http://dbd.game/killswitch
Stealth Killers Need to Be Removed from Dead by Daylight — No Exceptions
I’ve played enough Dead by Daylight to know when something isn’t just unfun—it’s broken by design. And it’s time we talk seriously about one of the game’s most toxic mechanics:
Stealth killers do not belong in DBD. They break core gameplay, exploit solo queue weaknesses, and offer no fair counterplay. They should be removed—completely.
Stealth Kills the Core of the Game
DBD is built around the idea of chase, pressure, and map control. Survivors are supposed to play a game of cat-and-mouse—not hide-and-pray. But stealth killers (Ghost Face, Myers, Pig, Wraith, etc.) skip that entirely.
They bypass:
- The terror radius (your warning system)
- The red stain (your positioning tool)
- The chase music (your cue to react)
And instead deliver surprise downs, Exposed states, and grab-after-grab without giving you any time to respond. That’s not tension. That’s ambush design.
No Voice Chat = No Counterplay
The developers intentionally withhold voice chat in solo queue for balance reasons—but then give killers stealth tools that only feel fair when survivors can communicate.
In solo queue:
- You can’t warn teammates when Ghost Face is stalking nearby.
- You can’t call out a cloaked Wraith before he’s already on top of someone.
- You can’t coordinate against a crouching Pig who’s just camping the box.
So let’s be real: if we’re forced to play solo without voice comms, killers shouldn’t be allowed to hide their presence either. You can’t have it both ways.
Stealth Isn’t Strategy. It’s Exploitation.
Stealth killers reward:
- Passive, campy playstyles
- Tunnel-heavy pressure
- Ambushes over real chases
They punish:
- Survivors doing objectives
- Survivors playing altruistically
- Anyone who isn’t psychic
This isn’t a skill gap—it’s a design trap. You’re not being outplayed, you’re being set up to fail.
No More Reworks. Just Remove It.
We’ve tried “counterplay.” We’ve used perks like Spine Chill, Alert, Kindred, and Windows. It’s not enough. No perk in the world can fix a system where:
- You have no warning.
- You’re Exposed before you know you’re in danger.
- You get punished for doing your job (gens, heals, saves).
The only fix is removal. If every survivor must play with incomplete information, then every killer must play with visible presence. Period.
The Ask: A Fairer Game for Everyone
- Remove stealth from all killers. No more terror radius hiding or red stain denial.
- Rework stealth killers into full-pressure, visible threats.
- Give all players—solo and SWF—equal, reaction-based gameplay.
It’s not about nerfing killers. It’s about restoring fairness and preserving what makes Dead by Daylight actually fun: chases, mindgames, and skill expression. Solo survivors deserve better. If stealth only feels fair in SWF, it doesn’t belong in the game at all. Let’s stop pretending stealth is a viable mechanic and call it what it is: a broken relic of outdated design.
Comments
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Just no. Not everything can be survivor-sided, y'know?
5 -
also the problem with stealth killers is the gap they create between solo players and swf players.
swf players with comms will call out every your step and survivors are going to expect you. the only time you going to surprise survivors is when they're clueless solo survivors without comms.
so solo players are literally being punished for not having comms. killer wins not because he pulled of a fun mindgame at survivors, he's being rewarded because of lack of survivor abilities to coordinate.
undetectable effect is just a bad, non-interactive game design, that started as a fun gimmick given by "tinkerer" perk few times in a match, which is not a problem and can be expectable, and turned into a steady gameplay element around the chucky chapter, when he can get free undetectable any time he presses M2.
unfun to play against for me. OP? not really, if you're in swf. it's just unfun
-3 -
Stealth killers aren't even the best killers to play as. Not to mention bhvr loves to give stealth killer's loud noises so you can still hear them nearby.
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It’s not about being survivor-sided. It’s about being fair-sided.
Right now, stealth killers exploit a weakness that only exists in solo queue—lack of communication. If survivors had voice chat or a ping system, we could coordinate like SWF and call out stealth killers in real-time. But Behaviour intentionally withholds that to keep solo queue ‘balanced.’
So if survivors are denied communication for balance, killers shouldn’t be given tools that rely on that silence to succeed. That’s not balance—that’s exploitation. Removing stealth wouldn’t make the game survivor-sided. It would make it even-footed.
-3 -
Sorry but no, stealth killers have a place in the game.
You clearly didn't play DBD when aura reading would show the killer when they were in stealth. Killers whose power that had stealth like mechanics were dogshit.
3 -
How about no.
2 -
and you clearly didn’t read and comprehend the post.
-6 -
Welp its been fun guys time to add my little pony and teletubbies to dbd bc michael myers is too scary IN THIS ASYMETRICAL HORROR SURVIVAL GAME
1 -
How about no’—wow, stunning argument. Truly Socratic. I’ll be thinking about that one-word masterpiece while I’m getting grabbed off a gen by Ghost Face for the 15th time because solo queue still doesn’t come with telepathy.
-4 -
How about you use those things in your skull called eyes and look around you while on a gen instead of staring at a wall?
