The air hangs thick with tension. The rhythmic thumping of your heart echoes in your ears as you crouch behind a rusted generator, the Killer’s terror radius growing ever closer. In Dead by Daylight, every decision is a gamble, every chase a dance with death. But what if you could control the pace of that dance, manipulate the Killer’s momentum, and turn their aggression against them? Enter “Play With Your Food,” a unique and potentially devastating Killer perk that can transform a skilled hunter into an unstoppable predator. This perk allows Killers to manipulate the chase, trading short-term pressure for long-term speed and control. It’s a risky strategy, but in the right hands, “Play With Your Food” can be the key to dominating the trial.
Dead by Daylight, for those unfamiliar, is an asymmetrical multiplayer horror game where four survivors try to escape a map while being hunted by one killer. Survivors work to repair generators, open the exit gates, and escape, while the killer tries to sacrifice them to the Entity. Perks are abilities the killer and survivors equip to enhance their playstyle.
This article aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of “Play With Your Food,” delving into its mechanics, strengths, weaknesses, optimal killer synergies, and effective strategies for both Killers and Survivors. We’ll explore how to master this perk and turn the tables on your opponents in the fog. Whether you’re a seasoned DBD veteran or a newcomer eager to learn the ropes, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to unlock the true potential of “Play With Your Food.”
Understanding the Perk: Play With Your Food
At its core, “Play With Your Food” is a perk that rewards Killers for intentionally ending chases with their obsession. The obsession is one randomly chosen survivor and is marked on the killer’s HUD. When a Killer allows their obsession to escape a chase, they gain a token. Each token grants a bonus to their movement speed. The catch? Attacking a survivor consumes a token, and therefore the movement speed bonus.
Specifically, the perk works like this: whenever you let your obsession escape, you receive a speed boost token. Depending on the tier of the perk, you can stack up to three tokens. Each token increases your movement speed by a percentage. At tier one, each token gives a three percent speed boost; tier two grants a four percent speed boost; and the third tier, a five percent speed boost.
It’s crucial to understand the precise conditions for gaining a token. You must actively end the chase, meaning you need to break off pursuit. Simply losing the survivor isn’t enough. You need to disengage and allow them to escape. The timing of the token gain is also important. It happens immediately after the survivor is no longer being chased. This means you can’t just tap them once and let them go; they need to genuinely escape.
The strategic element of “Play With Your Food” goes beyond just chasing and hitting. It’s about deception and creating uncertainty. It’s a calculated risk, trading immediate pressure for future potential. A killer using Play With Your Food has to make a judgement call whether to break chase and give up some progress in exchange for the speed boost. The choice can sometimes cause the survivors to second guess what the killer is planning.
Strengths and Weaknesses of Play With Your Food
The allure of “Play With Your Food” lies in its potential to dramatically increase mobility and create mind games. However, like any perk, it has its limitations.
The greatest strength of “Play With Your Food” is the unmatched mobility it provides. The burst of speed allows killers to quickly traverse the map, respond to generator progress, and cut off survivors at loops. The increased movement speed is a great asset to those killers who normally struggle to close the gap on survivors.
Beyond pure speed, “Play With Your Food” excels at mind games. Survivors will second guess your intentions. Are you truly ending the chase, or are you luring them into a trap? This uncertainty can be exploited to predict their movements, herd them into unfavorable positions, and secure easy hits.
Some killers benefit more than others from Play With Your Food and we’ll discuss that later on. The perk synergizes well with killers who rely on close-quarters ambushes or those who struggle to close distances quickly. When used correctly, the movement speed buff can turn the tide of the match.
However, “Play With Your Food” is far from a guaranteed victory. Its biggest weakness is its reliance on the obsession. If the obsession is quickly eliminated, the perk becomes useless. That’s why it’s important to protect the obsession early in the match. If you can’t, consider switching to a different strategy.
Additionally, intentionally ending chases allows survivors to make generator progress. Every second you spend letting your obsession escape is a second they’re working towards their objective. You have to balance the potential benefits of “Play With Your Food” with the risk of losing map control. This makes the perk a high-risk, high-reward option.
Managing your tokens is crucial. You need to conserve them for when they’re most needed. Wasting them on unnecessary chases or predictable loops will negate their effectiveness. Think about when and where you use your tokens. Are you trying to cut someone off? Are you trying to traverse a long portion of the map?
Finally, Play With Your Food isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Skilled survivors can anticipate your movements and exploit the perk’s weaknesses. They’ll use unpredictable routes, break line of sight, and force you to waste tokens on dead-end chases. It’s critical to adapt your playstyle and not become overly reliant on the speed boost.
Another limiter is that only killers who down survivors with M1 basic attacks benefit from this perk. Killers with powers that can instantly down survivors get no value from it.
