Frederick "Freddy" Krueger
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“This place plays tricks on your mind…constantly I question whether I dream or if I am awake. This most recent horrid ghoul seems to bridge that gap – between the states of being awake or asleep. I saw him hunting another poor soul, someone who was not as lucky as me. A man with a hat and a claw clad hand, a scarred man of sorts. He spotted me and what actually happened next is still a mystery to me. Dreams took over, and I was sure to die. But I woke up. Not like in the manner where I awake at the campfire, but instead I just woke up…inside this wretched forest, with memories of nightmares within. I am now afraid to sleep, but also to stay awake.” | ![]() |
~ Unknown (Potentially Benedict Baker) |
The Nightmare | |
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Name |
Freddy Krueger |
Game Alias(es) |
"The Sandman" |
Gender |
Male |
Nationality |
American |
Springwood | |
Dream Demon | |
Clawed Glove | |
115 % | 4.6 m/s | |
32 metres | |
Lullaby Radius |
32 metres (Dream World) |
Average | |
DLC |
A Nightmare on Elm Street™ |
Voice Actor |
Filip Ivanovic (Art Director) |
Breathing |
Freddy Krueger or "The Nightmare" is one of 22 Killers currently featured in Dead by Daylight
.
He was introduced as the Killer of CHAPTER VI: A Nightmare on Elm Street™, a Chapter DLC released on 26 October 2017.
He originates from the 2010 remake of the Horror Movie of the same name, A Nightmare on Elm Street.
Contents
Overview
The Nightmare is a nightmare Killer, passively pulling Survivors into his Dream World where Survivors are vulnerable to his Dream Abilities. His Dream Projection ability allows him to quickly appear across the map and put pressure onto Survivors.
His personal Perks, Fire Up , Remember Me
& Blood Warden
, improve his abilities over time and make him stronger as the trial reaches its climax.
His Perks revolve around stopping Survivors from fleeing. They will make surviving a real pain for all, and managing to escape the Hunting Ground won't be easy.
Difficulty rating: Hard
(based on the amount of time and effort that is required to properly learn to play him and use his Power effectively)
Lore
Even while he lived, Freddy Krueger was a creature of nightmares for those who truly knew him. Hiding behind a mask of warmth and friendliness, Freddy's actual temperament was known only to his victims. When those victims were finally heard, the parents of Springwood tracked Freddy down and took the law into their own hands. They thought that fire had rid them of a monster that night, that their children were finally safe, but evil as strong as his has a way of surviving.
Years passed, the horror was buried, the victims mercifully forgot. Then, somehow, Freddy returned, and dreams became nightmares once again.
Freddy focused his anger on those he felt had wronged him, building up to his one true obsession, Nancy Holbrook. But he underestimated her strength and resourcefulness. Together with her friend Quentin Smith, she managed to weaken Freddy, mutilating him and leaving him for dead once more.
Death didn't want Freddy the first time he encountered it, why did they think it would take him now? He emerged once more, consumed with vengeance. Then he turned his sights on the boy who had blocked his path to Nancy, his number one.
Freddy invaded Quentin's dreams, terrorising him night after night, until his strength and defences would be at their lowest. When the time was right, he forced the boy to return to the dark reflection of Badham Preschool. Here he would have his final revenge.
Freddy stalked the boy through the school's halls. He took his time, savouring every moment of the hunt. This was what he enjoyed the most, the smell of their sweat in the air, the ragged gasps of their terrified breath. They were his to toy with.
There was the boy, at the end of a long corridor. Too tired and scared to run anymore? Resigned to his fate? Freddy closed in, arms wide, claws raking the wall. Their tips traced along a pipe, the metallic shrieking only adding to the boy’s apprehension.
A shower of sparks rained on the ground, and into the liquid that covered the tiled floor. A blue flame blossomed and quickly engulfed the room.
The boy took flight as Freddy burst from the flames in a fury. Rooms and walls raced past in a blur until they were in Freddy's basement. There would be no escape from here.
Slowly Freddy closed in on the boy. His fear was so strong now that Freddy could almost taste it, but his eyes burned with a defiant hatred that was almost admirable.
Freddy drew back his claws.
Then Freddy felt another presence with him; something old, powerful and dark. A miasma enveloped him and the only sensation was a sound like wooden beams flexing and creaking in the distance. The echoing groan of metal crushed against metal. Something arcane and unknowable, half-way between language and pure terror.
A moment of falling and spinning and then Freddy was back in the school. But not his school. It looked the same, but it felt different. His powers were tempered in some ways and focused in others. The boy had gone for now, but another prey walked the hallways. Some would be inconsequential; others would become his new favourites. All would fall before his claws.
