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Portia Maye’s brand of pirate justice throws survivors to the dogs in Dead by Daylight. The Houndmaster excels in sniffing out survivors, running down distant gens, and snagging victims in her Cane Corso’s jaws. Between Snug’s finicky AI and cumbersome mechanics, however, Behaviour has made mastering this seafaring slaughterer a genuine challenge. For those eager to learn the ways of Portia the pirate, here are five essential tips for how to play The Houndmaster in Dead by Daylight.
Search for Success
The start of the Trial is a great time to create a Search Path with Scent of Blood. While traveling along this path, you’re roughly as fast as a cloaked Wraith. That lets you get into your first chase fast. Lethal Pursuer and Discordance are great for knowing just where to go, but Scent of Blood’s short cooldown means you can take some risks.
Avoid overreliance on Search, however. Leaving the trail will cancel your speed boost, as will entering chase. Sometimes the non-optimal pathing just isn’t worth it. Search mindfully. If it looks like Snug wants to lead you on a wild goose chase on the wrong floor of Midwich, break away and find your own path. It’s frustrating but better than wasting time trying to make the Goodest Boy’s bad idea work.
Build Better
The right build matters just as much as the right map. The best Houndmaster builds take advantage of her anti-loop, zoning, and mobility. They also minimize her weaknesses, including Snug’s spotty AI and difficult Chase command. Portia makes great use of Aura reads and info, making perks like Barbeque & Chili or Scourge Hook: Jagged Compass easy picks. In general, a mix of slowdown, info, and lethality perks is best. Just because she’s an M1 (Basic Attack) killer doesn’t mean there aren’t viable builds for multiple playstyles.
Predicting Snug
Prediction plays a big part in Houndmaster gameplay, both for killers and survivors. For Portia, it’s all about predicting where survivors will run, leading your Redirect Attack the way you would a Deathslinger shot. For survivors, it’s all about anticipating where Snug will dash.
Distant shots often fail, giving survivors too much room to predict and dodge. Fire Snug off up-close when you can. For best results, send him for chases in narrow corridors where survivors can’t dodge at all. In straight lines, Houndmaster can be as deadly as Huntress.
Redirect Shots
If your first Chase attack misses, there’s still hope. You can take possession of Snug for a follow-up Redirect Chase. In practice, landing these hits is difficult. If there’s any kind of intervening wall or cover available, evasion is often easy for survivors. Avoid relying on Redirect Chases. It’s also wise to practice split-second Redirect attacks, sending Snug on his new trajectory the moment you possess him. They’re difficult, but they limit survivors’ reaction time. That means grabs for you.
Chase Path Curving
Snug bugging out or dragging survivors to safety isn’t all that makes Houndmaster one of the game’s hardest killers. Snug’s Chase mechanic sends him on a linear path, but that path can curve around obstacles. Understanding how to curve Snug (and when not to bother) is a huge part of Portia’s skill ceiling. Practice is the only way to learn the ins and outs of Snug’s pathing, so hop into some bot matches to experiment. It’s easy to send your hound flying through a window if you aren’t careful. Paradise awaits for patient pirates.
