The Best Trickster Builds In Dead By Daylight (Update 8.2.1)

4 September 2024 - We've updated the page to reflect any recent changes to perks and abilities in Patch 8.2.1 that might impact the best Trickster builds in Dead By Daylight.

The Trickster might not be one of the strongest killers in the horror game Dead by Daylight, but he is by far one of the most fun to play for many players. The Trickster can use his knives to injure and eventually down his opponents. Hurling knives at survivors can be extremely rewarding if you know how to play this killer correctly. Here is your guide to playing The Trickster in Dead by Daylight, including the best possible loadouts so you can put your best foot forward when playing him.

The Trickster Power And Perks

To pick out the best perks for The Trickster, you'll first need to understand his power and how it works so you can think about how the game's many perks may be able to complement it.

You should also learn more about The Trickster's teachable perks since they come with the killer by default and can be used together to earn Adept Trickster. Let's go over all of The Trickster’s perks:

Perk: No Way Out

• You're not going to let just anyone into the VIP room.
• After hooking a Survivor for the first time, No Way Out gains a token. Once the exit gates have been powered, No Way Out activates.
• When a Survivor interacts with an exit gate switch, you receive a loud noise notification. The Entity then blocks both exit gate switches for 12 seconds, plus an additional 6/9/12 seconds for each token in your possession.

Perk: Starstruck

• Your unmatched showmanship dazzles all.
• While carrying a Survivor, any other Survivors within your Terror Radius suffer from the Exposed status effect.
• The effect persists for 26/28/30 seconds on Survivors who leave your Terror Radius, as well as those within the radius when you hook or release the carried Survivor.
• Starstruck has a cooldown of 60 seconds once a Survivor is no longer carried.
• Exposed Survivors will be downed by basic attacks even if uninjured.

Perk: Crowd Control

• A Hex that ensures those lesser than you are properly herded.
• The Entity blocks a window for 14/17/20 seconds after a Survivor performs a rushed vault through it.
• The Hex effects persist as long as the related Hex Totem is standing.

Power: Showstopper

The Trickster's power is called Showstopper, which allows him to throw knives at survivors rapidly. The in-game description reads:

• Start the Trial with 44 Blades.

• Press and hold the Power button to wind up and enter the Throw State.

• While in the Throw State, tap the Attack button to throw a single Blade, or hold down the Attack button to unleash a flurry of Blades.

• Throwing a flurry of Blades increases control and Throw rate while decreasing Movement speed.

• Restock Blades at Lockers.

• Laceration Meter:

  • A Survivor's Laceration Meter increases each time they are hit by a Blade.

  • Once the meter is filled (6 Blade Hits), they lose a Health State, putting them either into the Injured or Dying State.

  • A Survivor's Laceration Meter will gradually decrease if they have not been hit by a Blade for a short time.

  • Hitting a Survivor with a Basic Attack will partially deplete their Laceration Meter.

SPECIAL ATTACK: The Main Event

• Each Blade Hit also fills the Event Meter.

• Once full, The Main Event can be activated by pressing the Active Ability button.

• In this mode, The Trickster automatically throws unlimited Blades for the duration of The Main Event.

• His Throw rate is significantly increased and his Movement speed does not decrease after each throw.

• The Main Event can be cancelled by pressing the Active Ability button again.

• Doing so resets the Event Meter and initiates a cool-down on Showstopper.

The Best Trickster Builds In Dead By Daylight

The Trickster has a lot of weaknesses, but he also excels in a few key areas. The best builds for Trickster complement his strengths while helping him in the areas where he struggles. 

With so many perks available in Dead by Daylight, there is not just one build that works well on Trickster - there are many choices. Here are just a few of the best.

Beginner Trickster Build

When you're starting out as a new Trickster main, it can be hard to figure out what perks to use. That's why we've put together this beginner Nemesis build using only perks that come with the Trickster or can be found in any killer's Bloodweb.

• Hex: No One Escapes Death

• No Way Out (The Trickster)

• Bitter Murmur

• Fearmonger

This loadout focuses on both mid-game and end-game, where Trickster excels. Bitter Murmur helps you find survivors when they complete generators, while Fearmonger prevents them from quickly escaping you when you find them. No Way Out and No One Escapes Death can help you kill those final survivors or get some kills if you didn’t manage to earn any throughout the match. 

Simple Otzdarva Trickster Build

Fog Whisperer and streamer Otzdarva created a build for Trickster and Huntress, focusing on each killer's ability to down survivors using their ranged attacks. The Trickster needs some help with generator slowdown, too, thanks to his speed; this build tackles that weakness.

• Agitation (The Trapper)
  

• Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance (The Artist)
• Hex: Ruin (The Hag)
• Hex: Undying (The Blight)

With this build, you should be able to use The Trapper's Agitation to trigger Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance to track survivors and regress generators. Hex: Ruin provides generator slowdown in the background, while Hex: Undying provides you backup and even more slowdown in case of Hex: Ruin being cleansed.

Tracking Trickster Build

This tracking Trickster build helps you find survivors and locate generators that are being worked on, preventing them from being completed. As such, it utilizes various tracking perks - both for tracking generators and survivors themselves.

• Surveillance (The Pig)
  

• BBQ & Chili (The Cannibal)
• I'm All Ears (The Ghost Face)
• Deadlock (The Cenobite)

Surveillance helps you keep track of survivors who are working on generators, while BBQ & Chili shows you survivors that are far away after you get a hook. I'm All Ears ensures that you can end chases quickly by seeing auras, while Deadlock provides both generator slowdown and more tracking. While this build does focus on tracking survivors' behavior, it's thankfully pretty well-rounded thanks to Deadlock.

What Are The Best Perks For The Trickster?

Those are all of the best builds for The Trickster, but you still might be wondering which individual perks work best on this killer. After all, creating your own builds can be fun and allow you to try new playstyles.

You can mix and match the following perks to create an incredible build for The Trickster:

• Lethal Pursuer (The Nemesis)

• No Way Out (The Trickster)

• Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance (The Artist)

• I’m All Ears (The Ghost Face)

• Whispers 

We recommend mixing and matching the perks in the builds we've provided to create your favorite loadout. As you familiarize yourself with this killer, you'll determine which perks are your favorites and be able to mix and match these perks effectively.