Proximity Chat Instead of Full Voice Comms?
I’d like to start a discussion about communication in Dead by Daylight.
Some people suggest adding full voice comms. I don’t agree with that. Full map-wide communication would fundamentally change balance and likely overbuff coordinated teams.
However, I do think the game would benefit from proximity voice chat.
Why proximity instead of full comms?
1️⃣ It helps solo queue without breaking balance
Communication would only be possible when survivors are physically near each other. That reduces the solo queue information gap without giving global awareness.
2️⃣ It fits the horror theme
Survivors close together can whisper. Survivors across the map shouldn’t communicate telepathically. Proximity chat is more immersive and realistic than full comms.
3️⃣ Killers should hear it too
If survivors talk near the killer, the killer hears them. That adds risk and strategy. Communication becomes a tradeoff, not a free advantage.
4️⃣ It increases tension instead of reducing it
Hearing survivors panic nearby or trying to stay quiet to avoid detection would enhance the horror atmosphere rather than remove it.
5️⃣ It doesn’t replace Discord
Coordinated SWFs will still use Discord. But most matches aren’t coordinated. Casual solo players shouldn’t have to join external voice platforms just to have basic teamwork.
Right now, the gap between coordinated teams and solo queue creates inconsistent balance. Proximity chat could narrow that gap without overcorrecting.
Curious to hear both killer and survivor perspectives.
Comments
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proxy chat would be one of the coolest things ever
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It would be cool, but it doesn't really help soloQ… Simply because as in any other online game, majority of people will either ignore it, or turn it off.
Just give me chat wheel, not that difficult. It would help a lot and it's used even by people who simply don't want to talk.
Mobile version had it, it worked there…Killers should hear it too
I want to talk too as killer :(
It would be cool as an event first and see how it goes.
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Why would i do that instead of just going to discord on coms....
Its like saying : "okay we will buff trapper but leave blight unchanged" people will keep playing blight
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In game chat would solve the massive gap between swf and solo. Then we can tune up killers.
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I would love to see proximity chat as an officially supported custom match option, but I think it'd change the tone of DBD a bit too much overall if it were just how the game worked by default.
Plus, it has the same issue as voice chat would - not everyone gets to use it. Access to a mic isn't a guarantee, and sharing a language is really not a guarantee.
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I dont mean to sound like a broken record, but id recommend looking up other discussions about voice chat, and they all have people explaining why its a bad idea specificly for dbd
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they could literally steal what F13 had with the radios that gave everyone the ability to chat in game. Just do it another way. Vc would make dbd so much more fun to play.
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i personally don't want it since coms ruin the game and isn't balanced for it bit since people will just complain about proximity chat and demand full comms that the killer can't hear also it doesn't fit the horror theme because this game is balanced around a lack of information and is also why you have 4 perk slots
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because solo players cant do that?
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Fan of the idea except opposing sides should never hear each other. Why? If they did, then everyone would just use discord anyway to bypass the obvious disadvantage.
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Discord for mapwide teamchat. Ingame proximity to insult the killer.
Its an romantic idea but it just doesnt work.
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I don't want either
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I’ve read many of the previous discussions about voice chat. Most of them repeat the same concerns that it removes the unknown factor, that Discord already exists, or that it doesn’t fit the game.
What I’ve noticed, though, is that a lot of those arguments stay surface-level. They say “it’s bad” without clearly separating full voice comms from proximity-based communication.
I’m not advocating for global voice chat. That would drastically shift balance.
I’m specifically proposing proximity chat because:
- It preserves distance-based limitations.
- It keeps communication risky (especially if killers can hear it).
- It enhances immersion rather than removing tension.
- It helps solo queue without buffing coordinated teams.
The “unknown effect” doesn’t disappear it changes form. Survivors would still lack map-wide information. They would only gain communication when physically near each other, which adds strategic tradeoffs rather than removing uncertainty.
As for Discord yes, it exists. But most matches aren’t four-man coordinated stacks. Casual players shouldn’t need external software just to have basic teamwork tools.
I’m not trying to rehash the same debate. I’m trying to frame it in a more structured way and see if proximity-based communication could actually improve match quality without breaking balance.
If there are specific design reasons why proximity chat would fundamentally harm the game, I’d genuinely like to hear them but they should go beyond “it feels wrong” or “we already have Discord.”
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.
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I disagree that proximity chat doesn’t fit the horror theme.
Full, map-wide comms with no downside? Yes that would remove tension.
But proximity chat where the killer can also hear you? That adds tension.
It becomes a tradeoff:
- Communicate and risk being heard.
- Stay silent and risk miscoordination.
That doesn’t remove the lack-of-information aspect it transforms it into a risk-management mechanic.
In fact, it could enhance horror. Imagine trying to whisper a warning while knowing a stealth killer might be nearby. That’s not immersion-breaking that’s nerve-wracking.
Right now, communication outside the game (Discord) has zero in-game risk. Proximity chat would at least attach gameplay consequences to communication.
If the game is balanced around information scarcity, then risky communication fits that philosophy better than silent telepathy or external voice apps.
That’s why I think it could actually strengthen the horror atmosphere rather than weaken it.
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No i meant how everyone knows itl be used 80% of the time for toxicity. All those steve gulls, the aces with the speedos, give those people a mic and tell me they arent going to be blaring pron or seagull sound effects or something the entire round.
The reason discord works is you are signed onto it with someone you trust not to troll, or yell at you for every little mistake (and theres allot of things that go wrong in dbd) and they spent so much on this profanity filter that we can barely type, but would allow full voice coms to swear our heads off at eachother? Plus the immersion being ripped apart because now ull know every sable is a 40 year old man and every leon will sound like a 12 year old telling you how to play the game.
Its not that it wouldnt be beneficial, but the way the game is and the community playing it, would ruin this feature and make dbd a much worse experience.
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It would be an amazing addition to the game as long as the chatter from every match is logged and there's heavy-handed punishment for slurs. Although most of it would probably just be survivors squealing at the killer for doing anything they don't like and killers bashing endurance for carrying people.
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