Dead By Daylight Removes Controversial Camping Mechanic

Dead by Daylight developers removed a controversial camping mechanic in the newest update as of 25 July 2023, which also introduced Nicolas Cage and numerous buffs to Sadako (The Onryo). The infamous "hook grab" is now no longer in the game; this mechanic previously allowed killers to unhook survivors during the unhooking process, allowing camping killers to easily take advantage of survivors in sticky situations.

Hook grabs prevented the survivor from completing the unhooking process and thus often cemented the doom of the survivor on the hook, sometimes even securing a win for the killer with just one move. There was counterplay, but it was awkward and intuitive, to say the least; players would have to repeatedly start the unhook and stop it, essentially "baiting" the killer into swinging and thus injuring them or missing rather than interrupting the unhook. With just two players remaining in a trial, it could sometimes be impossible to combat-experienced killers even when utilizing this strategy.

Here's a little look at what hook grabs and their counterplay looked like in action:

In the update, developers explained the reasoning behind the change and the implications going forward.

"In practice, this means that the awkward mind game when unhooking has been eliminated," the post reads. "Be warned, however: You still are not safe while unhooking. Though you may succeed in rescuing the hooked Survivor, the Killer will still be able to hit you twice before you can make your escape. In most cases, you will trade your safety for your friend’s."

Removing hook grabs is just one part of Dead by Daylight's development team's ongoing efforts to combat camping, a gameplay mechanic that many players - new and experienced ones alike - tend to frown upon. In the game's Year 8 Roadmap, the developers outline combatting hook camping as one of their current focuses in terms of gameplay.

Alongside removing hook grabs and buffing The Onryo, the newest update introduces a new survivor, Nicolas Cage, to the game in what's definitely Behaviour Interactive's quirkiest collab yet. Like all other survivors, he comes with his own three unique perks. He also comes with a full ten minutes of voice lines.