A long essay meant for BHVR studios about DBD.
(This is an essay written on 3/13/2026 I haven't played since Stranger things chapter 2 dropped)
Hello, I really do hope that the developers of DBD read this essay, it is meant for them. This might be the last time I'll come back to DBD (hopefully not) and I have a lot to say. I'm a veteran player, and have been here since 2016. I hit 1,000 hours a few months back making this my most played game on steam. I apologize if I come off as rude, I will try to keep this professional because I want to be taken seriously. And I have valuable insight on the game as a long time player and fan. To any non-BHVR readers, I don't think my opinion is some sort of objective truth. duh
The game is heavily under developed as of now, it feels stagnant. Especially when it comes to atmosphere and mechanics. Even though killers and maps are most of our content as players. A decade after release, most new killers are built around pre-existing mechanics. Teleports, AOE damage states, dashes, projectiles, stationary traps, and interactables. These are not enough to keep the gameplay interesting.
[Killers]. I'll use Spring Trap as an example. As much as I enjoy the visuals, audio, and map associated with this killer. It would be dishonest to say that this killer actually brings much to the table beside general frustration over how versatile his kit is. And that frustration doesn't come from the character being too strong, but because he's mechanically a culmination of other already existing killers. While Mr. Afton is unique in how you guys implemented the camera system and security doors. It's not enough for what is the most anticipated killer to have come out since Michael Myers and Pyramid Head. I personally, would have developed the character differently, I would not have given him a projectile, I would've implemented a sanity system like Doctor has, utilizing the ghost from FNAF 3 as a distraction and hindrance to survivors. I don't say that because I want you to do that. I say that because I think this game needs scary killers more than anything else, and I do not think Spring Trap is scary. It's not because he isn't animated well, or his sound design isn't good enough, or he doesn't look scary. I think he passes every bar required to be a scary killer except for gameplay.
When Myers was added he introduced stalking and the ability to insta-down players while being knee capped by his lack of mobility, this was completely unique. When Pyramid Head was added he introduced the trail of torment mechanic, the aoe terrain based damage, and the ability to mitigate hooking via trail of torment's passive. Both of these killers have had their own mechanics that would later inspire other killers. Ghost face with Myers, Skull merchant and Knight with Pyramid head. But Spring Trap? I can't say he will inspire any DBD killers to come, in regards to mechanics because he himself is based on other killers. I do not hold most killers to a high standard because it never felt right to.
But Spring Trap should be the Golden standard that paves the way for modern killers to come. Because he is Spring Trap, the player count peaked when he dropped and it was not for his unique gameplay. It is because he is the most popular character since Xenomorph and Chucky. Being long anticipated at that.
(As a side note, if the last survivor gets caught in the security room I think there should be a Mori that recreates the power outage death scene from FNAF 1, that would go hard.)
[The Trial Grounds]. I do not think that these maps are unbalanced in regards to pallet density or loop area counts. Rather that they all fail in very similar ways. (Mount Ormond Resort. Ormond Lake Mine. Eyrie of Crows. Dead Dawg Saloon. And all of Coldwind Farms.) These are all wide open, high visibility, with low fog, and all in the middle of the day. These are the worst maps in the game.
I will use Nostromo Wreckage as an example of a fantastic map, because I think it's very well designed, let me paint you a match. It's the middle of the night, the sky box is beautiful, you spawn in and yet can only see so far across the wreckage of the ship. There are only 3 points of high ground you can scout from, they are on 2 corners of the map, and 1 dead center. All inside the main ship. Even by default the fog is thick, obscuring the vision of the player as though the Entity is trying to prevent you from seeing the Killer. You go to the center ramp to get a better view of the map, just to be seen by the killer because while you may have high visibility, because you yourself are visible. The center room of the ship is well lit, with weaker fog. There is a sense of balance between risk and reward when it comes to visibility in that area. While also being incredibly important due to its center gen placement and navigation to the rest of the map. We go over the corner high grounds on the ship and your view is more restrained, there are higher walls and more lockers in the areas you're observing, the rooms you stand in are dark, empty, and feel less important in comparison, that itself adds a sense of safety and comfort that the center room is actively working against. There's layers to this map's design, the way the lighting puts emphasis on the more open areas that hold the important gens, the gates as well. When you're getting chased around the tall rocky walls outside the ship, there's a feeling of being suffocated, praying that you make the correct turn and escape the killer. But as the entity intended, the map is working for the killer more than the survivor. When the xenomorph is crouched, they almost blend into the background when walking through the foggy, rocky areas. This works well with the false sense of control that the center room gives to survivors. If you know it's a xenomorph and you start scouting around while working on centergen, you can become engrossed in that, turning your back to the rest of the ship. Or maybe being spotted by the Xenomorph because of where you are. That would encourage the xenomorph to take the tunnel into the main room to try and catch you off guard. Because the moment that the turret starts beeping more frequently, but the survivor isn't seeing the Xenomorph approach them, that adds tension. That is the horror aspect of the game working as intended, and that to me is one of the most important parts of the game.
