http://dbd.game/killswitch
Developer Update | July 2025
The 9.1.0 Update is approaching, so let’s dive into the notable gameplay changes you can expect from the upcoming Public Test Build. Plus, stay tuned for the PTB Patch Notes where we’ll share the precise values that are changing for each of the topics below!
Read on for all the details:
NEW FEATURES
- Added a new equippable item for Survivors: the Fog Vial. Its effects include:
- Using a Fog Vial causes a fog cloud to expand outward from the point where it was used, dissipating after a set time
- Scratch marks do not spawn within a fog cloud
- Audio is muffled for anyone within a fog cloud
- The auras of players within a fog cloud cannot be read by other players
- The Fog Vial has a cooldown which recharges over time once used
- Added item rarities and add-ons.
DEV NOTE: The Fog Vial specializes in creating confusion and breaking line of sight. When it’s activated, this fog obscures your surroundings while still allowing for limited visibility within your immediate vicinity. By moving to a single, recharging use, Survivors can use the Fog Vial multiple times per Trial and don’t have to be quite so precious about saving charges, letting them be more in the moment with their vial uses.
Stay tuned for patch notes for more information about Fog Vial rarities and add-ons.
- Changed item “charges” to refer to individual uses of item, rather than the overall time it can be used for
- Adjusted the uses for this item to cover the following:
- Channel the Key to consume 1 charge and reveal Survivor auras for a limited time
- When near a closed hatch, consume 1 charge to unlock it
- Consume 1 charge to quickly unlock a chest and gain an item of Rare rarity or higher. Once a chest has been unlocked with a Key it:
- Is revealed to nearby Survivors
- Can be rummaged in by 1 other Survivor to gain an additional item of Rare rarity or higher
- Adjusted the effects of individual item rarities and several add-ons.
DEV NOTE: Keys stood out as the least-used Survivor items and were typically outclassed by other options. We’ve reworked them to offer a wider range of utility and tap into players’ yearning for higher-rarity items.
Now, the “charge” system is easier to track (think of it as “uses” rather than “use time”) and the aura-reading capabilities of Keys are improved, while also adding some team-wide utility. In addition to making it easier for the equipped player to get quality items from chests, Keys also extend that opportunity to a single teammate.
Stay tuned for the patch notes for details on Key and Map item rarities and add-ons.
- Changed item “charges” to refer to individual uses of item, rather than the overall time it can be used for
- Adjusted the uses for this item to cover the following:
- Channel the Map to consume 1 charge and reveal nearby pallet and vault auras to yourself for a limited time
- While auras are revealed, press the Use Item button again to create a beam of light (only visible to Survivors), revealing the auras of generators within the beam’s range to all Survivors
- Adjusted the effects of individual item rarities and several add-ons.
DEV NOTE: Similar to Keys, Maps stood out as an underutilized item which didn’t fit into beginner or experienced player kits. With this change, Maps retain the spirit of giving players an awareness of their surroundings, making their effects more consistent, and extending some value to teammates. Now, there’s no need to “track” objects before they show up.
- Increased total number of Character Customization presets to 7
- Increased total number of Loadout presets to 7
- Added the ability to change preset names
DEV NOTE: Whether it’s the pursuit of fashion or prepping perks for every situation, we wanted to make it easier to save your faves. Don’t worry, your existing presets will be ported into this updated system.
- Added mouse and keyboard support on the following console platforms:
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X|S
Please note: This feature is not available on the PTB, as it is only playable on Steam.
DEV NOTE: Quite self-explanatory, we’ve extended full mouse and keyboard support to a number of console platforms so that players have more choice in how they approach gameplay.
- Added hotkey inputs to Custom Game spectating to switch to the Killer’s perspective.
- Added spectators hotkeys representation next to players portraits, to improve usability
- Added the option to toggle spectator hotkeys visibility and adjust them in the Input Binding menu.
- Added a visual indicator to show spectators who they are viewing.
- Shows dead Survivor icons if joining as a spectator after getting sacrificed.
DEV NOTE: Following up on last update’s changes to Custom Games, we’ve introduced more improvements to make view-switching and tournament casting even easier. This also ensures viewers have more information about what they’re seeing.
KILLER UPDATES
- Increased Punishment of the Damned's range
- Increased the duration of Rites of Judgment’s trail drawing and trail lifetime
- Decreased Rites of Judgement's movement speed
- Added Haste and Endurance effects to Survivors saved from a cage
- Added input buffering to:
- Transition from Punishment of the Damned to Rites of Judgment
- Begin caging or killing a Survivor when the prompt is available
- Reworked his add-ons.
