Ranks

Ranks were an integral Game Mechanic used for Matchmaking in the Trials in Dead by Daylight .

With Patch 5.2.0, integrating the Skill-Based Matchmaking, Ranks became obsolete after 5 Years in the Game and were replaced with Grades.

Overview

Original Lobby showing the Survivors' Ranks.

Both Survivors and Killers had a separate Rank, which was shared amongst all Survivors and Killers respectively.
Ranks were used by Dead by Daylight's matchmaking system to match Players with others of the same Rank Group (or Crest colour), that is under ideal circumstances.
It was possible that a Lobby would end up featuring Players of different Rank Groups, depending on outside factors such as amount of Players currently online in a given matchmaking region, time of day, etc.

Changing Rank

A Player's Rank was determined by the amount of Pips (white tear-drop-shaped diamonds) one had obtained in a given Ranking Season, a system which is still in use for Grades as well.

Pips were either gained, lost, or kept at the current number depending on one's performance in ranked Trials (Custom Games had no effect on Pips), as determined by the amount of gained Emblem Points (see Emblems or below).

Each Rank had a set amount of Pip Slots displayed beneath the Rank Number.
Filling all slots would increase one's Rank, whereas losing a Pip when all slots were empty would decrease it.

Ranks could be increased all the way to Rank 1, at which point ranking would cease and Pips could only be kept or lost anymore.
Ranks could also be decreased, but only down to Rank 16, after which de-pipping was no longer possible.
Players in-between Rank 20 and Rank 16 were only able to keep or gain additional Pips.
Purposeful de-ranking past Rank 15 was not possible.

Terminology

Due to the fact that Dead by Daylight's Ranking System progressed backwards in terms of the numbers (starting at Rank 20 and ending at Rank 1), specific terminology quickly emerged in the Community:

Terminology	Meaning
"High Ranks"	Red-coloured Ranks (4-1)
"High-Mid Ranks"	Purple-coloured Ranks (8-5)
"Low-Mid Ranks"	Green-coloured Ranks (12-9)
"Low Ranks"	Brown- and Yellow-coloured Ranks (20-17 & 16-13)

"Ranking Up"	Moving up to the next Crest Colour
"Ranking Down"	Moving down to the previous Crest Colour
"De-Ranking"	Purposefully losing or disconnecting from Trials to lower one's Rank

"Double-Pipping"	Gaining 2 Pips after a Trial
"Pipping"	Gaining 1 Pip after a Trial
"Safety Pipping"	Neither gaining nor losing a Pip after a Trial
"De-Pipping"	Losing 1 Pip after a Trial

Ranking

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

Table of Pips required to rank up per Rank
Ranks 20 & 19		Ranks 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13		Ranks 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2		Rank 1
3 Pips		4 Pips		5 Pips		0 Pips

Emblem System

Ranking Bar displaying a *Double Pip* after obtaining **4 Iridescent Emblems**

Main article: Emblems

Whether a Player gained, kept, or lost Pips was determined by their performance in the Trial, as judged by the Emblem System introduced in Patch 1.9.4, and is also still in use for Grades.

The Quality of an Emblem determined the Emblem Points it would 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 was segmented into 16 Subdivisions, reflecting that in the best case scenario, 4 Iridescent Emblems would 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:

Rank Group	Killer Emblem Points	Survivor Emblem Points	Pip Change
Ranks 20-17	0-8		0 (Safety Pip)
	9-13		+1 (Pip)
	14-16		+2 (Double Pip)

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

Ranks 15-13	0-5		-1 (De-Pip)
	6-9		0 (Safety Pip)
	10-13		+1 (Pip)
	14-16		+2 (Double Pip)

Ranks 12-9	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)

Ranks 8-5	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)

Ranks 4-2	0-8		-1 (De-Pip)
	9-12	9-11	0 (Safety Pip)
	13-15	12-14	+1 (Pip)
	16	15-16	+2 (Double Pip)

Rank 1	0-8		-1 (De-Pip)
	9-16		0 (Safety Pip)

Ranking Seasons

Ranks were only valid for one Ranking Seasons, which lasted for one month, after which one's Rank was partially reset.
There were no rewards for reaching a high Rank, despite there having been plans as early as July/August 2016.

Rank Reset

The 13th of every month marked Rank Reset Day, during which a Player's Survivor and Killer Ranks were partially reset; from Patch 3.4.0 onwards, one was reset to the lowest Rank of the previous Crest Colour:

Pre Reset Rank	Post Reset Rank
Ranks 20-17	Rank 20
Ranks 16-13	Rank 17
Ranks 12-9	Rank 13
Ranks 8-5	Rank 9
Ranks 4-1	Rank 5

History

Please refer to the Sub-Article in order to see the various changes to Ranks and the Ranking System throughout Dead by Daylight's history:

Rank/History

Trivia

Up to Patch 1.0.6, there was no Safety Pip, Players could only gain or lose a Pip, but not remain at the same Pip Level.
In the Game's log files, Pips are referred to as "Skulls".