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. Currently considered one of the weaker Killers, this rework aims to boost his competitiveness and better reflect his iconic abilities.
The core change introduces the ability to seamlessly switch between Dream Snares and Dream Pallets, granting The Nightmare greater tactical flexibility. Dream Snares are updated to travel at 12 m/s, traversing walls and stairs (but not ledges), and their effect now 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 also receive a makeover. They can be triggered to explode, dealing damage and impacting Survivors differently based on their sleep state. Hitting an asleep Survivor inflicts injury, while hitting an awake Survivor adds 60 seconds to their Sleep Meter.
The Nightmare's teleportation ability is also enhanced. He can now teleport to any generator (completed, blocked, or endgame) in the Dream World, or to within 12 meters of a healing Survivor. Teleporting near Survivors reveals them via Killer Instinct and adds 15 seconds to their Sleep Meter. The teleport cooldown is reduced from 45 to 30 seconds, and cancellation is removed. Importantly, healing Survivors in the Dream World are now continuously revealed by Killer Instinct (lingering for 3 seconds after stopping), providing clear targets for The Nightmare's teleport. All Alarm Clocks can now be used to wake up, but enter a 45-second cooldown after use.
Further changes include adjustments to The Nightmare's Add-ons to encourage creative loadout choices. However, his Perks (Fire Up, Remember Me, and Blood Warden) remain unchanged, potentially to preserve the character's original design intent.
Key Rework Changes:
- [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. Unique effects for asleep and awake Survivors.
- [NEW] Dream Pallets explode (1.5-second delay, 3-meter radius), with varying effects on asleep and awake Survivors.
- [NEW] Teleport to any generator or healing Survivor in the Dream World. Teleporting near Survivors reveals them and adds to their Sleep Meter.
- [CHANGE] Teleport cooldown reduced to 30 seconds; cancellation removed.
- [NEW] Healing Survivors are continuously revealed by Killer Instinct in the Dream World.
- [CHANGE] All Alarm Clocks can be used to wake up (45-second cooldown).
The exact release date for these changes is yet to be announced, but they are currently implemented in the Public Test Build (PTB). This substantial rework promises to significantly improve The Nightmare's viability and gameplay experience.
