Dead by Daylight Killer Guide: The Clown (Perks, Tips, & Strategies)

In addition to the many licensed crossover characters from horror media, Dead By Daylight has a comprehensive roster of terrifying original Killers to master. The Clown is one of the earliest characters to be added to Dead By Daylight, available alone in the in-game Store or with Survivor Kate Denson in the Curtain Call DLC chapter. Kenneth Chase, later known as Jeffrey Hawk, got his start as a sadistic killer in the 1930s by trapping and harming small animals, often keeping parts of them as trophies. Eventually, he began drugging and murdering people, experimenting with different chemicals to create the perfect anesthetic to aid him in his crimes. As a Killer, The Clown can throw bottles of his perfected Afterpiece Tonic to intoxicate and hinder Survivors or invigorate himself. He can also strike with Madame Butterfly, an oversized Butterfly Knife, as a Basic Attack. The Clown’s major draw as a Killer is his ability to control the Trial and hinder Survivor movement.

Like all other Killers in Dead By Daylight, The Clown has two main powers and three unique Perks that can eventually be unlocked for all other characters. He also has numerous Add-Ons that can be used to trick Survivors and add other effects to his tonics, like expanded range and more dangerous Survivor debuffs. The Clown is considered an Intermediate-difficulty character and, while not one of the most popular Killers to play, can be extremely effective as players learn how to use him. Here’s everything players should know about The Clown’s abilities and strategies for playing him effectively in Dead By Daylight.

How To Build The Clown In Dead By Daylight

When players choose The Clown as their selected Killer in Dead By Daylight, they will need to master his two basic weapon powers. His basic attack is a simple slash with Madame Butterfly. His special power is his Afterpiece Tonic and Antidote, which creates a toxic cloud. The Tonic Bottle breaks on contact. Typically, the Tonic creates a purple cloud, and the Antidote creates a yellow cloud, though these can be swapped to confuse Survivors using an Add-On.

The Tonic impairs Survivor vision and can slow them down. They will be Hindered and cough, helping the Clown find them. The Antidote neutralizes the Tonic cloud, cures Survivors who have been intoxicated, and invigorates both The Clown and any Survivors caught inside. Invigorated players gain a 10% Movement Speed bonus for five seconds. Without any Add-Ons, the Afterpiece Tonic and Antidote clouds last about 10 seconds each, and it will take The Clown three seconds to reload the bottles.

While The Clown can hit Survivors directly with the Tonic Bottles, they can also aim these at Pallets and Jungle Gyms to cut off access to the next looping area. They can also force Survivors to take a less optimal path, often directly into Madame Butterfly.

The Clown has three unique Perks, all related to controlling the map and making progress more difficult for Survivors. Like other characters, once The Clown reaches levels 30, 35, and 40, his Perks begin to appear in the Bloodwebs of other Killers. Some of his personal Perks are favorites for other Killers in the Dead By Daylight roster. The Clown’s personal Perks are:

• Bamboozle: Vaulting for the Killer happens 5/10/15% faster and calls upon The Entity to block that Vault location for Survivors for 8/12/16 seconds.
• Coulrophobia: Survivors in the Killer’s Terror Radius heal 30/40/50% more slowly.
• Pop Goes the Weasel: After hooking a Survivor, the next Generator the Killer damages instantly loses 25% of its progress. Regular Generator Regression applies after.

While Bamboozle is not particularly strong, Coulrophobia and Pop Goes the Weasel tend to work well with other Killers. Players should consider adding other Perks to their Clown build that account for his weaknesses, like keeping pressure on Survivors, and lean into his strengths, like preventing Generator progress. Good alternative teachable Perks that work well with The Clown include:

• Barbecue & Chilli (The Cannibal): After hooking a Survivor, all other Survivors’ Auras are revealed for four seconds when they are farther than 40 meters from the Hook. Additionally, each time a Survivor is hooked for the first time, the Killer gains a stackable 25% bonus to all earned Bloodpoints, up to a maximum of 50/75/100%.
• Brutal Strength (The Trapper): Breaking Pallets and Breakable Walls and damaging Generators is 10/15/20% faster.
• Corrupt Intervention (The Plague): At the start of the Trial, the three Generators farthest from The Killer are blocked by The Entity for 80/100/120 seconds.
• Discordance (The Legion): Any Generator within 64/96/128 meters of the Killer that is being repaired by two or more Survivors is highlighted yellow and triggers a Loud Noise notification only the Killer hears.
• Oppression (The Twins): When damaging a Generator, up to three other random Generators also begin regressing. This triggers a difficult Skill Check if the selected Generators are currently undergoing repairs.
• Surge (The Demogorgon): When the Killer puts Survivors in the Dying State with their Basic Attack, all Generators within 32 meters instantly explode and start regressing, with an immediate 8% regression penalty.
• Tinkerer (The Hillbilly): Whenever a Generator is repaired to 70%, it triggers a Loud Noise notification, and the Killer is granted the Undetectable status for 12/14/16 seconds.

Players can also use any standard meta Perks when playing as The Clown, like Hex: No One Escapes Death and Whispers. They will want to experiment with the options they have available and find the build that works best for them.

Dead By Daylight players can use Add-Ons found in The Clown’s personal Bloodweb to increase his power. The best options add other debuffs to Survivors intoxicated by the Afterpiece Tonic. These include:

• Starling Feather: Moderately increases the cooldown time between bottle throws.
• Flask of Bleach: Intoxicated Survivors suffer from an extra 5% penalty to the Hindered Status Effect.
• Ether 15 Vol%: Considerably increases Intoxicated duration.
• Tattoo’s Middle Finger: Both Intoxicated and Invigorated Survivors reveal their Aura to The Clown for six seconds.
• Redhead’s Pinky Finger: While Intoxicated, Survivors hit directly with a bottle suffer from the Exposed Status Effect.

Killers are limited to whatever items appear randomly in their Bloodweb at any given time, so it is a good idea to experiment with different Add-Ons to find a combination that works best for the player’s preferred style and selected Perks to improve The Clown’s ability to track down and incapacitate Survivors.

Next:

Dead By Daylight is available for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, & Nintendo Switch.

RELATED

• New Digital Sensor Likely To Improve Health Features On Future Apple Watch