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The Cenobite
From the horror film classic “Hellraiser”, the Cenobite arrives in Dead by Daylight, although most players simply call him “Pinhead” – because he has nails in his head. He passively exerts pressure on survivors with his “Lament Configuration”, but can also manually summon chains to constrain survivors. His other stats are average for killers: 115% movement speed, 32 meters terror radius, and an imposing size that makes him recognizable from a distance.
Special Ability 1: Pain Summoning – The primary power of the Cenobite is Pain Summoning. By using the ability, a small, blue target marker appears, moving slowly in the direction of sight. If you release the ability button, the view jumps to the corresponding position. With an attack, you summon a chain that can be controlled and should ideally hit a survivor.
If you successfully hit a survivor directly with the chain, they become chained and thus slowed down. Two additional chains automatically appear with a few seconds delay, also chaining the survivor. The victim can break free from the chains by using the new command “Break Free” or by placing objects between themselves and the chains.
As long as survivors are connected with one or more chains, they are extremely slowed down.
It doesn’t matter whether the Cenobite misses or hits with the chain; the view always switches back to the killer afterwards, and a short cooldown of the ability is triggered.
Special Ability 2: Lament Configuration – The second ability of the Cenobite is more or less passive. The puzzle cube known from the films (“Lament Configuration”) appears somewhere on the map and can be picked up by survivors or the Cenobite.
As long as the puzzle cube lies somewhere, a timer begins to run out. This can be recognized on the portraits of the survivors, a chain that slowly circles around the characters’ faces completely.
Once the chain has completely circled the survivors, a “Chain Hunt” begins. Chains appear from portals at all survivors at short intervals, attacking them on their own and thus slowing them down.
The Chain Hunt continues until a survivor picks up the puzzle cube. The bearer of the cube can “activate” it and thus solve the puzzle. If they do not do this within a certain time frame, they will be permanently attacked by chains themselves. Once picked up, the cube cannot be dropped again until the puzzle is solved.
If a survivor activates the puzzle cube and “solves” the puzzle, the Cenobite receives a notification and can teleport close to the bearer of the cube by using his ability. However, this takes a few seconds.
If the Cenobite finds the cube before the survivors, he can lift and activate it himself. In this case, all survivors are revealed for a few seconds, and a chain hunt begins – no matter how far the progress on the survivors’ character portraits has been.
After the survivor activates the puzzle cube, the chain hunt ends, and shortly thereafter, the cube reappears somewhere on the map. The cycle starts all over again.
How to properly use Chain of Suffering? Using the chains correctly is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. This is mainly because you have to anticipate two things when using the chains:
- The position where you place the portal for the chain
- The position of the survivor when you control the chain
Only when both fit is it worth using a chain to hinder the survivor.
Always weigh whether you can reach the survivor without using your ability in the next few seconds and refrain from using the chains if that’s the case.
Basically, chains are more useful in open spaces than in tight, winding corridors. It’s much easier for the survivors to break the chains there. In open areas, this is hardly possible, so it’s more worthwhile to use the chains in open space.
A pro tip: You can also use the chains to “scout” since your view is bound to the teleport point when you want to control the chains. You can cancel the ability at any time and immediately regain control of the killer.
Who is the Cenobite suitable for? The Cenobite is suitable not only for Hellraiser fans but also for all players who like to put a lot of pressure on all survivors at the same time and want a passive ability to disrupt (the puzzle cube). However, the Cenobite requires a lot of practice, as Pinhead is many things – but certainly not an easy-to-learn killer.
