Grades

Grades are a new Ranking Game Mechanic introduced to Dead by Daylight in Patch 5.2.0, replacing the now obsolete Ranks.

Overview

Grades, unlike the old Ranks that they replaced, are not used for the Matchmaking-process and merely represent a Rank-Reward System for each Ranking Season in Dead by Daylight.

Both Killers and Survivors have a separate Grade that is shared amongst all Killers and Survivors respectively.

Grades

Grades come in 5 Qualities, with each Quality being subdivided into 4 Levels.
Akin to Ranks, Grades progress 'backwards' in their numbering, with each Quality ranging from Level IV to Level I:

Quality + Level	Replaced Rank
Ash IV	Rank 20
Ash III	Rank 19
Ash II	Rank 18
Ash I	Rank 17
Bronze IV	Rank 16
Bronze III	Rank 15
Bronze II	Rank 14
Bronze I	Rank 13
Silver IV	Rank 12
Silver III	Rank 11
Silver II	Rank 10
Silver I	Rank 9
Gold IV	Rank 8
Gold III	Rank 7
Gold II	Rank 6
Gold I	Rank 5
Iridescent IV	Rank 4
Iridescent III	Rank 3
Iridescent II	Rank 2
Iridescent I	Rank 1

Changing Grade

A Player's Grade is determined by the amount of Pips they obtain in a given Ranking Season.

Pips can be gained, lost, or kept at current number depending on one's performance in ranked Trials (Custom Games do not affect Pips), which is determined by the Emblem System.

Each Grade has a set amount of Pip Slots displayed beneath its icon.
Filling all slots will increase the Grade by one numeral.

In this regard, Grades work the same as the old Ranks, with the exception that Grades cannot be lost until the reset.

Ranking

After a Trial has concluded, the number of obtained or lost Pips are added to or subtracted from the Player's Grade (unless one Safety-Pipped).

Table of Pips required to rank up per Grade
Ash IV-III		Ash II-I, Bronze IV-I		Silver IV-I, Gold IV-I, Iridescent IV-II		Iridescent I
3 Pips		4 Pips		5 Pips		0 Pips

Emblem System

Main article: Emblems

Whether a Player gains, keeps, or loses Pips is determined by their performance in the Trial, as judged by the Emblem System introduced in Patch 1.9.4.

The Quality of an Emblem determines the Emblem Points it will add to the Ranking Bar displayed in the Tally Screen after a Trial:

Quality	Emblem Points
None (no Emblem received)	0
Bronze	1
Silver	2
Gold	3
Iridescent	4

The Ranking Bar is segmented into 16 Subdivisions, reflecting that in the best case scenario, 4 Iridescent Emblems will award 16 Emblem Points.
How many Emblem Points are necessary to pass the thresholds for a Safety Pip, Single Pip, or a Double Pip, is determined by the Pip Conditions, introduced with Patch 2.6.0:

Grades	Killer Emblem Points	Survivor Emblem Points	Pip Change
Ash IV-I	0-8		0 (Safety Pip)
	9-13		+1 (Pip)
	14-16		+2 (Double Pip)

Bronze IV
	0-9		0 (Safety Pip)
	10-13		+1 (Pip)
	14-16		+2 (Double Pip)

Bronze III-I	0-5		-1 (De-Pip)
	6-9		0 (Safety Pip)
	10-13		+1 (Pip)
	14-16		+2 (Double Pip)

Silver IV-I	0-6		-1 (De-Pip)
	7-10	7-9	0 (Safety Pip)
	11-14	10-13	+1 (Pip)
	15-16	14-16	+2 (Double Pip)

Gold IV-I	0-7		-1 (De-Pip)
	8-11	8-10	0 (Safety Pip)
	12-14	11-13	+1 (Pip)
	15-16	14-16	+2 (Double Pip)

Iridescent VI-II	0-8		-1 (De-Pip)
	9-12	9-11	0 (Safety Pip)
	13-15	12-14	+1 (Pip)
	16	15-16	+2 (Double Pip)

Iridescent I	0-8		-1 (De-Pip)
	9-16		0 (Safety Pip)

Ranking Seasons

Grades are only valid for one Ranking Season, which lasts for one month, after which one's Grade is reset back to Ash IV for either side.

Ranking Rewards

Once one's Grade is reset, a certain amount of Bloodpoints is awarded depending on the Grade Level one has obtained.
This reward is obtained once for the Survivor Grade and once for the Killer Grade: