Dead by Daylight Will Make Highly Requested Change to The Nightmare

Dead by Daylight's The Nightmare Receives a Major Rework

Freddy Krueger, or The Nightmare, is getting a significant overhaul in an upcoming Dead by Daylight patch. This rework aims to address player concerns regarding his current weakness and bring him more in line with his iconic horror persona. The changes focus on increased flexibility, updated powers, and adjusted add-ons for a more competitive and engaging gameplay experience.

Currently considered one of the weaker Killers, Freddy's unique mechanics – Dream Snares and Dream Pallets – haven't quite lived up to their potential. Behaviour Interactive's January 2025 Developer Update outlines substantial changes designed to rectify this.

Key Changes to The Nightmare:

The most impactful change is the ability to seamlessly switch between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets. This dynamic shift allows for more adaptable strategies against Survivors. Further enhancements include:

• Dream Snares: These now travel at 12 m/s, traversing walls and stairs (but not ledges), with a 5-second cooldown. Their effect varies depending on whether a Survivor is asleep or awake: asleep Survivors are hindered for 4 seconds, while awake Survivors accumulate 30 seconds on their sleep meter.

• Dream Pallets: These can now be triggered to explode, dealing damage within a 3-meter radius 1.5 seconds after activation. Hitting a sleeping Survivor inflicts an injury; hitting an awake Survivor adds 60 seconds to their sleep timer.

• Teleport Enhancements: The Nightmare can now teleport to any generator (completed, blocked, or endgame) within the Dream World. Additionally, teleporting to a healing Survivor will place The Nightmare within 12 meters, revealing nearby Survivors (within 8 meters) via Killer Instinct and adding 15 seconds to their sleep meter. The teleport cooldown has been reduced from 45 to 30 seconds, and cancellation is no longer possible. Healing Survivors in the Dream World will be continuously revealed by Killer Instinct (lingering for 3 seconds after stopping).

• Alarm Clocks: Sleeping Survivors can now use any alarm clock to wake up, but each clock enters a 45-second cooldown afterward.

Add-on Adjustments & Perks:

While The Nightmare's add-ons will receive adjustments to encourage creative loadouts, his perks (Fire Up, Remember Me, and Blood Warden) remain unchanged. This decision likely aims to preserve Freddy's original design intent, although their current competitiveness is a point of discussion.

Summary of Rework Notes:

• [CHANGE] Swap between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets using the active ability.
• [NEW] Dream Snares move at 12 m/s (5-second cooldown), traversing walls and stairs.
• [NEW] Dream Snares have unique effects on sleeping (4-second hinder) and awake (30-second sleep meter increase) Survivors.
• [NEW] Dream Pallets explode (3-meter radius, 1.5-second delay), injuring sleeping Survivors and adding 60 seconds to awake Survivors' sleep timers.
• [NEW] Teleport to any generator or healing Survivor in the Dream World (12-meter proximity, 8-meter Killer Instinct reveal, 15-second sleep meter increase).
• [CHANGE] Teleport cooldown reduced to 30 seconds; cancellation removed.
• [NEW] Healing Survivors in the Dream World are continuously revealed by Killer Instinct.
• [CHANGE] Sleeping Survivors can use any Alarm Clock to wake up.
• [NEW] Alarm Clocks have a 45-second cooldown after use.

The updated Nightmare promises a more balanced and faithful representation of the character, offering players a fresh and competitive experience. While the exact release date isn't specified, these changes are currently implemented in the Public Test Build (PTB).