Michael Myers, known as The Shape, is the first licensed Killer in *Dead by Daylight*. With a chilling and relentless approach, he stalks Survivors from a distance, gaining power as he tracks them before executing his deadly maneuvers. This guide is specifically designed to showcase optimal builds for players utilizing The Shape, featuring both teachable and non-teachable perks tailored for players of all skill levels.
Updated on January 13, 2025, by Siddarth Narasimman: Although Michael Myers has long been considered one of the weaker killers in the game, his popularity among newcomers persists. Recent updates, particularly Patch 8.4.0, have provided him with enhancements that elevate his viability. This is an opportune moment for players to familiarize themselves with effective builds and add-ons for one of horror’s most legendary characters.
The Shape: Optimal Non-Teachable Build (2025)
Navigating the trials as The Shape without the perks of other Killers can be daunting, but certainly achievable. This build strategically employs Save the Best for Last, enhancing chase efficiency, paired with Sloppy Butcher to hinder healing and prolong the match. Additionally, Bitter Murmur and Hex: No One Escapes Death prove vital in dominating surviving players during the crucial endgame phase without the necessity for extensive stalking.
- Save the Best for Last (The Shape): Hits on Survivors who are not the Obsession grant tokens (up to a max of eight), reducing cooldown by 4% per token for a total maximum of 32%. Hitting the Obsession reduces token count by two.
- Hex: No One Escapes Death (General Perk): Once the last generator is done, all Survivors suffer from the Exposed status and receive a 4% Haste effect until the Hex Totem is cleansed.
- Bitter Murmur (General Perk): Aura of Survivors within 16 meters of a completed generator are revealed for 5 seconds. Upon the last generator completion, all Survivors’ auras are revealed for 10 seconds.
- Sloppy Butcher (General Perk): Basic attacks inflict Mangled and Hemorrhage, impeding healing by 25% and causing regressions if healing attempts are interrupted.
The Shape: Superior Build (2025)
This build prioritizes generator slowdown by leveraging powerful perks while providing an initial boost to The Shape’s lacking mobility early on in the match. His goal should focus on guarding nearby generators, monitoring their progress, and utilizing perks like The Artist’s Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance and The Cenobite’s Deadlock to exert control over the game landscape.
Moreover, The Nemesis’s Lethal Pursuer helps track Survivors early on, setting the tone for a more decisive start. Finally, Coup de Grâce empowers The Shape to effectively navigate loops where he typically struggles.
- Lethal Pursuer (The Nemesis): At match start, see all Survivors’ auras for nine seconds, with a bonus in aura-reading of two seconds.
- Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance (The Artist): Starts with four tokens. For each unique Survivor hooked on a white Scourge Hook, one token is consumed to explode the most progressed generator, causing it to lose 25% of progress.
- Deadlock (The Cenobite): Blocks the generator with the most progression for 25 seconds after a generator is completed, revealing the blocked generator’s aura.
- Coup de Grâce (The Twins): Gains two tokens for every completed generator, allowing for an increased lunge attack distance of 80% when a token is used.
The Shape: Top Add-Ons (2025)
Memorial Flower
The Memorial Flower stands out as the most effective common add-on for Michael Myers, providing an 11% increase in stalking speed that compensates for his natural sluggishness while stalking.
Dead Rabbit
Despite its grim connotation, the Dead Rabbit add-on reduces the Terror Radius by 25% during Evil Within II, which proves significantly advantageous. However, as it increases the Terror Radius in Evil Within III, it’s advisable to pair this with the Monitor and Abuse perk or similar modifications to the Terror Radius to maintain an element of surprise.
J. Myers Memorial
This add-on is notable for providing a generous 25% increase to stalking gain rate, often paired with the Tombstone Piece to mitigate the downsides of slower progression to Evil Within III.
Hair Bow
The Hair Bow effectively amplifies The Shape’s threat during Evil Within III, particularly when combined with the J. Myers Memorial add-on, allowing multiple activations of Evil Within III to apply continued pressure on the Survivors throughout the match.
Tombstone Piece
The Tombstone Piece emerges as arguably The Shape’s most formidable add-on, enabling him to instantly eliminate any Survivor upon reaching Evil Within III, regardless of their status on the hook. This powerful ability can drastically alter the flow of gameplay, allowing for strategic advantages that surpass even the Ultra Rare Judith’s Tombstone, which incurs speed penalties upon use.
Lock Of Hair
Adding 40 extra seconds to Evil Within III, the Lock of Hair add-on, while not as effective as the Hair Bow, enhances stalking speed during this phase as well. Players utilizing Lethal Pursuer and J. Myers Memorial may find it a strong alternative.
Fragrant Tuft of Hair
Despite drastically reducing The Shape’s stalking rate by 200%, the Fragrant Tuft of Hair offers the unique advantage of ensuring infinite Evil Within III. This feature frees players from managing their power actively, allowing for instant downs on Survivors without prior stalking.
Leave a Reply