A most terrible man to behold. His physique is all twisted and disfigured as of by some awful accident. He carries a deadly and cruel chainsaw which he wields with devastating violence, seemingly imbuing him with a superhuman speed for a while. His advantage is also a weakness as the loud noise can give away his position. So I have tried to heighten my sense of sound. Honing in on any sound that is not stemming from nature. | |||
~ Benedict Baker's Journal, Nov. 1896 on The Hillbilly |
The Hillbilly | |
---|---|
Name | Max Thompson Jr. |
Game Alias(es) | "The Crooked" |
Gender | Man |
Origin | American |
Realm | Coldwind Farm |
Power | Chainsaw |
Power Attack Type | Special Attack
(Chainsaw Hits) |
Weapon | The Hammer |
Movement Speed | 115 % | 4.6 m/s |
Alternate Movement speed | 253 % | 10.12 m/s (Chainsaw Sprint) |
Terror Radius | 32 metres |
Height | Tall |
Voice Actor | Filip Ivanovic (BHVR) |
Breathing | |
Menu Music | |
Terror Radius Music | |
CharID | K03 |
Max Thompson Jr. or "The Hillbilly" is one of 35 Killers currently featured in Dead by Daylight.
He was introduced as a member of the original Killer Trio that released with the Game on 14 June 2016.
Overview
The Hillbilly is a high-mobility Killer, able to cover large distances in a short amount of time and instantly down Survivors using his Chainsaw.
His personal Perks, Enduring, Lightborn, and Tinkerer, allow him to enhance his Power and make him harder to lose during chases.
He is about persistence and resilience. This will make it harder for Survivors to foil him.
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
(These Killers require the Player to be comfortable with the basics of the role, though they share common mechanics with easier ones)
Lore
- Additional Lore can be found in Tome 5 - Unleashed: A Man Named Boy.
The son of wealthy landowners Max Thompson Sr. and Evelyn Thompson, this unnamed boy was an unwanted child born to savage parents. Hideously disfigured, he was shut away from society. So ashamed of their son, they bricked him off into a room and fed him through a hole in the wall. When the boy escaped, he took his revenge savagely and terribly, slaughtering the parents that had tortured him instead of raising him.
After the deed was done, he continued to live his life at the farm, taking out his deranged violence on the animals that were allowed to run free. As he finally broke free from his shackles he ran through the cornfields, chasing and slaughtering whatever he could find. They never found the bodies of Max and Evelyn, but they did find tortured and disembowelled animals all over the farm.
Coldwind Farm was quickly settled and the land split up and sold off. There was never a buyer for the farmhouse. Perhaps it was the sound of the chainsaw you could hear throughout those hot summer nights.
Arcus entries
- This section lists Arcus entries specifically about Max Thompson Jr..
Tome 2
Load-out
Unique Perks
The Hillbilly comes with 3 Perks that are unique to him:
Enduring | You are resilient to pain.
Enduring has no effect while carrying a Survivor. "He stops at nothing." | |
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Lightborn | Unlike other beasts of The Fog, you have adapted to light.
"These monsters... they adapt! They emerge with strange new abilities." — Vigo, Vigo's Journal | |
Tinkerer | Whenever a Generator is repaired to 70 %, you benefit from the following effects:
Tinkerer can only trigger once per Generator per Trial. "The Hillbilly makes impressive tools out of scraps. Tools aimed at maiming us in creative ways." — Notebook |
Prestige
Prestiging The Hillbilly will automatically add Tier I of his Unique Perks to the inventories of all other Killers and unlock the ability for their higher-tiered versions to spawn in their Bloodweb.
Prestige The Hillbilly twice more to automatically add Tier II and Tier III respectively into the other Killers' inventories.
Weapon: The Hammer
The Hammer is the Primary Weapon of The Hillbilly.
The cattle hammer deals a sharp blow to the skull as the most effective manner of slaughter.
Power: Chainsaw
"A hulking and deadly Chainsaw of terrifying strength.
Grinds through flesh, bone, and soul.
Once revved up, it sends its user into a violent frenzy."
SPECIAL WEAPON: CHAINSAW
Press and hold the Power button to charge the Chainsaw and break into a Chainsaw Sprint:
- Hitting Survivors with the Chainsaw inflicts double damage.
