The best Killers in Dead by Daylight end chases quickly, cover ground between generators, and keep up pressure after the first hook. This DBD Killer tier list ranks the full roster for standard public matches, explains every placement that moved in the 10.2 patch cycle, and checks our ranking against the official kill-rate data Behaviour Interactive published on 18 October.
This edition applies to Patch 10.2.2, released 20 October 2026, and was re-checked on 22 October 2026.
Quick answer: The Nurse, The Blight, The Hillbilly, The Spirit, The Ghoul and The Mastermind are S tier on Patch 10.2.2. Neither bugfix patch since 10.2.0 changed a Killer's tier: 10.2.1 (14 October) made The Mastermind's Virulent Bound easier to redirect, and 10.2.2 (20 October) only changed one perk, Dark Arrogance, to a flat 10% shorter basic-attack cooldown. BHVR's official stats, published 18 October, put The Nightmare first for kill rate (17 June to 24 August 2026) and The Animatronic first for pick rate outside Japan, with an average kill rate of 59.7% for the year to 31 July 2026.
What is the DBD Killer tier list for Patch 10.2.2?
| Tier | Killers |
|---|---|
| S | The Nurse, The Blight, The Hillbilly, The Spirit, The Ghoul, The Mastermind |
| A | The Huntress, The Xenomorph, The Executioner, The Lich, Dracula, The Animatronic, The Slasher, The First, The Krasue, The Artist |
| B | The Judgment, The Houndmaster, The Unknown, The Singularity, The Oni, The Plague, The Knight, The Nemesis, The Dredge, The Good Guy, The Wraith, The Nightmare, The Trickster, The Cenobite, The Doctor |
| C | The Legion, The Deathslinger, The Hag, The Twins, The Pig, The Clown, The Ghost Face, The Demogorgon, The Onryo, The Cannibal |
| D | The Trapper, The Shape, The Skull Merchant |
One standard runs through the whole list: how reliably a Killer wins standard public matches when a competent player runs a normal perk loadout against Survivors who play well. It is not a ranking of what a specialist can do with a favourite Killer. Map, add-ons, perks, input device and skill can each move a pick by roughly one tier. Names match the official Dead by Daylight character roster; placements are timesaver.gg editorial analysis, not an official Behaviour Interactive ranking.
Several Killers carry two names. Dracula is The Dark Lord in the Trial, and the roster also writes The Lich as Vecna, The Executioner as Pyramid Head, The Nightmare as Freddy Krueger, The Pig as Amanda Young, The Cannibal as Leatherface, The Good Guy as Chucky and The Onryo as Sadako.
What changed for Killers in 10.2.1 and 10.2.2?
Two bugfix patches have shipped since the 10.2.0 Mid-Chapter. Here is every line relevant to a tier list, from BHVR's own notes (10.2.1, KB 561 and 10.2.2, KB 562).
| Patch | Date | Killer-relevant change | Tier impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10.2.1 | 14 Oct 2026 | "Made adjustments to The Mastermind's Virulent Bound to improve redirection" | Reinforces his S-tier move |
| 10.2.1 | 14 Oct 2026 | Mastermind no longer drops to a full stop for 1 or 2 frames at the end of a Dash | Same |
| 10.2.1 | 14 Oct 2026 | Bug fixes: The First locked in place after a stun while charging a Vine Attack, The Knight's Guards stuck in Pallets dropped during the Hunt, dash Killers sliding on blockers in Autohaven Wreckers' Yard | None |
| 10.2.2 | 20 Oct 2026 | Dark Arrogance basic-attack cooldown now 10% shorter on every outcome | None |
| 10.2.2 | 20 Oct 2026 | Fixed projectiles being blocked by invisible collision around the Nostromo Wreckage meeting table | None |
No Killer power was nerfed in either patch. The Mastermind is the only Killer with a power buff in the whole 10.2 cycle, and he got two: 10.2.0 made Virulent Bound collide less with ground geometry, keep some momentum off ledges and allow sidesteps between Bounds, and 10.2.1 improved redirection.
The Dark Arrogance change is the one players are arguing about. On 10.2.0 the perk cut only missed basic-attack cooldowns, by 15/20/25%. Now it cuts every basic-attack cooldown, hits included, by a flat 10%, and keeps its 15/20/25% faster window vaults and its 25% longer blinds and Pallet stuns. BHVR's dev note: "The team has heard the feedback that the PTB to Live change for Dark Arrogance was an overcorrection." Unrelenting already gives the same 10% on hits plus 30/35/40% on misses with no downside, which is why one r/DeadByDaylightKillers player summed up the new version as "just like, worse unrelenting". It is The Lich's teachable perk, but it does not move The Lich. Our DBD patch notes hub has the full Dark Arrogance history and every 10.2.2 fix.