DEV NOTE: We’ve heard your feedback that The Executioner’s add-ons could use more variety – range shouldn’t feel like the only viable option. In addition to making range increases basekit, we’ve reworked his add-ons to introduce more interesting options, like adjusting the spread of Punishment of the Damned, or triggering effects on misses.
Outside of these changes (keep an eye out for the patch notes for add-on details!), we’ve made some quality-of-life adjustments and slightly reduced his zoning potential.
- Increased movement speed while reloading bottle
- Decreased bottle reload time
- Adjusted the effects of yellow bottles:
- Increased Haste effect
- Increased the distance and speed that smoke spreads to
- Increased activation speed
- Adjusted the effects of purple bottles:
- Decreased the Hindered effect
- Decreased how long the Hindered effect lingers after leaving smoke
- Added input buffering to:
- Charging a bottle throw
- Reloading bottles
- Adjusted several add-ons.
DEV NOTE: When it comes to The Clown’s power, his purple bottles see much more use than his yellow ones across skill levels. To better incentivize their use, we’ve given the yellow bottles a quicker activation, greater speed boost and wider effective range, coupled with some base speed increases. To compensate, purple bottles have received a slight nerf, requiring a little more throw control to get their full value.
- Increased maximum patrol path length
- Increased path drawing speed, acceleration, and strafe speed
- The Carnifex’s Standard spawns slower
- The Assassin and Jailor’s Standards spawn quicker
- Added input buffering to:
- Drawing a patrol path
- Adjusted Call to Arms add-on.
DEV NOTE: Drawing patrol paths is an important part of The Knight’s gameplay, so we’ve made it feel snappier and extended its range slightly, making Call to Arms partially basekit. We’ve also adjusted Standard spawn times for each Guard. In particular, the Standards for the two chase-focused Guards will spawn quicker to help give Survivors a little more counterplay during double team scenarios where they tend to be at their strongest.
- Increased crouched movement speed
- Increased speed of crouching and un-crouching
- Increased the speed at which the Terror Radius fades when crouching
- Increased Ambush movement speed
- Added input buffering to:
- Crouching
- Charging an Ambush attack
- Adjusted several add-ons.
DEV NOTE: Yes, we know. We buffed Pig. Outside of her traps, her ability to surprise Survivors is an important part of her appeal. By increasing her speed and making her Terror Radius fade quicker while sneaking, she’ll have more chances to act on unprepared Survivors.
PERK UPDATES
- Updated Any Means Necessary
- Updated Appraisal
- Updated Better Together
- Updated Built to Last
- Updated Déjà Vu
- Updated Detective’s Hunch
- Updated Potential Energy
- Updated Still Sight
- Reworked Streetwise
DEV NOTE: We’ve adjusted values on a few perks that had low pick rates to help buff them up. In addition, we’ve adjusted perks that affect items to make sure they’re compatible with this update’s Survivor item changes.
Stay tuned for the patch notes for specific details on these value changes.
- Updated Dragon’s Grip
- Updated Franklin’s Demise
- Updated Hubris
- Updated Insidious
- Reworked Overwhelming Presence
- Updated Scourge Hook: Hangman’s Trick
DEV NOTE: Similar to the above, we’ve buffed some perks which boasted lower pick rates and adjusted certain perks that affect items so they’re compatible with the recent changes.
Until next time...
The Dead by Daylight Team
Comments
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Finally a buffs to weak killers 😍
5 -
please don't tell me they're going to add a buffed version of an already annoying event item to the base game and then gut franklin's
-9 -
Best patch notes in a very long time. I‘m looking forward to it
2 -
Base kit borrowed time and haste finally added to saving from the cages.
17 -
Fascinating... though the lack of numbers is making me anxious 😱
Post edited by UndeddJester on7 -
Fog Vial just looks like big boost for bully SWFs, that will altruistically use multiple fog vials in the same chase, to make everything feel miserable for the killer.
Like, seriously, what is the killer’s counterplay for fog vials, if its affects scratchmarks AND audio AND aura reading??? And they can be used multiple times per match???
9 -
Pig got buffed! Can't wait 😁
6 -
While the changes to the key are pretty good the map is a bit odd, I think my greatest issue is legit the fact the "charges" talk is being changed. I don't want to feel like I have to save stacks to use my items at specific points, I like being able to use it until it runs out with the bar like the toolbox & medkit still do.
