The Dead by Daylight Grimoire gives us a first glimpse at new Killer and Survivor designs, and the final choice is yours

Behaviour Interactive has peeled back the cover on the Dead by Daylight Grimoire to give us our first glimpse of what its next Killer and Survivor could look like – and the final choice is in your hands. Creative director Dave Richard says the new chapter is about “bringing players into our process in a way we’ve never done before,” by having the DBD community partake in an extended series of votes to define everything from the overarching theme of the update to its new arrivals.

The Grimoire is the first-ever Dead by Daylight chapter that’s been built in close collaboration with the players like so, and we’ve already been through some initial phases to choose the general vibes of the horror game’s next stage.

It was determined that the new Killer should be divine and otherworldly, a wielder of exalted truth delivering torment through direct action. The Survivor, meanwhile, is a spiritual scientist from a world torn apart by that same Killer. Refusing to submit, they’ve been studying ways to counteract its effects.

With those baselines set, Behaviour has now officially entered production on The Grimoire proper, and that means it’s time to bring these somewhat abstract concepts to life. For the Killer, we start with a rough silhouette, of which there are three choices.

The first feels more traditionally ‘divine’ and angelic, the second leans more into the ‘biblically accurate angels’ with more unusual shapes and eldritch tentacles, and the third seems to feature a giant beast head walking on a mass of grasping limbs. All have their appeal – my eye was initially drawn to the middle, but I’m being increasingly won over by the elegant look of the first and how much it matches the chosen theme.

Once you’ve picked your favorite, you’ll also be given the choice between four potential designs for our spiritual scientist Survivor. All four are strong picks, although I’m particularly taken by the silver-haired woman with the scar across her eye leaving her with one discolored pupil. That’s probably just because she looks like the kind of custom character I’d have come up with myself, however.

The current Dead by Daylight Grimoire vote runs from Friday January 23 at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET until Monday January 26 at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm GMT / 6pm CET. It includes choices for the Killer’s silhouette and the Survivor’s face. You can participate right here.

Naturally, this initial stage is just the start, and there’s plenty more on the cards for the coming weeks. “Upcoming votes will go even deeper into visual identity, exploring mood boards and material direction as the community continues to refine the chapter’s look and feel,” Behaviour teases.