Dead by Daylight has remained a staple of the horror video game landscape since its release in 2016. Much of this is due to the frequent updates that developer Behaviour Interactive has added to the game over the years, constantly raising the bar and adding new Killers and Survivors. In Dead by Daylight‘s first Resident Evil chapter, Nemesis from the Resident Evil 3 remake arrives in the Fog, and this guide will help players build him for success.
Dead By Daylight: Every Killer, Ranked
Dead By Daylight allows players to play as their favorite killers from horror movies, along with some fresh faces. However, not all killers are equal.
As with any killer, Nemesis can be a threat to Survivors with multiple different builds if a player knows how to use him efficiently. While he isn’t particularly capable of challenging top-tier Dead by Daylight Killers in the current meta, like Nurse and Spirit, he isn’t especially weak. With that said, he’s a fairly straightforward killer and one that doesn’t require high skill to use effectively.
Updated March 1, 2026, by Mark Sammut: It’s Resident Evil season again, with Requiem launching just a few days ago. While that game does not have any direct representation in Dead by Daylight (besides a much younger Leon), Nemesis is still here, waiting for players. However, is he a good option for beginners? We try to answer that question at the end of the article.
The Nemesis: Best Beginner Build
The Nemesis has pretty fantastic personal perks in his Bloodweb, including Eruption and Lethal Pursuer, which allow for map-wide generator regression and the ability to see Survivors at the start of a trial. This build utilizes these perks along with Bitter Murmur to track Survivors throughout the game and Hex: No One Escapes Death to pressure them during the Endgame Collapse.
- Eruption (The Nemesis) – After kicking a generator, its aura will be highlighted in yellow. Upon downing a survivor, all highlighted generators will lose 10% progress, and any Survivors working on them will have their aura revealed for 12 seconds.
- Lethal Pursuer (The Nemesis) – At the start of the trial, all Survivor’s auras are revealed for 9 seconds. This perk also increases the duration of other aura–reading abilities by an extra 2 seconds.
- Bitter Murmur (General Perk) – Each time a generator is completed, the auras of Survivors within 16 meters of that generator are revealed for 5 seconds. Once the last generator is complete, all Survivors’ auras are revealed for 10 seconds.
- Hex: No One Escapes Death (General Perk) – After the final generator is completed, all Survivors suffer from the Exposed status ailment and you gain a 4% Haste effect until the Hex Totem is cleansed.
The Nemesis: Best Build
Perhaps the most effective build to run with The Nemesis in Dead by Daylight includes Deadlock’s passive generator slowdown to compensate for his weak early game, building up Mutation Rate and making the most out of Zombies that push Survivors off generators. Furthermore, Corrupt Intervention and Grim Embrace massively slow down progress throughout the game. The Trickster’s No Way Out is a reliable endgame perk that can always provide good value.
- Corrupt Intervention (The Plague) – At the start of the trial, the 3 generators furthest from the Killer’s starting location are blocked for 120 seconds or until the first Survivor is downed.
- Deadlock (The Cenobite) – After a generator is repaired, the generator with the most progress is blocked for 25 seconds.
- Grim Embrace (The Artist) – Each time The Killer hooks a new Survivor, all generators are blocked for 12 seconds after moving 16 meters away from the hook. Upon hooking each Survivor once, all generators are blocked for 40 seconds and the Obsession’s aura is revealed for six seconds.
- No Way Out (The Trickster) – When a Survivor interacts with an exit gate at the end of the trial, the Killer will receive a noise notification and the exit gates will be blocked for 12 seconds, plus another 12 seconds for each new Survivor hooked.
Best Survivors In Dead By Daylight
The asymmetrical multiplayer game Dead by Daylight from Behaviour Interactive is an absolute treat for horror fans.
The Nemesis: Best Add-Ons
The Nemesis’ best add-ons are somewhat hard to make use of. Since so much of his power revolves around zombies and Survivors making early-game mistakes, it can be difficult to know what works best for the Killer. This guide highlights his strongest add-ons, ordered by their rarity on the Bloodweb.
Damaged Syringe
While none of The Nemesis’ Common Add-Ons are particularly noteworthy, the Damaged Syringe can provide some decent slowdown and make Contaminated Survivors more vulnerable, unable to Vaccinate themselves mid-chase.
Brian’s Intestines
Though The Nemesis’ zombies don’t always work as intended, it never hurts to speed them up to increase their map-wide pressure.
Mikhail’s Eye
An upgraded version of Brian’s Intestines, Mikhail’s Eye, can catch Survivors off guard when zombies approach them mid-chase, potentially downing or Contaminating them.
Marvin’s Blood
Marvin’s Blood continues to be the Nemesis’ best add-on despite being nerfed in recent updates. It allows the Nemesis to reach Tier II of his Tentacle Strike much earlier and makes his snowballing potential that much stronger. In most games, it is almost mandatory to bring this add-on to have a strong start to the early game, which is arguably the Nemesis’ weakest point in the trial.
Serotonin Injector
While The Nemesis’ footsteps are rather loud in comparison to other Killers, becoming Undetectable can nonetheless scare some Survivors into mistakes. With the Serotonin Injector, destroying a zombie will grant Undetectable for 15 seconds.
Licker Tongue
From being one of the worst add-ons for the Nemesis, Licker Tongue has seen a monumental rise in recent times as a reliable add-on to bring, thanks to the changes made to Nemesis’ kit. Granting an additional second of Hindered, for a total of three seconds, is pretty huge in closing the gap and getting another Tentacle Strike or a regular attack.
