One of the first Killers to ever arrive in Dead by Daylight, The Wraith is a fast-moving, nearly silent ghost that can stalk Survivors while remaining Undetectable. With such high movement speed, he can cut off Survivors’ only means of escape before going in for the kill and – with the right selection of perks – this Killer can be a formidable foe.
This guide will highlight some of the best builds and add-ons to run with The Wraith in Dead by Daylight, with perks featured both in the base game and in the variety of DLC Killers, for players with varying levels of experience.
Updated February 28, 2026, by Mark Sammut: In terms of builds, The Wraith hasn’t changed much in the last few years, and he continues to be a predictable but reliable DBD Killer. However, is there any point in playing Philip in 2026? I’ve added a section that answers that.
The Wraith: Best Beginner Build
The Build To Get You Started With Philip Ojomo
For players with access only to the base game, Wraith’s own perks are some of the most niche and ineffective in Dead by Daylight. However, Predator is now much more useful at tracking Survivors mid-chase. Meanwhile, General Perks like Sloppy Butcher can slow down the mid-game, as Bitter Murmur helps find Survivors, and Hex: No One Escapes Death potentially secures kills in the Endgame Collapse.
- Predator (The Wraith) – Survivors who escape chase have their aura revealed for 6 seconds. This perk has a 40-second cooldown.
- Hex: No One Escapes Death (General Perk) – After the final generator is completed, all Survivors suffer from the Exposed status ailment, and you gain a 4% Haste effect until the Hex Totem is cleansed.
- Sloppy Butcher (General Perk) – Basic attacks cause the Mangled and Hemorrhage status ailments for 90 seconds, slowing down healing by 25% and regressing healing progress when left unfinished.
- Bitter Murmur (General Perk) – Each time a generator is completed, the auras of Survivors within 16 meters of that generator are revealed for 5 seconds. Once the last generator is complete, all Survivors’ auras are revealed for 10 seconds.
The Wraith: Best Build
For Veteran Players Ready To Take The Next Step
As a Killer with little chase potential outside of his uncloak speed boost, arguably the most effective build for The Wraith includes a number of generator slowdown perks. This build features The Plague’s Corrupt Intervention to prevent early game progress, as well as Pop Goes the Weasel and Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance to slow them down throughout the mid-game. Meanwhile, Bamboozle will help The Wraith cut Survivors off from resources mid-chase.
- Bamboozle (The Clown) – Vault speed is increased by 15% and performing a vault will block the window for 16 seconds.
- Corrupt Intervention (The Plague) – At the start of the trial, the 3 generators furthest from the killer’s starting location are blocked for 120 seconds or until the first survivor is downed.
- Pop Goes the Weasel (The Clown) – For 45 seconds after hooking a Survivor, damaging a generator will remove 20% of its current progress.
- Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance (The Artist) – The Killer starts with four tokens. For each different Survivor hooked on a white Scourge Hook, lose one token and explode the generator with the most progress, causing it to lose 25% of progress.
Dead by Daylight: Best Builds for The Ghost Face
He may not be someone you know, but he’ll kill you just the same. This guide showcases the best builds for Dead by Daylight’s Ghost Face.
The Wraith: Best Add-On Tier List
|
Tier |
Add-On Name |
Add-On Description |
Add-On Comments |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
S |
|
“Windstorm” – Blood |
Increases Cloaked movement speed by 9% |
Great for covering cross-map distance and cutting off Survivors |
|
“Windstorm” – White |
Increases Cloaked movement speed by 7% |
Since the Windstorm add-ons can stack with each other, as well as Haste perks, The Wraith can move at lightning speeds |
|
|
“Swift Hunt” – Blood |
Increases uncloaking speed by 12% |
Helps deny Survivors the chance to reach resources before a hit |
|
|
“Swift Hunt” – White |
Increases uncloaking speed by 10% |
Can stack with other Swift Hunt add-ons to speed up hits |
|
|
A |
|
“Windstorm” – Mud |
Increases Cloaked movement speed by 5% |
The Mud variant of Windstorm helps cover a little more distance while cloaked |
|
“Swift Hunt” – Mud |
Increases uncloaking speed by 8% |
Like the other Swift Hunt add-ons, the Mud variant is good for getting quick surprise attacks |
|
|
“Shadow Dance” – Blood |
Increases speed of vault and break actions by 60% while cloaked |
Great for maintaining pressure in chase by shredding pallets and cutting off windows |
|
|
“Shadow Dance” – White |
Increases speed of vault and break actions by 40% while cloaked |
Combines well with The Clown’s Bamboozle to break down loops |
|
|
“All Seeing” – Blood |
Reveals auras of Survivors within 8 meters while cloaked |
Great for out-mind-gaming nearby Survivors at loops and finding stealthy players |
|
|
“All Seeing” – Spirit |
Generators have their aura intensity determined by their progress while cloaked |
A good substitute for information perks |
|
|
B |
|
Coxcombed Clapper |
Silences the Wailing Bell |
Useful for getting the jump on unwary Survivors |
|
