
A Skill Check
Skill Checks are a Game Mechanic of Quick Time Events (QTE) in Dead by Daylight , that have a chance of appearing while performing various interactions.
Overview
Skill Checks have a chance of triggering whenever a Survivor is performing specific interactions.
In order to succeed a Skill Check, Survivors must press the Secondary Action button once the pointer is inside the highlighted area, also called the Success Zone.
The Skill Check pointer always moves clockwise on a dial, with the only exception being Madness Skill Checks, which have a chance to rotate counter-clockwise.
The Success Zone is placed in a random location on the dial, with some restriction as to the earliest possible location (see Statistics Table below).
If the game decides to trigger a Skill Check, it will briefly announce it with a gong-like sound, shortly before displaying the Skill Check.
However, that buffer can be shortened or even omitted with the use of Hex: Huntress Lullaby .
Types
There are several types of Skill Checks.
Succeeding them will generally award the Survivor with some Bloodpoints :
Good Skill Check
Succeed a Skill Check in the transparent section of the Success Zone:
- Grants 50 Bloodpoints.
Great Skill Check
Succeed a Skill Check in the white section of the Success Zone:
- Grants 300 Bloodpoints and a +1 % Progression bonus for Repair actions.
- Grants 150 Bloodpoints and a +5 % Progression bonus for Healing actions.
Hex Skill Check
- This Skill Check was part of the original version of Hex: Ruin
and can no longer be triggered.
Succeeded a Skill Check in the transparent section:
- Granted no Bloodpoints and applied a 3/4/5 % Regression penalty.
Succeeded a Skill Check in the white section of the Success Zone:
- Granted 150 Bloodpoints and no Progression bonus for Repair actions.
Madness Skill Check
- This Skill Check is only applicable during the Snap Out of It interaction on Madness
Tier III.
Succeed a randomly placed Skill Check:
- Does not give any Progression bonus
Failed Skill Check
Failing to succeed a Skill Check in any of the aforementioned sections:
- Will pause the interaction for 3 seconds and incur a -10 % Progression penalty for all actions.
Dream World
Survivors can be woken up from the Dream World by failing various Skill Checks:
- Failing a Generator
Skill Check.
- Failing a Healing Skill Check.
Statistics
While performing any interaction that can spawn a Skill Check, Dead by Daylight will check whether or not to trigger one once every second, with the chances to trigger a Skill Check being as follows:
Interaction | Trigger Chance | Great Success Zone Length |
Good Success Zone Length |
Duration | Great Success Reward (Progression) |
Fail Penalty (Regression) |
Fail Cool-down | Earliest Success Zone Position* |
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Decisive Strike ![]() |
Always | 7 % | - | 1.1 s | - | - | - | 8 o'clock |
Healing another Survivor | 15 % | 3 % | 15 % | 1.2 s | +5 % | -10 % | 3 seconds | 4 o'clock |
Healing one's self using Med-Kits ![]() |
12.5 % | 3 % | 15 % | 1.2 s | +5 % | -10 % | ||
Healing one's self using Perks ![]() |
10.5 % | 3 % | 15 % | 1.2 s | +5 % | -10 % | ||
Installing a Brand New Part ![]() |
Always (2x) | 5 % | 5 % | 1.1 s | +5 % | -10 % | ||
Oppression ![]() |
Always | 5 % | - | 1 s | - | -10 % | ||
Overcharge ![]() |
Always | 7 % | - | 1.2 s | - | -13 % | ||
Overcharge ![]() |
Always | 6 % | - | 1.1 s | - | -14 % | ||
Overcharge ![]() |
Always | 5 % | - | 1 s | - | -15 % | ||
Repairing a Generator ![]() |
8 % | 3 % | 13 % | 1.1 s | +1 % | -10 % | ||
Repairing a Generator ![]() using Toolboxes ![]() |
40 % | 3 % | 13 % | 1.1 s | +1 % | -10 % | ||
Sabotaging a Bear Trap ![]() |
Disabled | 3 % | 13 % | 1.1 s | +3 % | -25 % | ||
Sabotaging a Hook ![]() |
Disabled | 3 % | 13 % | 1.1 s | +3 % | -10 % | ||
Snapping Out of It | 80 % | 12 % | - | 1.2 s | - | -25 % | 2 seconds |
* This refers to the earliest position on an imagine clock the beginning of the Success zone will be at, with the Skill Check Indicator always starting at 12 o'clock.
Skill Checks cannot be placed at an earlier position.
The latest position is generally set at 11 o'clock.
Unlockables
Add-ons
Items
Rubber Gloves | Disposable medical gloves to avoid cross-contamination.
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Sponge | A mundane sponge used to soak up extra blood, providing easier access to wounds.
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Needle & Thread | Not exactly a medical device. However, it can be used to quickly and painfully close up a wound. | ||
Surgical Suture | A medical device used to close and hold body tissue. Even though it is very effective, the surgical suture is challenging to use. | ||
Instructions | Someone quickly painted what seems to be repair instructions on this piece of bark.
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Brand New Part | This intricate mechanical part feels oddly out of place. It is clean and shiny as if straight out of the factory.
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Powers
Wool Shirt | A small boy's orange and yellow striped shirt. Identified with a sewn name tag to "Jesse".
Survivors inside the Dream World suffer from the following effects: |
Dream Demon | |
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Green Dress | A little girl's green dress with a silky white ribbon.
Survivors inside the Dream World suffer from the following effects:
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Blue Dress | A little girl's pale blue dress with white lace which's front is ruined by large cuts.
Survivors inside the Dream World suffer from the following effects:
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Red Paint Brush | A large paint brush, wet with crimson paint.
