier with Hunting Hatchets, which give her long-range attack capabilities and strong map control. Her ability to hit survivors from a distance makes her excellent at applying pressure and snowballing during matches. Huntress excels at patrolling large maps and can quickly end chases with well-aimed hatchet throws. Her main weakness is her limited number of hatchets and slow movement speed while carrying a survivor. To maximize Huntress’s effectiveness, practice your hatchet aim and learn to manage your hatchet count throughout the match.
Oni earns his A-tier spot with Blood Fury, which grants him high mobility and one-hit downs once he’s absorbed enough blood. His power transforms him into a deadly force that can quickly end chases and apply pressure across the map. Oni excels at snowballing once he gets his power activated, but struggles in the early game before collecting enough blood orbs. His main weakness is his reliance on survivors being injured to activate his power. To play Oni effectively, focus on injuring survivors early to build up your power, then use Demon Mode to apply maximum pressure.
Pyramid Head secures A-tier with Rites of Judgment, which allows him to bypass many survivor defenses and create strong map pressure. His ability to use his punishment of the damned attack through obstacles makes him excellent at countering loops and safe pallets. Pyramid Head excels at area denial and can quickly end chases with well-timed attacks. His weakness is his slow movement speed and the telegraphed nature of his ranged attack. To maximize Pyramid Head’s effectiveness, practice your ranged attack timing and learn to use his cages of atonement to disrupt survivor strategies.
Deathslinger earns A-tier with The Redeemer, a harpoon gun that allows for long-range attacks and excellent zoning capabilities. His ability to reel in survivors after a successful hit makes him great at anti-loop and map control. Deathslinger excels at quickly ending chases and applying pressure across the map. His main weakness is his limited range and the need to break free from the reel after being shot. To play Deathslinger effectively, practice your aim and learn to use your shots for zoning survivors into unfavorable positions.
Plague makes A-tier with Vile Purge, which gives her two distinct power states that are both viable in different situations. Her ability to infect survivors and then switch to her corrupt purge mode makes her versatile and adaptable. Plague excels at area denial and can quickly apply pressure across the map. Her main weakness is her reliance on survivors becoming infected to access her more powerful corrupt purge mode. To maximize Plague’s effectiveness, focus on infecting survivors early and then use corrupt purge to apply maximum pressure.
Hag secures A-tier with Hex: The Third Seal, which gives her excellent map control through teleportation traps. Her ability to set traps and then teleport to them when triggered makes her great at defending objectives and quickly responding to survivor actions. Hag excels at area denial and can quickly end chases with well-placed traps. Her main weakness is her reliance on traps for mobility and the vulnerability of her hex totems. To play Hag effectively, learn strategic trap placement and always be aware of your totem’s status.
Twins earn A-tier with Blood Bond, effectively giving you two killers in one – Charlotte and Victor. This unique power allows for pressure across the map and constant survivor harassment. Twins excel at applying multiple sources of pressure and can quickly end chases with Victor’s pounce attacks. Their main weakness is the vulnerability of Charlotte while controlling Victor and the need to manage both killers effectively. To maximize Twins’ effectiveness, practice switching between Charlotte and Victor efficiently and learn to use Victor for both information gathering and attacks.
Pinhead rounds out A-tier with Summoning of the Gatekeeper, which provides passive map pressure through the chain hunt mechanic. His ability to summon the box and initiate chain hunts makes him excellent at disrupting survivor strategies and applying constant pressure. Pinhead excels at area denial and can quickly end chases with his chain attacks. His main weakness is his reliance on survivors solving the box to maintain pressure and his slow movement speed during attacks. To play Pinhead effectively, focus on locating the box and using your chain attacks to control survivor movements.
Nemesis earns B-tier with T-Virus, which provides passive pressure through zombies and strong tentacle strike capabilities. His ability to have zombies patrol the map and attack survivors makes him great at applying constant pressure. Nemesis excels at area denial and can break pallets and walls with his tentacle strikes. His main weakness is the initial short range of his tentacle strikes and the time it takes to upgrade his power. To maximize Nemesis’s effectiveness, focus on infecting survivors to upgrade your power and use zombies to control key areas of the map.
Executioner secures B-tier with Rites of Judgment, which allows him to bypass many survivor defenses and create strong map pressure. His ability to use his punishment of the damned attack through obstacles makes him excellent at countering loops and safe pallets. Executioner excels at area denial and can quickly end chases with well-timed attacks. His weakness is his slow movement speed and the telegraphed nature of his ranged attack. To maximize Executioner’s effectiveness, practice your ranged attack timing and learn to use his cages of atonement to disrupt survivor strategies.
Trickster earns B-tier with Showstopper, which provides rapid-fire projectile attacks and area denial capabilities. His ability to quickly throw knives and build up to a laceration status makes him great at anti-loop and applying pressure. Trickster excels at quickly ending chases with his main event and can control areas with his knife throws. His main weakness is the limited range of his knives and the need to constantly reload. To play Trickster effectively, practice your aim and learn to use your knives for both direct attacks and area denial.
