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Dbd-journal-hook Quotes left These vicious hooks, strewn about this nightmarish world, represent the true horror of the thing that rules this place - this Entity. Killers bring their prey to the hooks to torture them before that twisted mess of claws comes down for the finishing blow. There is still a chance of escape once hung from a hook. Either by enduring excruciating pain as you twist and turn to attempt to escape with a shoulder in pieces, or sometimes you might even get help from others that also reside within this nightmare.

One of the most horrific scenes is not always to be the one on the hook, but rather a witness. To see fear as someone else struggles for freedom is something I wish I could unsee. Limbs moving in unnatural ways and also my own inside struggle. Sometimes I try to help. But many times my fear of the hooks grows too big. What is survival with blood on your hands?''

Quotes right
~ Benedict Baker's Journal
IconHelp note Quotes left I attempted this escape many a time, much to my own folly. It was a fool's quest that resulted in more pain than it was often worth. Quotes right
~ Mysterious Note
IconHelp sounds Quotes left Do not waste precious time! Find the otherssss! Quickly!

The Entity is pleased! Kill more meat!''

Quotes right
~ The Voices

Hooks are one of 27 Props featured in Template:IconLink.


Purpose

IconHelpLoading hook

The purpose of Hooks is to allow the Template:IconLink to sacrifice Template:IconLink to the Template:IconLink.

Hooks are procedurally generated in every trial, thus their locations vary.

An exception to that are Hooks inside Landmarks. If they spawn there, they'll always be in the same location.


Hook Mechanics

Carrying a survivor

Before hooking a Survivor, Killers must pick up the Survivor and carry him to a hook. During this time, the Killer's speed is reduced to 3.68 m/s or 92 % for all Killers by default.

While carried, the Survivor can wiggle, causing the Killer to strafe sideways and wiggling free from his grasp in 16 seconds.

Hooking

When in proximity to a Hook that has not been sabotaged or broken from an earlier sacrifice, the Killer carrying a Survivor is given the opportunity to hook that Survivor, placing them onto the Hook, this action takes 1.5 seconds.

If a Survivor is killed by the Entity on the Hook, the Killer will be unable to use the same Hook on another Survivor. The Basement Hooks are an exception to that.

Unhooking

Survivors are given the opportunity to unhook their dying teammate, unhooking takes 1 second to finish.

Hooked Survivors may attempt to unhook themselves from the hook, this action takes 1.5 seconds per attempt.

Unhooked Survivors are put into Template:IconLink.

Hook Stages

For Survivors, Hooks have three different stages:

Hook Stage Duration Life Bar Percentage Actions Description
Stage 1:
Summoning Phase
60 seconds 100 to 51 % Self-Unhook Attempts

Survivors enter this stage the first time they are hooked.
In this stage, they can be rescued by other Survivors, attempt to unhook themselves or hang still.

  • Self-Unhook attempts have a default chance of 4 % to succeed, which can be increased with various Unlockables.
  • A failed attempt will incur a penalty, draining the life bar by -20 seconds, allowing by default at most for 3 attempts.

Once the life bar drains to 50 %, a Survivor will automatically enter the next Hook Stage.

Stage 2:
Struggle Phase
60 seconds 50 to 1 % Struggling

Survivors enter this stage the second time they are hooked or if their life bar drained to 50 % the first time they were hooked.
In this stage, they can still be rescued by other Survivors, but are unable to unhook themselves or hang still as in this stage, The Template:IconLink attempts to sacrifice the Survivor.
This stage will continuously trigger Template:IconLink:

  • Succeeding the Skill Check will continue the Struggle Phase
  • The Success zones of each Skill Check becomes increasingly smaller
  • Failing the Skill Check will incur a penalty, draining the life bar by -20 seconds, allowing by default at most for 3 failed Skill Checks.

Once the life bar drains to 0 % or if a Survivor fails to give any input for 2 successive Skill Checks, they enter the next Hook Stage, completing the sacrifice.

Stage 3:
Sacrifice
instant 0 % Sacrifice

Survivors enter this stage the third time they are hooked or if their life bar drained to 0 % the first or second time they were hooked.
In this stage, the Survivor lost the struggle against The Entity and is instantly sacrificed.

Sabotage

Survivors with a Template:IconLink or just the Perk Template:IconLink equipped, have the opportunity to walk up to a Hook and sabotage it, breaking it temporarily in the process.
This action takes 3 seconds with either option, but will deplete 6 Charges from a Toolbox.

