Dead By Daylight best Clown build (November 2022)

The Clown was introduced to Dead by Daylight in June 2018, released alongside his Survivor counterpart, Kate Denson. Since his release, The Clown has gone through one significant rework, as well as a few buffs to his Power. This guide will focus on the current build of The Clown.

However, if you’re looking for a way to dominate with The Clown, you’re going to first need to understand his perks, powers, add-ons, as well as the tips and tricks you’ll need to know to catch Survivors off guard.

For even more on Dead By Daylight, check out our killers tier list to see which villain is best. We've also got a hub all about Chapter 23, as well as the latest Dead By Daylight codes.

Dead By Daylight The Clown perks

The Clown has three unique perks that can be unlocked for other Killers via the Bloodweb.

Bamboozle

When you perform a Vault action, you do so 5/10/15% faster. The Vault you used is blocked off for Survivors by the Entity for 8/12/16 seconds.

Coulrophobia

The healing speed for Survivors in your Terror Radius is reduced by 30/40/50%.

Pop Goes the Weasel

When you Hook a Survivor, this perk activates for the next 35/40/45 seconds. The next Generator you damage will lose 25% progression, and then will continue to regress at a normal rate.

What is the best build and perks for The Clown?

We would go with the following perks for the best possible Clown build:

Pop Goes the Weasel (The Clown Perk)

A deep bond with The Entity unlocks great strength. After hooking a Survivor, Pop Goes the Weasel activates for the next several seconds.

The next Generator you damage instantly loses 25% Progression. Regular Generator Regression applies afterwards and Pop Goes the Weasel deactivates.

A Nurse's Calling (The Nurse Perk)

Unlocks potential in your Aura-reading ability. The Auras of Survivors, who are healing or being healed, are revealed to you when they are within a range of several metres.

I'm All Ears (Ghost Face Perk)

Unlocks potential in your Aura-reading ability, sharpening your keen senses in the dark Realm of The Entity. Any Survivor performing a rushed action within 48 metres of your location will have their Aura revealed to you for 6 seconds. I'm All Ears can only be triggered once every couple of seconds.

Bamboozle (The Clown Perk)

When you perform a Vault action, you do so 5/10/15% faster. The Vault you used is blocked off for Survivors by the Entity for 8/12/16 seconds.

Dead By Daylight The Clown powers

The Clown’s Power is the Afterpiece Tonic. You start the Trial with 4 Tonic bottles. These can be reloaded (after deplenishing them all) via pressing the Power button.

The Afterpiece Tonic is a cloudy, purple-coloured bottle that The Clown throws. Once it hits a solid objective - be that walls, the ground, or even Survivors - the Afterpiece Tonic will unleash a purple gas that will cause Survivors to scream, have impaired vision and become Hindered for 2 seconds.

The Clown also has the Afterpiece Antidote which, unlike the Afterpiece Tonic, is a yellow-coloured bottle that works in the same way. The only difference is that instead of slowing down Survivors, it will only speed them up. However, this can also be used by The Clown to increase his Movement Speed too, making it effective to catch up during a Chase or when patrolling the map.

If a Survivor runs through the yellow cloud while Intoxicated via the Afterpiece Tonic they will instantly be cured. Alternatively, the effects of the Afterpiece Tonic will nullify the positive benefits of the Afterpiece Antidote.

Best add-ons for The Clown in Dead By Daylight

The Clown is a Killer that doesn’t have too many add-ons that change up his base kit. However, there are some you’ll definitely want to keep your eye on if you’re looking to punish and catch your prey.

Flask of Bleach

This increases the time of the Hindered status effect that Survivors suffer by 5%. To be frank, the slower Survivors are, the more chance you’ll be able to catch them off guard and cut the Chase short.

Redhead’s Pinkie Finger

This add-on is dependent on how confident you are when landing your hits with The Clown. If an Afterpiece Tonic bottle directly hits the Survivor, they gain the Exposed status effect - making the Survivor a one-hit down. Again, the effectiveness of this add-on is entirely reliant on you.

VHS Porn

Effective because it swaps the colours of the Afterpiece Tonic and the Afterpiece Antidote. This means that Survivors who run into the yellow cloud will instead become Intoxicated, confusing them and giving them false information. Particularly strong against solo-queue players.

Cheap Gin Bottle

Nothing too flashy - you start with two extra Afterpiece Tonic bottles and it increases the bottle capacity by 2. This allows more room for tricky shots, and compliments the Redhead’s Pinkie Finger add-on quite nicely.

Dead By Daylight The Clown tips and tricks

• The Clown’s power is great at shutting down loops due to the Hindered status effect - meaning you should throw the bottles towards Vaults and Pallets ahead of you rather than at the ground directly in front of you.
• If you throw the Afterpiece Tonic directly at a Survivor and it hits them, their action will be interrupted. For example, if the Survivor was going to Vault at a Window, they won’t be able to do so and you’ll be able to hit them.
• Aura-seeing perks like Nurse’s Calling and I’m All Ears are effective for Clown, especially when paired with Sloppy Butcher. This will help you get the surprise on Survivors keep them guessing because of your aggressive gameplay.
• Pop Goes The Weasel is The Clown’s perk and you should add to your arsenal to help with slowing down Generators. Add it with your Afterpiece Antidote and you’ll be able to speed across the map with no trouble at all.
• Throw an Afterpiece Tonic at any Survivor on a Hook as you leave. This is to help ward off Survivors and if anyone is nearby, give you an indicator that you can go back to the Hook and chase them away.
• Always reload your Afterpiece Tonic before picking up a Dying Survivor. This is to prevent you from having to Reload in the middle of a Chase or after putting a Survivor on a Hook when you should be patrolling Generators.

That's all you need to know about the best The Clown builds in Dead by Daylight. Be sure to check back regularly to see how your build could be improved. In the meantime, check out the killers we wish to see in Dead by Daylight soon, or some games like DBD for when you need a break.