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Though anicon of classic 80s horror, Freddy Krueger is considered to be among the weakest Killers inDead by Daylight. Known as The Nightmare in-game, Freddy’s power allows him to teleport directly to generators while placing snares or fake pallets at loops to help slow down Survivors while they sleep. This power, while effective for guarding generators, limits The Nightmare while chasing more experienced Survivors inDead by Daylight.
While builds cannot expressly strengthen The Nightmare’s lackluster abilities, they can assist in slowing down generator progress, giving the Killer more time to catch Survivors. This guide will cover teachable and non-teachable builds to use onThe Nightmare inDead by Daylightto give the Killer a fighting chance against a coordinated team.
Updated June 05, 2025, by Lewis Smyth:As more DLC chapters come to Dead by Daylight, significant changes are made to the game, shaking up the meta and changing the best builds for each Killer. This updated guide reflects these changes by modernizing the Best Builds and adding a new Best Add-Ons list.
The Nightmare: Best Non-Teachable Build (2024)
For Freddy to be effective, he must regularly attack Survivors to ensure they enter the Dream World, in which they are Oblivious and become susceptible to Freddy’s chase powers. This non-teachable build makes use of perks thatslow Survivor healingand exit gate progress, helping The Nightmare kill Survivors in the Endgame.
The Nightmare: Best Build (2024)
This build revolves entirely aroundslowing down generatorswith the strongest slowdown perks inDead by Daylightuntil a lethal endgame collapse.
The Nightmare: Best Add-Ons
Freddy Kruger’sDead by DaylightAdd-Ons are a nightmare to work with. While this unpopular character is largely underserved in the strength department, that doesn’t mean all his Add-Ons are completely useless. This section of the guide details themost effective add-onsavailable to The Nightmare in order of rarity.
Wool Shirt
The best of a bad bunch of Common Add-Ons, the Wool Shirt, increases the penalties for missed skill checks by4%. It’s better than nothing, though not incredibly impactful in higher levels of play.
Nancy’s Sketch
A large part of the Dream Demon power is the ability to Dream Project to unfinished generators. Nancy’s Sketch reduces the cooldown for Dream Projection by2%for each Survivor in the Dream World. A minor effect, but one that can help facilitate more map-wide pressure.
Green Dress
A buffed version of the Wool Shirt, the Green Dress Add-On has the same effect but also reveals the auras of Survivors who fail skill checks for3 seconds. When paired with perks likeHex: Huntress Lullaby, this Add-On can get quite a bit of value.
Cat Block
Granting Freddy Killer Instinct on Survivors within16 metersof a generator after using Dream Projection; this acts somewhat likeThe Knight’s Nowhere to Hideperk.
Unicorn Block
When spreading pressure across the map, one way in which Freddy can debilitate Survivors is byinflicting the Blindness statuswith this add-on. This may make them blunder into dead zones without help from their perks or fail to find a hooked or downed Survivor on the map before the effect disappears.
Paint Thinner
More fun than powerful, the Paint Thinner is the strongest of a series of Freddy Add-Ons that replace his Dream Snares withDream Pallets. Survivors in solo queue who don’t track destroyed pallets or rely to much onWindows of Opportunitywill fall victim to the fake pallets and land themselves in a deadzone. However, this strategy is less effective against more coordinated teams.
Nancy’s Masterpiece
An upgraded rarity of Nancy’s Sketch, this Add-On may help save afew secondshere and there when using Dream Projection.
Blue Dress
The strongestskill check add-onfor The Nightmare, when stacked with the Green Dress or Wool Shirt, missing skill checks against Freddy can be extremely costly, especially when guarding generators with a skill check-focused build.
“Z” Block
Almost all The Nightmare’s Very Rare Add-Ons range from niche to utterly ineffectual – the “Z” Block is the sole exception. If you’restruggling to find Survivorswhen you teleport, use this or theUncommon Cat Block.
Red Paint Brush
The Red Paint Brush is probably Freddy’s best add-on, forcing Survivors to begin the trialin the Dream Worldand preventing them from easily exiting it. This Ultra Rare ability helps speed up early game chases, as Survivors are immediately susceptible to being slowed by Dream Snares or Pallets.
Black Box
Another contender for his best add-on, especially when paired with The Nightmare’s own endgame-focused perks, the Black Box blocks exit gates for15 secondsafter they are opened, giving ample time to secure a kill in the final moments of a match.