Killers are unable to hook a Survivor onto a sabotaged Hook, and will have to look elsewhere, potentially losing the Survivor on their shoulder if another Hook is outside of their remaining carrying range before the Survivor wiggles off.

Hook Sabotage grants 500 Bloodpoints in the Template:IconLink Category.

The Entity auto-repairs sabotaged Hooks after 30 seconds.

  • That time can be increased by Survivors using the Template:IconLink Add-on on a Toolbox.

The Basement Hooks and Event-specific Hooks cannot be sabotaged.


Special Hooks

Basement Hooks

Related Article: Template:IconLink
Dbd-journal-basement

The Basement Hooks are a unique set of four Hooks attached to a single post located in the Template:IconLink.

The Basement Hooks are impervious to any form of damage: they cannot be sabotaged by Survivors and also do not break when a hooked Survivor is sacrificed or a Survivor using Template:IconLink is unhooked.
Originally, when sabotaged Hooks were destroyed permanently, they were the last resort for a Killer to still hook and sacrifice Survivors.

Scourge Hooks

Related Article: Template:IconLink

Scourge Hooks are no different from regular Hooks in appearance, but in effect.

In a Trial in which The Killer uses a Template:IconLink, a few Hooks are selected at random to become Scourge Hooks.
The Killer will see those Hooks highlighted in a white Aura.
Hooking a Survivor onto a Scourge Hook will apply the effect of the associated Scourge Hook Perk.

Event Hooks

Related Article: Events

Lunar Hook

Related Articles: Howling Grounds & Moonrise

The Lunar Hook are a special Hook model that is featured during the recurring Lunar Events Howling Grounds and Moonrise.

For every burnt Template:IconLink, a Lunar Hook would spawn on the Map.
Its Template:IconLink would be displayed to the Killer in a blue colour.

During Howling Grounds, hooking a Survivor for the first time on such a Hook would grant the Killer one Burnt Coin EventObjective burntCoins, 40 of which would unlock the The Hound customisation option for The Huntress.
During Moonrise, this was changed to grant points that could then incrementally be turned into a Gold Coin EventObjective goldCoins, a temporary currency, of which up to 9 could be exchanged for special Event cosmetic pieces.

Grill Hook

Related Article: Scorching Summer BBQ

The Grill Hook was a special Hook model that was featured during the Scorching Summer BBQ Event.

For every burnt Template:IconLink in addition to 2 default ones, a Grill Hook would spawn on the Map.
Its Template:IconLink would be displayed to the Killer in a blue colour.

Hooking a Survivor for the first time on such a Hook would grant the Killer one Survivor Chop EventObjective summer18 killer, 50 of which would unlock the Pro-Pain Hammer customisation option for The Hillbilly.

Cankerous Hook

The Cankerous Hook was a special Hook model that was featured during the recurring Halloween Events.

They spawned naturally throughout the Trial Grounds during the Event and their number could be increased by burning Template:IconLink Offerings.
A Cankerous Hook's Template:IconLink would be displayed to the Killer in an orange colour.

During The Hallowed Blight, hooking a Survivor for the first time on such a Hook would fill the Killer's Nectar Vial by one sixth with Putrid Nectar, with a filled Vial granting one Template:IconLink, a temporary currency that could be used to buy the Event cosmetics from the In-Game Store.
During the Withering Blight Event, this was changed to just award Bonus Bloodpoints.

Hook Designs

In the early days of the game, each Killer had their own personal Hook Design that was used on every Map they played on.

Survivors quickly learnt that they could identify a Killer by taking a look at the design of the nearest Hook shortly after spawning. Thus Killers relying on the element of surprise were revealed too early to the Survivors and popular tactics, like to hold off on using one's Power if it made distinct noises to disguise one's identity for as long as possible, were nullified.

The Developers realised this and changed Hooks to no longer be tied to a Killer prior to the release of the Halloween Chapter. They were from then on bound to the Realm.

It can still be clearly seen that the three original Hooks were designed to have similar features to their respective Killers. Newer Hooks were designed to fit more into the general theme of their Realm.