The Nightmare's Perks
These are Perks which start off only appearing in The Nightmare's Bloodweb . After achieving Level 30, Teachable versions of these Perks can be found:
- Fire Up - Level 30
- Remember Me - Level 35
- Blood Warden - Level 40
Once obtained, other Killers will be able to find The Nightmare's Perks in their respective Bloodwebs from that point onwards.
Fire Up |
The increased pressure of losing your preys fills you with anger and gives you unsuspected motivation. Each time the Survivors complete repairs on a Generator, Fire Up grows in power.
"Now why don't you just fucking die?" — Freddy Krueger | |
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Remember Me |
You become obsessed with one Survivor. Each time you hit your Obsession The Obsession is not affected by Remember Me. You can only be obsessed with one Survivor at a time. "You don't remember? You must. You're my number one, and you'll never wake up again." — Freddy Krueger | |
Blood Warden |
As soon as the Exit Gate Once per Trial, hooking a Survivor while Blood Warden is active calls upon The Entity "This is my world. And you can't ever leave." — Freddy Krueger |
Load-out
Weapon: Clawed Glove
Clawed Glove is the Primary Weapon of The Nightmare. A homemade device, crafted to torture and kill.
Power: Dream Demon
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Death won't accept him and thus he remains, a calamity, indisputable master of his victims' nightmares. | ![]() |
DREAM DEMON:
The Nightmare passively puts Survivors to sleep over 60 seconds, after which they enter the Dream World.
- Successful hits will pull Survivors into the Dream World.
- Awake Survivors hear The Nightmare's Terror Radius and see him within a range of 16 metres, intermittently within a range of 32 metres, and not at all if further away.
Dream World:
Once in the Dream World, Survivors are afflicted with the Oblivious Status Effect, only hear The Nightmare's non-directional Lullaby, and can be affected by either Dream Snares or Dream Pallets placed by The Nightmare. Survivors can wake up by failing Skill Checks
, finding an awake Survivor to perform the Wake Up action, or by using one's personal Alarm Clock
found in the Trial Grounds.
Each successive Wake Up action takes twice as long to perform. Using the Alarm Clock will give Survivors a grace period of 30 seconds before they start falling asleep again.
SPECIAL ABILITY: Dream Snare
Press and hold the Power button to place a Dream Snare on the ground directly in front of The Nightmare. Survivors that come in contact with a Dream Snare will be afflicted the Hindered Status Effect, slowing them while they remain with its Area of Effect and for a short duration after leaving it.
SPECIAL ABILITY: Dream Pallet
Press and hold the Power button to place a Dream Pallet at an available location. A Dream Pallet dropped by a Survivor will be destroyed immediately and not stun The Nightmare.
SPECIAL ABILITY: Dream Projection
Press and hold the Active Ability button to perform a Dream Projection and teleport to a Generator in view. Releasing the button early will cancel the action. For each Survivor in the Dream World, the cool-down of using Dream Projection is reduced by stack-able 15 %.
"You have nothing to worry about. This won't hurt one... little... bit." — Freddy Krueger
Power Trivia
- The glimpses awake Survivors see of The Nightmare last for 2 seconds, then go on cool-down for 2 seconds. This process will repeat over and over.
- Awake Survivors will passively gain 1 Sleepiness point per second. Once they reach 60 Sleepiness points, they will fall asleep. This process is referred to as "Micro-Sleep".
- Placing Dream Traps takes 0.75 seconds.
- Dream Snares will become active about 1.75 seconds after they have been placed.
- Dream Snares slow Survivors down by 15 % for 3 seconds.
- Dream Snares stay active for 5 seconds after being stepped on by Survivors.
- Aura
of placed Dream Pallets can be seen within a 24 metre range.
- Dream Pallets can be placed within a 12 metre range from a desired placement spot.
- Cancelling the Dream Projection will incur a cool-down of 10 seconds before it can be used again.
- Any sleeping Survivor will have a cloud around their Status Icon in the HUD, indicating them as being asleep and in the Dream World.
- During micro-sleep, there is a timer overlay displayed on their Status Icon.
Add-ons for Dream Demon
- Add-ons support Mouse-over functionality (desktop version only): hovering over the modifier words with your cursor will reveal the values behind them.
On mobile browsers, the values are displayed in small text after the modifier words. Desktop users experiencing issues with the mouse-over may temporarily switch to mobile view at the bottom of an Article page.
Icon | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Wool Shirt | A small boy's orange and yellow striped shirt. Identified with a sewn name tag to "Jesse".
While Survivors are in the Dream World:
| |
Sheep Block | A white and blue wooden block depicting two woolly Lambs grazing and the letter "S".
| |
Kid's Drawing | An unattributed drawing clearly crafted by a young child.
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Garden Rake | A small claw rake, a must have tool for any accomplished gardener.
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Prototype Claws | A home-made tool to facilitate bush trimming.
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Outdoor Rope | Sturdy outdoor rope, handy to tie up anything.
While Survivors are in the Dream World:
| |
Nancy's Sketch | A crude and bold sketch made with Fusain, signed by Nancy H.
| |
Green Dress | A little girl's green dress with a silky white ribbon.
While Survivors are in the Dream World:
| |
Cat Block | A white and purple wooden block depicting a sleeping Cat and the letter "C".
| |
Unicorn Block | A white and red wooden block depicting a prancing Unicorn and the letter "U".
| |
Paint Thinner | A tin of a highly volatile and inflammable material.
| |
Nancy's Masterpiece | A painting of a Character, made by Nancy Holbrook at Badham and kept as a treasure memory.
| |
Jump Rope | A long Double Dutch jump rope, stained with many years of use.
While Survivors are in the Dream World:
| |
Blue Dress | A little girl's pale blue dress with white lace which's front is ruined by large cuts.
While Survivors are in the Dream World:
| |
Pill Bottle | An empty pill bottle which once contained a medicine called "Zoneral".
| |
Swing Chains | Rusty, but sturdy chains used to securely attach a swing seat.
| |
Class Photo | A large photograph taken at Badham Preschool showing the cheerful class of '94-95.
| |
"Z" Block | A deeply scratched and burnt wooden block which's only recognisable feature is the letter "Z".
| |
Red Paint Brush | A large paint brush, wet with crimson paint.
| |
Black Box | A black cardboard box filled with photographs.
You can only be obsessed with one Survivor at a time. |
Achievements
- Main article: Achievements
There are currently 2 Achievements related to The Nightmare.
Icon | Name | Description |
---|---|---|
Adept Nightmare | Achieve a Merciless Victory with The Nightmare ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
Dream Master | With The Nightmare ![]() |
NOTE: In the console version, Dream Master is called Dream Demon.
Customisation
Players may customise their Character by choosing one outfit style from each category. Blood-stained attire is obtained after The Nightmare reaches Level 50 and prestiges.
The Nightmare's attire includes:
Default
Prestige
DLC
- Main article: Downloadable Content
The Nightmare is currently part of 1 DLC package:
Available DLC
Change Log (incomplete)
Patch 2.3.0
- Quality of Life: reduced the footstep audio.
Trivia
- The full name of Freddy Krueger is "Frederick 'Freddy' Charles Krueger".
- Though the character was popularised by Robert Englund in the original film series, his appearance in Dead by Daylight is based on that of the 2010 film reboot, where he was portrayed by Jackie Earle Haley.
- Freddy's corresponding Survivor is Quentin Smith, a Character who was created specifically for the 2010 film.
- The Nightmare's Memento Mori is a reference to the way he killed Jesse in the film.
- The Nightmare's Memento Mori animation is the second one in which the Survivor attempts to get up on their own.
- The Nightmare breathes the quietest out of all the Killers, with his breathing being similar in volume to that of Survivors.
- Unlike other Killers, who simply step over Windows when vaulting, Freddy grabs the window ledge with both hands and lifts himself over, this is due to Freddy being much smaller in height than most other Killers in the Game.
- The Pig
and The Ghost Face
also have this same animation, due to the same reason.
- The Pig
- The Nightmare was the fifth licensed Character to be introduced to Dead by Daylight.
- The Nightmare was the first Killer to receive a major rework to his Power.
Gallery
For more go to the Nightmare's Gallery
Sketches Of The Nightmare And The Cannibal
THE SURVIVORS ![]() | ||||
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BASE GAME | CHAPTERS I-III + PARAGRAPH I |
CHAPTERS IV-VII | CHAPTERS VIII-XI | PARAGRAPH III + CHAPTERS XIII-XIV |
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CHAPTERS XV-XVIII | ||||
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THE KILLERS ![]() | ||||
BASE GAME | CHAPTERS I-III | CHAPTERS IV+V + PARAGRAPH II |
CHAPTERS VI-VIII | CHAPTERS IX-XI |
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CHAPTERS XII-XIV | CHAPTERS XV-XVII | CHAPTER XVIII | ||
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LORE CHARACTERS | ||||
Benedict Baker | The Entity ![]() |
The Observer ![]() |
Vigo | and many more... |
UNUSED CHARACTERS | ||||
The Smasher | The Teacher |