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InDead By Daylight, there arefew characters quite as oppressive as The Artist, the cold-hearted crow-wielding Killer with the power topressure loops and generators from up close and afar with her Birds of Torment. Featuring valuable perks like Hex: Pentimento and Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance, The Artist is a high-priority unlock for anyDead By DaylightKillers looking to pressure Survivors with Hex Totems and Scourge Hooks.
As The Artist can down Survivors without using her basic attack, her prowess comes from creating unsafe loops and stalling generator progress while still in chase. This guide will highlight the best perks that synergize well withThe Artist’s abilities, including the best builds for players with teachable and non-teachable perks.
Updated June 23, 2025 by Lewis Smyth:The Artist has, since release, remained one of the most powerful Killers in Dead by Daylight. In recent patches, she has only gotten stronger as her perks are buffed and her best builds change. This updated guide features new builds with the best perks and lists The Artist’s best add-ons for beginners.
The Artist: Best Beginner Build (2024)
With the power to injure survivors from a distance with her Birds of Torment,The Artist thrives by knowing Survivors' locationsto mark and down them with her crows. By maintaining pressure on Survivors and keeping generators regressing with each hook,this build can slow the game down long enough for a brutal endgame.
The Artist: Best Build (2024)
This build similarly focuses ongenerator pressure and finding Survivor locationsto force them from generators. Using Pain Resonance and Grim Embrace, whenever The Artist hooks a Survivor, they are severely punished as their generators explode and become blocked by The Entity. UsingThe Deathslinger’sGearhead to find the generators being worked on whenever you down a Survivor, The Artist can then send Dire Crows to block that generator further with Dead Man’s Switch after each hook.
The Artist: Best Add-Ons
The Artist is an exceptionally powerfulDead by DaylightKiller, but not all their add-ons match their strength. This section of the Best Builds guide highlights thebest add-onsto use on The Artist, in order of their rarity.
Thick Tar
Not a bad effect for a Common Add-On, the Thick Tarincreases the dispelling timeof Dire Crow swarms by half a second, leaving a slightly greater window for a follow-up attack.
Velvet Fabric
To help with reading a Survivor’s intended movements beyond line-of-sight, the Velvet Fabric shows the aura of swarming Dire Crows for anadditional 1.5 secondsafter a Survivor begins to dispel them.
Untitled Agony
A small but impactful effect, Untitled AgonyHinders Survivorsfor1.5 secondswhen Dire Crows swarm them. This can be useful in close quarters to more easily catch up to Survivors in chase.
Festering Carrion
Perhaps The Artist’s most consistently valuable add-on, the Festering Carriondecreases the cooldownof Birds of Torment by 0.5 seconds with each Dire Crow flight. This means that you can always get your power back more frequently after sending out swarms.
Thorny Nest
When it comes to slowinghealing speeds inDead by Daylight,inflicting Mangled and Hemorrhageon Survivors is the most viable means of applying pressure. The Thorny Nest Add-On applies these status effects for 70 seconds on Survivors injured by Dire Crows.
O Grief, O Lover
While many Survivors will useExhaustion perksat the beginning of chases, those who don’t may find themselvesExhaustedbefore they can use them with O Grief, O Lover.
Severed Tongue
The Severed Tongue reduces The Artist’smovement speed penaltyafter sending out Dire Crows by 0.5 seconds, better enabling you to close gaps to Survivors.
Severed Hands
A hugely powerful add-on that further encourages Survivors to stay split up, preventing them from healing or quickly completing generators, the Severed Hands makes her Dire Crows a contagion,spreading to any Survivorsnear those already swarmed.
Matais’ Baby Shoes
A fantastic add-on that helpsDead by Daylightplayers of all skill levelsland hits on Survivors, Matais’ Baby Shoesshows the aura of Survivorswithin 5 meters of an idle Dire Crow. With this, you may more easily out-mind-game Survivors at loops and learn when to propel your idle Crows to damage them.
Garden Of Rot
While the Garden of Rot Add-On may not provide as consistent value as others, it’s still worth mentioning given how strong it can be when it does work. This Very Rare modifierExposes Survivors for 4 secondseach time they repel Dire Crows, making it exceptionally oppressive at close range, damning those who repel, and dooming those who don’t risk being hit by another Crow.