SPECIAL LOCOMOTION: CHAINSAW SPRINT
During a Chainsaw Sprint, The Hillbilly benefits from the following effects:
- Increases his Movement speed to 10.12 m/s.
- Reduces his manoeuvrability.
SPECIAL STATE: OVERDRIVE
Revving the Chainsaw and sprinting with it automatically charges the Overdrive Meter.
It decharges whenever the Chainsaw is not in use for a prolonged time.
Once the meter is full, the Chainsaw is enhanced and benefits from the following effects for 20 seconds:
- Increases the Movement speed of the Chainsaw Sprint to 13 m/s.
- Increases the Charge speed of the Chainsaw by +5 %.
- Reduces the Cool-down time of the Chainsaw by -10 %.
Power Trivia
Movement Speeds:
- Walking during the Chainsaw's Cool-down: 1.84 m/s
- Charging the Chainsaw: 3.68 m/s
- Walking: 4.6 m/s
- Chainsaw Sprint: 10.12 m/s
Turn rate:
- Initial Turn rate: 412 °/s
- This phase lasts for 1 second
- Eventual Turn rate: 32 °/s
Chainsaw:
- Charge time: 2.5 seconds
- Long Chainsaw Sprint duration: 2 seconds
- Attack Zone Scale factor: x0.9
- Obstruction Zone Scale factor: x0.5
Overdrive:
- Duration: 20 seconds
- Activation threshold: 20 Charges
- Accumulation rate when revving the Chainsaw: +2 c/s
- Accumulation rate during the Chainsaw Sprint: +2 c/s
- Dissipation rate when not using the Chainsaw: -1 c/s
- Decay delay: 15 seconds
- This refers to how long it takes after stopping to use the Chainsaw before the Overdrive Meter starts discharging.
- Rev Buffer time: 0.5 seconds
- This buffer prevents The Hillbilly from slowly accumulating Overdrive by repeatedly tapping the Power button without properly revving the Chainsaw.
Overdrive Bonuses:
- Chainsaw Sprint speed: 13 m/s
- Transition time: 1 second
- This refers to how long it takes the Chainsaw to change between its regular speed and the Overdrive speed, and vice versa.
- Transition time: 1 second
- General Cool-down Time reduction: -10 %
- Charge Speed bonus: +5 %
Chainsaw Cool-downs:
- Hitting Survivors: 2.7 seconds
- Hitting obstacles: 2.5 seconds
- Hitting nothing (miss): 2.5 seconds
- Breaking Breakable Walls/Pallets: 1 second
Chainsaw Noise:
- Range: 60 metres
Add-ons for Chainsaw
Icon | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Counterweight | Adds weight to the base, for stability.
| |
Cracked Primer Bulb | A button that clears air from the fuel lines. This machine needs to be fed.
| |
Dad's Boots | A pair of trusty boots, pulled from the corpse of Max Thompson Senior.
| |
Steel Toe Boots | Boots with a reinforced toe that offer protection from impact.
| |
Clogged Intake | Modifying the airflow is key to modifying the Chainsaw's power.
| |
Greased Throttle | A lubricated trigger. One twitch of the finger brings the Chainsaw back to life.
| |
Off-Brand Motor Oil | Affordable oil that can be used to lubricate noisy chains.
| |
Spiked Boots | Boots with strapped-on pieces of metal which burrow into mud for more stability and control with each step.
| |
Thermal Casing | A thicker case that allows the user to control the conservation of energy.
| |
Begrimed Chains | A foul yet oddly familiar chain, coated with something unpleasant.
| |
Discarded Air Filter | A cracked and dusty filter. It still manages to work better than the stock model.
| |
Low Kickback Chains | A specialised chain that reduces the likelihood of kickback.
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Ragged Engine | Some would say it needs a tune-up. Max would say it is tuned-up.
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The Thompsons' Mix | A special oily substance used in the lubrication of all machinery concocted by the Thompsons themselves.
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Apex Muffler | A masterfully crafted chainsaw muffler that outperforms all others.
| |
Filthy Slippers | Max sometimes struggled to hear his mother's footfalls.
