While many Killers in Dead By Daylight are formidable enemies to Survivors, there are those that stand above the rest. Those Killers make a lot of Survivors question why they continue to play the game. Is that generator worth working on? Will it be enough to even attempt to open the exit gates? Do I just load out to the next match?
This list is subjective, and there are plenty of Killers that could knock out others on this list when played by the right player. Not everyone that plays these Killers may be able to use them to the best of their abilities, but when played by even moderate players, these Killers have the potential to shut down matches at 5 generators, 5 totems, and all hook states.
10 10/10 The Hag
Trees have come for their revenge with the swamp-witch Killer: The Hag. All those The Entity claims have tragic stories, and Lisa Sherwood is no different. Her power allows her to make duplicates of herself, and she can teleport to those duplicates to stop some in their tracks.
With the ability to teleport, and in some instances block with her clones, The hag has some amazing map pressure. Her most popular perk is Hex: Devour Hope. Many Killers run this perk in hopes of getting 5 stacks for a Mori or at least 3 for instant downs on survivors. However, this swamp witch will definitely set traps to defend her Hex Totem.
9 9/10 The Executioner
The Executioner is the first Killer that introduced a unique mechanic to Dead By Daylight. Where most Killers need an offering to Mori survivors, The Executioner does not. He comes with a built-in Mori system with his own powers of judgment and trails of torment. This is a different Mori than the one you get when he uses an offering.
On top of introducing the dual Mori system to Dead By Daylight, Pyramidhead from Silent Hill has the power to shut down loops with his powers and force survivors to move away from areas. His perks can shut down generator progression, and punish survivors for helping each other out.
8 8/10 The Huntress
Looking for musical talent with your range attacks? Get ready to hang out with The Huntress. Her hatchets can be seen flying through the air at survivors with pinpoint accuracy from across with map. When played by the right person, of course. The hunt is on with this Killer.
With a large Lullaby range and a small terror-radius, Anna can surprise an unsuspecting survivor looking the wrong way. In the right hands, The Huntress' hatchets can be flung to hit the person pulling a teammate off a hook mid-chase in a tile across the map.
7 7/10 The Mastermind
Tossing his sunglasses into the ring is Resident Evil's very own Albert Wesker. Mr. Wiskers is called the Mastermind in Dead By Daylight, and his abilities put him solidly in the running as a strong killer. With a massive terror-radius, he benefits from several other Killer's perks on top of his own powers.
He has the ability to vault pallets to continue the chase and catch up to survivors quickly. Once caught up, he can toss survivors across the map infecting them, or toss them into something to injure them. Infected survivors can be quickly grabbed with no chance of a teammate coming in to save them. With heavy chase pressure and the power to back it up, he has settled into The Entity's realm comfortably.
6 6/10 The Plague
Don't lose your lunch when facing this Killer. The Plague enjoys infecting survivors with her Vile Purge, and if a survivor reaches full infection they become broken. You can cleanse to heal and remove your infection, but that gives her a chance of gaining Corrupt Purge. Then her vomit becomes an injuring projectile.
Adiris was once a healer, but these days she goes out of her way to spread disease. With the ability to block generators from the beginning of the match, and then make survivors choose between not doing generators or not getting sick, her overall pressure is high. Purging in the chase to shut down loops at windows and pallets against those that don't have an infection boosts her even higher.
5 5/10 The Oni
Smashing his way into this list is The Oni. An ancient warrior from Japan who hunted down fake samurais in his lifetime. Now he fuels his bloodlust by hunting down injured survivors and absorbing their blood orbs. Once he is fueled by his consuming rage, he can dash across the map and instantly down a healthy survivor.
With his Demon Dash giving him the ability to move across the map at high speed and knock down survivors, Kazan Yamaoka is a formidable opponent. It makes sense that with a bloodlust like that, he isn't the only Yamaoka The Entity has claimed.
4 4/10 The Artist
Dripping with sorrow from the loss of her brother, Carmina Mora delved into her artwork. Tragedy continued to follow her in her art career leading to her becoming an ink-drenched killer after her tortured death. Now she conjures crows the crows that inspired her art to hunt down survivors.
Conjured crows can give The Artist information and injure survivors. Placing them in loops shuts them down for survivors and can be used to herd them across the map. Her perks allow for even more information to be given or punish survivors with debuffs for cleansing totems with a Hex regen.
3 3/10 The Spirit
As a descendant of the Demon Samurai, Rin Yamaoka also was taken in by The Entity. Another sacrificed soul that was dealt a hard lot in life. Most teenagers would try to vanish away from dealing with harsh trauma, and The Spirit exemplifies this ideal in her phase-walking.
With the ability to vanish from one place and appear in another, she can change the direction of chases in a flash. She can also appear on a generator quickly pulling a survivor off of it. After all, unless you have good hearing for her phasing you'll have no way of knowing which direction the invisible girl is coming from.
2 2/10 The Blight
Generator rushing has been a large complaint from the Killer side of the community in Dead By Daylight for a while. They aren't the only thing that can rush, though. The Blight can bounce from one side of the map to the other with his Blighted Corruption ability.
Talbot Grimes was once a brilliant chemist looking to change the world. Now he applies his chemical concoction to himself to ping-pong around maps hunting survivors. His perks help keep hex powers in place, prevent pallets from being used, and cause expose survivors when he kicks their generators. This can lead to an oppressive force in the right hands.
1 1/10 The Nurse
No character causes more of a stir in the Dead By Daylight community than that of Sally Smithson. The Nurse is a killer that on the surface seems like a normal Killer. A tragic backstory watching horrors unfold until she finally snapped seems par for the course, and the ability to move across the map isn't unheard of with other Killers. There is a reason she is considered one of the strongest, if not THE STRONGEST, Killer.
The controversy comes from her Blink Attack. Many propose that it shouldn't count as a basic attack as it makes her too oppressive and even broken with other killers' perks. Another large issue within her powers comes from her add-ons that many have pointed out shouldn't make her go farther at the same speed. Both of these make many survivors and killer mains alike complain. Particularly when other killers' perks are nerfed to counter her ability instead of changing her.