Best Nurse Builds in Dead by Daylight (January 2023)

The Nurse certainly did not get the “Do No Harm” memo. In Dead by Daylight, she’s a warping Killer, capable of closing gaps and even blinking through obstacles. These abilities can make her a worthy opponent in the right hands. Meaning, you need the best builds in Dead by Daylight if you want to win the Trial as The Nurse. We have a versatile selection, so you can play around until you find the build that best suits you.

Best Builds for The Nurse in Dead by Daylight

Featured in the base game, The Nurse arrived with CHAPTER 1: The Last Breath. While Sally Smithson, AKA The Nurse, has a tragic background, she transformed into an adept Killer. Perks make all the difference, though. Before we begin on builds, let’s check out her unique Perks:

• Stridor: Survivors’ Grunts of Pain increase by 25/50/50%. Meanwhile, the volume of their breathing increases by 0/0/25%.
• A Nurse’s Calling: Auras of Survivors healed or being healed are revealed if they’re within 20/24/28 meters of you.
• Thanatophobia: Injured, dying, or hooked Survivors have a stackable 1/1.5/2% Action Speed penalty up to a max of 4/6/8%. If all four are injured, dying, or hooked simultaneously, then the penalty increases by 12%.

The Nurse is a popular Dead by Daylight Killer, and with the best builds, she’s a nightmare for Survivors. That doesn’t mean she’s easy to play, though. You’ll have to learn how to use  Spencer’s Last Breath, her Power, very well. This is what allows her to Blink. You can Blink twice if you time it correctly. Both render you fatigued, but the second Blink more so.

Because of this, you must learn how to control the Blink to succeed with The Nurse. This way, you can use it accordingly alongside the Perks.

Best Beginner Builds for The Nurse

Some of the best builds for The Nurse in Dead by Daylight focus on beginners. With these builds, you don’t have to worry about owning all of the Killers for the extra Perks. Instead, you can rely on General Perks, Perks from the base game Killers, and The Nurse’s unique ones.

For this first build, we want to mainly learn how to use The Nurse and her Blink Power. At the same time, we want to cause damage to Survivors still. Bring A Nurse’s Calling (The Nurse) and Stridor (The Nurse), and from there, select these Perks:

• Whispers (General): Hear whispers of The Entity when a Survivor is within 48/40/32 meters of you.
• Bloodhound (The Wraith): Pools of blood are highlighted in bright red, and you can track them for 2/3/4 seconds longer than usual.

This makes it easier for you to find Survivors while you learn the Blink. Plaid Flannel is the perfect add-on, as it ensures you can see where your Blink will take you. Wooden Horse is also good as it cuts down on fatigue if you miss your attack.

More of the best builds for The Nurse in Dead by Daylight can focus on Generator regression, too, alongside downing Survivors. You want to slow Survivors down, so bring Thanatophobia (The Nurse). You will want these Perks too:

• Jolt (General): When you down a Survivor with a Basic Attack, Generators within 32 meters of you explode and regress with a 6/7/8% Progression penalty.
• Sloppy Butcher (General): Basic Attacks cause Mangled and Hemorrhage effects with a bleeding frequency of 50/75/100%. Healing regression rate due to Hemorrhage increases by 15/20/25%.
• Tinkerer (The Hillbilly): Once a Generator is 70%, you get a Loud Noise notification, revealing its aura. You also get the Undetectable effect for 12/14/16 seconds.

This build can push down Generator progress while also giving some insurance on finding Survivors quickly if they’re repaired fast. The same add-ons apply here if you’re still learning The Nurse’s Power.

Best Builds for The Nurse with All Killer Perks in Dead by Daylight

So, you have all the Perks you can currently use in the game. Well, you can create some of the nastiest best builds for The Nurse that just might cause Survivors to quit their Dead by Daylight trial. 

For this first build, we need nothing from The Nurse herself other than her Power. The build hinges on always finding survivors, whether close or further away. Add the following Perks:

• Starstruck (The Trickster): Activates once carrying a Survivor. Any Survivors in your Terror Radius are Exposed, an effect that lingers 26/28/30 seconds once they leave said radius. Although this deactivates when you hook or drop a Survivor, the Exposed effect stays on any Survivor in your radius for 26/28/30 seconds.
• Agitation (The Trapper): While carrying a Survivor, movement speed increases by 6/12/18%. Terror Radius increases by 12 meters.
• Barbecue & Chilli (The Cannibal): When a Survivor is hooked, Survivors 60/50/40 meters away are revealed via their aura for 4 seconds.
• Lethal Pursuer (The Nemesis): When the Trial starts, the auras of all Survivors are revealed for 7/8/9 seconds. Additionally, this Perk extends the duration of a Survivor’s aura revealed to you by +2 seconds.

Add-ons like Kavanagh’s Last Breath work well here since it makes up for the fatigue from your Blink if Survivors are still nearby. Bad Man Keepsake is good, too, if you manage to hit a Survivor with a Blink Attack.

Related:

Best Blight Builds in Dead by Daylight (January 2023)

Many of the best builds for The Nurse involve having a fun Dead by Daylight Trial, regardless. However, if you want a truly toxic build, you can always use these Perks in the hopes of someone rage-quitting:

• Make Your Choice (The Pig): If you’re 32 meters away from a rescued Survivor off a hook, this activates. The Rescuer will scream and get the Exposed effect for 40/50/60 seconds.
• Scourge Hook: Floods of Rage (The Onryō): At the start of the Trial, 4 random hooks change to Scourge Hooks with their aura revealed. When a Survivor is unhooked from one, all Survivors are revealed via their aura for 5/6/7 seconds.
• Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance (The Artist): 4 random hooks change to Scourge Hooks at the start of the Trial with their auras revealed. When a Survivor is hooked on one, the Generator progressed the most will explode and lose 9/12/15% Progression. Survivors repairing it will scream without revealing their position.
• Hex: Devour Hope (The Hag): If you’re 24 meters from a rescued Survivor, the Hex receives 1 Token. For 2 Tokens, 10 seconds after you hook a Survivor, you gain 3/4/5% Haste for 10 seconds. With 3 Tokens, Survivors are permanently Exposed. For 5 Tokens, you can kill Survivors with your hand.

It’s certainly a frustrating build for Survivors in the right hands. Just check it out in action:

We hope some of these best builds for The Nurse make your Killer round that much more exciting in Dead by Daylight.

Dead by Daylight is available on PC, PS5, and PS4 consoles, Xbox One and Series consoles, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.