Bone Clapper |
Sounds the Wailing Bell to all Survivors |
Pretty good for disorientating Survivors and landing surprise attacks |
|
|
“The Ghost” – Soot |
Suppresses the Terror Radius and Red Stain for 6 seconds after Uncloaking |
Useful for getting the jump on Survivors, especially when paired with one of the Clapper add-ons. |
|
|
“Blind Warrior” – White |
Surprise attacks inflict Mangled and Hemorrhage for 70 seconds |
A good replacement for Sloppy Butcher if you’re adopting a hit-and-run playstyle, though not as effective as the perk itself |
|
|
C |
|
“Blind Warrior” – Mud |
Surprise attacks inflict Blindness for 60 seconds |
Okay for denying aura reading perks like Windows of Opportunity, despite being hampered by its short duration |
|
“Blink” – White |
Increases cloaking speed by 60% |
A nice enough effect, but not incredibly impactful in chase |
|
|
“Blink” – Mud |
Increases cloaking speed by 40% |
Can be stacked with other Blink add-ons |
|
|
D |
|
“The Hound” – Soot |
Brightens blood marks while Cloaked |
A decent tracking effect for beginners |
|
“The Serpent” – Soot |
Automatically Uncloaks after performing a break action |
A mostly detrimental effect, though it can be combo’d with the best chase build for Killers to land hits |
|
|
F |
|
“The Beast” – Soot |
Cloaking no longer grants Undetectable |
Removes The Wraith’s element of surprise entirely |
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Is The Wraith A Good Killer For DBD Beginners?
With 40 Killers and counting, Dead by Daylight floods players with choices, and newcomers might very well feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of options at their disposal. If someone has just bought the base game, they will only be able to use a select few original characters (including The Wraith), and they will need to decide whether to focus on them or drop cash on one of the many familiar faces from horror history. That raises the question: Is The Wraith worth investing in? Should new players start with this Killer or pick one of the other freebies? Should they ignore all of them and buy a chapter containing one of their favorite movie or game villains?
Honestly, this question is difficult to answer, as it depends on what your priority is. If you want a Killer with depth and a high skill ceiling that can keep you going for dozens or hundreds of hours, The Wraith is not a great pick, even compared to other free options like The Nurse or The Huntress. The latter come with a steeper learning curve, but they are better options in the long run. If you are willing to pick up a few DLC Killers, characters like The Ghost Face, The Legion, and The Clown are better all-around picks. The latter can be unlocked using Iridescent Shards, too, which are earned in-game; however, if you go that route, they cannot be your first Killers.
That said, if we are simply talking about easy Killers that are accessible to new players who have no grasp of the fundamentals, The Wraith might just be the best option in the game. In fact, he is basically considered the Killer for beginners, as he has a very simple moveset that enables the chance of success even if his user is not familiar with a map’s layout or concepts like looping. In due time, you will likely want to switch to another Killer, but you should give The Wraith if you are just trying to get a foot in Dead by Daylight.
Dead By Daylight: The Best DBD Survivor Builds in 2026
These are some of the best builds players can have on survivors in Dead by Daylight as of 2025’s gameplay meta.
Is The Wraith Viable In Dead by Daylight In 2026?
Should You Even Bother?
Ah, the age-old question, and by far the most important one. Is there even any point in learning The Wraith’s best builds nowadays? Philip Ojomo has to compete against 40 killers, some of whom are among the most famous villains in horror history. Yes, he is one of Dead by Daylight‘s original Killers, but a lot has changed in the last 10 years. Even though beginners will want to go with a character who can teach them the ropes, their time will be better spent if they pick a Killer who can accomplish that while being a feasible option in the long run. Is The Wraith that Killer?
Dead by Daylight remains a meta that heavily rewards map mobility, fast downs, and information control. Within that ecosystem, The Wraith sits comfortably in the mid-tier range in 2026, making him viable but not necessarily dominant. This perspective is reflected in his usage rate, as Philip is picked for roughly 2.5% of matches; basically, he is capable enough to be a solid option, but he doesn’t have that one thing that pushes him into the top-tier bracket.
In terms of map mobility, The Wraith is relatively good, as Cloaking allows him to keep the pressure on. He can quickly patrol generators, and he forces Survivors to pre-run. Philip has a few giveaways that veteran players and good teams can take advantage of to reduce his stealth abilities, but he can sneak up and ambush poorly coordinated Survivors. He is particularly capable against solo queue teams, and he works surprisingly well in 2v8 matches.
Top-tier DBD Killers typically have slowdown and strong anti-loop mechanics, both of which The Wraith lacks. However, he somewhat makes up for them by just being consistent, easy to grasp, and a perfect hit-and-run option.