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High-Speed Idler Screw | A loosened screw will bring more power to the Chainsaw
| |
LoPro Chains | Light chains that decrease the weight of the Chainsaw, allowing for greater manoeuvrability.
| |
Iridescent Engravings | Engravings found on the Chainsaw body representing the dark beast that lives in The Fog. Fills the user with determination.
| |
Tuned Carburettor | Despite being caked in dirt and oil, this carburettor has been well adjusted.
|
Achievements
There are 2 Achievements related to The Hillbilly:
Icon | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Adept Hillbilly | Playing as The Hillbilly, achieve a Merciless Victory using only his 3 Unique Perks: Enduring, Lightborn, and Tinkerer | |
The Grind | Playing as The Hillbilly, hit Survivors with a Chainsaw Sprint a total of 100 times / 50 times (For consoles) . |
Cosmetic Options
Players can choose from a variety of Cosmetic options to customise The Hillbilly:
Base Cosmetics
Default
Prestige
Perk Charms
Prestige Level 7 Reward | Prestige Level 8 Reward | Prestige Level 9 Reward |
---|---|---|
A keepsake gained upon mastery of a particular skill. |
Alternatives
Special
Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marked Spike Maul | Common | A heavy spiking hammer with an asymmetrical elongated double faced hardened steel head. An almost imperceptible whisper echoes in the wielder's mind: "anoyk yeqkany'ye hvay'k l'gnoo eydokl'x : sekall'o ammk'ix" | 1 Year Anniversary | ||
All Hallows' Eyes | Uncommon | Something wicked pierces the shadows of this frightful night.
"Have a fabulous Halloween 2016!" -The Dead by Daylight Team |
2016 Halloween Event | ||
Frosty Eyes | Uncommon | Heart chilling eyes of the cold blooded.
"Have a Wonderful Winter 2017-2018!" - The Dead by Daylight Team |
Winter Solstice 2017 |
Event
Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description | Event | Exclusive to Event Participation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pro-Pain | Event | This spiked hammer combines rusty BBQ tools from the old Coldwind farmhouse. It offers a crafty way to tenderize even the most venous meat. Waste not, want not. | Scorching Summer BBQ | No | ||
Brutal Rat Hammer | Event | A hefty cattle hammer with a festive rodent flair. | Scarlet Swarm | Yes | ||
Crown of the Entity | Event | A crown emanating a festive and ominous aura created by the Entity's biggest fan. | Fourth Year Anniversary | Yes | ||
5th Anniversary Crown | Event | A crown crafted for a very special anniversary.
"Thank you for supporting & inspiring us along the years!" - The Dead by Daylight Team |
Fifth Year Anniversary | Yes | ||
Honeycomb Hammer | Event | This hammer was thought to be lost to a beehive out back, but a few stings later, he had a terrifying weapon. | Haunted by Daylight | Yes | ||
Hillbilly’s Mask | Event | A mask he found himself wearing at the masquerade ball. | Twisted Masquerade 2023 | Yes | ||
Twisted Tailor Pants | Event | Despite the quality of the work, the pants ripped with the first attack. | Twisted Masquerade 2023 | Yes | ||
Golden Hammer | Event | A heavy hammer carved in gold. | Twisted Masquerade 2023 | Yes | ||
Buckskin Hammer | Event | Buckskin was wrapped around the handle to prevent the hammer from slipping when striking. | Bone Chill 2023 | Yes |
DLC
Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description | DLC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Scarecrow | Uncommon | When you have nothing else but to put the family's scarecrow's clothes on. | Bloodstained Sack | ||
Rancher's Vest & Hat | Uncommon | From the Thompson's wardrobe, one of his father's preferred looks when going out to the city. | Bloodstained Sack |
Exclusives
Icon | Name | Body | Rarity | Description | Event |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Legacy Hillbilly 3 | Very Rare | The touch of the Entity leaves burning scars and blisters of light. Is it a gift or a curse? | Legacy Prestige Reward | ||
Legacy Hillbilly 2 | Very Rare | The touch of the Entity leaves burning scars and blisters of light. Is it a gift or a curse? | Legacy Prestige Reward | ||
Legacy Hillbilly 1 | Very Rare | The touch of the Entity leaves burning scars and blisters of light. Is it a gift or a curse? | Legacy Prestige Reward |
Rift
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The Hillbilly couldn’t help but envy the freedom of the milkman, coming and going as he pleased.
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After a blizzard, his appearance changed, but his murderous appetite stayed the same.
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There was some kid who used to wear a jacket just like this. He went for a drive one day and never made it home.
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He found someone's old employee uniform in the trash.
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The chill of last winter lingered in the air. An extra layer was necessary for the backbreaking labor of the farm.
