Get ready for Dead by Daylight to get even more freaky as the game’s big Hellraiser update drops today. As you’d expect, the update adds “The Cenobite,” better known to most as Pinhead, as well as some new features, most notably skill-based matchmaking that replaces the old ranking system with a series of grades for each killer. You can check out a teaser trailer for Pinhead, below.
Here’s some more detail on what The Cenobite brings to the table:
A demon to some, an angel to others. Pinhead is an explorer in the further regions of experience, indulging in the limitless thrill of pleasure and pain. When the puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration—a key to another dimension—was found in The Entity’s realm, it was only a matter of time before it fell into curious hands. Once opened, he arrived. What came next was sweet suffering that spilled over the realm.
Killer Power
- Summons of Pain – An extradimensional gateway that leads to pleasure and pain so great it will tear your soul apart. Press the Power Button to create a gateway and release the button to open it. Once opened, tap the Ability Button to summon forth a possessed chain under your control. Direct the chain into a Survivor to bind them. A Survivor bound to a chain is unable to sprint. Their movement speed will decrease further as they’re hit with a second and third chain. Survivors can perform the Break Free action to escape.
- Lament Configuration – If left alone, the Lament Configuration puzzle box initiates a Chain Hunt by summoning chains to pursue Survivors. A Survivor carrying the Lament Configuration is afflicted with the Oblivious status effect and chains will occasionally be summoned to attack them. The Survivor must solve the Lament Configuration to end the Chain Hunt and remove the puzzle box from their possession. While doing this, Pinhead will see their location and be able to teleport to it. When Pinhead picks up the Lament Configuration, a Chain Hunt is activated and all Survivors are instantly bound by chains, causing them to scream and reveal their locations. The Lament Configuration will spawn in a new location after Pinhead or a Survivor has used it.
Killer Perks
- Deadlock – After a generator is repaired, The Entity blocks the generator with the most progress for a period of time. You see its aura in white for the duration.
- Hex: Plaything – Hooking a Survivor for the first time activates Hex: Plaything on a random dull totem, cursing them with Oblivious until the totem is cleansed. The cursed Survivor can see the totem’s aura when near and must personally cleanse it to recover.
- Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain – Begin each trial with up to four Scourge Hooks. When unhooked from a Scourge Hook, Survivors suffer Hemorrhage and Mangled until healed. Once healed they suffer a speed penalty to healing, repairing, and opening actions until injured again.
Here’s the full rundown of the new content and features Montreal-based developer Behaviour Interactive is delivering in this update:
Features
- Added a new Killer – The Cenobite
- Match Results – When players leave a Trial with a Limited Item (Example: The Nemesis’s Vaccine) they will now be notified that they do not get to keep it. It has been consumed by The Entity.
- Large Text Settings – The players can enable this option to enlarge all texts in the HUD, increasing readability.
- Skill Based Matchmaking will be enabled separately on September 8th at 11:00AM EDT.
- Visual Update of the Pallet
Grades and Grade Rewards
- Grades are replacing Ranks
- Grades are broken up into five groupings: Ash, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Iridescent
- Each grouping has four sub-groupings: IV, III, II, I
- Current Ranks will be translated into their corresponding Grade
- Rank 20 = Ash IV, Rank 19 = Ash III, Rank 18 = Ash II, Rank 17 = Ash I, Rank 16 = Bronze IV, etc.
- Grade Resets will happen on the 13th of each month, and all players will be reset to Ash IV for both Killer and Survivor, regardless of their previous Grade
- Bloodpoint rewards are given out when the reset occurs, based on your previous Grade
- It is no longer possible to lose enough pips to lose a Grade
The update also includes the usual long list of balance tweaks and bug fixes – you can get the full notes for update 5.2.0, right here.
Dead by Daylight is available now on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, Stadia, and mobile platforms. The Hellraiser update is available to download as of today (skill-based matchmaking goes live on September 8).