MacMillan Estate Autohaven Wreckers Coldwind Farm Crotus Prenn Asylum Haddonfield Backwater Swamp
Hook MacMillanEstate
Hook AutohavenWreckers
Hook ColdwindFarm
Hook CrotusPrennAsylum
Hook Haddonfield
Hook BackwaterSwamp
The Trapper's Hook: two steel bars tied together with some thick rope, reminiscent of his family's iron foundry. The Wraith's Hook: wooden beams with bandages wound around and twigs and branches sticking out of them. The Hillbilly's Hook: tinkered together from lots of scrap metal. The Nurse's Hook: cast metal with intricate ornament and a broken birdcage on top of it. The Shape's Hook: fashioned to the likes of fancy street lanterns found in the Haddonfield neighbourhood. The Hag's Hook: a rotting, mushroom infested wooden beam with a thick wood branch attached to it with some rope.
Nothing
Léry's Memorial Institute Red Forest Springwood Winter Solstice (Event) Gideon Meat Plant Lunar New Year (Events)
Hook LérysMemorialInstitute
Hook RedForest
Hook Springwood
Hook WinterEvent
Hook GideonMeatPlant
Hook HowlingGrounds
The Doctor's Hook: fashioned from medical gear and machinery found throughout the medical Institute. The Huntress' Hook: tinkered together from a couple of smaller branches, adorned with animal hide. The Nightmare's Hook: put together from the plumbing of old-fashioned central heating units found in the Boiler Room, held together with chains. The Winter Solstice Hook: The Trapper's Hook, hung with light ornaments in order to celebrate the Winter Event 2017. This model temporarily replaced all other Hooks on all Maps. The Pig's Hook: a steel bar Hook adorned with many of Jigsaw's contraptions. The Lunar Hook: a steel bar Hook with Chinese Firecrackers and decorated with Chinese symbols, celebrating the Lunar New Year. This model spawned when burning the Template:IconLink Offering.
Nothing
Scorching Summer BBQ (Event) Yamaoka Estate The Hallowed Blight (Event) Ormond Hawkins National Laboratory Grave of Glenvale
GrillHook
Hook YamaokaEstate
Hook TheHallowedBlight
Hook Ormond
Demohook
Hook GraveOfGlenvale
The Grill Hook: a steel bar Hook hung with Grills, a little spice tray, tongs, aluminium paper and a bowl of cooking Chilli at its foot. This model spawned when burning the Template:IconLink Offering. The Spirit's Hook: a wooden Hook mounted atop a carved stone pillar with a Japanese-style roof perched atop it. The Cankerous Hook: a steel bar Hook half-way engulfed by a cankerous growth and adorned with Pustula Petals. This model spawned when burning the Template:IconLink Offering. The Legion's Hook: a miniature ski lift pylon with a yellow rubber mat surrounding the lower half. The Demogorgon's Hook: a rat-infested Hook made from material resembling that found in the Rift Lab. The Deathslinger's Hook: fashioned from splintered, old wood and adorned with simple mechanical contraptions.
Nothing
Silent Hill Raccoon City The Midnight Grove (Event)
Hook SilentHill
Hook RaccoonCity
Hook TheMidnightGrove
The Executioner's Hook: a metal Hook formed from sharp-edged steel, adorned with mesh-grating and sharp, spikey sheets of metal. The Nemesis' Hook: a metal Hook overgrown with cancerous tissue growths and adorned with spikes and vines. The Tangled Hook: a steel bar Hook half-way engulfed by a tangled, vine-like growth. This model spawned when burning the Template:IconLink Offering.


History

Original Hook Stages

For Survivors, Hooks have three different stages. Stages 1 and 2 each have a duration of 45 seconds:

Hook Stage Health Bar Actions Explanation
1 100 - 51 % Escape Attempts

A Survivor being hooked for the first time will enter Stage One. A Survivor in Stage One can be rescued by another Survivor or attempt to free themselves from the Hook.

  • Each attempt has a 4 % chance to succeed and will cost 16.666% (or 20 seconds) of the remaining Health Bar.
  • The chance to escape from the Hook can be increased with Luck Offerings or Template:IconLink.
  • The number of times a Survivor can attempt to free themselves can be increased by Template:IconLink.

Once the Health Bar drops to 50 %, the Survivor will enter Stage Two.

2 50 - 1 % Struggle Phase

If a hooked Survivor's health bar reaches half (default 60 seconds or 3 failed escape attempts), will enter Stage Two. If they are rescued before reaching Stage Two , they will start at Stage Two the next time they are hooked. A Survivor in Stage Two, also known as "Struggle Phase", can still be rescued by another Survivor, but will have to struggle against The Entity trying to kill them.

  • The time one can struggle against The Entity can be extended by using Template:IconLink, if another Survivor comes within range of the hooked Survivor (who has the Perk equipped).

