How To Counter The Wraith In Dead By Daylight

Dead by Daylight's Killers vary in the level of stealth in their approach: Michael Myers and Ghost Face rely on the stealth mechanic for their success. In contrast, others like The Mastermind have a huge terror radius warning Survivors of their imminent arrival.

The Wraith plays a bit differently, relying heavily on his invisibility to avoid detection and ambush Survivors, which can be challenging if you don't yet know how to counter these unique strategies and playstyles. In this guide, we'll take a deeper look at how to counter one of Dead by Daylight's stealthiest Killers, The Wraith.

Update 27 March 2023 - This article has been updated to reflect all of the changes to Dead by Daylight that affect the best counters to The Wraith.

Look And Listen For The Wraith

The Wraith might have the ability to become Cloaked, making it harder for Survivors to hear him approaching - but that doesn't mean he's completely invisible all the time. Instead, while he might be easy to miss if you aren't paying attention, you can see a glimmer of The Wraith's silhouette when he moves (though he does remain invisible when standing still!).

The Wraith also makes a soft growling sound as he approaches, so you can not only see this Killer coming if you're vigilant but hear him, too.

Stay Healthy Against The Wraith

The Wraith is often played as a hit-and-run Killer, meaning that many players' strategy is to ambush Survivors, hit them, run away, and then hit them again at a later opportune time to earn the down. In addition, The Wraith is granted a short but impactful burst of speed after he Uncloaks, meaning you don't want to be caught off-guard and injured in front of him as he does so.

Therefore, it's in your best interest to stay healthy throughout the match as often as possible to prevent The Wraith from ambushing you with his speed burst. You can achieve this by allowing other Survivors to heal you, bringing along a useful item like a med-kit, or adding some of the best Survivor perks, like Boon: Circle of Healing, to your build.

Expect And Identify Cheeky Add-ons

The Wraith might be a simple Killer in premise, but his playstyle can change drastically depending on what add-ons players choose. Some add-ons completely silence The Wraith's Wailing Bell, which alerts Survivors that he is Uncloaking; another causes the sound to fill the whole map when The Wraith Uncloaks, disorienting the Survivor team and confusing their sense of space around them.

If you expect these add-ons and familiarize yourself with them, you won't be caught off-guard by a Wraith with a silent Wailing Bell pulling you off a generator! Here are a few of the most common Wraith add-ons that tend to cause problems for new Survivors:

• Coxcombed Clapper - Silences the Wailing Bell completely.
• Bone Clapper - Causes the Wailing Bell to echo across the map, making it impossible for Survivors to discern its distance or location. 
• "The Ghost" - Soot - Wraith’s Terror Radius and Red Stain stay suppressed for 6 seconds after uncloaking. 

That's all you need to know to succeed and escape more trials against The Wraith. Good luck out there in the fog!