How to stun the Killer in Dead by Daylight

As Survivors in Dead by Daylight try to elude the Killer, they have a number of tricks at their disposal to avoid getting caught. One of them is the stun mechanic. As the name implies, the stun mechanic basically dazes the Killer for a few seconds. Not only does it give Survivors some time to escape, but you can also free a Survivor from the Killer’s grasp. You can stun the Killer in several ways, including using items or perks. This guide outlines every method for stunning the Killer and how to pull them off.

How to stun the Killer with pallets

Pallets are obstacles scattered around the game’s world. While Survivors can just vault over an activated Pallet, Killers need to destroy it to go past it. This requires a bit of time and provides Survivors a reprieve in which they can put some distance between themselves and their pursuer. To stun a Killer with a pallet, you must run past one as a Survivor and press the action button as you move. This will trigger the pallet to drop, and if the Killer is too close, they’ll get caught by it as it falls and will be stunned temporarily. Then, you can use the pallet to get ahead of the Killer in the future, as long as they don’t smash it.

Related: How to heal through health states in Dead by Daylight

How to stun the Killer with a flashlight

Using a flashlight is one of the most common ways of stunning the Killer. The flashlight not only stuns the Killer but can also have a Lightburn effect on the Wraith and the Nurse. Survivors can find flashlights in crates or bring them into matches as an item. Use the item button to activate the flashlight, then aim it at the Killer’s face to stun and temporarily blind them. This causes Killers to drop any Survivors they’re holding and makes it impossible for them to chase you for a few seconds. Only Nurse and Wraith undergo the Lightburn effect because the other Killers cannot interact with the spirit world.

How to stun the Killer with the Decisive Strike perk

The Decisive Strike perk is one of the best Survivor abilities. When a Survivor is hooked or unhooked, the Decisive Strike perk is activated, and if they get grabbed by the Killer during the ability’s activation period (which ranges from 40 to 60 seconds depending on the perk’s tier), they will be able to escape the Killer’s grasp, provided that they finish the Skill Check (a quick-time event). This will also stun the Killer for five seconds. Whether you can complete the Skill Check or not, the Decisive Strike ability will be disabled after that. However, if you end up stunning the Killer, you will be the Killer’s Obsession.

How to stun the Killer using the Head On perk

The Head On perk lets Survivors stun the Killer for a total of 3 seconds. It activates when the player is standing in a locker. After the perk is activated, if the Survivor uses a “rushed action,” which is basically fast-exiting a locker, and the Killer is in the vicinity, the Killer will be stunned. This also gives the Survivor the Exhausted status condition if they are able to execute the perk successfully.

How to stun the Killer with the Power Struggle perk

The Power Struggle is one of the lesser-used perks, but it’s still an excellent addition to some builds. The Power Struggle perk is activated when the Killer is carrying the Survivor, and the wiggle progression reaches 35% (ranges between 35 to 25% depending on the tier of the perk). When Power Struggle is activated, the Survivor can trigger a nearby Pallet that will stun the Killer. This will allow them to escape, although they will enter the Injured status condition.

How to stun the Killer with the Any Means Necessary perk

Any Means Necessary is a teachable perk for Yui that you unlock in the Bloodweb. It allows you to reset a dropped pallet by holding the interaction button. This puts the pallet back into its starting position, allowing you to tease a Killer and make them run to the pallet. From there, you can stun them as you would with any pallet in the game.

How to stun the Killer with the Flip-Flop perk

The Flip-Flop perk is a teachable perk for Ash unlocked in the Bloodweb and is incredibly useful for stunning Killers when you’re in a jam. The perk converts 50% of your recovery bar from the Dying state into wiggle progression once picked up by the Killer. This means that you can recover until you’re picked up, then take much less time to wiggle out of the Killer’s arms. This stuns the Killer and gives you an opportunity to escape despite crawling around on death’s door mere seconds ago.