2 -
Why the perk updates are just the name of the perks buffes instead of what the actual buff is? I enjoy reading patch notes god dammit, you can't just tell me that you are going to buff X perk and not tell me what the buff is.
1 -
Fog Vial ON COOLDOWN? Nah, thank you, I won't play Halloween event on killers on daily basis ever again.
-7 -
Patch notes are when the content releases, this is a just a "pre - patch notes update"
And the patch notes will contain the full information.
10 -
That's exactly how its going to be used. Bet the recharge time is obnoxiously short as well.
-8 -
Why is Deja getting a buff lol. You said you were going to nerf it once you addressed the 3 gen situation back when you initially buffed it, never nerfed it and now it's getting a buff lmao
-4 -
PIG BUFF OMG
2 -
Now add a prestige filter so we can organize them more easily.
Edit: Found it on twitter.
6 -
It kind of makes it the same as Toolboxes and Medkits - as those are charge based not time based.
0 -
Pig needs a rework, not just some number buffs, she's one of the unhealthiest and least skillful killers in the game and it somehow still has yet to be addressed throughout all her updates
-33 -
So kaneki is not getting nerfed?
14 -
And will survivors be able to combo this with Built To Last, so SWFs can quickly recharge their fog vials, to really stack even more of them in the same chase?
-7 -
If you're referring to the Fog Vial, you'll find that it feels different from the smoke bomb items from previous events. The event items you're referring to used an opaque smoke/fog, which completely blocked visibility. With the Fog Vial, it acts more like you'd expect from fog. It obscures the area that's affected, but still allows for some maneuverability right in front of your face.
10 -
No way you guys actually nerfed Clown. Ain't no way.
The purple bottles aren't "good", they are just less mediocre than the yellow ones.
0 -
Will console players also be able to write in the Chat when we get the mouse and keyboard support?
0 -
We, the society of swine, will take a close look at those buffs and evaluate them thoroughly.
Thank you for looking into her 👉🐽
19 -
Will the fog affect anything else other than aura, scratch marks and sounds? Like for example does it prevent you slipstreaming to someone inside of it as singularity? Having two ways to counter his power would make him god awful to play.
-6 -
To confirm, Deja Vu is not receiving a buff. It's one of the perks that we're adjusting to account for the updates to Survivor items.
-1 -
We really gotta complain about pig now? Why would she need a rework
4 -
I am confused, does Deja Vu interacts with items? Maps always showed generators and I don't see how it works with keys or fog vials.
5 -
i was hoping the twins would be in the developer update 💔. BHVR, please, at least fix the twins.
-2 -
I still don’t see how it’s going to be fair, when SWFs are stacking fog vials in the same chase. How is the killer expected to chase someone, when a SWF teammate ambushes the killer with this item?
And if two survivors use fog vials to extend the area, then the survivor being chased really has a larger area where there’s zero scratchmarks, audio, or aura reading.
This just seems way more miserable than smoke bombs, which were already miserable for killers, and it was the reason why I didn’t want to play killer at all during that event.
-7 -
Ah yes, the knight really needed to get more distance and setup speed on his guards. He really wasn't toxic enough already leaving guard to camp hook every time while chasing someone else.
0 -
Can’t believe Clown got a nerf and PH slowing down when using trails sounds awful.
I’m guessing the ‘buffs’ will be like the Unknown changes where they add something to base kit but then nerf the addons and it’s actually an overall nerf when the new base is combined with the addons 😭At least Deja Vu got buffed so gens will go even faster 😂
-9 -
I really hope that means it will not cause accessibility issues because this game already has many accessibility issues and there is no reason to add more of them. Players will test the new item and I hope you will listen to them, when it causes accessibility issues.
-3 -
This is something that we'll be watching for during the PTB and fully encourage folks to share their experiences with us when they go hands-on with it. I understand where you're coming from with your reservations, though, and do want to make it clear that we'll be closely monitoring feedback!
5 -
Will pyramid head's cages trigger hook perks or are they still going to be the "yolo tunnel" mechanic?
Do you have any plans to remove loud noise notification for unhooking survivors which is what autopilots tunnelling on this killer a lot as well?
-3 -
still better than medkits/toolboxes/anything else, cmon
vs fog vials just use game sense and follow the person, it's not like they can teleport.
i played vs fog vials on that old halloween event and it was pretty doable and according to devs fog vials arent going to be as efficient
6 -
I'm cautiously optimistic about the Executioner changes. I'll obviously have to wait and see how he plays on PTB but hopefully "slightly reduced his zoning potential" doesn't affect prediction shots + flicking, and I absolutely do not trust increased the range of punishment of the damned to not mean increased range by 0.5m (value of black strap), reworked black strap + wax doll, nerfed burning man painting to +1m and made it ultra rare, but again we'll have to wait and see.