Ghost Face makes B-tier with Night Shroud, which gives him stealth capabilities and one-hit down potential. His ability to stalk survivors and mark them for instant downs makes him excellent at surprise attacks and information gathering. Ghost Face excels at map control and can quickly end chases with well-timed ambushes. His main weakness is the ease with which survivors can reveal him, breaking his stealth. To maximize Ghost Face’s effectiveness, practice using environmental obstacles to stay hidden and learn to stalk efficiently to mark survivors quickly.
Doctor secures B-tier with Carter’s Spark, which provides area denial, information gathering, and the madness mechanic. His ability to shock survivors and cause them to scream makes him excellent at locating hidden survivors and disrupting their actions. Doctor excels at area control and can prevent survivors from performing actions with his shock therapy. His main weakness is his limited mobility and the telegraphed nature of his attacks. To play Doctor effectively, use your static blast for information gathering and your shock therapy to disrupt survivor actions during chases.
Hillbilly earns B-tier with Chainsaw, which gives him high mobility and one-hit down potential. His ability to sprint across the map and down survivors quickly makes him excellent at applying pressure and ending chases. Hillbilly excels at map control and can quickly respond to survivor actions across the map. His main weakness is the precision required to control his chainsaw and the cooldown after a missed attack. To maximize Hillbilly’s effectiveness, practice your chainsaw control and learn to use it for both mobility and attacks.
Bubba makes B-tier with Bubba’s Chainsaw, which provides multiple hits in one charge and area denial capabilities. His ability to down multiple survivors in one chainsaw sprint makes him excellent at camping and area control. Bubba excels at defending hooks and can quickly end chases with well-timed chainsaw attacks. His main weakness is his limited mobility while using his chainsaw and the loud audio cues that alert survivors to his presence. To play Bubba effectively, learn to control your chainsaw sprints and use them for both attacks and area denial.
Freddy secures B-tier with Dream Pallets, which gives him map control, teleportation, and slow-down effects. His ability to pull survivors into the dream world and teleport to generators makes him excellent at applying pressure across the map. Freddy excels at map control and can disrupt survivor strategies with his dream pallets and snares. His main weakness is the delay before he can interact with survivors and the limited effectiveness of his power against coordinated teams. To maximize Freddy’s effectiveness, focus on pulling survivors into the dream world quickly and use your teleportation to apply pressure to multiple generators.
Demogorgon earns C-tier with Of the Abyss, which provides map mobility, a portal network, and anti-loop capabilities. His ability to place portals and travel between them makes him excellent at map control and surprise attacks. Demogorgon excels at area denial and can quickly end chases with his shred attack. His main weakness is the loud audio cues that alert survivors to his portal placements and the limited range of his shred attack. To maximize Demogorgon’s effectiveness, practice strategic portal placement and learn to use your shred attack for both anti-loop and direct hits.
Pig makes C-tier with Jigsaw’s Baptism, which provides reverse bear traps and ambush attack capabilities. Her ability to put reverse bear traps on survivors makes her excellent at applying pressure and disrupting survivor strategies. Pig excels at area denial and can surprise survivors with her ambush attacks. Her main weakness is the randomness of the reverse bear traps and the limited effectiveness of her ambush against skilled survivors. To play Pig effectively, focus on using your ambush for surprise attacks and use your reverse bear traps to disrupt survivor strategies.
Michael Myers secures C-tier with Evil Within, which gives him one-hit down potential, stealth, and the stalking mechanic. His ability to stalk survivors and build up his power makes him excellent at surprise attacks and snowballing. Michael excels at map control and can quickly end chases with his one-hit down potential in Evil Within III. His main weakness is the time it takes to build up his power and his limited mobility while stalking. To maximize Michael’s effectiveness, focus on stalking survivors early to build up your power and use your stealth for surprise attacks.
Clown earns C-tier with The Afterpiece Tonic, which provides area denial, slowdown, and anti-loop capabilities. His ability to throw bottles of gas to slow and disorient survivors makes him excellent at controlling areas and ending chases. Clown excels at area denial and can quickly end chases with well-timed bottle throws. His main weakness is his limited mobility and the finite number of bottles he can carry. To play Clown effectively, practice your bottle throws and learn to use them for both area denial and direct slowdown during chases.
Legion makes C-tier with Feral Frenzy, which provides multiple hits, information gathering, and mobility. Their ability to hit multiple survivors in quick succession makes them excellent at applying pressure across the map. Legion excels at information gathering and can quickly injure multiple survivors with their frenzy attacks. Their main weakness is the inability to down survivors during frenzy and the deep wound mechanic that can be easily countered. To maximize Legion’s effectiveness, use your frenzy for information gathering and injuring multiple survivors, then focus on downing them with basic attacks.
