Dead By Daylight best survivor perks ranked (April 2023)

Survivor perks are one of the most helpful things in Dead by Daylight. And the good thing is, most of the perks are unlockable via the Shrine of Secrets. However, there is a very polarising tier list of viability. Some perks are pretty challenging to use, while some are best when paired with other perks or items, and others are only useful in extremely specific situations that render them useless.

Most perks also get nerfed or buffed in some patches, so this tier list may change overtime. Nevertheless, here is a list of the best perks in Dead by Daylight for the current patch.

Fear not, because we've put in the hours and ranked them for you. This list is going to narrow down the ten best Survivor perks that are useful in most circumstances throughout a match. For even more on the game, check out our ranking of Dead By Daylight killer perks and survivors, as well as some free codes.

Spine Chill (All survivors)

Spine Chill is a mainstay for many Dead By Daylight players for a variety of reasons. First, it’s a perk that is immediately available to all Survivors, so there’s no need to hunt it down in the Shrine of Secrets or buy a DLC character in order to unlock it. Second, it has no cool-down, unlike its sister perk, Premonition.

Spine Chill will always alert you when the killer is in close proximity and facing your direction, and is invaluable for all types of gameplay styles. Working on a generator and it activates? That’s your cue to make a getaway. Being chased by the Killer and notice that he’s still facing you? Perfect time to throw down a palette. It’s a perk with many potential uses.

We're Gonna Live Forever (David King)

One of the best perks for helping teammates, We're Gonna Live Forever boosts the healing speed when performing it on dying survivors. Players who have this perk will also gain tokens when carrying out helpful activities, such as taking a protection hit or performing a safe hook rescue.

Consuming one token will grant the endurance buff to any survivors healed from the dying state.

Dead Hard (David King)

As previously mentioned, certain perks have a bit of a learning curve in order to be used effectively, and Dead Hard is definitely one of them. Dead Hard enables you to rush forward and gain brief invulnerability from any of the Killer’s attacks. It has a cool-down, and can only be used in the injured state, but it is an exceptionally useful tool for keeping the Killer on the run, if you can time it correctly.

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Boon: Circle Of Healing (Mikaela Reid)

You can bless a totem near a dull or hex totem, which then creates a boon totem. Survivors within the range of the totem benefit from an extra 40/50/60% healing speed. However, it does reduce personal healing speed by -50% so it's best to take someone with you along for the ride to make sure that you can heal each other. It also unlocks the Self-Care ability, allowing Survivors to self-heal without needing a med-kit.

For The People (Zarina Kassir)

While For The People requires a bit more of a specific circumstance to use, its payoff can be extremely beneficial. Go into a match equipped with this perk and a med-kit, and it enables you to instantly heal a fellow Survivor one full health state by sacrificing the med-kit. This means that you can still use most of the med-kit on yourself or others throughout the match, but to make sure that there’s still a little bit more charges on it to use the perk.

Kindred (All Survivors)

Another perk that’s accessible to all Survivors, Kindred is a perk that is sure to make both yours, and your teammates’ lives much easier. When a Survivor is placed on a hook, the auras of all other Survivors will become visible to one another, as well as the Killer’s aura if they are close to the hooked Survivor.

This opens up a variety of great usages. It enables Survivors to strategically plan which objectives to remain working on, when someone is attempting to rescue the hooked Survivor, and if the Survivors are dealing with a pesky Killer that camps their victims.

Lithe (Feng Min)

Similar to Dead Hard, Lithe is a great tool to have in your Survivor arsenal for when you’re being chased by the Killer. Lithe grants a sprint bonus after performing a vault, which can be especially handy for quickly finding a hiding spot upon exiting/entering a building. This can be especially useful when paired with Iron Will, as it enables you to quickly be gone without a trace (aside from scratch marks).

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Prove Thyself (Dwight Fairfield)

It generally pays off to stick with at least one other Survivor in order to tackle objectives, and Prove Thyself is a great, passive addition to those moments. Prove Thyself grants a repair speed bonus to every Survivor that is nearby. It has no cool-down, so it can be used many times throughout a match for gen-rushing (quickly repairing as many generators as possible as a group).

Self-Care (Claudette Morel)

Probably the most helpful survivor perk in the game, Self-Care allows survivors to heal themselves without a med-kit, which is pretty hard to find during the game. The survivors can assign their own healer that will keep the whole group survive much longer without the need of med-kits. Not only that, but Self-Care has unlimited uses, which means the survivors can hold on until they win the game.

Decisive Strike (Laurie Strode)

Perhaps one of the most difficult perks to pull off with one of the best payoffs, Decisive Strike, is very hit-or-miss. After escaping the hook, if you are picked up again by the Killer, an extremely difficult skill-check activates that stuns the Killer and enables you to run away if passed successfully. It can only be used once per match, but it’s one of the most viable ways of distracting the Killer during the match, saving another Survivor, or even making one last-effort attempt at escaping.

That's all you need to know about the best Survivor perks in Dead by Daylight. Be sure to check back regularly to see how your build could be improved. In the meantime, check out the killers we wish to see in Dead by Daylight soon, or some games like DBD for when you need a break.