Being a chainsaw-wielding killer in Dead by Daylight might sound like fun but for the longest time The Hillbilly had the short end of the stick. He’d have to aim his chainsaw incredibly carefully, manage heat levels at all times, and even when everything seemed right he’d bounce off a stray bit of terrain, interrupting his charge. That’s why despite being one of the free killers everyone who owns the game has access to, he was one of the least picked killers in the game.
That’s all changed now. Developer Behaviour Interactive has pulled back the curtain a little bit to share some recent Dead by Daylight statistics and after his extensive rework, The Hillbilly has zoomed to the top to be the most popular killer in the asymmetrical multiplayer game. Previously, The Hillbilly wasn’t even in the top ten for pick rate among DBD killers, and now he stands astride the charts with 8% of all matches featuring the chainsaw-wielding murderer.
The killer’s rework debuted back in January with patch 7.5.0 which also introduced Alan Wake and pals to the game along with a few changes to The Onryo. Previously The Hillbilly was a bit clunky to play as you’d have to manage a few things all at once. Now, he’s a gleeful killer, powering up his chainsaw to sprint across the map, mowing down anything he touches. It’s easy to see why he’s getting picked so much, especially since his kill rate has also seen an increase from 54% to 63%.
Also seeing a rise in pick rates are the Deathslinger who was the focus of a series of recent Tome challenges, and the Ghost Face who’s re-entered the top ten, presumably simply because everyone seems to love Ghost Face.
In addition, Behaviour Interactive showed off some statistics related to skill checks, the QTE-style events which pop up when repairing a generator or healing a survivor. It turns out that the Dead by Daylight community is pretty good at them, with only 7% of all skill checks being missed, 70% falling into the good category, and 23% being classed as great. Behaviour also gathered information on which killer perks cause skill checks to fail the most, with Hex: Huntress Lullaby behind 14% of all failures.
Finally, it’s been nearly five years since the Endgame Collapse mechanic was introduced, shortening matches that would previously drag out into a stalemate. In that time it’s been triggered nearly a billion times, with killers appearing to get the better end of the deal. Survivors being placed on hooks during the Endgame Collapse period have nearly double the chance of dying than they have of being rescued. Probably because everyone immediately scampers out of the gates, at least that’s this oft-hooked survivor’s experience.
With the developer regularly showing off Dead by Daylight statistics and another killer rework currently being tested on the Public Test Build, I’m sure we’ll be seeing another shakeup in the coming months. Especially if The Twins remain as strong as they appear in the current test build.
Should you need a few extra Bloodpoints or some nice new charms to decorate your hook, check out our guide to the current active DBD codes for April 2024. If instead you just want to have your socks scared right off you, why not head over to our guide to the best horror games you can play right now.
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