It synergizes extremely well with Marvin’s Blood to increase the Mutation Rate while keeping up pressure by injuring or downing Survivors.
Depleted Ink Ribbon
Like the other zombie speed add-ons, when a zombie is doing its job well it can prove incredibly inconvenient for Survivors. When paired with endgame perks like The Nightmare’s Remember Me, moving zombies to exit gates can prove very beneficial.
Broken Recovery Coin
A simple yet impactful add-on, the Broken Recovery Coin removes one Supply Case from the trial, effectively reducing the amount of body blocks and free hits that Survivors can take. This is another invaluable add-on for The Nemesis.
Iridescent Umbrella Badge
For Nemesis players who prioritize focusing down certain Survivors, the Iridescent Umbrella Badge is an important add-on. By Exposing recently Vaccinated Survivors, you can target those most vulnerable and closer to death by tracking their Killer Instinct and forcing them down.
Dead By Daylight: 5 Best Killers To Unlock First
Every killer in Dead by Daylight plays differently, and it will benefit new players to focus on unlocking some over others.
How To Unlock Nemesis In Dead By Daylight
Introduced midway through 2021 as the Killer in “Chapter 20: Resident Evil,” Nemesis T-Type is one of the most recognizable gaming villains in Dead by Daylight, and his pre-debut popularity likely motivated a lot of people to pick up this DLC or just the Tyrant himself. As time has passed and DBD has expanded to 36 and counting chapters, Nemesis has too much competition to be an easy purchase for most people, especially if they are not die-hard Resident Evil fans. That’s not to say he is terrible, as with the right Nemesis build, he can be a fairly intimidating Killer; however, there are better and more popular options out there.
Still, if you are interested in maybe trying out a new main and would like to give this Killer a try, you will first need to unlock him. Due to being a licensed character, Nemesis can only be unlocked by purchasing and spending Auric Cells (or just straight-up cash). Individually, Nemesis costs 500 Auric Cells (which are $4.99), although I would recommend waiting for a sale if you are really on the fence.
Alternatively, and most temptingly, is the option to pick up Chapter 20, which is arguably one of the most stacked DLCs in Dead by Daylight history. Along with Nemesis, the package includes Leon Kennedy and Jill Valentine, two legendary video game horror heroes. The DLC is $11.99, the standard price for three characters.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Is Nemesis A Good Killer For Beginners?
Now that we have covered how to unlock Nemesis, there is still one very important question that needs to be answered: Should you? Long-time players do not need a buyer’s guide as they likely have experience playing with or against most Killers and Survivors, but newcomers might feel overwhelmed when they look at all the iconic characters they can purchase. As Resident Evil is the definitive horror franchise in gaming, I can imagine that many folks will gravitate toward Chapter 20 or Nemesis specifically. Would he be a good choice as a starter Killer?
First things first, if you really want to play as Nemesis, go for it. While certain Killers are more popular than others, all characters can be effective in the right hands, and there will be plenty of time later on to prioritize Dead by Daylight‘s meta.
Putting aside personal allegiances, there are a few things to discuss when recommending a Killer to a new player:
- Do their mechanics come with a learning curve?
- Are they viable in the long term?
- How good are their perks?
- Do they teach basic strategies that can then be employed by most other Killers?
- Finally, are there similar but better characters?
Does Nemesis come with a learning curve?
Yes, more so than the average Killer. Nemesis has a pretty literal learning curve, as he starts as a pretty weak M1 Killer. M1 Killers are characters who rely on their standard melee attack to take down Survivors, with their M2 ability not dealing direct damage. Nemesis begins as this type of Killer, but he becomes something more once he unlocks Tentacles, which are his strongest assets. They require aim, spacing, and timing, all things that are only learned through experience. Ultimately, Nemesis isn’t the hardest Killer to master, but he isn’t easy mode either.
Is He Viable Long-Term?
Yes, to an extent. All Killers are technically viable if a player takes the time to master them. Nemesis is arguably more viable in the long-term than he is in the short-term, and both beginners and veterans will have to contend with growing pains during his early stages. Once he reaches Tier 2 and 3, Nemesis becomes an all-around solid option. He has strong anti-loop, built-in slowdown, and pressure via zombies. He isn’t top-tier, but you can use Nemesis as your main Killer.
How Good Are His Perks?
We’ve touched upon these in the build recommendations, but let’s give them a bit more of a deep dive here:
- Lethal Pursuer – Fantastic Perk that lets you see the Survivors’ aura during the start of a match, potentially letting you know where they all are.
- Hysteria – Not universally useful, but can provide a big advantage if all the stars align. Nemesis needs to injure a Survivor, which causes all injured Survivors to become Oblivious for a few seconds.
- Eruption – Almost as strong as Lethal Pursuer, but more situational, as it requires setting up a generator trap that causes an explosion when certain conditions are met. It can also be used to reveal the Survivor’s locations, provided they are repairing a generator.
Overall, Nemesis has a good pool of Perks.
Does He Teach Core Killer Fundamentals?
Yes, surprisingly well. For all its weaknesses, Nemesis’ M1 early game teaches newcomers the basics, covering things like loop management, target prioritization, zoning, and snowballing.
Are There Similar But Better Killers?
Kind of, but it really depends on what somebody is looking for. Nemesis is a well-rounded Killer who is in the middle of the pack, so there are a few similar Killers that are superior. Huntress is a great alternative, especially since she is free.
- Released
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June 14, 2016
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
