Dead by Daylight have released Chapter 27 for all players featuring the brand new killer – The Skull Merchant. The chapter also contains the two new survivors, siblings Thalita and Renato Lyra. Furthermore, the map Shelter Woods receives a big rework, with the Skull Merchant‘s camp adding a unique and high-tech main building to spice up the map.
Let’s dive into the new killer and survivors, looking at their abilities and perks!
Dead by Daylight New Killer: The Skull Merchant
The Skull Merchant is the name of the new drone-based killer. She has the ability to set up drones which detect survivors within its radius. But that’s not all! If survivors stay in the radius for too long they become exposed, meaning she has is able to down them with just one hit. As an added bonus, the Skull Merchant is undetectable within the drone’s radius which means that you can try to pull off some sneaky jumpscares.
If a survivor is not detected within the radius after a period of time, the drone will enter the scouting mode. The drone does a scan, and survivors can disable the drone by completing a quick minigame. Once the drone is disabled, the survivors will be stuck with a claw trap, which will enable the Skull Merchant to track them until it’s battery runs out. The killer also has a radar which will pinpoint your position as long as the claw trap is active.
Dead by Daylight Skull Merchant Perks
As with every killer, the Skull Merchant brings 3 teachable perks which can be unlocked for all killers once you reach prestige 1. These are:
Thwack!
After you hook a survivor, the next time you break a pallet or breakable wall, the auras of all survivors within 32 metres will be revealed for 4 seconds and scream.
Leverage
Every time you hook a survivor, you gain a token (up to a maximum of 10). After you hook a survivor, this perk will activate and for the next 30 seconds, healing speed will be reduced by 5% per token.
Game Afoot
This perk activates when you are chasing the obsession. You will receive a 10 second haste status effect after damaging a generator or breaking a wall or pallet. Furthermore, when you hit the survivor with the most total chase time, they will become the obsession
Whilst these perks definitely are not the strongest killer perks, they feel like they will have useful synergy on certain killers and in certain builds. Game afoot could pair well with obsession-based perks such as Rancor, and Thwack! could work well on killers such as the Pig to interrupt survivors getting rid of their head traps.
Dead by Daylight New Survivors: Renato Lyra and Thalita Lyra
Chapter 27 is the first original chapter to include 2 survivors, as previously only licenced chapters such as Resident Evil and Stranger Things have included two survivors. Renato and Thalita are Portuguese siblings, and their lore can be read in game. They each bring 3 unique teachable perks, which can be unlocked for all survivors at prestige 1.
Renato Lyra Perks
Renato Lyra has 3 perks:
Blood Rush
This perk activates when you are on death hook (one hook away from death). Whilst healthy, running and exhausted, press the active ability button 1 to lose a health state, become broken, but recover from exhaustion immediately. After 20 seconds, if you are not downed, you will instantly heal to healthy. This perk will be a great combination with Sprint Burst or Lithe to get the speed boost twice in a row, but can only be activated once a match as it is disabled once you use it.
Teamwork: Collective Stealth
When another survivor finishes healing you, you both will leave no scratch marks as long as you remain within 12 meters or one of you loses a health state. The perk can only be activated once every 140 seconds.
Background Player
After you unhook a survivor, you get a 150% running speed for 6 seconds, and become exhausted for 40 seconds. It cannot be used if already exhausted.
Thalita Lyra Perks
Thalita Lyra has 3 perks:
Friendly Competition
This perk activates once you finish repairing a generator with another survivor. You and other survivors who finished repairing the generator receive a 5% repairing speed increase for the next 75 seconds.
Teamwork: Power of Two
When you finish healing another survivor, you both move 5% faster as long as you remain within 12 meters or one of you loses a health state. This perk only triggers once every 140 seconds.
Cut Loose
After you perform a rushed vault during chase, this perk activates. Whilst active, subsequent rushed vaults are silent for up to 6 seconds, and successfully performing a rushed vault, the timer will reset, meaning you can chain silent rushed vaults. This perk then goes on cooldown for 45 seconds.
Red Forest Visual Improvements
The Red Forest realm is the final realm to receive visual upgrades, bringing the visual quality in line with the other maps. This will affect the two maps in the realm: Temple of Purgation and Mother’s Dwelling.
Reworked Map: Shelter Woods
Shelter Woods receives a much needed rework, with The Skull Merchant setting up camp, with a new main building and loops. The design of the building is very high-tech and futuristic, offering one of the most unique aesthetics in the game.
New Perk Changes and Updates
Notably, one of the strongest killer perks Eruption has been nerfed. Now, after kicking a generator, its aura is highlighted in yellow. Whenever a survivor enters the dying state, every affected generator will explode and lose 10% of the current progress and starts regressing. Furthermore, any survivor repairing the generator will scream and their aura will be revealed for up to 12 seconds.
They also removed Any Mean Necessary’s perk cooldown, allowing you to reset those pallets much more consistently.
More Quality of Life Changes
Firstly, it will be near impossible now to play on the same map twice in a row, and it will be more unlikely to play on a recently-played map.
Secondly, bots have been updated to allow for perks, meaning you can choose a loadout if playing against or with bots.
Finally, you’ll be glad to hear that there have been a huge number of bug fixes in this update
Overall, this update includes the new Chapter 27 killer, 2 new survivors and an updated Shelter Woods. Make sure to check out the chapter in game, or have a look at the official patch notes.
For more Dead by Daylight news, check out the game’s roadmap for the first half of 2023.