And that feeling isn't reliant on the killer themself, instead it's reliant on the map's ability to obscure the survivors and killers vision, while still working for the killer. Giving them the element of surprise, and in this regard Cold Wind Farm, The Thompson House is the best example of a map failing to work for the killer.
Beginning with the lighting and lack there of, as said before this map's lighting is bright, there is little visual blockage, and the fog is null. There can not be good tension if it's always easy to discern whether or not the killer is around you. The main building, I like the design and there is good visual obscurity on the inside of the building. But the second floor balcony? That's a problem. No map in the game should be giving that much unmitigated intel as the 2nd floor balcony does. There is no feeling of being trapped when given that view. You look from the top of the balcony and what do you see? The entire map, out of bounds included. It disconnects the player from the atmosphere of the map and the gameplay as well. And I don't have an obvious solution for that because I don't want the entire balcony to just be taken out. I want there to be risk to it, or at the very least mitigate the visibility range of survivors that are there. Something like adding an artificial low hanging cloud placed by the entity. Something that not only feels like it's there to hinder the survivors. But feels like it was placed by the Entity rather than the developers. And this isn't an issue that only pertains to high up vantage points. This is also affecting players standing at base level in maps like Ormond. Where there should be a thick snow storm to prevent the killer from being seen 100 meters away. The sky in Eyrie of Crows should be darkened by inky black clouds turning it into a darker setting and tone. These maps do not have enough focus on atmosphere and tension from visual obscurement. The survivors shouldn't always have line of sight of the Killer. Just like how the Killer shouldn't always have line of sight of the survivor. And that brings me to the final topic, and THE reason I'm quitting.
[Aura revealing] is the one mechanic that I don't think can be given leeway in balance. This is where my personal experience will supersede objective balance, because this is the topic I am most passionate about. I am mainly talking about killer perks/add ons but this does to a lesser degree count toward Survivor perks as well. I understand that this game is not hide and seek anymore. Y'all have made it clear at this point. That is told to us by how y'all approached the only 2 aura denial perks in the survivor catalog, Distortion and Shadow Step. These 2 perks suck, distortion isn't half as good as it used to be, and shadow step is a boon perk with a limited range. I had voiced my opinion during the distortion nerf that it should've been turned into an innate survivor passive but I digress. There are over a hundred aura revealing mechanics in this game. Killers have it in their abilities, in their perks, and in their add ons. Every single aspect of killer builds can have an aura revealing perk/add-on implemented and I hate it. I really do. I miss the old days back in the 2020 era when aura revealing, as strong as it was. Had counter play through distortion, you could even discern what perks the killer had through the means that a distortion stack was burnt. You were encouraged to not stray too far from the killer while trying to avoid getting caught, I thought it was a great direction for stealth to go. Have risk and reward to it, hell could've just made anyone using distortion have nerfed action speeds to compensate. But that is not what we got. What we got was the borderline removal of the relevance of visual obscurement. Which is damning, because visual obscurement is what I've been talking about as one of the better and more cohesive elements of the game. And when y'all keep adding more aura reveals and never add new aura denial mechanics. The game feels completely different than art and atmosphere even has in mind for the game.
If a player starts glowing bright pink 2 rooms from you, you stop paying attention to the look of the map and the vibe of the game, and instead you become tunnel visioned on downing that player because they're glowing bright pink through a wall. I do not like this change and I really do speak for a lot of players who have stopped playing the game when I say this (including my own friends group who have lost interest in the game since about 2022-24). Giving players wall hacks in a game that grew popular because of its run and hide playstyle for survivors, defeats the original goal of Dead by Daylight's gameplay loop. But that is the crux of this entire essay. How do you shift focus away from the most used mechanics in the game? I have thought about this particular balance issue a lot in the last 6 years. But I don't have a clear answer as to what should be done differently. I simply don't like aura revealing as it is.
I'm spit balling this idea. make distortion in its current state. an innate passive to all survivors, they start with 0 stacks instead of 1, and stacks regen 1/2 the normal rate when within terror radius but not in chase and normal regen rate when in chase. Then instead of completely removing aura reveals that the killer triggers. obscure the exact location of the survivor themself, while still giving a distinct area location that they're in. sort of like the audio indicator's visual in that regard. This would not be an end all be all but I think that survivors as a role desperately need a way to mitigate this issue.
To properly close off this long format rambling, I want to end on a positive note.
I understand what I'm asking is a tall order, but it is possible to respark what gave this game such a strong foundation in the first place. And I wrote all of this because I love DBD. The art, the story, the music, and the use of grim and bleak color palettes are all fantastic. My favorite killers are Dredge and Nemesis. The community of this game, as wild as they can be, are what made me want to keep playing and continue enjoying public matches.
If you, the developers of DBD are reading this, thank you for listening to a long time fan of the game. and thank you for making such a great game. I hope for your success in the future, and I hope you shatter everyone's expectations on the next killer and map. Though I will likely not be around when it comes out. Congratulations on the game turning a decade old next month. It was fun playing your video game.
Yours truly, the Observer ⚫️
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