Skip To...
When Nicolas Cage joined Dead by Daylight, he became the first celebrity to appear as himself in the Trials. The actor has a reputation for over-the-top performances, and he brings that same energy to his perks. Cage’s unique perks allow him to heal himself, track the killer, and pull off dramatic escapes. Putting together a complete build with such eclectic abilities can be tough. With every new killer on the roster, survival gets a bit harder after all. By using these recommended Nicolas Cage builds, survivors might live to see the dawn and act another day.
Nicolas Cage Perks Explained
(Updated on November 8, 2024 – updated builds, images, and format)
Nicolas Cage stars in his own chapter: no killer can steal the spotlight from this movie star. His three perks (Dramaturgy, Scene Partner, and Plot Twist) offer huge value but only in the proper context. However, they don’t synergize together very well. Players will therefore want to switch up their builds to get the most value from Cage’s perks. Before we can understand what perks synergize well in a Nicolas Cage build, we have to understand Cage’s own perks:
- Dramaturgy: While healthy and running, the survivor gains 25% Haste for 2 seconds, followed by one of the following effects, chosen at random: become Exposed for 12 seconds, extend the Haste for 2 more seconds, scream without notifying the killer, or receive a random rare item with add-ons (dropping their previous item). Dramaturgy causes Exhaustion for 40 seconds.
- Scene Partner: While inside the Terror Radius, looking at the killer causes the survivor to scream, revealing the killer’s Aura for 5 seconds. There is a 50% chance that the survivor will then scream a second time, extending the Aura read by 2 seconds.
- Plot Twist: When injured, the survivor can activate Plot Twist to put themselves in the dying state. Doing so suppresses Grunts of Pain and Pools of Blood. When the player finishes recovering, they heal back to full health and gain 50% Haste for 4 seconds.
Nicolas Cage Dramaturgy Build Guide
Nicolas Cage’s perks inject a dose of chaos into Dead by Daylight. Dramaturgy rolls the dice, hopefully rewarding the survivor instead of getting them killed. Pair Dramaturgy with the following perks for an exciting and dangerous build.
- Buckle Up (Ash): Whenever you heal another survivor from the dying state, both of you can see the killer’s Aura for 10 seconds. Completing a healing action on the dying survivor suppresses their Scratch Marks and grants them +50% Haste for 5 seconds.
- For the People (Zarina): While you are healthy and healing another survivor, you can trade one health state, injuring yourself to heal them. For the People leaves you Broken for 60 seconds and also makes you the new Obsession.
- Decisive Strike (Laurie): For the next minute after being unhooked, if the killer grabs you or picks you up, you can succeed at a skill check to escape their grasp and stun them for 3 seconds.
This build focuses on fighting back by taking dangerous risks. You can use For the People to heal your teammates from the dying state instantly, granting both you and your teammate a powerful Aura read. With this ability, even an insta-down killer like Leatherface or Myers won’t be able to keep survivors down. In case this strategy makes you a target, Decisive Strike provides emergency protection if things go wrong for Cage.
Nicolas Cage Scene Partner Build Guide
Information is crucial in Dead by Daylight. Since survivors don’t have knives or guns to protect them from their supernatural assailants, surviving Behaviour Interactive’s horror show depends on having good info. Pair Scene Partner with the following perks to make the most of the intel it provides.
- Windows of Opportunity (Kate): You can see the Auras of all breakable walls, pallets, and windows within 32 meters of you.
- Kindred (General): While you are hooked, all survivors can see one another’s Auras. If the killer is within 16 meters of your hook, their Aura is revealed to all survivors. While any other survivor is hooked, you can see the Auras of all survivors. If the killer is within 16 meters of their hook, the killer’s Aura is also revealed to you.
- Distortion (Jeff): Distortion starts with 3 tokens. Whenever the killer attempts to see your Aura, Distortion activates, consuming a token. While active, Distortion prevents the killer from reading your Aura for 12 seconds and suppresses your Scratch Marks. For every 30 seconds the survivor spends within the Terror Radius, Distortion recharges one lost token, up to a maximum of 2.
This Nicolas Cage build centers around gaining info while denying the killer info. Windows of Opportunity and Kindred ensure that you always know where to go to escape a chase or help the team. Scene Partner and Distortion, meanwhile, let you stay a step ahead of the killer in pursuit and keep them from tracking you across the map.
Nicolas Cage Plot Twist Build Guide
Know when to heal and stay injured; you might just survive. Against the game’s toughest killers, survivors need all the help they can get. Use these perks on Nicolas Cage to take command of your health in Dead by Daylight.
- Overcome (Jonah): Whenever you become injured, you retain the movement speed burst for an additional 2 seconds. Overcome Exhausts you for 40 seconds.
- Iron Will (Jake): While in the injured state, Grunts of Pain get 100% quieter. Iron Will cannot trigger if the survivor is Exhausted.
- Resilience (General): While injured, the survivor repairs, heals, sabotages, unhooks, vaults, cleanses, blesses, opens, and unlocks 9% faster.
Overcome increases the odds of escaping after the killer strikes. A good body block helps. After the Exhaustion from Overcome has worn off, the survivor moves more quietly and completes tasks faster. When the opportune moment comes, the survivor can use Plot Twist to enter the dying state, heal, and return to the action. Just beware of killers running Deerstalker to find you.