Honestly, if your teammates and you aren't dumb, the killer will get 1 grab MAXIMUM, because the moment you know it's a stealth killer, you can just pay attention to your surroundings and avoid that kind of situation.
5 -
Ah yes, the classic ‘if you balance a mechanic, the whole game turns into a Saturday morning cartoon’ argument. Bold take. Next up: remove gens, add friendship bracelets.
-4 -
No one said they’re the best killers—just that they’re the most frustrating to go against in solo queue. There’s a difference.
A stealth killer doesn’t need to be top-tier to ruin the game for someone who has zero information and no teammates communicating. And yeah, BHVR throws in some token noise cues—but if those were truly helpful, people wouldn’t be getting grabbed off gens like it’s a free trial of Ghost Recon.
-6 -
Lol. Here we go with the ‘just use your eyes’ take—spoken like someone who’s only ever played killer or SWF and thinks solo queue survivors are running wallhacks.
Let me guess, next you’re gonna tell me to ‘just loop better’ while crouch-face is breathing down my neck with zero terror radius and no stain, right?
You’re acting like awareness magically compensates for intentional information denial in a game that literally gives killers a power designed to bypass visual and audio cues. But sure, let me ‘just look around’ with 90° FOV while juggling skill checks, camera sweeps, and praying the killer isn’t crouched behind a bush waiting to tunnel the unhooked guy.
Maybe if you stopped pretending your anecdotal skillset overrides game design, you’d understand this isn’t about being dumb—it’s about BHVR giving killers a free ride at the expense of solo queue sanity.
-5 -
Its true tho the way to counter stealth killers is by being paranoid move in open spaces so they have less ways to ambush you or go in pairs for safety even if you cannot communicate this to the other suvivors you can always stay next to one
3 -
This is decent advice until you're split up by Ghostface and branched back out onto your own.
-5 -
Ah, yes.
Solo Q can't deal with this, therefore it must be OP and purged!!!
Solo Q has people playing on autopilot, trollers and many other kinds of dumb people. You really want to remove an entire branch of killer powers just because the 10 hour Meghead can't focus on more than one thing at a time?
With this logic, trap killers and side-objective killers should be removed too because they "are too difficult". Also throw Vecna and Dracula in, because the solo Q dum-dums don't have enough brain-power to counter them. That's HALF the killer roster.
4 -
The origin of the game was hide and seek. Looping became a thing much later.
Chases can be fun but being jumpscared by a stealth killer is literally peak DBD.
4 -
I see the weekend trollbaiters are out in full force again…
I'm really sorry you keep being jumpscared by Ghostfaces, Sadakos, Wraiths, Myerses, and Chuckies that actually know how to play the game as a stealth game effectively. I'm sorry my main Dredge frightens you in Nightfall, because let's face it, it's too dark and is an accessibility issue for some players.
But not everyone likes playing those chasedown dash Killers. Some people can't play them at all due to motionsickness or playing on controller. Some people just struggle with dash Killers. Some people just like Stealthy play, and those players all deserve a fair, pretty much balanced, not too OP style of Killer to play if they want. Stealth simply isn't a problem, nor is it bad design at all. When well designed, giving a Killer stealth can even make the game more interesting by making you have to pay more attention to it beyond just blindly looping!
Stealth is a viable strategy, a viable playstyle, and fun for most people to go against in this game. Most people like playing against stealth Killers, sorry to say, because being scared in a horror game is fun. Scaring people in a horror game is fun. People like having fun. People love to play as and against characters like Ghostface, Myers, and yes even Dredge because that's fun for most people who play horror and horror adjacent games. They're actually generally one of the most beloved styles of Killer, especially Myers and Ghostie. Ghostface in particular is so generally beloved that he was the most requested addition to 2v8 until he was finally added as of the last one, and most of the next additions people want aren't strong dashers or ranged Killers… they're characters like Myers and Pig, Stealth oriented Killers. People love these Killers, and for some they're their favorite style of Killer in the game. They're certainly my favorite to play as and against, give me one of these guys in a round over another Kaneki, Blight, or Wesker anytime!
Plus, these Killers are often not the strongest (if anything several of them could use some buffs) and were built for a time when DBD was more hide and seek oriented, with a couple exceptions - but they also do not have to be strong because their strategy still works. Ambush still works. They are fun for pretty much everyone because they're generally pretty balanced and fair, but can still get their 3-4k anyway played correctly even without things like a strong chase power or antiloop (though some like Wraith and Chucky certainly have one). They are unique and fun because they play the game differently from other Killers, which adds variety by changing it from just chase to being more alert. That's different, that's variety. Variety is fun.
Stealth Killers not only have a place in DBD, they belong in DBD, because they're the only Killers that keep this game being anything even resembling a horror game. They deserve to stay.
1 -
Myers should have 128 meter terror radius constantly blasting this
2 -
Here's an idea: both sides have a point.
I think that OP is correct that it's kind of unfair from a game design standpoint that stealth killers completely override literally every in game mechanic and cue system that survivors have for detecting that a killer is nearby. But I don't think that the answer is completely removing stealth killers or turning them into non-stealth killers. There has to be some give on both sides. I do think that there should be some adjustments to just how stealthy certain killers can be. There needs to be some kind of a tell or a cue that survivors can identify if they're paying close enough attention, especially when we have stealth killers who have quite popular builds that will literally one shot people.
