Every Dead by Daylight match has two kinds of killer: the calm tactician who always seems to know where survivors are hiding, and the confused horror movie villain who spends three minutes sniffing a locker nobody has used since 2019. This guide is for the second player.

Finding survivors is often more frustrating than actually hitting them. A new killer can patrol foggy cornfields for ages while four survivors quietly click flashlights and complete generators in the distance. Fortunately, the Entity's perk collection includes plenty of tools to turn a clueless hunter into a walking radar dish.

🩸 Scratch Mark Training Wheels

The Wraith's teachable perk Predator is a gift for anyone who still thinks scratch marks are abstract art. It increases the frequency of scratch marks left by sprinting survivors, making their trail much easier to follow. Experienced killers may yawn at it, but newer players will appreciate not losing survivors every time they turn a corner.

The Wraith follows that up with Bloodhound, which makes pools of blood from injured survivors much more visible and longer lasting. It is not useful if the killer never lands a hit, but once a survivor limps away mid-chase, Bloodhound turns that escape route into a glowing trail of poor life choices.

Then there is Whispers, a general perk available in every killer's Bloodweb. It does not show survivor auras, but its icon lights up whenever survivors are within a certain distance. More importantly, it goes dark when the killer wanders too far away. Think of it as a metal detector for trouble, not a map.

📡 Generator-Side Surveillance

Smart killers know that the best way to find survivors is to watch the generators they cannot stop touching.

The Doctor's teachable perk Overcharge turns a kicked generator into a pop quiz. The next survivor who touches an overcharged generator faces a brutally difficult skill check. If they fail, the killer gets a nice loud alert and a general direction to sprint toward. Survivors might call it unfair; the Doctor calls it continuing education.

The Pig's Surveillance works like cheap security footage for regressing generators. Regressing generators are highlighted in white, and if a survivor interrupts that regression, the generator glows yellow to announce that someone is nearby. It is an excellent way to pressure objectives without camping.

The Hillbilly's Tinkerer goes a step further. When a generator hits 70% progress, the killer gets a loud noise alert and the Undetectable status effect for up to 16 seconds. That means the killer can stroll up behind a survivor who thinks they are safely finishing a generator. It is not just tracking; it is an audition for a jumpscare compilation.

👁️ Aura-Reading All-Stars

Aura-reading perks are the true cheat codes for killer tracking. They do not require guesswork.

The Nurse's A Nurse's Calling reveals the auras of survivors who are healing within a certain distance. The range is not enormous, but it is perfect for punishing survivors who think they can patch themselves up behind a rock. A survivor caught healing is a survivor with a very short future.

Ghost Face's I'm All Ears punishes rushed actions. If a survivor performs a rushed action within 48 meters, their aura is revealed for six full seconds. Six seconds is enough time to plan a route, check the nearest pallet, and arrive with bad intentions.

The Spirit's Rancor reveals every survivor's aura for three seconds each time a generator is completed. The drawback is that the killer becomes obsessed with one survivor, whose aura also reveals the killer briefly after a generator pops. It is a fair trade: the killer sees everyone, the Obsession sees only one very motivated individual.

Finally, The Cannibal's Barbecue & Chilli remains a fan favorite. After hooking a survivor, it reveals the auras of survivors more than 40 meters away for four seconds. It also boosts bloodpoint gains, which is basically the Entity paying you to be nosy. Few perks are better at teaching a killer where to go next.

In 2026, the Dead by Daylight fog still has not made survivors easier to spot, but these perks can make the search a lot less embarrassing. A killer who combines generator surveillance with aura reading will spend less time hugging walls and more time doing what the Entity actually pays for: making survivors panic.