Also, with the nerf to cages' tunneling potential (something I'm also not entirely sold on - I think that endurance or haste is needed but both muddies the water between cages + hooks and makes going for cages in all but optimal caging situations even less worth it, but again wait and see) give us back torment on punishment of the damned hits, even if it's just on injures and not on downs making it easier to torment given this protection shouldn't go too pear-shaped.
-4 -
hey behavior, since you said you wanted to buff perks with a low pickrate, can we get a buff/rework to shadowborn please?
-2 -
The reason they gave for nerfing Clown… This is just further proof they don't play their own game.
4 -
Okay that's good to hear, thanks for the clarification!
-2 -
What does Deja Vu have to do with survivor items?
6 -
Pyramid's changes feel more like a huge nerf overall. Being slower while charging your power really hurts since ideally you have to wait for survivors to be locked in animation to use the punishment of the damned and survivors tend to bait it out once you start charging. But the thing that really hurts is the added endurance to his kit. The cage's whole point is making survivors tunnel free, hence why good survivors prefer to go down rather than step into the trail. This is what makes Pyramid so good, and the fact that it now gives the basekit BT effect basically blows up the killer's ankles. It is kinda still worth it for negating DS and OTR but the range buffs does not compensate it since the add-ons already do their job on that.
Clown's changes don't feel either like a nerf or a buff. The change the focus from the purple bottles to the yellow bottles, which feels weird since you're supposed to use them in conjunction and the purple bottle's hindering isn't that great to begin with. I think this will just centralize his playstyle around the add-ons that buff the speed up even further.
Knights changes are just a nerf. You should never use Carnifex to chase survivors to begin with. Instead, you should save it for when you are chasing them yourself to break pallets quicker. Assassin and Jailer are the chasers, so the fact that their banner spawns quicker is basically all banners spawning quicker since Carni functions different from them. The patrol length and the drawing speed are decent tho.
Finally, for Pig they have been trying this for years. Buffing the dash and ignoring/nerfing the bear traps to pander to survivors who can't deal with macro mechanics. It has never worked, and I don't see why it would work now. The main asset of her kit is the RBTs, so leaving them as a second thought (and you know, making jigsaw boxes auras invisible for her) while buffing the ambush is like breaking a professional runner's legs and saying "oh so you have a really strong arm now, therefore you can play basketball just fine". No one plays pig because of the dash, otherwise they would play Chucky.
Overall, changes that feel that come from someone who doesn't play the game. So no news in here.
Post edited by GlamourousLeviathan on-12 -
Fog vial gonna be a big accessibility issue for a lot of people
Makes me me dizzy
A strong team dumping that on the killer is gonna be torture-6 -
When is the PTB expected?
-1 -
My last post stays true based on the comments here. People are very quick to go "but SWF."
1 -
i quite literally said why she would need a rework in the comment you're quoting, because she's unhealthy and has little skill expression
-17 -
”Game sense” is a fake term. There’s no visual, scratchmarks, audio, or aura reading. What exactly am I suppose to base the game sense off of? Psychic powers?
How am I supposed to follow one specific person, when multiple people are purposely running through the same area, trying to confuse the killer into chasing the wrong person?
-13 -
Any chance of some numbers improvements or the removal of fast vault immunity for Merchant? She's atrociously weak and the rework that was promised to be coming by the end of the year is looking increasingly unlikely to arrive on time. It seems fair to give her some interim buffs to tide her players over until the rework comes if it's going to take longer than anticipated, does it not?
The changes all look solid, especially the item adjustments. It just doesn't feel good to be playing a Killer kneecapped almost a year ago and seeing a bunch of other, stronger Killers getting lots of polish and changes.
-4 -
Currently, Deja Vu adds the marked gens to your map, if you have one. Maps are being reworked to only show things in a range, so adding things to maps doesn't happen anymore, so Deja needs to be adjusted to account for this.
6 -
Ah I see, thanks. I never noticed or used that part, which is why I didn‘t know.
1 -
I see some concerning stuff here.
Nerfing Clown's Purple bottles?
The Maps and Keys changes may be very weird. (Although, I am pretty biased because of my own version I'd like to see.)
The Fog Vial being an item with possibly endless use?
10
