One of the things that I find so intriguing about the Diablo games is their warped, twisted take on divinity. While the Prime Evils are, of course, the main antagonists, Diablo 4’s Inarius is, if you’ll pardon the pun, hardly an angel, nor is Reverend Mother Prava. Twisting something that’s supposed to be inherently good into something that’s entirely evil is a real skill: one that I love to see developers grapple with head-on. Dead by Daylight‘s new, community-led chapter, Chorus of Sin, does just that. I was obsessed with All-Kill, but this may be the chapter of the year.
Let’s start off with our new DBD Killer, The Judgement. An eerie, corrupted angel figure, aesthetically they’re a first for the horror game. While their golden body and bisected wings look heavenly, as you move further down their legs become somewhat crab-like, with odd, almost screaming faces carved into them. They use divine light to smite Survivors and, when they’re downed, can transport them to Exile – “a realm of eternal punishment where they must avoid hazards or risk speeding up their demise.”
They have three unique perks, too: Celestial Witness, which vaguely reveals your Obsession’s aura from miles away; Hex: Under Your Thumb, which limits Survivor’s haste after their first hook, and Lay Waste, which makes damaged generators regress faster the further it has been repaired. All in all, they sound pretty strong.
Then we have our Survivor, Aurora Stardotter. A spiritual scientist who has fled one of the worlds The Judgement has ravaged, with Fruits of Your Labor she can stack up tokens for every generator completed, gaining haste and increased healing. Then she has Salvation’s Cry which, when you’re being chased by a Killer, highlights both your and their aura to other Survivors. Boon: Steadfast creates a totem that causes generators within range to be repaired faster and regress at a slower rate, actively countering The Judgement’s Lay Waste.
Aurora is perfect for faster-paced Dead by Daylight players, who want to zip around the map, complete gens, and get the heck out of dodge. She’s not quite Meg Thomas, but as someone who loves going zoom, she’s perfect for me. I’m also obsessed with the witchyness of her character model, but that’s an aside.
Dead by Daylight’s Chorus of Sin chapter is live now on the PTB, and drops in-game on Tuesday, August 25.
DBD is a game that keeps on giving; it, much like Warframe, continues to innovate in ways I don’t expect, and that’s what I love about it. The Judgement is a new look for the game – one that’s equal parts gorgeous and gross; one that plays with themes I find so, so interesting. Post tenth-anniversary, it feels like Behaviour has hit its stride – Creative Director Dave Richard told me that the team has “barely started,” and man do I believe him. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a new Killer to learn.
