Behaviour Interactive has released Dead by Daylight: Stranger Things Chapter 2, dropping players back into the Upside Down with a brand‑new Killer and two fan‑favorite Survivors. The DLC launched on January 27, 2026, on Steam and requires the base game; it introduces The First (Vecna) alongside Eleven and Dustin Henderson, plus exclusive cosmetics that tie the Fog to the show’s darkest corners.
What’s included in the Chapter
• New Killer - The First (Vecna): Henry Creel, now known as Vecna, joins the roster as a psionic, environment‑manipulating Killer who warps the map with Upside Down‑themed attacks and pressure mechanics that reshape how survivors navigate encounters.
• New Survivors - Eleven and Dustin Henderson: Eleven and Dustin arrive with distinct, characterful perk kits that emphasize stealth, aura reading, utility, and cooperative play, each designed to reflect their personalities and to open new team‑play strategies.
• Exclusive cosmetics: The chapter includes two DLC‑exclusive items: a Mind Flayer badge and the Bloody Rainbow Room banner, cosmetic rewards that tie the Fog directly to Stranger Things lore and are only available with this add‑on.
The First (Vecna) - Power and mechanics
Vecna’s power revolves around Upside Down manipulation, area control, and escalating pressure through the Worldbreaker mechanic.
• Vine Attack: Hold the Power button to charge a targeted ground strike that spawns a damaging area of vines. Survivors caught inside don’t just take damage; they earn Worldbreaker tokens, which feed Vecna’s larger threat loop and force survivors to react or be overwhelmed.
• The Upside Down and Undergate: Tap the Ability button to slip into the Upside Down and traverse the map with frightening speed and stealth. Re‑emerge with an Undergate attack that creates a wide area of effect; survivors hit by the Undergate gain additional Worldbreaker tokens, making Vecna’s reappearances both a mobility tool and a zoning threat.
• Worldbreaker condition: When survivors accumulate enough tokens, Worldbreaker activates and a timed state begins. During Worldbreaker, Vecna’s Vine and Undergate attacks deal direct damage instead of tokening, and four Grandfather Clocks spawn across the map. Survivors can interact with these clocks to reduce the Worldbreaker timer, creating high‑stakes objectives that split survivor attention and create tense rescue or repair windows.
• Tactical implications: Vecna’s kit rewards map control and timing: use the Upside Down to flank or reposition, apply Vine Attacks to corral survivors into dangerous zones, and trigger Worldbreaker to turn a chase into a map‑wide emergency. The Grandfather Clocks introduce interactive counterplay, giving survivors a way to push back while forcing risky plays.
• New Killer perks: Turn Back the Clock, Secret Project, and Hex: Hive Mind complement Vecna’s theme by stalling generator progress, manipulating totem interactions, and punishing survivor momentum, each perk designed to amplify pressure, create uncertainty, and turn survivor successes into setbacks.
Eleven and Dustin - Survivor perks and playstyles
Eleven
• Extrasensory Perception: After a brief crouch, Eleven passively scans the area, revealing auras in an expanding radius up to 44 meters while gaining Elusive and Oblivious. This lets her set up stealthy plays, slip past patrols, and reposition without immediately drawing attention. Use it to scout generator clusters or bait the Killer into overcommitting.
• We See You: Each time the Killer reveals your aura you gain a token; at 4 tokens you spend them to briefly reveal the Killer’s aura to yourself and teammates. This perk turns moments of exposure into coordinated counterplay, enabling clutch rescues or synchronized generator pushes when the Killer thinks they’ve gained the upper hand.
• Teamwork - Soft‑Spoken: When repairing with others, repair noise range is reduced and repair speed is slightly increased. This perk rewards close teamwork by making multi‑player repairs quieter and more efficient, ideal for stealthy objective play or timed pushes when the Killer is distracted.
Playstyle notes: Eleven’s kit favors patient, coordinated teams and players who value information control. Combine Extrasensory Perception for safe positioning, We See You to punish Killer reveals, and Soft‑Spoken to turn grouped repairs into low‑noise, high‑impact plays.
Dustin Henderson
• Utility and team support: Dustin’s perk kit is built around clever gadgetry and cooperative play, turning improvisation into tangible advantages for the squad.
• Bada Bada Boom: Trap a window after completing repair progress to punish Killer vaults; when triggered, the vaulting Killer is Hindered for a short duration, creating clutch escape windows and bait opportunities for teammates.
• Change of Plan: Convert a Toolbox into a ready‑to‑use Med‑kit from inside a locker, preserving rarity and charges; this perk rewards foresight and quick thinking when plans go sideways.
• Teamwork - Full Circuit: Boosts repair speed and enlarges the Good Skill Check zone when working with others, making paired repairs safer and more efficient and encouraging coordinated pushes on generators.
Both Eleven and Dustin are tuned to reward cooperation and inventive use of the environment, echoing Stranger Things’ themes of friendship and resourceful problem solving.
How the chapter fits into the game
This Stranger Things crossover doubles down on Behaviour’s formula of marrying licensed characters to bespoke Dead by Daylight systems. Vecna’s Upside Down traversal and Worldbreaker state introduce a fresh layer of map control and escalating pressure that forces survivors to split attention between chases and interactive objectives.
Meanwhile, Eleven and Dustin bring perks that reshape team play: rewarding stealthy information play, quieter multi‑player repairs, window traps, and inventive item use, so squads must rethink generator routes, healing windows, and escape plans.
Beyond mechanics, the chapter’s exclusive cosmetics, the Mind Flayer badge and Bloody Rainbow Room banner, give fans a strong thematic hook, while the new perks and power create meaningful meta shifts for both casual matches and competitive play. The result is a chapter that feels true to the show’s tone of friendship and dread while delivering mechanically distinct tools that change how matches unfold.
Final Takeaway
Dead by Daylight: Stranger Things Chapter 2 is available now on Steam as paid DLC and requires the base game. The add‑on bundles two DLC‑exclusive cosmetics, the Mind Flayer badge and the Bloody Rainbow Room banner, which are not sold separately.
Mechanically, the chapter delivers a striking contrast: Vecna introduces map‑wide pressure and a tense, interactive Worldbreaker loop, while Eleven and Dustin bring team‑centric perks that reward stealth, coordination, and creative play.
Whether you’re a Stranger Things fan drawn to the lore and cosmetics or a player hunting fresh Killer tools and cooperative Survivor kits, this chapter offers a thematically faithful and mechanically distinct package that meaningfully changes match dynamics.
See you in the Fog.