BHVR has recently unveiled the 27th Chapter of Dead by Daylight, “Tools of Torment”. This new chapter plans to add a new Killer (The Skull Merchant) along with two new survivors (Thalita Lyra & Renato Lyra). In the Player Test Build players were able to test out the new playable characters and perks. After having gotten the chance to play as her, reception to The Skull Merchant has been mixed. Adriana Imai AKA the Skull Merchant has four drones she can place to survey a large radius. If a survivor stays in the drone’s radius for a period of time they will become exposed and killer instinct will activate, revealing their location. While the Drones may be good at tracking survivors in a certain area, there are many other disadvantages to this killer.
The Issues with The Skull Merchant
One of the main problems with The Skull Merchant is her lack of utility. Her stats are just about as average as you can get. While chasing survivors she lacks ways to injure survivors besides her basic attack. While her drones certainly have their use in tracking survivors; The time it takes for them to actually inflict the exposed status effect on the survivors makes it a very rare occurence. If that wasn’t bad enough the survivors can see and completely avoid the drone’s radius. After a period of drone inactivity, survivors are also able to deactivate the drones, so it’s a very unreliable power. Some players have even gone as far to call her the weakest killer yet.
Her lackluster power is not all that has upsetted fans. Many have complained about the new killer’s design and animations. The Skull Merchant is a woman with what appears to be a bedazzled iron mask covering half of her face. For her basic attacks she weilds sharp claws around her right arm, similar to The Predator. Fans have especially complained about The Skull Merchant’s mori, an animation finishing off the survivor. Compared to how insane some of the other killer’s moris are, her animation feels unnaturally stiff.
Fan Speculation
With her seemingly rushed state, many fans theorize that The Skull Merchant was not initially designed as she is now. Her having a power that plays into stealthily hunting down survivors before slashing them down, has caused fans to speculate she was originally designed as The Predator. With how The Skull Merchant stands still before delivering the final blow in her mori animation, many could see it initially having been The Predator uncloaking from invisibility. While this is nothing but mere speculation, it is interesting to think about. In conclusion we’ve seen a lot of negative responses to this killer since the player test build. As a fan of Dead by Daylight I can only hope BHVR gives her the reworks she needs. You are able to play Dead by Daylight at The Esports Cave in Austin Texas.
