This guide helps killers understand exactly what rules to obey when attempting to slay survivors. It’s imperative that all killers read and follow these rules to ensure that they are killing their victims in the most fair and fun way possible (for the survivors).

Introduction

Dead by Daylight is a game about ensuring that the people playing the survivor role have as much fun as possible while being given ample opportunities to win. The role of killer is crucial for the game to exist and when playing as a killer, you take on a great measure of responsibility for ensuring that you play in a way that allows the survivors to enjoy their time.

This guide will provide killers with the two cardinal rules to follow in order to ensure that they are playing properly. If you are a killer main, it is your responsibility to memorize these rules. Alternatively, you can opt to have them tattooed onto your stomach upside-down for quick reference whenever you need a reminder.

Both rules will have their own section below in which I will first provide an explanation and then follow it up with commonly asked questions. Please be aware that there are many more rules that killers must follow to ensure that survivors are enjoying themselves in game, but these are the two most important. If this guide is popular, I may expand on it to provide even more guidelines for killers to play correctly.

Rule 1: Thou Shalt Not Tunnel

The definition of “tunneling” varies between which survivors you ask, so it’s your responsibility to hold all of the possible interpretations in your mind at all times and know exactly which one the survivors you’re playing against subscribe to.

With that said, and for ease of understanding, this guide is referencing the fundamental definition. Tunneling is the deliberate or accidental targeting of a single survivor for consecutive downs.

Here is an example:

1. Killer loads into the map and quickly locates Survivor A.

2. Killer downs Survivor A.

3. Killer hooks Survivor A.

4. Killer turns around with the intent of walking away.

5. Survivor B unhooks Survivor A while Killer is 3 feet away.

6. Killer turns around and sees that Survivor B has already vaulted through a window, leaving Survivor A wounded and directly in front of them.

7. Killer downs Survivor A.

The situation outlined above is a direct and egregious violation of Rule 1. As a killer, you must never target a survivor that has recently been unhooked, regardless of any other factors. You may be confused by this, but even if Survivor A is the only person you can see, if they were recently unhooked then it is your duty to allow them to safely retreat.

Here’s what should have happened:

1. Killer loads into the map and quickly locates Survivor A.

2. Killer downs Survivor A.

3. Killer hooks Survivor A.

4. Killer turns around with the intent of walking away.

5. Survivor B unhooks Survivor A while Killer is 3 feet away.

6. Killer turns around and sees that Survivor B has already vaulted through a window, leaving Survivor A wounded and directly in front of them.

7. Killer ignores Survivor A and avoids moving in their direction.

8. Killer turns around and moves as far away from Survivor A as possible, even if that means moving toward what they know to be a dead zone with nobody inside of it.

But isn’t tunneling a smart way to approach the killer’s objective of killing survivors?

No, it’s a disgusting and dirty tactic that goes against the entire point of the game which is to play in a way that allows the survivors to enjoy their time and win.

But why can survivors team up and focus a single generator to get it done more quickly while you’re saying that killers can’t employ a similar tactic of focusing completion of their objective?

When a killer plays this way, it prevents the tunneled survivor from enjoying their time in the game.

But when survivors rush generators and prevent me from having enough time to kill anyone, that isn’t fun for me.

It is not the survivors’ responsibility to ensure that you’re having fun.

But…

Moving on.

Rule 2: Thou Shalt Not Camp

Similar to tunneling, camping has many definitions depending on who you ask, and so we will be focusing on the fundamental meaning. Camping is intentionally or unintentionally staying within proximity of a hooked survivor to capitalize on any attempts made by their teammates to unhook them.

Here is an example:

1. Killer has downed multiple survivors during a match, but they have not secured any hooks because the survivor team has body blocked the killer every time that they were carrying a survivor.

2. Killer is finally able to hook their first survivor with one generator left to be finished.

3. Killer weighs their options and decides that the smartest play is to camp the hooked survivor instead of wandering aimlessly into the map with no idea where to go.

This is wrong and completely violates Rule 2.

Here’s what should happen:

1. Killer has downed multiple survivors during a match, but they have not secured any hooks because the survivor team has body blocked the killer every time that they were carrying a survivor.

2. Killer is finally able to hook their first survivor with one generator left to be finished.

3. Killer wanders aimlessly into the map with no idea which generator is being worked on and how close it is to completion.

4. Killer does not immediately return to the hook location upon hearing the unhook indicator (see Rule 1), even if they have no other lead on where any survivors may be.

Camping a hook in this way, for any reason, ensures that the person on the hook is not enjoying their time in the game. Let me reiterate: it is your responsibility as the killer to ensure that the survivors are given ample opportunity to win and have as much fun as possible.

But in your example above, the survivors physically prevented the killer from being able to secure a hook multiple times by placing themselves in the way… as the killer, if you camp a hook then aren’t you just employing a similar tactic and wouldn’t that be considered fair if the survivors can do it?

Absolutely not!

How is it different?

Moving on.

No! Before we move on, I want you to explain to me how camping is any different. The killer is using their physical presence to prevent survivors from unhooking, exactly as survivors used their physical presence to prevent the killer from hooking. How is that different? Also, now that I’m thinking about it, the hooks are the killer’s objective and sometimes walking away from it is clearly just a stupid decision. How is camping a hook any different than a survivor hiding next to a gen and jumping right back onto it after the killer kicks it? Player -> objective -> focusing. Isn’t it the same thing?!

Moving on.

Closing Statement

I hope this guide has provided killer players with insight into how to correctly play the game and ensure that survivors enjoy their time. Be aware that violating either of these rules means that you are playing Dead by Daylight incorrectly and unfairly.

Hope you enjoy the post for Dead by Daylight Survivor Rule Book for Killers: The Two Cardinal Rules for Killers Gameplay, If you think we should update the post or something is wrong please let us know via comment and we will fix it how fast as possible! Thank you and have a great day!