Best Killer Synergies for Play With Your Food
While any killer can technically use “Play With Your Food,” certain killers synergize with it exceptionally well. These are killers who either benefit greatly from increased movement speed or those who can effectively exploit the mind game potential of the perk.
The Shape (Michael Myers) thrives with “Play With Your Food.” The speed boost allows him to close distances quickly in Tier II Evil Within, making it easier to stalk survivors and build up his power. In addition, it helps him rapidly move around the map when he’s trying to gain stalk.
The Wraith, with his cloaking ability, greatly benefits from Play With Your Food. Since it’s difficult to see a cloaked Wraith already, increasing his speed makes him even more difficult to see and react to.
The Spirit is another strong contender. The speed boost helps her close the gap after phasing, making it easier to land unexpected attacks. Survivors will struggle to predict her location, and she can rapidly appear behind them.
The Pig also likes the speed from Play With Your Food. The speed can help her catch survivors off guard with ambush attacks from crouch.
Finally, The Clown can use the extra speed to get into better position for chucking bottles and closing the gap.
The key to these synergies is how the speed boost complements the killer’s power. It amplifies their existing strengths and mitigates their weaknesses. For example, Michael Myers struggles with mobility in Tier II. “Play With Your Food” directly addresses this weakness, making him a much more formidable opponent.
Killer Strategies and Builds Utilizing Play With Your Food
Effectively using “Play With Your Food” requires a combination of strategic thinking, map awareness, and precise execution. Here are some gameplay tips and build suggestions to help you maximize its potential:
First, you need to learn when to end a chase. This comes with experience. You should try to break chase when you can gain some ground, but make sure you’re not losing too much time. In general, when the survivors are approaching a strong area, it’s a great opportunity to abandon the chase and regroup for a better ambush.
You should also make sure you’re conserving tokens. Don’t just waste them at the start of the match. Save them for when you really need to close the distance, cut off a survivor, or quickly traverse the map. Tokens are a resource, and you need to manage them wisely.
Utilize the speed boost to mind game survivors. Use it to fake out their movements at loops and windows. Make them think you’re going one way, then quickly change direction to catch them off guard. The element of surprise is your greatest weapon.
Here’s a sample build for Michael Myers utilizing “Play With Your Food”:
- Play With Your Food: (Obvious)
- Save the Best for Last: Further increases attack speed and adds more value to getting a hit.
- Bamboozle: Blocks windows and makes it harder to loop.
- Enduring: Reduces the stun duration after pallet stuns, allowing you to quickly resume the chase.
This build focuses on increasing speed and making it difficult for survivors to loop you. “Save the Best for Last” stacks with the speed from “Play With Your Food” to give you even more momentum after getting the first hit. “Bamboozle” shuts down strong window loops, forcing survivors to make riskier decisions. “Enduring” lets you quickly recover from pallet stuns.
In terms of add-ons, consider using the Tombstone Piece to get to Tier III faster, or the Scratched Mirror to increase your stealth potential.
Countering Play With Your Food as a Survivor
While “Play With Your Food” can be a powerful tool for Killers, it’s not invincible. Here are some strategies that survivors can use to counter it:
The first line of defense is awareness. Pay attention to the killer’s perks. When the killer breaks chases, it’s a tell. The more aware you are of the killer’s strategy, the better you can adapt.
Avoid being predictable. Mix up your routes, use different loops, and vary your window vault timings. The more unpredictable you are, the harder it is for the killer to gain tokens.
Communication is key. Tell your teammates what the killer is doing. If they’re targeting you with “Play With Your Food,” let your team know so they can play accordingly.
Use strong loops and manage resources effectively. Extending chases forces the killer to waste time and reduces their map pressure. Save your pallets for when you really need them.
If you are the obsession, play cautiously but don’t hide in a corner all game. You still need to contribute to the team’s objective. Consider running perks that help you survive chases, such as Lithe or Dead Hard.
Conclusion
“Play With Your Food” is a unique and dynamic perk that can drastically alter the flow of Dead by Daylight matches. By mastering its mechanics, understanding its strengths and weaknesses, and utilizing effective strategies, Killers can transform themselves into unstoppable predators. The key is to balance the risk of losing pressure with the reward of increased mobility and mind game potential.
Ultimately, the effectiveness of “Play With Your Food” depends on the skill of the player and their ability to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances of the trial. It’s a perk that rewards creativity, strategic thinking, and a willingness to take risks. So, experiment with it, find your own unique strategies, and see if you can outplay the survivors in the fog. Dead by Daylight is a game of cat and mouse, and “Play With Your Food” gives you the tools to control the hunt.
The most important thing to consider when using this perk is whether or not the risk will lead to the reward that is needed to improve your gameplay or not. Always weigh the benefits with the dangers.