Once the Health Bar drops to 0 % or if the Survivor stops struggling, they will enter Stage Three.

3 0 % Sacrifice

A Survivor being hooked the third time, required that they were rescued before reaching 0 % health, will enter Stage Three. This also happens if all other survivors are hooked (and no one is in stage 1), or dead. A Survivor in Stage Three gets killed by The Entity, completing the sacrifice.


Change Log

Patch 1.2.0

  • The selected Hook model is now fixed to the Realm, rather than dependent on the chosen Killer.
    • This change was motivated by Survivors having been able to guess the chosen Killer by looking at the Hook, removing the surprise aspect from stealthy ones.

Patch 1.5.3

  • Increased the Summoning Phase and Struggle Phase duration from 45 seconds each to 60 seconds each.

Patch 1.8.0

  • Increased wiggle penalty for dropping a survivor from 25 % to 33 %.
  • Added the ability to unhook a Survivor from all possible angles, also known as "Swivel Hooks".
  • Decreased the Skill Check Trigger odds when sabotaging Hooks with Template:IconLink from 15 % to 10.5 %.

Patch 2.0.0

  • The number of Hooks spawning in the Trial Grounds is now fixed to the number of Map Tiles divided by 3.

Patch 2.2.0

  • Survivors that are being unhooked or unhook themselves no longer take any damage before they regain control of their Character model.
  • The Self-Unhook animation has been halved from 2.4 seconds to 1.2 seconds.

Patch 2.3.0

  • The Hook animation has been shortened from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds.

Patch 2.5.0

  • All Maps now feature a minimum and maximum number of Hooks able to spawn.
  • The minimum spawn distance in-between Hooks is now dependent on the Map and can be affected by Template:IconLink.
  • Reduced Basement-to-next-Hook minimum distance to 16 metres and moved the reference point from the middle of the Basement to the top of the stairs.

Patch 3.6.0

  • Reduced wiggle penalty for dropping a survivor from 33 % back to 25 %.
  • Vastly reduced Hook Sabotage time from 16 seconds to 3 seconds.
  • Vastly reduced Automatic Hook Repair time from 180 seconds to 30 seconds.
  • Removed Skill Checks from the Hook Sabotage action.
  • Removed the ability for Killers to hook Survivors onto Hooks mid-sabotage.

Patch 3.7.0

  • In case of all remaining Survivors reaching the Struggle Phase, The Entity will now instantly drain their remaining life bar and sacrifice them.
  • Added additional effects for when Survivors attempt to unhook themselves, making it clearer that this is potentially hurtful and will accelerate the sacrifice process.

Patch 4.7.0

  • Reworked the Struggle Phase from mashing buttons/keys to now continuously trigger Skill Checks (akin to Template:IconLink).
    • Failing to give input for 2 successive Skill Checks will instantly complete the sacrifice.
    • Missing a Skill Check will decrease the remaining life bar.


Trivia

  • Hooks were also referred to as "Meathooks".
  • The Hooks mechanic was inspired by a scene in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, where Leatherface (or The Cannibal) catches Pam and puts her on a Meathook.
  • There's an unreleased Hook model named Deer Hanger in the Game files. It is stored in a folder titled Improvised Hooks. It is possible that Killers might have been able to fashion their own Hook from scrap materials at one point during Development, in cases of Survivors having sabotaged all other Hooks.

Hook Gymnastics

  • Early on in the Game's life, hooked Survivors had established a way to communicate a Killer's proximity to the other Survivors:
    • Hanging still from the Hook meant something along the lines of: "The Killer is far enough away from me or preoccupied with something else, you can come and rescue me now!"
    • Spamming the self-unhook animation meant something along the lines of: "The Killer is nearby, patrolling the Hook or camping it. It is not safe to attempt a rescue, stay away and let me hang!"
  • This was jokingly referred to as "Hook Gymnastics".
  • Many newer Survivors believed that the Hook Gymnastics worked the other way round and signalled a camping Killer by hanging still and struggled once the Killer was away.
    • This issue propagates to present-day Dead by Daylight, with most Veteran Players sticking to the original Hook Gymnastics, leading to miscommunication with newer Players, due to the general consensus having been lost.

Hook Spawns

Each Map has a minimum and maximum amount of Hooks that may spawn on it:

  • Hooks must have a minimal spawn distance in-between each other unless the minimum amount of spawns is not reached, then they may spawn closer together.
    • This minimal spawn distance may be affected by Template:IconLink.


Video

The Outline of the Hook Asset


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