Grades

Grades are a 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.

It is important to note that Grades are merely a feature to show one's progression within a given Grading-Season, and have no correlation at all to one's hidden Matchmaking Rating (MMR).
Grades are completely independent of that and do not factor into Matchmaking, which is why Players are unable to see the Grades of other Players.

Qualities

Grades come in 5 Qualities.

Each Quality is subdivided into 4 Levels.
Grades progress 'backwards' in their numbering, with each Quality ranging from Level IV to Level I, creating a total of 20 Grades:

Ash IV - I
Bronze IV - I
Silver IV - I
Gold IV - I
Iridescent IV - I

Pipping

A Player's Grade is changed based on their performance in a Ranked Trial, which is tied into the Emblem System.

Each Grade has a set amount of Pips one must obtain in order to improve one's Grade.
Depending on one's performance in a Ranked Trial, one can either gain 1 to 2 Pips or remain at their current number of Pips, if they did not perform well enough.

Filling all Pip Slots, which are displayed underneath a Grade's icon, will raise it to the next Level.
Once a Grade is obtained, it cannot be lost anymore until the next Grade Reset.

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

The change in Pips after a Ranked Trial is determined by the total number of Emblem Points a Player has obtained, which is based on the Quality of the Emblems they have obtained based on their performance in the Trial:

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

Grading Bar

The Grading Bar is segmented into 16 segments, reflecting that in the best case scenario of 4 Iridescent Emblems, one will be awarded 16 Emblem Points.

How many Emblem Points are necessary to pass the thresholds for a Single Pip, or a Double Pip, is determined by the Pip Conditions.
Failing to acquire enough points will always apply a Safety Pip, as de-pipping is no longer possible:

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

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

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

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

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

Iridescent IV-II	0-12	0-11	0
	13-15	12-14	+1 (Pip)
	16	15-16	+2 (Double Pip)

Iridescent I	0-16		0

Grading Seasons

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

Grade Reset

Grades reset every month on the 13th @ 11AM ET (15:00 UTC).

Grade Reset Rewards

Grades are rewarded with Bloodpoints.

The Grades Players obtained for either side (Killer Grade and Survivor Grade) up to the reset determine the amount of Bloodpoints they will receive.
This makes it possible to receive up to 2,000,000 Bloodpoints for obtaining Iridescent I with both Killer and Survivor:

History

Old Grading Rewards

Grade	Bloodpoint Reward
Ash	10,000
Bronze	30,000
Silver	100,000
Gold	150,000
Iridescent IV	200,000
Iridescent III	210,000
Iridescent II	225,000
Iridescent I	250,000

Ranks

Main article: Rank

Before the implementation of Grades, the Game used Ranks, which worked the same as Grades, but with some key differences:

Ranks were used for Matchmaking, Grades are not.
Ranks could be lost through de-pipping, Grades can not.
Ranks were reset to the previous Crest Colour at the end of a Season, whereas Grades are always fully reset.

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

Killer Rating

Before Patch 6.5.0, the number of Pips and Emblem Qualities obtained by the Killer would determine their Rating in the Tally Screen:

Pip(s)	Rating
Depipped	Entity Displeased
Safety Pip	The Entity Hungers...
Single Pip	Brutal Killer
Almost Double Pip	Ruthless Killer
Double Pip	Merciless Victory

Change Log

13 February 2022

Reworked the Grading Rewards to be different for each Grade, rather than just each Grade Quality and generally increased the amount of rewarded Bloodpoints.

20 April 2022

With the conclusion of the March/April 2022 Matchmaking Tests, Grades have been removed from the Tally Screen and are replaced with the icons representing a Killer or a Survivor.
- The Matchmaking Tests had revealed a positive psychological effect towards the perceived fairness of a Trial when Grades were hidden, prompting the Developers to make this a permanent change.