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It was a day like no other on Coldwind Farm, as years of rage were finally unleashed in one horrific massacre.
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A scorching look that leaves permanent injuries.
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He received an old comic book from a kind-hearted farmhand.
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He found the comic book in the dead farmhand’s pocket while exploring a lost realm.
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A soft, fuzzy cap made of raccoon skins with a cute tail at the back. It's the inanimate pet you always dreamed of.
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In-Game Store
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Auto-Repair Reaper
Bloodthirsty Mechanic
24 July 2018 (Tuesday)
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Well, howdy. You look like you could use some help. You're lucky you arrived when you did! This is the last stop for about a days' drive from here.
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The Woodland Ranger
Wicked Wares
09 August 2019 (Friday)
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Learn to live off the land, building shelters, lighting fires and eating only what you kill yourself. Luckily, there's plenty to kill. Nature provides.
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Pyromania
New Year Celebration
29 December 2019 (Sunday)
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Darkness took its toll on The Hillbilly who had spent most of his days secluded in a dark, damp room. For the New Year, he sought the light that had been taken from him all those years ago.
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Osseous Carcass
Hallowed Blight
09 October 2019 (Wednesday)
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A particularly aggressive specimen following experimentation. Injected in multiple locations to yield faster results, which caused severe fluid-filled lumps.
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DLC
The Hillbilly is part of 1 DLC:
History
Up to Patch 4.1.0
- The Chainsaw featured no Overheat mechanic that would penalise using it too much.
Up to Patch 7.5.0
- The Chainsaw featured the Overheat mechanic.
Using the Chainsaw (i.e. pressing the Power button for any length of time) would accumulate heat and eventually cause it to into Overheat, disabling its use until it cooled down.
Statistics:
- Overheat limit: 100 Charges
- Minimum Penalty for using the Chainsaw: +2 Charges
- Penalty for revving the Chainsaw: +3 c/s
- Penalty during the Chainsaw Sprint: +5 c/s
- Dissipation rate when not overheated: -3.5 c/s
- Dissipation rate when overheated: -6.6 c/s
Change Log
Patch 4.1.0
- Rework: reworked The Chainsaw and the majority of its Add-ons.
- Nerf: added an Overheat meter where various actions with the Chainsaw cause overheating.
- Nerf: disables the Chainsaw once the Overheat meter is filled and must wait for it to cool down.
- QoL: Overheating during a Chainsaw Sprint will not interrupt the action and the Chainsaw will go on its cool-down after the action is complete.
- QoL: downing Survivors, missing a Chainsaw attack or colliding with an obstacle do not fill the Overheat meter.
- Change: reworked add-ons so The Hillbilly no longer shares them with The Cannibal, making them exclusive to The Hillbilly.
- Change: added an audio cue, causing The Hillbilly to roar when starting to Chainsaw Sprint.
- Change: The Hillbilly now features a unique Menu Music, Terror Radius and Chase Music.
Patch 4.1.1
- Rebalancing: several balance changes and improvements to the newly reworked Add-ons.
Patch 4.1.2
- Rebalancing: lowered the Heat dissipation from -5 c/s to -3.5 c/s.
Patch 4.7.0
- QoL: the Chainsaw now continuously revs while in the Charge state.
Patch 6.7.0
- Buff: reduced the heat gain when starting the Chainsaw from 5 charges to 2 charges.
- Buff: reduced the heat gain when revving the Chainsaw from +8 c/s to +3 c/s.
- Nerf: increased the heat gain during a Chainsaw Sprint from +2 c/s to +5 c/s.
Patch 7.5.0
- Rework: reworked the Chainsaw for a second time and the majority of its Add-ons.
- Change: replaced the Overheat mechanic entirely and replaced it with the Overdrive mechanic, granting new properties;
- Performing actions now fills the Overdrive Meter.
Once the meter is full, The Hillbilly gains new bonuses towards the Chainsaw:- Increases the Chainsaw Charge speed by +5 %.
- Increases the Chainsaw Sprint Movement speed to 13 m/s.
- Reduces the Cool-down duration of the Chainsaw by -10 %.
- Performing actions now fills the Overdrive Meter.
- Buff: increased the default Movement speed during a Chainsaw Sprint from 9.2 m/s to 10.12 m/s.
- Buff: reduced the Cool-down duration for successful Chainsaw Hits from 3 seconds to 2.7 seconds.
- Buff: reduced the Cool-down duration for missed Chainsaw Hits from 3 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
- Buff: increased the default Movement speed during the Cool-down phase of the Chainsaw from 1.38 m/s to 2.3 m/s.
- Buff (undocumented): allows The Hillbilly to begin moving after colliding with obstacles.
- QoL: reduced the Collision hitbox of the Chainsaw to improve navigation.
- QoL: disconnected the sensitivity of the Chainsaw from the controller sensitivity for MKB users.
- QoL: reduced the audio volume of the Chainsaw from The Hillbilly's Point of View.
- Nerf (undocumented): the Chainsaw Charge progress now affects the sound it gives off, allowing perceptive Survivors to gauge how close The Hillbilly is to start sprinting.
- Change: added new audio and visual cues to specify when The Hillbilly is in Overdrive.
- Change: replaced the Overheat mechanic entirely and replaced it with the Overdrive mechanic, granting new properties;
Patch 7.5.2
- Buff: increased the duration of the Chainsaw transitioning from its initial to its eventual Turn rate from 0.75 seconds to 1 second.
- This allows The Hillbilly to curve more around obstacles when starting a Chainsaw Sprint.
- QoL: added a new audio cue informing The Hillbilly when the Cool-down of the Chainsaw is over and it is ready to be used again.
- Nerf: reduced the default Movement speed during the Cool-down phase of the Chainsaw from 2.3 m/s to 1.84 m/s.
- Change: increased the volume of the Chainsaw for Survivors.
Trivia
General
- The Hillbilly is based on Leatherface, both having similarly disfigured faces and wielding Hammers and Chainsaws.
- The Developers originally wanted to have Leatherface in the game, but obtaining the licence was not an option at that point during development.
- The Hillbilly was the first Killer with an ability that allowed him to instantly put a Survivor into the Dying State.
- The Hillbilly limps when he walks and hunches over when he stands. However, when breaking a Pallet or damaging a Generator, his posture is completely straight as this interaction uses a default animation for most Killers.
- The Hillbilly's Theme music is a remix of the All Hallows' Eve Theme music from around Halloween 2017.
- The Hillbilly's version adds a new melody line on top of the otherwise same accompaniment.
- The Overheat mechanic was reworked into the Overdrive mechanic instead of being removed entirely due to development time spent on the former.
Lore
- In the original Lore with the Game's release, The Hillbilly is referred to as an unnamed child, but the official Art Book revealed it to be "Max Thompson", same as his father.
- Memory 3729 in Tome 5 - Unleashed subsequently revealed that The Hillbilly had longed to have been named the same as his father and eventually took on the name by his own volition, despite his parents never having called him any name, having just referred to him as "Boy".
- According to the Manual, The Hillbilly had killed his parents, which was confirmed by Memories 3729 and 3730 in Tome 5 - Unleashed, but the site contradicts itself on whether or not their bodies were found.
- The Coldwind Farm Lore states: "...remains were discovered in the basement, both from Mr and Mrs Adams together with livestock".
- It should be noted here that the family name "Adams" was likely a Work in Progress name for the Thompsons and that "Mr and Mrs Adams" here actually refers to Max and Evelyn Thompson.
- The Hillbilly's Lore states: "they never found the bodies of Max and Evelyn, but they did find tortured and disembowelled animals, all over the farm."
- The Coldwind Farm Lore states: "...remains were discovered in the basement, both from Mr and Mrs Adams together with livestock".
- Benedict Baker's journal entry about The Hillbilly makes little sense as the first hand-held, motorised Chainsaws weren't invented until in 1918 and thus a man that, according to Baker, was taken into the Entity's Realm in 1896 should not know about their existence, let alone how to use one.
- As per the canon Legion comic series, it is revealed that, years after the events, Hillbilly's story has been made into several Hollywood films which are loosely based on the true story. The Coldwind horror film series includes A Man Named Boy and The Cowshed Incident.
Voice Actor
- The Hillbilly is voiced by Filip Ivanovic, who at that time worked as the Art Director on the Game.
- The Hillbilly shares his voice-actor with The Trapper, The Wraith, The Cannibal, The Nightmare, The Ghost Face, and Jeff Johansen.
Gallery
For more go to the Hillbilly's Gallery
In-game assets
Official art
Old assets
Concept arts
Screenshots