As a measly 2300+ hour player, my honest thoughts on every killer:
Trapper: It’s quite thrilling to feel like you’re some incredible mastermind pulling off the most devious trap placements to catch survivors, even if you have to rely on your adversaries having the intelligence of wet potato chips. Even if good survivors will pick your web apart like your three-year old-niece kicking down your lego sets, it’s all in the patience, and if you’re lucky, you can perform a snowball or lockdown the basement. I just gotta be prepared for those end game messages of being told to kill myself.
Wraith: Philip is a mixed bag for me; you either get survivors who spot even the smallest skin cell of yours appearing around a corner, the shiniest freshly-installed Dwights who can’t find the run button, or people who get one smell of your presence and promptly add a bot to the lobby. It all depends on the perk build I suppose, pick your poison with this fella. The Hooked on You version, however…
Hillbilly: If I never bought any DLC and was forced to main one of the original faces of the game, I would undeniably choose Hillbilly. How could I possibly describe the euphoric feeling of revving a chainsaw and just taking off like a rocket ship? You’re here, and now suddenly over there, and survivors go mental struggling to even breathe. Sure you’ll lose a few matches, but who cares? It’s Hillbilly, go have fun.
Nurse: We would have nicer things if Nurse didn’t exist. I became a killer main entirely because I grew to fear the Nurse mains whose own children are being held hostage if they don’t annihilate every lobby of P1 base game survivors. I don’t know what these people are on but I’d rather stay away in my comfortable Xenomorph tunnel, being thankful for what little I’m good at.
Myers: Michael’s introduction was quite possibly one of the most peak moments of DBD, before Resident Evil, of course. How quickly someone can become wet-paper-towel-trash to DC-penalty-generator with a single addon. Shoving a knife into people’s sternums with reckless abandonment is fun enough, but being able to say “oh you wanted to win, well too bad,” and pick their feeble bodies off the ground for an instant mori is the most fun I’ve ever seen in this game. Don’t even get me started on the gleeful mayhem with a scratched mirror…
Hag: I used to think that Hag was one of the weakest killers in the game, but in all fairness that was after I got dumpstered on by a p52 Nea. After years of avoiding this little mass of sticks, I started trying her again once I got better overall at the game, and I was pleasantly surprised. Hag is a different kind of fun, the type of fun that makes you smirk and nod at the survivors with a terminally insane grin. She has quite possibly the most fun addons in the game, getting to tamper with survivors and make them either regret installing or have a wholesomely fun and thrilling match. If you take butthurt messages as victory, you can have your survivor cake and eat it too. I have to keep a nightlight to protect me from Basement Hags.
Doctor: Only two kinds of people play Doctor; the ones who have a tome or challenge to complete that requires him, or literal sadists. Who cares that a good survivor could easily counter a skillcheck Doctor? It’s not about the win, it’s about sending a message. I’m convinced that people who main this freak get off on screaming like it's some demented ASMR.
Huntress: Although I do rituals every night to ward off the Nurse mains, Huntress mains terrify me equally but the difference is I actually have immeasurable respect for these people. I’m talking about the individuals who’ve learned to perform crossmap hatchets and make aura-reading perks seem broken, let alone that one guy I saw who got so good, he could throw two hatchets at different angles at a single survivor across the map and down them. Is there any better feeling than getting called a hacker because you were just that good?
Cannibal: The meme killer of the game, I find it impossible that anyone playing Bubba can be taken seriously. That’s not particularly why I avoid playing him though, more so because I’d rather not have my balls crushed in by survivors who spent years tangling with Basement Bubbas and know every frame of his chainsaw. SWFs will make you regret ever purchasing him, but solo-queued survivors will give the chainsaw a nice red shimmer.
Nightmare: Oh poor poor Freddy… I cannot honestly say I like what we’ve been given. I understand there’s this whole legal spaghetti going on with him, but that won’t forgive the utter shambles he’s in. This killer is an ultimate test of your M1 skills, and survivors know full well what your weaknesses are. I’ll play him once in every blue moon, but if I was to rank every killer, he’d be -or hovering quite closely to- the bottom.
Pig: Piggy! The second meme killer of the game, although often with more bite to their bark than Bubba. People who main this killer likely get off on psychological torture, which is thematically appropiate given her source material. There’s so much personality to express in her seemingly limited moveset, her addons will craft whatever PTSD-farming experience you seek to create for your victims. All in all, I greatly enjoy Amanda every now and then, not my main, but how can anyone say no to that snoot?
Clown: Clown is one of those “mid” killers I can’t really find anything nice nor bad to say anything about. I’ve had my time with him, wins and losses, and screwing with speeds can be fun but that’s mostly where it ends. Clearly there’s more to be said with him, but I’m probably not the guy to do it.
