The Best Artist Builds in Dead by Daylight

An inky blade and the squall of crows signal The Artist’s arrival. A lethal ranged killer who can strike survivors across the map with the Birds of Torment, Artist is a challenge to learn. In the right hands, however, Carmina Mora offers some of the best information and map control of any killer. Locking down Killer Shack? Injuring survivors on a distant exit gate? Sniping generators while in a chase? With her deadly palette, anything is possible. Here are some of the best builds for The Artist in Dead by Daylight.

Generic Meta Build

Part of what makes The Artist as formidable a ranged killer as The Huntress is her synergy with some of the game’s best perks. This meta build maximizes her gen stall and info-gathering potential, letting her snipe distant survivors before they receive any warning. Between Pain Res, birds, and DMS, you can make completing generators almost impossible. You can even swap between zoning survivors in chase and disrupting distant gens. Never give them a moment’s peace again.

Barbecue & Chilli reveals the Aura of distant survivors whenever you hook someone. Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance damages the generator with the most progress when you hook a unique survivor on a Scourge Hook. Lethal Pursuer reveals the Auras of all survivors at the start of the Trial and increases the duration of Barbecue & Chilli. Dead Man’s Switch blocks the first generator that a survivor stops repairing after you hook someone. All of these perks synergize well, letting you make the most of every Aura reveal.

Gen Control Build

If you’re looking for a meta variation that still offers a potent combo of info and stall, this gen control build is it. With Pop as your only regression perk, you’ll lean more heavily on info and your ability to snipe Tinkerer gens before they pop. Although it can be more challenging than the generic meta build, it offers some unique benefits. Between Nowhere to Hide, Tinkerer, and Discordance, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for trick shots. Nowhere to Hide makes locking down loops easy, with a bird blocking one escape route and you blocking the other.

Related: Dead by Daylight Tier List: Best Killers (November 2024)

Pop Goes the Weasel causes significant gen regression the next time you kick a generator after hooking a survivor. Nowhere to Hide reveals the Auras of nearby survivors when you kick a generator, synergizing well with Pop. Tinkerer alerts you and makes you Undetectable for 16 seconds the first time that each generator reaches 70% completion. Discordance highlights a generator in yellow when two or more survivors repair it at once. Pair this with the Severed Hands add-on to swarm the survivors revealed by Discordance and you’ll see what makes this one of the best Artist builds in Dead by Daylight.

Basic Build

Though she’s one of the hardest killers in the game, you can go far with The Artist even if you’re using only basic perks. This build uses the best perks available without using the Shrine of Secrets or premium DLCs, ensuring everyone has access to a strong build. With two top-tier gen stall perks on board and end-game perks for backup, you’ll remain threatening throughout the Trial. Although NOED is a gamble, the speed and lethality it offers are worth the perk slot, especially with Bitter Murmur to guide you.

Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance damages the generator with the most progress when you hook a unique survivor on a Scourge Hook. Grim Embrace blocks all generators when you leave the hook after hooking a unique survivor. Bitter Murmur reveals survivor Auras when they complete a generator and reveals all survivors when the last generator is completed. Hex: No One Escape Death grants you 4% Haste and the ability to insta-down survivors once the last generator is completed. Paint by number? More like paint by death.