Dead by Daylight update 8.3.0 patch notes

Skull Merchant mains finally got what they deserved. See all the changes for Survivors, Killers, Mori, and more.

An image from Dead by Daylight of Sable and Mikela running from the Killer.
Image via Behavior Interactive.

The Dead by Daylight developers have finally launched patch 8.3.0 of the famous asymmetrical horror game. Since the update spent time on the public test server, the developers have cooked up even more changes than originally planned.

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Before you jump into the game, you may want to know what perks, add-ons, and Killers have been changed. Here’s everything in Dead by Daylight‘s 8.3.0 update.

What changes are in the Dead by Daylight 8.3.0 patch notes?

An image of Nick Cage in Dead By Daylight hiding from the killer in a locker.
Hide from the Killer! Image via Behaviour Interactive.

On top of the usual bugfixes found every patch, there are significant changes to everyone’s least favorite killer, The Skull Merchant, changes to both Survivor and Killer perks, and an update to the Mori’s execution system.

Here’s a full breakdown of the main changes in patch 8.3.0.

Dominus battle pass

An image of the Dominus Battle Pass artwork from Dead by Daylight, which includes Castlevania themed skins.
Castlevania fans can rejoice. Image via Behaviour Interactive.

This update brings the Dominus battle pass to the game, offering a plethora of skins and collectable cosmetics themed around the Castlevania series. The standout skin from this patch is Dracula’s True Form skin, which comes with custom animations and a unique Mori. If you purchase the pass, you’ll instantly unlock the Soma Cruz skin for Trevor Belmont, dressing him up as the famous reincarnation of Dracula.

There are also skins for other Survivors and Killers themed around Castlevania characters, such as skins for Yui, Felix, Jeff, Claudette, Meg, the Nurse, the Unknown, and The Spirit. Like all other battle passes in DBD you can complete challenges in-game to level up your pass, unlocking the premium skins and earning your currency back.

Updated Mori system

A survivor escaping from a killer in Dead by Daylight.
Every match now has a Mori. Image via Behaviour Interactive

In Dead by Daylight, Killers can bring a Mori to execute Survivors on their final hook state. This execution always plays a special animation unique to each Killer and prevents Survivors from saving their dying teammates with flashlights or palette stuns. If a Killer brought a rarer Mori, they could execute more than one Survivor.

Patch 8.3.0 has changed the long-standing Mori system. All Killers now have the Cypress Mori, or the basic yellow-tiered item, included in their base kit. This means that all Killers can execute the final Survivor at the end of a trial. Killers can still bring higher-tiered Moris to execute more than the final Survivor.

There’s also a new system that hides clutter while a Mori is performed, so the animation is no longer blocked by walls, grass, or boxes. Since the Cypress Mori has become redundant, all players can receive one million Bloodpoints in compensation if they log in before Nov. 7.

Finally, Killers that have Moris built into their kits, such as Pyramid Head or Sadako, will still be able to execute multiple Survivors with their Killer Powers.

Survivor perk changes

An image of Lara Croft shining a flashlight in DBD
Has your build been updated? Image via Behaviour Interactive.

There are 10 Survivor perks that have received changes in the DBD patch. Here’s a full list of all updated Survivor perks at tier three.

