Following the original Portrait of a Murder chapter, Dead by Daylight is kicking off its 2022 content with a terrifying licensed chapter: Sadako Rising. Despite not having a new map, the Sadako Rising chapter features a brand-new killer and survivor from the Ringu novel and film. This classic J-Horror franchise is a long-requested addition to the Dead by Daylight roster, with iconic imagery and its own pride of place in the horror pantheon.
We’re going to break down everything you need to know about this new chapter that has crawled out of the well.
The Killer
Abandoned, broken, and left to die at the bottom of a well, Sadako Yamamura‘s vengeful rage has only enhanced her already uncontrollable telepathic abilities. In the realm of The Entity, she is referred to as The Onryō, and she has proven herself in the public testing grounds as a superb stealth-based killer.
Using her power, Deluge of Fear, The Onryō is able to lose her terror radius heartbeat and phase in and out of visibility. Using various television sets in set areas, she is able to teleport around the map at will, giving her fantastic map control and mobility. Additionally, teleporting to a television set while a survivor is in the vicinity will build up a ‘condemned’ meter. When their meter is full, Sadako is able to initiate a swift death sequence with her Inexorable Stare.
However, survivors can keep their meters at bay by removing and replacing VHS tapes into the television sets. They’re also, under certain conditions, able to turn off these television temporally to reduce her teleporting capabilities.
Along with her power, The Onryō comes with three unique perks. They are:
Scourge Hook: Floods of Rage: A perk that will reveal even the most discreet survivors. At the start of the match, 4 hooks become special scourge hooks. When a survivor is unhooked from one of these hooks, the auras of all other survivors in the match are revealed for up to 30 seconds.
Call of Brine: A perk that tracks generators and regresses them. This perk activates after damaging a generator, causing the generator to regress at up to 200% of the normal regression speed. The aura of the generator is then revealed to the killer. When a survivor completes a good skill check on the regressing generator, the killer will receive a noise notification, indicating that it is being worked on.
Merciless Storm: A perk that tests survivors’ concentration. When a generator is almost completed, survivors will be hit with multiple difficult skill checks. If they miss a skill check or stop their repairs, the generator will be blocked for up to 20 seconds. However, this perk can only activate once per generator per trial.
The Survivor
As a brilliant marine biologist, Sadako isn’t the only character with an affinity for water in this chapter. Yoichi Asakawa‘s history with the cursed videotape goes back to his encounter with it as a child and an awakening of his own innate psychic abilities.
Yoichi Asakawa also comes with three unique perks. They are:
Parental Guidance: A perk to make killers lose track in a chase. When a killer is stunned, the survivor’s blood, scratch marks and cries will be hidden and stifled for up to 7 seconds.
Empathic Connection: A perk that helps with your healing. When a survivor is injured they can see your aura, meaning they will have someone to turn to to get healed. You also heal survivors faster than normal.
Boon: Dark Theory: A new boon to get everyone moving. While in the radius of the blessed Boon Totem, survivors gain the Haste status effect and move 2% faster than normal. This lasts until the the survivor either leaves the blessed area or the boon is snuffed out by the killer.
Dead by Daylight: Sadako Rising is available now.
Words by Jack Roberts