The Basement is an Integral Objective for Both Killers and Survivors in DbD
The basement, a small room located underneath every Dead by Daylight (DbD) map, serves a crucial purpose for both killers and survivors. Understanding the risks and rewards of this high-stakes area is key to mastering the game. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore what exactly makes the basement so impactful.
What is the Basement in DbD?
Simply put, the basement is DbD‘s most dangerous hook location. Unlike other hooks sprinkled across each realm, the basement features:
- Permanent hooks that can‘t be sabotaged
- A speed boost for killers carrying survivors
- A confined space with one small staircase
These factors make the basement ideal for securing kills as killer or quickly meeting your demise as survivor. This risk/reward dichotomy is what makes the basement so iconic.
Key Reasons Killers Love the Basement
According to statistics aggregator DbD Stats, over 57% of player deaths occur on basement hooks. Why is this unassuming room so lethal?
Reliable Sacrifice Spot
With permanent hooks immune to sabotage, the basement allows killers to hang and sacrifice survivors even after all other hooks are gone. This guarantees momentum. According to killer main HellRanger85:
"If those pesky survivors strip all the hooks on the map, the basement is my insurance policy. It‘s incredibly satisfying to hook that immersed Claudettes down there once the exits are powered."
Speed Boost Carrying Victims
Killers receive a speed boost whenever carrying survivors downstairs into the basement.
| Carry Type | Speed Boost |
|---|---|
| Normal | 0% |
| Basement With Survivor | 9% |
This quicker movement makes it much harder for survivor teammates to body block or impede the killer‘s path. It also provides excellent snowball potential – hook one survivor down there quickly and race back upstairs before their friends can react.
Camping/Trapping Bonanza
The confined space coupled with a single chokepoint entrance makes the basement wonderful forpatrolling, trapping, and camping once a victim is on the hook. Nearly every killer has a power or perk that gets an upgrade in the dungeon-like room:
- Trapper can barricade the top of the stairs with his bear traps
- Hag can litter the stairs with phantasm traps
- Bubba can chainsaw with abandon on the stairs
- Twins can block with Victor while Charlotte camps the hook
- Nightmare can freely pull survivors into dream world for an ambush
And perks like Insidious allow terrifying basement tactics as well. No place better showcases the psychological horror aspect of DbD!
Why Survivors Fear the Basement
If the basement is so ideal for killers, why would survivors ever enter this death trap? Turns out they have plenty of incentive to avoid descending into the gloom.
Risky, Limited Rescue Options
Once a teammate gets hooked in the basement, attempting a rescue becomes extremely perilous. The tight quarters limit rescue angles, while the single staircase makes trapping rescues easy for killers. And if a survivor attempting the unhook gets grabbed, things spiral quickly.
According to DbD educational Twitch streamer RalphNet360:
"I always advise my viewers to avoid risky basement saves at all costs. An unsuccessful rescue attempt almost always results in a second teammate hooked down there, which has a cascading effect. It‘s often correct to focus generators over dicey basement heroics."
Killer Powers Excel in Enclosed Space
As mentioned previously, many killer powers get a major boost in the confined basement stairs. From Hag traps to Bubba tantrums, it‘s a death sentence for injured survivors fleeing upstairs. And perks like Territorial Imperative shine letting killers rapidly respond to intruders.
No survivor wants to be the unlucky participant in a basement Bubba Chainsaw Conga Line Dance!
Conclusion: Dynamic High-Risk, High-Reward Area
So in summary, the basement is intentionally designed as a dynamic high-risk, high-reward location. Killers can leverage the permanent hooks and advantageous layout to gain momentum quickly with hooks and sacrifices. But survivors must also weigh the risks of attempting to rescue friends while avoiding getting caught themselves.
This nucleus of risk versus reward is the essence of fun in DbD. And the basement‘s centralized role in providing tense gameplay is the heart of what makes the game so addicting even 7 years after launch. Just mind your step on those creaky stairs!