How many Killers are in Dead by Daylight right now?
Behaviour's own character roster returns 42 Killer entries; the Dead by Daylight Wiki says 44. Both are right, because two licensed Killers are no longer available to unlock and no longer have a page on Behaviour's site:
| Killer | Status | What happened to the perks |
|---|---|---|
| The Shape (Michael Myers) | Cannot be unlocked since 19 January 2026 | Save the Best for Last became Keep Them Waiting, Play With Your Food became See How They Run, Dying Light became Cull The Weak |
| The Cenobite (Pinhead) | Left the store during 2025 | Deadlock became No Holds Barred |
Behaviour's departure notice set the cut-off, "On January 19th, 2026, 11 AM ET, The Halloween Chapter and all associated content will no longer be available to unlock in Dead by Daylight", and confirmed that "For those who already own The Shape, Laurie Strode, and/or any of their Cosmetics, your content will remain accessible to you."
So the honest count is: 42 Killers you can buy today, 44 Killers that can appear in your match. We rank all 44, because plenty of players still own the two legacy picks. BHVR's own data shows how many: The Shape was the fifth most played Killer outside Japan (4.2%) between 1 August 2025 and 31 July 2026, even though nobody new has been able to buy him since January. The Cenobite's departure was reported at the time as 4 April 2025; Behaviour's announcement page is no longer live.
Do BHVR's official kill rates agree with this tier list?
Partly, and the disagreements are the useful part. On 18 October 2026, for DbD Day in Japan, Behaviour published new official stats on its Japanese support site. Our DBD kill rates and pick rates breakdown translates the whole release; here is what matters for ranking Killers.
| Official stat (outside Japan) | Top 5 | Window |
|---|---|---|
| Highest kill rate | The Nightmare, The Onryo, The Lich, The Slasher, The Dredge | 17 Jun to 24 Aug 2026 |
| Most played | The Animatronic 5.2%, The Huntress 5.0%, The Ghoul 4.4%, The Mastermind 4.3%, The Shape 4.2% | 1 Aug 2025 to 31 Jul 2026 |
| Average kill rate | 59.7% (Japan 53.1%) | 1 Aug 2025 to 31 Jul 2026 |
BHVR published the kill-rate order without per-Killer percentages, excluding players its internal rating puts at beginner level, and all of it predates Patch 10.1.0 and the 10.2 perk pass. On the average, BHVR is direct: "As we've said before, we aim for an average kill rate of around 60%" (our translation of the Japanese original), and it acknowledged that neither region hit it in this period.
Why is The Nightmare top for kill rate but only B tier here? A kill rate measures outcomes across everyone who picks a Killer, not strength against a coordinated team. BHVR did not explain his result, so what follows is our read, not a measured effect: The Nightmare is outside both regions' pick-rate top 10, so his numbers may come from a smaller group of dedicated players, and his slowdown-heavy kit plausibly punishes the solo-queue mistakes common in public matches. The same reasoning may apply to The Onryo, second outside Japan and C tier on ours. Our placements measure how reliably a Killer holds up when Survivors play well; a top-5 kill rate says a Killer is very good at closing out ordinary matches. Both can be true.
Where the data backs the list: The Lich and The Slasher are A tier here and top 5 for kill rate outside Japan, and the four most played Killers outside Japan (The Animatronic, The Huntress, The Ghoul, The Mastermind) are all S or A tier on our list. Popularity is not proof of strength, but it is at least consistent with these Killers holding up in real matches.
Which DBD Killers are S tier in October 2026?
The Nurse keeps the highest ceiling because Blink movement ignores the geometry that protects Survivors. The Blight converts map knowledge into fast hits and rotates between objectives before Survivors reset. The Hillbilly pairs instant-down threat with traversal. The Spirit forces prediction instead of reaction and wins the information battle. The Ghoul keeps tempo after a hit through mobility and aggressive chase shape.
The Mastermind joined S tier in 10.2.0, and 10.2.1 made that placement safer. His changes all attack one weakness: Bounds dying on terrain, losing momentum off ledges, or impossible to steer once committed. With redirection improved and the end-of-Dash stall fixed, the inconsistency that kept him in A tier is mostly gone. He was also the fourth most played Killer outside Japan (4.3%, 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026), so expect to see him. Our Mastermind guide covers the add-ons that pair with the new movement.
