Of all the killers I’ve played in Dead by Daylight, The Hag is the one that gives the greatest sense of satisfaction. This may sound a bit odd because few people play her. She’s slow, has to set up in order to attack, and is usually only exciting in the second half of the game. But when things work out for The Hag, the game gets fast and exciting. If you’re playing against four solo queue survivors, you’ll get kill after kill; if the survivors are experienced, you’ll spend all your time trying to find ways to down them. Either way, it’s a wild ride.
Getting to Know The Hag
The Hag’s special ability is setting Phantasm Traps via her power, Blackened Catalyst. When a survivor steps on a trap, an illusion of The Hag appears and she can teleport to that trap. This is very helpful because she’s one of the slowest killers in the game, moving at 110% (4.4 meters/second). The average killer moves at 115%; survivors all move at 100% (4.0 meters/second). So while The Hag can catch a survivor, it’s not her strong point.
The Hag gets 10 Phantasm Traps to place strategically. When all the traps are set, the first one will disappear if she places another. Survivors can wipe away a trap, so keep an eye on how many you have left. Also, once a trap is used, it goes away. Because of this, survivors will often run around triggering them.
The Hag must be within 48 meters of a trap to teleport to it–this can be extended with Add-Ons. This forces her to proxy camp, which can be tricky due to the game’s anti-camp mechanisms. Basically, if you stay too close to a hooked survivor, they have a better chance of unhooking themselves. It’s not an issue if you keep your distance unless you have a reason to be there, such as downing a survivor going for the unhook.
Trap Placement
Because you get a limited number of traps, it’s best to quickly decide which slice of the map you’re going to defend. I look for a section with a lot of generators, especially on a map I’m not familiar with. Since a seasoned survivor will know to look for the traps, try to place them in high traffic areas with tall grass or poorly lit locations. This may not always be an option, so give it your best shot. If a survivor is hooked, place one close to the survivor’s feet.
The ground around a generator is usually clear or well lit, so think about the path a survivor needs to take to get there. Is there an overgrown or dark area? If there’s a nearby window they may use to escape, place the trap on the landing side. If you’re chasing a survivor and being looped, they’re less likely to look down at the corners of the loop.
Also, since The Hag excels in areas with limited escape options, she’s a great basement killer. If you can hook survivors there, do it. While in the basement, survivors will often hide in corners, so think about placing a trap in one of them.
Perks
Since The Hag takes time to set up, it’s not unusual for a generator or two to pop before the game kicks in. Bringing a couple generator regression perks is key for this. The Hag comes equipped with Hex: Ruin, which regresses all generators not being worked on. While this is a useful, it relies on a totem that, if blessed or cleansed, disables the perk. Look through your collection of perks to find one or two to add to it.
Below are three easy to use generator regression perks to consider:
- Grim Embrace (The Artist): when you hook a survivor for the time, you get a token. 1-3 tokens will block all generators for 6/8/10 seconds (depending on the perk tier). 4 tokens will block all generators for 40 seconds.
- Thrilling Tremors (Ghost Face): when you pick up a survivor, all generators not being worked on are blocked. The auras of all generators are shown, with the ones not being blocked appearing red. Blocked gens will be in white.
- No Holds Barred (all): when a generator is completed the one with the most progress is blocked for 15/20/25 seconds depending on the perk tier. The blocked generator will also have its aura shown in white.
Add-Ons and Offerings
Like all killers, The Hag has Add-Ons to help her become better at what she does. Look though her Add-On options and think about where you need help. Find the ones you want and stockpile them from the Bloodweb. Remember, Add-Ons deplete as you use them. Try out other Add-Ons while you’re stocking up.
Two Add-Ons I like using are:
- Dried Cicada, to increase the range in which I can teleport by 15%. This allows The Hag more map to move around and still be able to teleport when necessary.
- Bloodied Water, which decreases the distance that the survivor has to be from the trap in order to trigger it. This allows The Hag to be closer to the survivor when she teleports.
You may also want to think about using Torn Blueprint. This Offering will increase the chances that the hooks will spawn in the main building, if the map has one. You will also see the auras of the basement hooks for 20 seconds at the start of the trial. It won’t reward you with extra Bloodpoints, but will give you an edge.
Hopefully you found this post helpful. As always, feel free to reach out to me on social media with questions, comments, or just to say hello.