D&D Dead by Daylight Video Game Crossover (First Look)
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Canadian video game developer Behaviour Interactive recently announced a major new addition to their popular multiplayer action survival horror game series Dead by Daylight. In a live stream, the company unveiled that the latest season of the series will feature will be based on Dungeons & Dragons. The new season will kick off on June 6th, 2024, with players getting a new survivor, a new killer and a brand new map – all of which are inspired by the world of D&D.
The news comes hot on the heels of a teaser trailer that was released on Twitter/X last week and featured a beholder attempting to bash its way out of a dungeon cell. It’s also part of Dead by Daylight’s upcoming 7th anniversary, with the game rolling out a number of new features and expansions to promote the event.
So just what can fans of DBD and D&D expect from this new crossover? Below, we break out all the details.
What is Dead by Daylight?
Dead by Daylight is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game developed by Canadian studio Behavior Interactive. In the game, one player takes on the role of a killer and the other players take on the role of survivors who must outwit and outlast the killer, while completing specific objectives that will allow them to escape. The game is heavily themed around the horror genre (drawing on many of the tropes of 80s slasher films), with both original characters and those licensed from various film and TV franchises.
The game has been around for quite a few years having been first released on PC back 2016 on PC and later ported over to consoles, including most recently for the PS5 in 2020. Since then, there have been a variety of expansions for the game, including several featuring major pop culture licenses, such as Stranger Things, Scream and Aliens. These expansions typically include new maps and characters from by their franchise.
Notably, the game has become extremely popular, so much so that a Dead by Daylight film is currently in the works from horror production company. Blumhouse.
What is the Dead by Daylight D&D season?
In the new D&D season Dead by Daylight, players will be able to take on the role of a new survivor, a Bard named Aestri Yazar who is equipped with a variety in-game abilities based on the Bard class from D&D fifth edition. This includes the ability to use Bardic Inspiration to empower other nearby survivors, and Mirrored Illusion, which allows your Bard survivor to cast a static copy of themselves in certain situations in order to trick the killer.
Dead by Daylight’s newest killer is none other than Vecna, the legendary arch-lich who also happens to be the primary antagonist in the new DnD 5e campaign Vecna: Eve of Ruin. Playing as Vecna, you’ll be able to use up to four spells that have been adapted from D&D 5e, including Mage Hand, Fly, Flight of the Damned and Dispelling Sphere. Notably, in the game Vecna is voiced by Critical Role’s Matt Mercer.
To take on Vecna, survivors will be able to locate treasure chests on the new dungeon-themed map that provides two unique magical items: a pair of gauntlets and a pair of boots. Each of these items can counteract one of Vecna’s spells. Additionally, survivors can also find both the Hand and Eye of Vecna, which are rare magical items that provide additional advantages over the killer.
Final Thoughts
This year also marks a pivotal time for both DBD and D&D, as it’s Dead by Daylight’s 7th anniversary and Dungeons & Dragons 50th anniversary, with both brands planning to celebrate with a number of key initiatives. That being said, it’s great to see something that plays to both IP’s strengths and offers a way to introduce new players from both games.
Below is also the full trailer which showcases more of what fans can expect when the new Dead by Daylight D&D season kicks off on June 6th.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
