Dead by Daylight's Nightmare Gets a Much-Needed Rework
Freddy Krueger, or The Nightmare, is getting a significant overhaul in an upcoming Dead by Daylight patch. Long considered one of the weaker Killers, this rework aims to boost his competitive viability while staying true to his iconic character.
The core change is the ability to seamlessly switch between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets, granting The Nightmare far greater tactical flexibility. Dream Snares are receiving a speed boost (12 m/s), the ability to traverse walls and stairs, and unique interactions depending on whether a Survivor is asleep or awake. Asleep Survivors will be hindered, while awake Survivors will see their sleep meter increase.
Dream Pallets are also getting a makeover. They can now be triggered to explode, inflicting damage and significantly impacting the sleep meter of both sleeping and awake Survivors.
Enhanced Teleportation and Dream World Domination:
The Nightmare's teleportation abilities are also being enhanced. He can now teleport to any generator (completed, blocked, or endgame) within the Dream World. Furthermore, he can now target Survivors actively healing, teleporting within 12 meters of them. This creates a powerful synergy with Killer Instinct, revealing nearby Survivors and adding to their sleep meter.
Add-On Adjustments and Perk Considerations:
Several of The Nightmare's Add-ons are being adjusted to encourage more creative loadouts. However, his perks (Fire Up, Remember Me, and Blood Warden) remain unchanged, potentially to preserve the original design intent.
Key Changes Summarized:
- [CHANGE]: Swap between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets using the active ability.
- [NEW]: Dream Snares move at 12 m/s (5-second cooldown), pass through walls and stairs (but not ledges), and have unique effects on sleeping and awake Survivors.
- [NEW]: Dream Pallets explode (1.5-second delay, 3-meter radius), injuring sleeping Survivors and increasing the sleep meter of awake ones.
- [NEW]: Teleport to any generator (completed, blocked, endgame) or healing Survivor in the Dream World (teleporting within 12 meters). Survivors within 8 meters are revealed with Killer Instinct, and their sleep meter increases.
- [CHANGE]: Teleport cooldown reduced from 45 to 30 seconds; cancellation removed.
- [NEW]: Healing Survivors in the Dream World are revealed by Killer Instinct (lingering 3 seconds after stopping).
- [CHANGE]: Sleeping Survivors can use any Alarm Clock to wake up.
- [NEW]: Alarm Clocks have a 45-second cooldown after use.
These changes, currently implemented in the Public Test Build (PTB), promise to make The Nightmare a more compelling and competitive Killer in Dead by Daylight. The exact release date for these changes is yet to be announced.