Spirit: I could count the times I’ve played Spirit on two hands, and a majority of those are Tome-farming games. I know she’s widely feared among survivors, especially around her first release, but I don’t honestly see myself using her. I know she’s strong and has great mindgame potential, but I’m likely not good enough to use all that to the fullest extent.
Legion: Ah, my “third main.” There’s something so gleefully chaotic about Legion that when I first played them, I knew right away I’d never regret it. D-Tier maybe, but being able to run like a madman swinging a knife around is my personal bread and butter. My loadout with him is permanently fixed to Julie’s Mixtape, Iri Legion Pin, Alien Instinct, and the Spirit-Fury+Enduring combo. Screw your pallets, screw your healing, I wanna run like crazy and forget about life for a while.
Plague: Adiris makes me do that Jim Carry “Grinch smile” whenever I load into a lobby and see all those shiny medkits. Getting to make survivors groan into their microphones is fun enough, but the idea of obliterating some Meg in the face with a literal incense burner makes me ugly laugh. I’m not really that good at using her corrupted purge, but that’s besides the point.
Ghostface: I avoid Danny a lot, but not because I don’t like him or think he’s bad, I’m just honestly not the best with him and lose quite sporadically. That being said, he has just as much personality as Pig and having a killer who can teabag back is the greatest gift BHVR could’ve given us. On a lesser note, his cosmetics are like sweet candy to the eyes.
Demogorgan: Demo puppy to some, “Dem Dem” to JRM fans, the Demogorgan was the Xenomorph before it was cool. I have to bring Corrupt Intervention just to set my portals up and that shred attack really kicks me in the shins when I miss, but the few times everything manages to work is the whole cake to Demo. Shame he’s not considered special anymore once the DLC came back, but that could be a little selfish to say. Netflix is filled with idiots, look no further than the Cuties movie.
Oni: Kazan is in that group of “mid” killers that I don’t essentially enjoy, but can’t hate either. I recently had a game where I snowballed an entire squad at five gens thanks to Infectious Fright, and a game immediately after that resulted in me banging my head against a wall in frustration. I can’t bring myself to say anything bad nor good, mainly because I don’t feel I’m skilled enough to give a proper opinion. I like Oni though, any killer that just “goes fast” will always charm themselves to me.
Deathslinger: I avoided the Deathslinger like a lowly Trapper dodging a lobby of p100s when I first got this game. Nowadays, I’m able to hold myself decently well with him, although having fun with him can be difficult. Missing your shots can be annoying and I sincerely wish he had more addons than the two always glued in my loadout, but Caleb is not half bad for me.
Executioner: Oh low and behold, the very first killer I ever mained. Pyramid Head was the reason I bought this game, the reason I even learned about Dead by Daylight in the beginning. I bought his DLC directly after I bought the game, before even playing it to begin with. This was… a mistake, given how skill-demanding his power is and was only 2 hours total into playing. Since then I made it my personal mission to learn and main Pyramid Head. (Although he became my second after a certain someone came in.) I’ll never get tired of denying saves and hitting through walls. I think I’ve gotten to that point where I refuse to M1 and try deliberately using M2s, even if I miss most of the time.
Blight: I used to avoid Blight, being intimidated by his S-tier ranking and believing there was some gatekeeping stigma to him. The idea that all Blights had to be good, that it was unacceptable to suck with him and every game had to be a 4K. Once I actually tried him, my opinions… didn’t necessarily change, but lord have mercy he’s one of the most crack-headed killers I’ve ever played as. The sheer speed you have to move and think in, the indescribable chaos and improvising every next move, it’s impossible to get the hang of right away but it’s just so fun. I tried full speed addons for a game, and I think I felt true happiness for a moment.
Twins: The only time I’ve ever played Twins was for challenges and Dailys I wanted to clear out. I have nothing good to say about these two, they’re a clunky mess and downright depression-inducing. When did they get reworked? Everything feels the same, so hopelessly, plainly the same.
Trickster: I can’t get the hang of Ji-Woon, no matter how hard I try. He was bad enough before the rework, but now I just feel painfully weak and mostly resort to the bat. The knives just feel like plastic dinnerware to me and I’ve never gotten a win at anything higher than 2 gens. I’ll leave him to his dedicated mains, and probably a sweatband for them as a courtesy.
Nemesis: Nemo was the second killer I ever bought, wanting to branch out from Pyramid Head. I was promptly introduced to the magic of Lethal Pursuer and a head-start into an Eruption meta that reigned over DBD for a while. I like to think I’m above average with him, the tentacle is intimidating to learn but once you do it’s borderline unstoppable. The zombies are a total gamble; I’m either irritated at their worthlessness or wheezing with ugly laughter because one of them parked itself in the absolute perfect spot to win me the game. Nemesis has so much and all of it as a good time, even during the bad times. The zombie speed addons are quite a gas as well, at the expense of my mutation addons.
