Scratch Marks
Scratch Marks are an essential Game Mechanic featured in Dead by Daylight .
Behaviour[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
A couple of Perks can affect the behaviour of Scratch Marks:
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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 Both you and the Killer see each other's Aura "I promised to keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing." — Steve Harrington |
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Dance With Me |
When performing a fast vault or leaving a Locker Dance With Me has a cool-down of 60/50/40 seconds. "Another show's off and runnin', |
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Deception |
Your adventures lifestyle requires moments of crafty misdirection. Interact with a Locker You will not leave any Scratch Marks Deception can only be triggered once every 60/50/40 seconds. |
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Distortion |
You start the Trial with 3 Tokens. Whenever the Killer reads your Aura, Distortion activates and a Token is consumed. For the next 6/8/10 seconds while Distortion is activated, your Aura Distortion does not activate when you are in the Dying State "'Death Fooled by the Cloak of Falcon Feathers.' |
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Fixated |
When you have a goal in mind, there's no turning back; better to ask forgiveness than permission.
You can see your own Scratch Marks "I wanna finish what we started. I want to kill it." — Nancy Wheeler |
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Lightweight |
Your running is light and soft, making your tracks harder to follow. Scratch Marks "Take it slow, he knows where you've been... just like I've always said: 'live slow and die old'" — Dylan, The Lost Tapes |
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Poised |
Achieving goals boosts your confidence. After a Generator "Ok, stay calm. Don't overthink it and just keep moving forward: you got this." — Jane Romero |
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Predator |
Your acute tracking ability allows you to hone in on disturbances left by running Survivors. Scratch Marks "Never stop moving and hope you're always two steps ahead of the beast." — Unknown, Notebook |
Trivia[edit | edit source]
- 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[edit | edit source]
General Spawn behaviour | Spawn behaviour in the distance |
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Spawn behaviour with Lightweight ![]() |
Spawn behaviour with Predator ![]() |
Default spawn behaviour | |