A note on the Nurse, because players argue about her constantly. One recurring view is that she is not a high-ceiling Killer, just a hard one to pick up — "she is just a bit hard to learn", as one r/DeadByDaylightKillers player put it in a 12 October thread on skill ceilings. That describes her learning curve, not her ceiling: Blink distance depends on how long you charge and where you aim, so the skill lives in judging that distance while reading Survivor movement. She is the worst first Killer on this list and the best one to still be improving at in a year.
Is The Judgment S tier now?
Not on our list. The Judgment stays at the top of B tier, and is the Killer most likely to move up in the next edition.
The community has swung hard this week. In a 21 October r/DeadByDaylightKillers thread ranking Killers for Patch 10.2.2, the author placed The Judgment second overall, crediting a high-level showcase and the Killer's ability to deny strong Survivor perks while sniping across the map. Not everyone agreed: one reply put The Judgment "at the tippity top of A tier or 3rd behind blight", arguing that the Killer "still struggles with coordinated squads". That is roughly where we land.
The numbers have not changed since mid-September. Behaviour tuned Divine Light four times in three weeks and then Patch 10.1.2a reverted it to a 0.6 s curve window while Zealous, with no non-Zealous window at all, explaining that "The Judgment's performance skyrocketed following HF2." Nothing in 10.2.0, 10.2.1 or 10.2.2 touched the power; 10.2.1 only fixed bugs, including three item interactions that stopped Survivors screaming while taunting the Killer and a Survivor bot staying invisible after its player disconnected in Exile. What has changed is how well players use The Judgment. If that holds, the Killer goes to A next time. Our Judgment guide tracks the live values.
What did Patch 10.2.0 change for Killers?
Less than its headline suggests. The 10.2.0 Mid-Chapter (6 October) changed 57 perks live (27 Killer, 30 Survivor); the PTB had proposed 58, but Borrowed Time was reverted before launch (KB 560), and Behaviour said what the pass was for: "With this release, we are doing a pass on general perks - the perks new players gain access to when they begin their journey." That raises the floor, giving basic-attack Killers better default tools, without touching the slowdown and information perks that hold up S tier. The Killer buffs worth knowing:
| Perk | Live value since 10.2.0 | Previous value |
|---|---|---|
| Unrelenting | Missed basic-attack cooldown 30/35/40% shorter, plus a new 10% on successful hits | 20/25/30%, no bonus on hits |
| Distressing | Survivors in your Terror Radius repair 6/7/8% slower, Terror Radius a flat 30% larger | No repair penalty, 20/23/30% larger |
| Whispers | Whispers within 28/26/24 m, plus 5% Haste while outside that range | 48/40/32 m, no Haste |
| Agitation | 14/16/18% Haste while carrying | 6/12/18% |
| Hex: Nothing but Misery | Ignites after 4 basic-attack hits, adds 10% slower vaults | 8 hits, no vault effect |
Two perks were pulled back, both hurting power-damage Killers: Dissolution and Hex: Blood Favor again require damage from a basic attack. Behaviour's note on both: "Some Killers benefited from this perk a lot more than others. To lower that gap, we're bringing back the basic-attack trigger condition."
Which Killers moved because of the perk pass?
The Doctor moved C to B. 10.2.0 turned Distressing into real gen pressure: Survivors inside his Terror Radius repair 6/7/8% slower, and the radius bonus became a flat 30% larger. A Killer built around a huge Terror Radius got paid for it.
The Legion is the biggest floor-riser and still does not change tier. Unrelenting at 30/35/40% on missed basic attacks, plus 10% on successful ones, buffs every Killer who chases with M1, and Behaviour explained why it was safe: "Diminishing Returns allows us to return the long-since-removed successful basic-attack cooldown." It makes The Legion smoother but does not fix the ceiling problem: converting Frenzy damage into hooks. Our Legion guide goes deeper, and the full Unrelenting, Fire Up and Distressing breakdown has the tier-by-tier numbers.
Survivors got buffs too, which is why no low-tier Killer jumped further: Better Than New went from 12/14/16% to 40/45/50%, Empathic Connection to 30/35/40%, We'll Make It lasts 70/80/90 s, and No One Left Behind heals at 80/90/100%. Faster healing counters hit-and-run, so The Wraith, The Ghost Face and The Legion gained a better chase perk and a worse match environment.
Are C-tier and D-tier Killers bad?
No. C tier means conditional, not unusable. Every C-tier Killer wins public matches regularly, and The Onryo was second for kill rate outside Japan in BHVR's 17 June to 24 August 2026 window. Their pressure depends more on map layout, setup time, Survivor mistakes or specialist knowledge.
D tier holds The Trapper, The Shape and The Skull Merchant. The Trapper needs setup before his game plan exists. The Shape spikes hard but concedes early tempo, and no new player can buy him. The Skull Merchant's control pattern still does not convert into chase and rotation value, and her only line in 10.2.1 or 10.2.2 was a Drone-placement bug fix in the Hideout; our Skull Merchant rework status check tracks the promised rework.
