Scratch Marks

Scratch Marks are an essential Game Mechanic featured in Dead by Daylight .

Behaviour

Scratch Marks are created whenever a Survivor is running across the Trial Grounds (or when reaching at least 60 % of their default Movement speed while the sprint button is pressed).

Scratch Marks trail after Survivors and spawn in chunks. They betray the general location of a Survivor and the direction they are headed in to the Killer, who can see the Scratch Marks at all times.
Survivors cannot see their own Scratch Marks unless they use the Perk Fixated .

Scratch Marks are the main mechanic by which a Killer can track a Survivor's movement. There are few means to prevent Scratch Marks from spawning, only to alter their behaviour.

Scratch Marks start to fade in their brightness after a few moments and disappear completely after a few seconds, meaning that if the Killer sees Scratch Marks around, there will definitely be a Survivor close-by.

Spawning

Scratch Marks can spawn on all surfaces as long as they are within the spawn radius. If a Survivor runs close enough to a wall, a tall rock, a structure or even just the trees spawning throughout the Map, the Scratch Marks will spawn on their surface, which makes them visible from a considerable distance away for the Killer, allowing an attentive Killer to spot a Survivor's general location from across the Map.

Statistics

• Scratch Marks last for 10 seconds by default.
  • Full brightness is reached after 1 second.
  • Full brightness is maintained for 8 seconds.
  • Fade-out takes 1 second to complete.
    • However, on lighter surfaces, Scratch Marks appear to start the fading process up to ~4 seconds sooner.

Unlockables

A couple of Perks can affect the behaviour of Scratch Marks:

	Babysitter	While you have a reputation for being self-centred, you risk it all to help those in need. When you unhook a Survivor, the rescued Survivor will leave neither Scratch Marks nor Pools of Blood for the next 4/6/8 seconds. Both you and the Killer see each other's Aura for 4 seconds. "I promised to keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing." — Steve Harrington
	Dance With Me	When performing a rushed action to vault a Window or leave a Locker , you will not leave any Scratch Marks for the next 3 seconds. Dance With Me has a cool-down of 60/50/40 seconds. "Another show's off and runnin', Dance with me, cuz there's a storm a commin' Follow my boots, try to keep up, Dance with me, until sun up." — Kate Denson's "Dance With Me"
	Deception	Your adventurous lifestyle requires moments of crafty misdirection. Interact with a Locker while holding the Sprint button to trigger a Loud Noise notification for the Killer at your location instead of entering the Locker. You will not leave any Scratch Marks for the next 3 seconds. Deception can only be triggered once every 60/50/40 seconds.
	Distortion	You start the Trial with 3 Tokens. Whenever the Killer attempts to read your Aura , Distortion activates and a Token is consumed: Your Aura will not be shown to the Killer and you will not leave any Scratch Marks for the next 6/8/10 seconds. Distortion does not activate when you are in the Dying State or in a Killer Trap. "'Death Fooled by the Cloak of Falcon Feathers.' Sketch inspired by a few sleepless nights during winter. Exploration of Norse mythology: bravery can conceal your flaws, even when you are at your most vulnerable." — Jeff, pencil on tone paper, 12x12
	Fixated	When you have a goal in mind, there is no turning back; better to ask forgiveness than permission. You walk 10/15/20 % faster and can see your own Scratch Marks . "I wanna finish what we started. I want to kill it." — Nancy Wheeler
	Lightweight	Your running is light and soft, making your tracks harder to follow. Your Scratch Marks start to disappear 1/2/3 seconds sooner. "Take it slow, he knows where you've been... just like I've always said: 'live slow and die old'" — Dylan, The Lost Tapes
	Poised	Achieving goals boosts your confidence. After a Generator is completed, you will not leave any Scratch Marks for the next 6/8/10 seconds. "Ok, stay calm. Don't overthink it and just keep moving forward: you got this." — Jane Romero
	Predator	Your acute tracking ability allows you to hone in on disturbances left by running Survivors. The Scratch Marks left by Survivors spawn slightly/moderately/considerably closer together. "Never stop moving and hope you're always two steps ahead of the beast." — Unknown, Notebook
	Self-Preservation	Life is unforgiving. The more confirmation you get of that, the more prepared you become. Whenever another Survivor is hit with a Basic or Special Attack within 12 metres of you, Self-Preservation activates: You will not leave any Scratch Marks for the next 6/8/10 seconds. When injured, Grunts of Pain are reduced by 100 % for the next 6/8/10 seconds. Bleeding is suppressed for the next 6/8/10 seconds. "Something I learnt in the industry: when the axe is swinging, keep your head down." — Yun-Jin Lee

Trivia

• While it is possible to reach walking Movement speeds above 60 % when using Perks, Scratch Marks will not be created due to the additional sprint-button requirement.

Videos

General Spawn behaviour	Spawn behaviour in the distance
Spawn behaviour with Lightweight III	Spawn behaviour with Predator III
Default spawn behaviour