Best Of

yes, if you bring aura reading perks. no, if you don’t bring aura reading perks.

Before we discuss these matters, one thing must be clarified: Asia has multiple servers, each with its own unique ecosystem and player habits. No one can represent the player base of the entire Asian region based on a single server—especially those players who have never even set foot in an Asian server.

Before the Hong Kong (HK) server existed, players in my region were generally assigned to the Japan (JP) server based on IP. After the HK server launched, the default routing shifted us there. Therefore, I can say I deeply understand the differences between these two servers and am qualified to speak on the current state of the HK server.

First off, I must mention that players on the HK server are incredibly strong—bordering on the absurd. This is evident in both their individual looping abilities and team coordination. As the data suggests, even solo-queue players can coordinate perfectly to prioritize generators in the shortest time possible. As for four-man SWF groups, they are a nightmare; most killers facing them feel utter frustration and defeat.

We need to talk about Asian player habits. I often see people comment that Asian players (usually referring to Japanese players) are "selfish and self-sufficient." Yes, but there’s more to it. While it looks like everyone is minding their own business, players in both JP and HK servers share one overriding priority: Generator Progress.

In these servers, "Gen Progress" is sacred. Even if a teammate is about to hit the second hook stage in 20 seconds, or two teammates have been downed, or the killer is walking right toward them, they will stay on that gen until it's finished. They are willing to sacrifice their teammates' lives—or even their own—for that progress. It is common to see a survivor force a gen completion right in the killer's face and then go down immediately after.

If sacrificing one person guarantees the escape of the other three, they will do it without hesitation—and the person being sacrificed will accept their death as part of the plan. A full-team rescue only happens during the End Game Collapse because there are no more gens to defend. Even then, they calculate the risk meticulously. If the hook is too far from the gate, they will leave the hooked person behind to maximize the number of escapes. They prefer a guaranteed 3-man out over a risky 4-man out. However, if the hook is near the gate and there are at least three survivors up, their body-blocking and coordination are flawless.

Since the Thrilling Tremors buff, I’ve used that perk frequently, and it reveals exactly how fast HK players repair. No matter how fast I get my first down, when I pick them up, I usually see three generators that are not blocked (meaning they are currently being worked on). This pattern repeats throughout the match. Even if I snowball and down 2 or 3 people quickly, at least one gen is always being repaired. In HK, survivors never stop repairing.

Aggressive hooking is often "suicide" for killers here because it grants survivors massive blocks of time for gen progress while modern anti-tunneling mechanics make it impossible to eliminate someone early. Your only hope is constant slugging and picking up at the most strategic moments to stall. Some killers even refuse to hook at all, opting for a pure slugging game because the time lost to the hooking animation is too detrimental. Alternatively, high-tier killers will focus on "killing the strongest" by hard-tunneling one person out through all their anti-tunnel perks just to stand a chance. This is why the HK high-rank meta is dominated by "S-tier" killers like The Blight, The Nurse, and The Ghoul. These players will tunnel you out instantly, regardless of whether you're having "fun."

Now, regarding the topic of "Asian Streamers"—come on! Realize that not all Asian streamers limit themselves strictly to Dead by Daylight. Take Japan as a primary example, since the JP server is also part of this discussion. The reality is that many streamers are "variety streamers" who play a wide range of titles; they don’t just stream DBD every time they go live. You get what I mean, right? To maintain viewership and follow trends, they constantly look for games that interest a broader audience. For them, generating "entertainment value" (show effect) is far more effective for gaining views than showcasing high-level technical play.

Only a small minority of streamers are truly dedicated specialists who devote all their time to this game. If you are watching those broad-spectrum variety streamers, of course they won’t demonstrate the kind of jaw-dropping skill that impresses you. In terms of raw performance, they simply cannot compete with the "sweaty" players who don't stream at all but are deeply obsessed with the game.

Furthermore, in the context of the Hong Kong (HK) server, where exactly are these "Asian Streamers" that players from other regions are watching? Most likely, they are referring to Japanese or Korean streamers who are prominent on YouTube or other globally accessible platforms. However, the player base on the HK server is predominantly mainland Chinese. Their DBD livestreams and content creation are almost entirely contained within their own platform, Bilibili.

How many players from other regions would actually go out of their way to browse Bilibili to watch these dedicated DBD streamers? From what I know and have seen, there are streamers in China who are extremely passionate about this game, focusing heavily on researching meta-strategies and even organizing their own tournaments. If you watched these streamers, you would immediately see the massive gap between them and casual players. It’s not a case of "Asian killers aren't that good, blah blah blah..."

Let me say it again: if you only watch entertainment-focused casual streamers, no matter how many you follow, you will never understand the actual skill level of high-MMR players on the HK server. To know the truth about the HK server, you either have to play there yourself or go to Bilibili and follow the streamers who actually participate in the live or video on Bilibili. Otherwise, you will forever be in the dark.

Overall, I consider the Hong Kong (HK) server to be essentially an "upgraded" or more extreme version of the Japan (JP) server. Based on my experience, their fundamental playstyles are quite similar, but the behavior of players on the HK server is significantly more aggressive and intense. While the top-tier SWF teams on both servers are comparable, the frequency of encountering these elite squads is much higher in Hong Kong. On the JP server, you might still occasionally see solo survivors wandering around or being less efficient with generators; however, this almost never happens on the HK server. From the very start of the match, everyone is "glued" to generators with aggressive efficiency, prioritizing objective progress above all else. This isn't an exaggeration; it is the daily reality.

According to the data, nearly one-third of high-MMR players on the HK server are in four-man SWF groups. If you intend to play Killer seriously here, frustration is inevitable. A vast number of these teams run the Vigil and Sprint Burst combo—both of which, in fact, rank within the top 10 most used perks on this server. Unless you are playing a Killer with high mobility, you will find it nearly impossible to compete against them. For most "4.6 m/s" Killers, you will lose a massive amount of generator progress just trying to close the gap before a chase even officially begins, as survivors use Sprint Burst to reposition early. This is precisely why low-mobility Killers are poorly rated and effectively excluded from the high-end meta on the HK server.

It was a long time coming. From the Unbound nerf to the crazy hits Wraith could do with his brown addon + Turn Back the Clock, they probably noticed more issues like that could arise had they not separated standard actions to power related actions.

Now, that's fine and all, had this just not limit the range certain perks have with other killers, which could mean perks like Bamboozle, Thawck and now Spirit Fury could just not trigger at all if killers use their power in place of doing standard actions. It really just feels like they added this new system to make perks even more limit and with less synergies making another overall killer nerf.

When you killmate is doing literally nothing the entire match and you're basically playing 8v1

This! I reported to BHVR and I wasnt recording any games but if I could go back you would see…

Bad (unhinged) players are on both sides. I often see those who are prone to BM'ing as survivor also do it as killer if they win, and being snarky, saying "ez" in the chat all the time. But they also are not afraid of flaming the end-game chat when they lose.

I feel like limiting it to default breaks would be fine IF you didn't take the stun from the broken pallete. It's already way behind the curve when it comes to perk strength/usability.