The latest killer in Dead by Daylight is far too weak – the community agrees on that already.
The test realm for the latest killer of Dead by Daylight has not been active for long, yet there is already a consensus among the game’s professionals: Pinhead is too weak and will probably find himself in the lower ranks of killers if this remains the case. Therefore, many are hoping for buffs before the killer goes live.
What can Pinhead do? Pinhead has a lot of abilities that are almost directly inspired by the Hellraiser movies.
His main ability is to summon chains. For this, he chooses a target point for the portal and takes control of a chain there, which then rushes at a survivor. If the chain hits, the survivor is slowed down and then hit by two more chains that cause additional slowing.
Pinhead’s second ability is the “Box”, which is also often called the “Lament Configuration”. It is located somewhere on the map and can be recognized by all survivors based on its aura. If no survivor picks up and uses the box, a “chain hunt” begins after a while, which permanently attacks all survivors with chains. But the box also brings more mechanics:
- If a survivor carries the box, they suffer from the “Unaware” effect (does not hear terror radius) until they solve the puzzle of the box. Once picked up, the box can only be discarded by using it.
- If a survivor starts to solve the box, Pinhead has the ability to teleport to that survivor.
- If Pinhead finds the box before the survivors, he can solve it himself and temporarily reveal all survivors and slow them down with chains.
Why is all of this bad? Even though hardly any other killer has as many active and passive abilities as Pinhead, he is already being categorized as a weaker killer by many players. When ranked in tier lists, he often lands in the C or D tier, and there are many reasons for that.
The most important reason is probably that almost all of Pinhead’s mechanics offer counterplay options. Skillful survivors can almost entirely negate his abilities:
- Chains can be easily broken by the environment or through the “Break Free” action before Pinhead can catch up.
- The “Lament Configuration” can simply be taken “hostage” by an experienced survivor. Although this survivor does not hear the terror radius, good players do not rely on that.
- Solving the “Lament Configuration” and Pinhead’s teleport can be played in favor of the survivors. This way, they can go to corners where teleportation for the survivors is “safe” and simultaneously bring Pinhead to a side of the map where there are no generators left.
Additionally, many of Pinhead’s addons only represent improvements on paper. For example, Pinhead can increase the range of his chains or the distance from which he can create the portal to summon the chains. However, this is of little use, as the more distance there is between the killer and the chained survivor, the more likely it is that the survivor will already be free before Pinhead can reach him.
The chains have their greatest utility at close range when Pinhead is nearby – at long distances, their effect completely dissipates.
This is how the community reacts: Many express dissatisfaction with Pinhead and his current state. The killer is cool designed and very close to the film counterpart, but needs some buffs to really shine.
- Many community members demand an improvement of the chains. Either the chains need to be a bit more resilient, or more chains should be created with each use.
- Streamer Otzdarva advocates for the idea of implementing some of his addons into the base kit of abilities. There is one addon that reveals the aura of chained targets for a few seconds. This would be a great addition to the base kit and ensure that a hit with the chains always fulfills at least some utility.
Will anything change? Due to all the feedback, it is quite possible that Pinhead will receive some significant buffs before his release in a few weeks. After all, the PTB is meant to balance out the weaknesses and strengths of a killer.
It would be a shame if such a horror classic would directly start as one of the weakest killers.
The fact that new killers in Dead by Daylight often start weak has now become a tradition. The Nemesis from Resident Evil and the K-Pop killer Trickster were released significantly too weak and were subsequently buffed.
