Dead by Daylight's The Nightmare Receives a Major Rework

Dead by Daylight's iconic Killer, Freddy Krueger (The Nightmare), is getting a significant gameplay overhaul in a future patch. This rework addresses long-standing community concerns about his viability and aims to make him a more competitive and thematically accurate Killer.

The core change is the ability to freely switch between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets, providing greater tactical flexibility. Dream Snares are updated to move at 12 m/s, traversing walls and stairs (but not ledges), and now trigger unique effects depending on whether a Survivor is asleep or awake. Asleep Survivors are hindered, while awake Survivors accumulate additional sleep meter time.

Dream Pallets also receive a significant upgrade. They can now be detonated, creating a blood geyser that injures sleeping Survivors or significantly increases the sleep meter of awake Survivors.

The Nightmare's teleportation ability is enhanced. He can now teleport to any generator (completed, blocked, or endgame), and will automatically teleport to within 12 meters of any healing Survivor in the Dream World. This teleport reveals nearby Survivors via Killer Instinct and adds to their sleep meter. The teleport cooldown is reduced to 30 seconds, and cancellation is removed. Healing Survivors in the Dream World are revealed via Killer Instinct for the duration of the healing process, with a 3-second lingering effect. Importantly, sleeping Survivors can now use any alarm clock to wake up, but each clock enters a 45-second cooldown afterward.

Add-ons will also be adjusted to encourage creative loadouts. However, the Killer's perks remain unchanged, potentially to preserve Freddy Krueger's original design intent.

Key Changes Summarized:

• Swap Ability: Switch freely between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets.
• Dream Snares: 12 m/s speed, wall and stair traversal, unique effects for sleeping and awake Survivors.
• Dream Pallets: Explode on activation, causing injury to sleeping Survivors or increasing the sleep meter of awake Survivors.
• Teleport: Teleport to any generator or healing Survivor in the Dream World; reduced cooldown, no cancellation. Reveals nearby Survivors upon teleporting.
• Alarm Clocks: Sleeping Survivors can use any alarm clock to wake up, but each clock has a 45-second cooldown.
• Add-on Adjustments: Various Add-ons will be rebalanced.
• Perks: Remain unchanged.

While the exact release date is unannounced, these changes are currently implemented in the Public Test Build (PTB), suggesting a relatively imminent arrival to the live game. These updates promise to revitalize The Nightmare, making him a more formidable and engaging Killer in Dead by Daylight.