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Interlocking Razor | A modification to the Jigsaw Box: The addition of interlocking razor blades makes it impossible to move suddenly in the Jigsaw Box without slitting one's wrists.
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Jigsaw's Baptism | |
Razor Wires | A modification to the Jigsaw Box: The addition of razor sharp wires makes it extra difficult and potentially painful to search them.
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Soul Chemical | A chemical squeezed from the pineal gland of a recently deceased Survivor.
Soul Chemical can activate once per Survivor per Rush. Soul Chemical does not trigger for a Rush started within 16 metres of the Survivor. "...suspected to cause atypical alterations in neural rhythmic activity." — Unlabelled Mystery School Text |
Blighted Corruption |
Items
Worn-Out Tools | A metal box containing out of condition tools that could break at any moment. Even without training, can be used to repair or break various mechanical components.
The Worn-Out Toolbox has a Capacity of 16 Charges. "You call these tools? ... Really?" | |
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Ranger Med-Kit | A large metal box containing medical supplies aimed at emergency rescues in hard to reach, often isolated locations.
The Ranger Med-Kit has a Capacity of 32 Charges. "A small engraved label can be found glued to the back panel: VK.ID-3994723." |
Perks
Killer Perks
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Call of Brine | Your psychic abilities influence technology in devastating ways.
After damaging a Generator
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Gearhead | You have got an ear for well-oiled gears.
After a Survivor loses a Health State
"Sometimes a man's best work is what puts him in the grave." — The Prison Warden |
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Hex: Huntress Lullaby | A Hex rooting its power in despair.
Your hunt is an irresistible song of dread which muddles your prey's attention.
The Hex effects persist until its Hex Totem |
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Merciless Storm | Your horrible trauma is felt by everyone.
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Oppression | Life has been difficult for you, so you will make it difficult for others.
When damaging a Generator
Oppression has a cool-down of 120/100/80 seconds. |
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Overcharge | Values from upcoming patch You are fuelled by your hate for progress.
Overcharge a Generator
After Overcharge is applied to a Generator, the following effect applies:
"It is a trap, But a trap one must step in..." — Herman Carter |
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Unnerving Presence | Your presence alone instils great fear.
Survivors
"Its presence befalls us." |
Survivor Perks
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Autodidact | You start the Trial with a -25 % Progression penalty for Skill Checks
![]() ![]() For every successful Skill Check completed while healing a Survivor, Autodidact gains 1 Token up to a maximum of 3/4/5 Tokens.
Autodidact is not active when using a Med-Kit |
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Bite the Bullet | Pain hurts you as much as anyone, but you would prefer others do not know that.
When healing yourself or another Survivor
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Corrective Action | You quickly analyse problems and correct others' work when they make a mistake.
You start the Trial with 1/2/3 Token(s) and gain a Token each time you succeed at a Great Skill Check
Corrective Action only applies to normal Skill Checks. "Cannot hurt to have another set of eyes on the problem." — Jonah Vasquez |
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Decisive Strike | Values from upcoming patch Using whatever is at hand, you stab your aggressor in an ultimate attempt to escape.
After being unhooked or unhooking yourself, Decisive Strike activates for the next 40/50/60 seconds:
While Decisive Strike is active, performing Conspicuous Actions will deactivate it for the remainder of the Trial. Decisive Strike deactivates once the Exit Gates Increases the odds of becoming the Killer's initial Obsession by +100 %. "There is nothing to be scared of." — Laurie Strode |
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Fast Track | Sometimes the sacrifice of others is necessary to get ahead.
Whenever another Survivor is hooked, Fast Track gains 1/2/3 Tokens, up to a maximum of 9/18/27 Tokens.
"The weak are sacrificed first. It's nature, it's business... it's the truth most refuse to face." — Yun-Jin Lee |
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Rookie Spirit | You keep a careful eye on objectives when they are slipping away.
While repairing Generators
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Spine Chill | Values from upcoming patch An unnatural tingle warns you of impending doom.
Whenever the Killer is looking in your direction when they are within 36 metres of you, Spine Chill activates:
"There is a voice that doesn't use words. Listen.." — Sassy, The Lost Tapes |
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Stake Out | Getting close to the Killer fills you with determination.
Every 15 seconds you are standing within the Killer's Terror Radius
"I had you, I had you on your knees. You're runnin' scared because we had you. We're gonna close this case!" — Detective David Tapp |
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Technician | You are apt at handling machinery with the greatest care and precision.
Failing a Skill Check
Technician reduces the audible range of your Generator-repairing noises by 8 metres. |
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This Is Not Happening | You perform at your best when you are under extreme stress.
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History
Sabotage Skill Checks
- Up to Patch 3.6.0, the Sabotage action took considerably longer and had a chance to trigger Skill Checks, which would grant 3 % Progression bonus when succeeding a Great Skill Check.
- Failing a Sabotage Skill Check used to also be one possible way to wake oneself up from the Dream World.
Change Log
Patch 1.8.0
- Removed the Good Skill Check success bonus for Healing actions of +1 %.
- Skill Check chance while using a Med-Kit decreased from 15 % to 12.5 %.
- Skill Check chance while healing with Self-Care decreased from 15 % to 10.5 %.
- Skill Check chance while repairing with a toolkit increased from 8 % to 10.5 %.
- Skill Check chance while sabotaging without a toolkit decreased from 15 % to 10.5 %.
Patch 3.6.0
- Removed Skill Checks for the Sabotage action.
Patch 3.7.0
- Reduced the Great Skill Check success bonus for Repair actions from +2 % to +1 %.
- Great Skill Checks while repairing now give 300 Bloodpoints instead of 150 Bloodpoints.
Patch 4.7.0
- Increased the modifier for triggering Skill Checks when repairing Generators using a Toolbox from x2 to x5