Cenobite: I’m not a fan of Pinhead. I know there’s dozens of tricks to pull with him and whatever CoconutRTS is cooking up but I don’t think it's for me. Everything just feels too slow and I don’t like slow, not to mention the black void of skill I have for using his chains.
Artist: I was pleasantly surprised with how genuinely skilled I got as Artist, even if Dead Man’s Switch mysteriously glued itself into my loadout. My prediction skills picked up with Pyramid Head certainly helped here, and those few times I downed someone across the map were pleasant times. I carry many trophies of my endeavors, usually in the form of survivor hatemail in my DMs. I love the Artist and I think she’s perfect just the way she is.
The Onryo: I find it hard to understand how Condemned actually works given how many times Sadako’s been changed. I mostly play her like I play Wraith, just going undetectable and ambushing someone, with the TVs for handy map traversal. I don’t usually get Condemned kills, but it’s handy for slowing down a survivor and making them paranoid. I like Sakako overall, even if Survivors don’t.
Dredge: I practically worshipped the Dredge for his map mobility when he first came out, but now I just feel depressed playing as him. Sure he’s this awesome eldritch horror and has incredible jumpscare potential, but gameplay-wise I’m just sadly looking at an elderly dog trying to convince me it can still do tricks. Locker placement is purely map dependent and rarely in your favor and I can’t get the hang of his remnant thing. No matter how cool he is or how amazing his cosmetics are, I’m just sad to use him at this point.
Mastermind: The killer who possessed DBD for a while, I played the utter oblivion out of Wesker when he first came out. Getting to zip around like nuts and throw people into walls was hilarious, despite being tricky to learn and aggravating once survivors figured out countering him. I don’t play him very much anymore, not because I think he’s bad or anything, but more so because I’ve already played him half to death. I’ve had my fun, but I’d like to go back to Pyramid Head or Nemesis now. Still a fun killer though, even if survivors have mostly gotten the hang of countering me.
Knight: And so begins the dark era of Dead by Daylight, maliciously carried on a bloodsoaked platter by Tarhos himself. I love the Knight for his ability to technically chase two survivors at once, and it’s a playstyle I revel in whenever I play him… even if it only works half the time. He’s being nerfed now to take away dropping guards at loops, which I know is gonna hurt quite a bit but it won’t be the end of him. He’s still very fun for me, being able to juggle people and whatnot.
Skull Merchant: Alright, I’m gonna say it: I have a soft spot for Adrianna. I bought her on release and I’ve made the best of every iteration. Locking down generators was fun even if I felt like a monumental scourge of a person, and her current form isn’t bad either. She’s mostly chase-oriented now and that’s what I focus on, really makes me feel like a true menace that hunts people for sport. Honestly wish the camera in her mori was more consistent though, seems like I’ve never even once been able to see the full thing in an active game.
Singularity: I hold great pity for anyone who mains singularity. You need like an algebra degree and the reaction time of a thousand cats just to damage someone, and there’s so much to keep track of I’m surprised he hasn’t caused any hospital visits for brain aneurysms. That infernal swamp map will be the death of me, and I pray for mercy if I ever step my metal foot into Hawkins. I want to love him, I really do, but I honestly fear for my health if I try going any further with him.
Xenomorph: It was a joyous day when the reveal came, and I happily welcomed what became my ultimate main. I wanted Alien since the beginning, and now they’re here, my wishlist is officially cast into the fire without anything left to want. I refuse to give up on the Alien, no matter how annoying the turrets are, no matter how finicky the tail is, I wanted this Alien so I’m gonna like it. I’ve spent hours learning every frame of the tail, every ambush strategy with the tunnels, (thank you Lethal Pursuer and Discordance,) tried every addon, bought every skin despite playing mostly as the Queen, and I’ll take the damn thing to P100 if it’ll be the death of me.
Chucky: Chucky is the last “mid” killer for me, why does he feel like a watered-down Oni-Ghostface hybrid? I honestly don’t know what to say about him, he just feels plain and almost boring really. The few times I play him I’ve won, not out of skill, but because I believe he’s encountered so rarely that Survivors have little experience against him. I could be wrong about that though.
Unknown: I adore the Unknown, even if he didn’t turn out the way I thought from the trailer. Walking around with a grenade launcher is certainly… interesting. His gameplay is so fun though being able to rain death on survivors and blink around the map. He’s probably the most -or one of the most- fun killers in this whole game. His cosmetics are solid and the whole character is just so gruesome, although I do wish he’d crawl on all fours more often.
Lich: After many hours of learning Vecna on release, I think he’s one of those most solid and formidable characters BHVR’s ever made. Sure, there was a small fiasco with Mage Hand, but I didn’t use the ring addon so it’s fine. (I liked his green ones more.) The flying is handy even if it feels underwhelming, the weird glowing ball thing I wholeheartedly believe has an effect worthy enough to use it, that skeleton move is tricky to land but satisfying when it works, and Mage Hand is a fun middle finger in chase.