The Executioner aka Pyramid Head from the Silent Hill video game series was introduced to players on June 16, 2020, alongside Survivor Cheryl Mason. He is described as a Killer who manipulates the map and herds Survivors into the traps he lays with his trenches. Here is our Dead by Daylight best Executioner build.
The Executioner is your typical M2 killer, though his power works in a way that’s very familiar to Plague and Huntress in that he has a ranged ability that makes him tough against Survivors at Pallets and Windows. With so much to know about The Executioner in Dead by Daylight, you might be wondering where to start. Thankfully, our handy guide on the best builds for this summoning Killer will let you know just where to begin.
For tips on other killers, check out our best Ghost Face build and our best Michael Myers build for some other licensed horror icons. We've also got some fresh Dead By Daylight codes to redeem!
Dead By Daylight Executioner killer perks
The Executioner has three unique perks that can be unlocked for other Killers via the Bloodweb.
Forced Penance
Survivors suffer the Broken Status Effect when taking a Protection Hit for 60/70/80 seconds.
Trail of Torment
Once you kick a generator, you gain the Undetectable Status Effect until the Generator stops regressing or you put a Survivor in the Injured or Dying state. The aura of the Generator you’ve kicked is highlighted in yellow to all Survivors. The perk has a cooldown of 80/70/60 seconds.
Deathbound
When a Survivor heals another Survivor from one health state (Dying to Injured, Injured to Healthy) to another, and at least 32 metres away from you, the Survivor will scream and obtain the Oblivious Status Effect for 60 seconds if they are farther than 16/12/8 metres away from the healed Survivor.
Best Dead by Daylight Executioner perks
We would go with the following perks for the Best possible build for The Executioner:
Tinkerer
Whenever a Generator is repaired to 70%, it triggers a Loud Noise notification and you are granted the Undetectable Status Effect for the next several seconds.
Discordance
Any Generator within a range of several metres that is being repaired by 2 or more Survivors is marked by a yellow Aura.
When the Generator is first highlighted, Discordance triggers a Loud Noise notification on the Generator. After the Generator is no longer within range or is being repaired by just 1 Survivor, the highlighted Aura will linger for another 4 seconds.
A Nurse's Calling
Unlocks potential in your Aura-reading ability. The Auras of Survivors, who are healing or being healed, are revealed to you when they are within a range of several metres.
I'm All Ears
- Unlocks potential in your Aura-reading ability, sharpening your keen senses in the dark Realm of The Entity. Any Survivor performing a rushed action within 48 metres of your location will have their Aura revealed to you for 6 seconds. I'm All Ears can only be triggered once every couple of seconds.
What is the best Dead by Daylight Executioner build?
- Deadlock
- Hex: Plaything
- Hex: Pentimento
- Hex: Retribution
Dead By Daylight Executioner killer power
The Executioner’s power is called Rites of Judgment. With this ability, The Executioner can plunge his great knife into the ground and place trenches on the floor of the map. When Survivors walk or run over the trenches, they become afflicted with a unique status effect called Torment. This also triggers Killer Instinct, allowing The Executioner to see where Survivors are for a few seconds.
When Survivors have the Torment, The Executioner can bypass the Hook stage and immediately send Survivors to a Cage of Torment. When a Survivor is on Death Hook and is in the Dying state while having Torment, The Executioner can kill them without using a Hook.
The Cage of Torment works like a Hook in that Survivors must be rescued from it by other Survivors. Survivors cannot escape the Cage of Torment themselves and hook-related perks (such as Borrowed Time and BBQ & Chilli) are not triggered.
If The Executioner gets too close to a Cage of Torment when a Survivor is still in it, the Cage will teleport to another location. Survivors lose Torment when being taken out of the Cage, or rescuing others from it.
The Executioner can also use his trenches to unleash a straight line of destruction at Survivors. This ranged ability is called Punishment of the Damned and can hit Survivors through walls, pallets and windows. Nowhere is safe from this attack, and must be dodged by Survivors.
Best Dead by Daylight Executioner add-ons
Each Killer comes with several different Add-Ons that’ll either improve the Killer’s base kit or change it entirely for more fun and engaging gameplay. The Executioner is no exception to this, so we’ve picked out the best Add-Ons for you to choose from.
Burning Man Painting
This add-on increases the range of The Executioner’s Punishment of the Damned, making it more effective at hitting Survivors through obstacles. It can be paired with other range add-ons too, such as the Wax Doll.
Misty Day, Remains of Judgment
The Executioner has a cool-down on how many times he can use his power, but this add-on effectively reduces it until it feels as though you can use your power all the time. This add-on stacks, and can be used with other cool-down reduction add-ons.
Scarlet Egg
This add-on allows the Killer Instinct period of Survivors stepping into your trenches to last longer. It works more effectively when used during a chase, as The Executioner can use it to see just which way Survivors are going even when they are behind walls or obstacles.
Lost Memories Book
This add-on makes it so that Survivors affected by the Rites of Judgment ability will suffer from the Oblivious Status Effect for 15 seconds. This can be useful when paired with certain add-ons, as it has the opportunity for you to creep up on Survivors and hit them once, then do so again thanks to the Oblivious effect.
Dead By Daylight Executioner tips and tricks
The Executioner is a loud Killer thanks to his breathing and heavy knife, even when he has the Undetectable status effect. Be aware of this before running stealth builds.
Nurse’s Calling is a must for The Executioner as he can use his ranged abilities to target injured Survivors who are healing through obstacles and put them down again. Pair it with the Sloppy Butcher perk if you want to be really mean about it.
When you put a Survivor in a Cage of Torment, they always spawn directly on the other side of where you’re facing. You can’t get too close or the Cage will teleport away, but it’s easy to find where the caged Survivor is.
Try and predict where Survivors are going to go before using your Punishment of the Damned range attack. When they go over Pallets, through Windows or even through narrow hallways they don’t have a lot of space to move, making it the perfect time to use your ranged ability.
Don’t always use your ranged ability when you don’t need to. Getting a ranged hit is effective, especially because you can use your average attack almost straight after, but if you can hit the Survivor without your ranged attack, you might as well do just that.
You cannot use your Punishment of the Damned Range attack on elevated surfaces such as hills or stairs. If you do, the Survivor will not be hit, and you’ll have slowed down for nothing. Don’t do this!
That's all you need to know about the best The Executioner builds in Dead by Daylight. Be sure to check back regularly to see how your build could be improved. In the meantime, check out the killers we wish to see in Dead by Daylight soon, or some games like DBD for when you need a break.
For even more, check out our Dead By Daylight guides hub and the best Singularity build, as well as the best Survivor perks.