PerkUpdated description
Teamwork: Power of TwoGrants a five percent speed boost to you and a teammate after healing them. The effect:
– Lasts only if you stay within 16 meters of each other.
– Has no cooldown.
– Lingers for four seconds if you break the distance. Reconnecting during this period will reactivate the boost.
Teamwork: Collective StealthYou and a teammate will make no scratch marks after you are healed. The effect:
– Lasts only if you stay within 16 meters of each other.
– Has no cooldown.
– Lingers for four seconds you break the distance. Reconnecting during this period will reactivate the boost.
Corrective ActionStart the trial with three tokens, and gain tokens whenever you complete a great skill check. When you or another Survivor within eight meters fails a skill check, a token will be consumed and convert the fail into a great skill check. This will also reveal the aura of the Survivor who failed the skill check.
Inner FocusYou can now see scratch marks made by other Survivors. Whenever a Survivor’s injured, see the Killer’s aura for 10 seconds.
We’re Gonna Live ForeverHeal survivors in the dying state 150 percent faster. Survivors healed out of the dying state receive Endurance for 10 seconds. This effect can be triggered once every 30 seconds
PoisedWhen you first start repairing a generator, see the Killer’s aura for six seconds. After you repair a generator, leave no Scratch Marks for 14 seconds.
Blood RushPress the active ability button to recover from being Exhausted.
-Blood Rush now activates for 60 seconds after you are unhooked.
-This perk deactivates when the exit gates are powered or when you perform a conspicuous action, such as healing or repairing generators.
Quick GambitWhile you are in chase with the Killer, all other Survivors receive a five percent repair speed bonus. This perk has a 60-second cooldown upon losing a health state.
DistortionStart the trial with one token. When your aura is read, automatically consume the token to hide your scratch marks and aura for the next 12 seconds. For every 30 seconds in a chase, gain one token up to a maximum of two.
Lucky StarHiding in a locker with this perk suppresses grunts of pain and pools of blood. This effect lingers for 30 seconds after leaving a locker, and you see the aura of the closest generator and all Survivors.

Killer perk changes

An image of Laurie Strode hiding behind a car to avoid Michael Meyers.
Many perks have changed. Image via Behaviour Interactive.

A total of 10 Killer perks have also been updated. Here’s a full list of the updated Killer perks at tier three.

PerksUpdated description
Genetic LimitsAnytime a Survivor loses a health state, they become Exhausted for eight seconds.
LeverageWhen a Survivor performs an unhook, their healing speed is reduced by 50 percent for 30 seconds.
THWACK!This perk starts with three tokens and gains more when Survivors are hooked. Breaking a pallet or wall makes Survivors within 24 meters scream. Each scream consumes one token.
Machine LearningDamage a generator to activate the perk. When that generator is completed, receive a 10 percent speed boost and become Undetectable for 60 seconds.
DeathboundWhen a Survivor heals another player, the healer will scream. If the healer is more than 8 meters away from the Survivor they healed, they will become Oblivious until they lose a health state.
Zanshin TacticsReveals the auras of pallets and windows within 32 meters. Survivors who drop pallets are revealed for eight seconds.
Dead Man’s SwitchThis perk activates for 30 seconds after hooking a Survivor. The first Survivor who stops repairing a generator will cause the entity to block the generator for 50 seconds.
Blood EchoWhen hooking a Survivor, all other injured Survivors suffer from Exhausted and Hemorrhage for 30 seconds.
Hex: Crowd ControlThe last five vaults Survivors use are blocked by the Entity until the hex totem is cleansed.
PredatorWhen a Survivor escapes a chase, reveal their aura for six seconds. This perk has a 40-second cooldown.

Killer changes

The Skull Merchant in DBD.
Maybe Survivors will no longer DC against the Skull Merchant? Image via Behaviour Interactive.

Only four Killers were changed in this patch. During the beta period, The Skull Merchant was completely gutted with six major nerfs, making everyone’s least favorite Killer significantly weaker. However, the developers have updated these nerfs and made them less severe.

The Skull Merchant no longer receives speed boosts when Survivors have claw traps. Instead, she gains Haste if her drones scan a Survivor within five seconds of her deploying the drone, or changing the drone’s scanning direction. Furthermore, her movement speed is reduced while she checks her radar or deploys drones, and every drone only has one scan line instead of two.

The Twins also received minor nerfs that make Victor’s respawn timer longer after he is crushed and increase the cooldown of his lunge attack. The Hillbilly has been slapped with a couple of nerfs, making his overdrive state shorter and increasing the amount of time it takes to recover after missing a chainsaw attack.

Finally, The Unknown got a quality-of-life update. This monster now has a new HUD that correctly displays the teleport cooldowns and they can recover from teleporting 15 percent faster. To compensate, their movement speed decreases quicker while charging a ranged attack.


For a full list of bugfixes, the DBD website has the full patch notes.

Author
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John Wildermuth
John is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles and wields a degree in English. He is constantly staying up to date on the latest and greatest games, and has been writing about gaming for over a year now. When he is not playing games, he can be found reading sci-fi and fantasy books or working on ceramics.