Breakdown
- Dungeons and Dragons is coming to Dead by Daylight with a new Killer, Vecna.
- Baermar Uraz and Aestri Yazar are two Survivors, but players can only choose one or the other to play.
- Matthew Mercer, actor and Dungeon Master of Critical Role, voices Vecna.
Dead by Daylight has never shied away from having crossovers with the weird and wonderful -- look at their Nicholas Cage and Alan Wake chapters. But none could have expected the horror franchise' latest chapter to bring Dungeons and Dragons Vecna to Dead By Daylight.
There have been rumours of Wizards and the Coast and Behaviour Interactive collaborating on something, but nothing had been confirmed. Until now.
Vecna first appeared in Dungeons and Dragons back in 1979, and has been terrorizing players of the popular tabletop RPG ever since. He's been only further highlighted as a real scary guy thanks to Netflix's Stranger Things, a series which is also featured in the horror asymmetrical game. Though, as we learned via a press briefing, don't expect Stranger Things characters to have anything unique to say about the newest addition to the Killer roster. This Vecna, and the chapter overall, is a separate entity.
Dungeons and Dragons players will tell you that the world of the Forgotten Realms can differ in tone depending on the adventure, but for this chapter? Expect nothing but dark fantasy, alongside a few easter eggs and features that'll have TTRPG players giggling and kicking their feet.
One such feature is the Survivors themselves. This time around, they are called Baermar Uraz and Aestri Yazar, the former being a male human bard, and the latter being an elven female bard.
Dead by Daylight has released chapters that have included two Survivors before, but the difference this time around is that the two coming with the Dungeons and Dragons chapter work in a similar fashion to The Legion. That is, you can choose to play as one or the other depending on cosmetics, but mechanically? They are considered a singular Survivor and, as such, will only have one set of three perks.
As for the main man himself, Vecna, he'll bring a new meaning to the word fear with a skill and perk set that'll shake up gameplay in a new and exciting way. Be careful of that use of Mage Hand, everyone.
Vecna has always played a critical role in Dungeons and Dragons lore, which makes it even more fitting that he is voiced by actor and Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer.
Most interestingly, though, even more RNG instances will be entering the Entity's realm. How? Well, when faced with Vecna, there will also be 7 unique chests which Survivors can interact with. When doing so, there will be a roll of a D20 dice and, depending on what roll you get, there will be several things that could happen to you.
If a Survivor rolls a 2 or 3, they find a regular Dead by Daylight item, such as a flashlight or health kit. Rolling a 4 to 19, however, will give Survivors a Magical Item, something that exists specifically to counter one of Vecna's spells.
However, if a Survivor rolls a natural 20, they'll be granted a powerful item that can be used as if they've equipped a 5th perk.
- The Eye of Vecna - Allows the Survivor to vanish for a brief period of time after exiting a locker.
- The Hand of Vecna - Allows the Survivor to teleport from one locker to another.
These perks have a downside. Each time they are used, the Survivor will lose a health state, so be aware of that before you use them.
For the unfortunate Survivor who rolls a natural 1, aka a critical fail, the chest will have a nasty surprise waiting for them. We won't spoil what.
Will you get a new item that'll help you? An average item you could find in any old chest, or will you bite off a bit more than you can chew? The possibilities are endless.
Alongside Vecna, Baermar, and Aestri come a brand new map: the Forgotten Ruins. Fittingly, it is set in a dungeon. While the press was not able to look at the map, we can confirm that there seem to be inside and outside areas of the new map -- similar to Silent Hill's Midwich Elementary School area.
The Dungeons and Dragons Dead by Daylight chapter will be released for all platforms on June 3, 2024. Those on PC can access the chapter now via the PTB here.