Stealth killers definitely have a place in the game and are a huge part of the game experience. But stealth killer mains really aren't doing themselves any favours by responding to legitimate, well articulated critique of game mechanics with the equivalent of 'git gud scrub' and 'how about no'. Because the game needs to be fun for both sides otherwise it doesn't work.
-2 -
Ah yes, the classic "Solo Q is bad so let's defend broken mechanics" argument, dressed up in sarcasm like it’s saying something new.
Nobody’s asking to remove stealth killers because Meghead can’t walk and chew gum. The point is that their design exploits the lack of coordination in Solo Q — not through skill, but by leaning on the fact that half your teammates are playing a different game entirely. That’s not balance, that’s just bad design surviving off chaos.
And comparing stealth killers to trap and side-objective killers? Cute, but laughably off-base. Those require setup, interaction, and risk. Stealth? Just exist near someone and profit off their camera angle.
If your defense of half the killer roster boils down to “people are dumb so they deserve to lose,” then maybe it’s not the players who need more brainpower.
-4 -
Ah yes, the classic stealth killer manifesto — equal parts nostalgia, anecdote, and a healthy dose of "fun is subjective so stop criticizing anything."
Let’s clear this up: no one’s crying about stealth killers existing. The problem is the lack of counterplay when they’re designed around punishing uncoordinated Solo Q teams rather than outplaying skilled opponents. Stealth killers aren't scary because they’re "horror" — they’re frustrating because some of them bypass information and awareness entirely. It's not about fear. It's about fairness. If you need a Survivor to mess up without knowing they were in danger in the first place, you’re not playing smart — you're just banking on disorientation.
And throwing accessibility and motion sickness into the debate like a rhetorical shield? Bold. But it doesn't change the fact that most stealth killers lean on design that benefits from visual inconsistency, not mechanical depth. "Pay more attention" sounds good on paper until you realize there are no consistent audio cues or visual indicators to pay attention to, depending on the killer.
You say stealth killers “don’t have to be strong” — no, they just have to be invisible until it's too late. And if that's your bar for good design, it’s no wonder you think being jump scared in a competitive environment is a feature, not a flaw. Loving stealth killers is fine. Romanticizing their flaws as "variety" while ignoring their exploitative design in Solo Q? That’s just delusion with a Ghostface mask on.
-4 -
Someone's been jumpscared by a few stealthy killers, huh?
2 -
So what is your solution? Why attack me? For someone who says "nobody's crying about stealth Killers" in a thread where you are absolutely crying about stealth Killers, you sure seem to be crying about stealth Killers. You're also calling people "delusional" for no reason, being needlessly aggressive in doing so. Why? What are you trying to prove?
No solid cues they're there? That's just incorrect. Friend, every single Stealth Killer in the game has a noise, a tell, or both. Ghostface's cloak rustles. Myers and Pig have heavy breathing. Chucky laughs a ton. Wraith snarls. Springtrap and Demo make noise coming out of their teleport options and also have very loud footsteps (except Glitchtrap which is an accessibility issue). Sadako isn't fully cloaked and even has a lullaby, plus makes noise while teleporting. Even Dredge makes noise and lights up in Nightfall. All Stealth Killers have a tell.
This is also not a competitive game. It's a party game the community has decided to force into a competitive mold, and has stretched into becoming competitive as an excuse for why MMR exists. You can't claim "but competitive game tho" and call people out for having nostalgia blinders on when that was never on the table for discussion, it's just baiting at this point.
Again, I'm sorry you have issues against these Killers. I struggle to play against ranged Killers, does that mean we should remove ranged Killers from the game? I find antiloop Killers like Kaneki frustrating, does that mean we should remove him? I'm sorry you personally dislike these Killers. I dislike playing against Deathslinger and Plague, strongly, but I still believe they belong in the game and should be part of it. You're over here trashing a whole group of Killers either because you hate them, or you can't handle them, and neither is the fault of those Killers. That's an issue with you, just as me having trouble with Slinger, Plague, ranged Killers, and antiloop Killers is an issue with me. It's okay to just say you don't like Stealth Killers without crapping on the entire Killer class as a whole. If that's what you mean, just say it. Someone will probably agree, just not most people.
Because Stealth Killers are not an issue, never have been an issue, and never will be anything other than a part of this game most people like to some degree or at least tolerate.There's all this clapback towards me and towards others in this thread saying you're wrong, and yet I still don't see any solid, serious argument from you about how these Killers do not belong, are bad game design, or are a problem. I do see opinions (which OK, you're entitled to them), I do see you calling them weak, which is objectively true, and I do see what looks like a lot of kvetching about finding them cheesy or difficult to handle - which is clearly not a thing people believe is true based on the majority of responses to this thread. There just isn't an argument to be had here - Stealth Killers aren't a problem, and they belong in the game.
I'm sorry friend. But you're in the minority. And your thread still looks like trollbait.0 -
Nice chat-gpt, 0/10 ragebait
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