Cannibal secures C-tier with Bubba’s Chainsaw, which provides multiple hits in one charge and area denial capabilities. His ability to down multiple survivors in one chainsaw sprint makes him excellent at camping and area control. Cannibal excels at defending hooks and can quickly end chases with well-timed chainsaw attacks. His main weakness is his limited mobility while using his chainsaw and the loud audio cues that alert survivors to his presence. To play Cannibal effectively, learn to control your chainsaw sprints and use them for both attacks and area denial.
Wraith earns D-tier with Wailing Bell, which gives him stealth, mobility, and one-hit down potential. His ability to become invisible and move quickly makes him excellent at surprise attacks and map control. Wraith excels at information gathering and can quickly end chases with his one-hit down potential after uncloaking. His main weakness is the loud audio cues that alert survivors to his presence when approaching and the wind-up time for his attacks. To maximize Wraith’s effectiveness, use your stealth for surprise attacks and learn to approach survivors from unexpected angles.
Trapper makes D-tier with Bear Traps, which provide area denial and map control capabilities. His ability to set traps to catch survivors makes him excellent at controlling key areas and disrupting survivor strategies. Trapper excels at area denial and can quickly end chases by trapping survivors in unfavorable positions. His main weakness is the time it takes to set and reset traps and the limited number of traps he can carry. To play Trapper effectively, focus on strategic trap placement and learn to use your traps for both area denial and direct catches.
Sadako secures D-tier with Deny the Forbidden Tape, which provides map pressure, teleportation, and the condemned mechanic. Her ability to teleport to televisions and condemn survivors makes her excellent at applying pressure across the map. Sadako excels at map control and can disrupt survivor strategies with her condemned mechanic. Her main weakness is the time it takes to build up condemned on survivors and the limited effectiveness of her power against coordinated teams. To maximize Sadako’s effectiveness, focus on using your teleportation for map control and building up condemned on survivors through various means.
The Dead by Daylight killer meta has seen several shifts in November 2025, with some killers rising in prominence due to balance changes and new strategies being discovered. The Nurse and Blight continue to dominate at the top of the tier list, thanks to their unparalleled mobility and chase potential. We’ve seen the Artist rise significantly in the rankings due to her excellent map pressure and anti-loop capabilities, making her a top choice for players looking to climb the ranks.
On the other hand, killers like Sadako and Trapper have fallen in the rankings due to their limited effectiveness against coordinated survivor teams and the prevalence of perks that counter their specific playstyles. The meta has increasingly favored killers with strong map pressure and versatile powers that can adapt to different situations, which explains why killers like the Nurse, Blight, and Spirit continue to dominate the higher ranks. If you’re interested in survivor gameplay, be sure to read our DBD Survivor Tier List.
If you’re looking to improve your rank in Dead by Daylight, here are some tips that can help you climb more efficiently:
Based on our tier list, the Nurse is currently the best killer in Dead by Daylight. Her ability to blink through obstacles and ignore pallets and windows gives her unparalleled chase potential, making her extremely effective even against the most coordinated survivor teams.
For beginners, I recommend starting with killers like Wraith or Trapper. These killers have simpler mechanics that are easier to learn while still being effective. Wraith’s stealth ability allows for surprise attacks, while Trapper’s bear traps teach important map control fundamentals.
The DBD killer tier list can change with each major update, which typically occurs every 3-4 months. Balance changes, new perks, and map adjustments can all affect killer rankings. Additionally, as players discover new strategies and techniques, certain killers may rise or fall in the tier list. For the latest updates on Dead by Daylight, visit our DBD Patch Notes page.
S-tier killers in Dead by Daylight typically have strong map pressure, excellent chase potential, versatile powers, and a high skill ceiling. These killers can consistently perform well against coordinated survivor teams and have few weaknesses that can be easily exploited.
Yes, low-tier killers are still viable in Dead by Daylight, especially at lower to mid-ranks. While they may struggle against highly coordinated survivor teams, skilled players can still achieve success with these killers by mastering their unique mechanics and developing effective strategies.
To counter strong loopers as a killer, focus on mind games, using your power effectively, and learning when to break pallets. Some killers have specific anti-loop abilities that can help, but the key is to predict survivor movements and force them into unfavorable positions.
While perk choices depend on your playstyle and the specific killer, some generally strong perks include Barbecue & Chili for bloodpoints and information, Pop Goes the Weasel for generator regression, and Ruin for early game slowdown. Perks like Discordance and Tinkerer can also provide valuable information and pressure.
Add-ons can significantly impact a killer’s performance, with some add-ons completely changing how a killer plays. High-tier add-ons can elevate a killer’s effectiveness, while some lower-tier killers may rely heavily on specific add-ons to be viable. Learning which add-ons work best for your preferred killer is essential for maximizing their potential.
