Behavior Interactive has revealed some major upcoming changes for Dead by Daylight in the January developer update, including information on the rework for The Clown, and changes to the Wraith and Trapper.
The Clown changes have been anticipated by the community for some time now, and we now know what to expect soon. The rework for the Killer is centered around his key ability, which is his throwable bottles, both in their function, reload time and overall strategy for how best to hunt down and sacrifice Survivors.
First up is Afterpiece Antidote, which is a new type of bottle that, when broken on the ground, will release a delayed yellow gas that provides anyone inside with a 10% movement speed bonus, and lingers a few seconds after leaving the affected area. When used properly, this will make The Clown a speedier Killer in the chase but used carelessly, it will allow Survivors to get away from you.
Tonics will remain unchanged with the update, however, if it mixes with an Antidote cloud, the effects will be neutralized and wasted. Another major change comes in the form of a buff, with the total time to reload the four bottles down to three seconds, from five. Best of all, a total of four bottles will be shared among the two types and reload at the same time. There will be no need to manage an individual reload for Antidote and Tonic separately.
The Wraith is next up for Killers receiving a change, this time to his invisibility. For too long The Wraith has only been mediocre at high levels of play, at least in terms of using his power effectively against skilled Survivors who could identify the faint shimmer of his cloak from a distance. Now, The Wraith will be buffed by being completely invisible when further than 24 meters from a Survivor, somewhat visible between 16 and 24 meters, and unchanged when withing 16 meters. Get ready for more jump scares and Generator grabs!
Lastly, The Trapper is seeing a change to how Survivors escape from his traps. Put simply, you should notice that Survivors now spend a more consistent amount of time attempting to escape a trap, compared to before where they might break free on the first try, or agonize over failed attempt after failed attempt. Time will tell how this affects gameplay, because it seems that both Survivor and Killer could benefit from such consistency in mechanics.