Ranged Killers (The Deathslinger, The Trickster, The Huntress, The Animatronic, The Slasher) have a higher personal ceiling than their placement implies, because accuracy is the whole power, and 10.2.2 removed one trap for their projectiles: invisible collision around the Nostromo Wreckage meeting table.
Where will Art the Clown rank?
Too early to say; anyone giving him a tier today is guessing. Behaviour has confirmed only that the Terrifier Chapter, with Art the Clown as a licensed Killer, arrives in November 2026. As of 22 October 2026 BHVR has not published a release day, a PTB date or his power. The 27 October PTB and 17 November release you may have seen come from fan and leak accounts, not from Behaviour. We will rank him once his power is playable on the PTB; until then our Art the Clown first look tracks what is actually confirmed.
Which Killer should a beginner learn first?
Start with a Killer whose power teaches transferable fundamentals. Behaviour's own difficulty rating on every character page is a better starting filter than any tier list, including this one.
- The Wraith, The Trapper and The Legion are the only three Killers Behaviour rates Easy. The Wraith is the best of them for learning patrol timing and ambushes, and he was the most played Killer in Japan (5.9%, 1 August 2025 to 31 July 2026). Our Wraith guide covers his add-ons.
- The Huntress is rated Medium and is the pick for learning ranged prediction, if you can accept missing a lot.
- The Hillbilly is also Medium and is the rare S-tier Killer whose basic traversal pays off long before you can curve.
- The Nurse, The Hag, The Oni, The Executioner, The Blight, The Twins and The Judgment are Behaviour's seven Very Hard Killers. Learn them after you can already win matches.
- The Ghoul is rated Medium and is often called an easy Killer, which sets players up to be disappointed. The power is simple to use and hard to use well; the skill that unlocks him is zoning Survivors toward dead areas.
Do not unlock from a one-line tier placement. A C-tier Killer you practise for fifty matches beats an S-tier Killer you abandon after three.
More Dead by Daylight guides
We re-rank after every Killer power change, perk overhaul or new chapter, and date every edition to its patch.
- DBD Patch Notes: Every Change in the Latest Patch
- DBD Kill Rates and Pick Rates: BHVR's Official 2026 Stats
- DBD Survivor Tier List: All Survivors Ranked
- Best DBD Killer Perks Tier List
- DBD Codes: All Active Dead by Daylight Codes
FAQ
Who is the best Killer in DBD right now? The Nurse, on Patch 10.2.2, because Blink movement bypasses loop geometry and compresses chase time and map distance at once. She also has the highest execution requirement on the roster, so The Hillbilly or The Wraith is the better practical choice while you are learning.
Did Patch 10.2.2 change the Killer tier list? No. 10.2.2 changed one perk, Dark Arrogance, plus bug fixes and the Lights Out: Stranger Things Edition dates (5 to 12 November). The only Killer power change since 10.2.0 came in 10.2.1, which improved The Mastermind's Virulent Bound redirection and strengthens his existing S-tier spot.
Which Killer has the highest kill rate in DBD? The Nightmare, in BHVR's latest official stats published 18 October 2026, for the window 17 June to 24 August 2026. Outside Japan the top 5 were The Nightmare, The Onryo, The Lich, The Slasher and The Dredge. BHVR gave the order but not the percentages.
How many Killers are in Dead by Daylight in 2026? Behaviour's character roster lists 42 Killers, and 44 can appear in a Trial. The difference is The Shape and The Cenobite, which are no longer available to unlock but are still playable for everyone who already owns them.
Can I still buy Michael Myers in Dead by Daylight? No. The Halloween Chapter stopped being unlockable at 11 AM ET on 19 January 2026. His perks remain in the game for everyone under new names: Keep Them Waiting, See How They Run and Cull The Weak.
Is this DBD Killer tier list different on console? The broad order is similar, but precision-heavy Killers feel less consistent on a controller. Expect The Judgment, The Nurse, The Huntress and The Blight to play roughly one tier lower until your sensitivity is dialled in.
When will this tier list be updated? After every Killer power change, major perk overhaul or new chapter, starting with the Terrifier PTB once BHVR opens it. This edition is dated 22 October 2026 and applies to live Patch 10.2.2.
Sources: 10.2.2 Bugfix Patch notes, 10.2.1 Bugfix Patch notes, Patch 10.2.0 Mid-Chapter notes, BHVR DbD Day 2026 stats, Halloween Is Leaving Dead by Daylight and the official character roster. Tier placements are editorial judgments, not official balance rankings.
