Totems are Props and a Game Mechanic that were added to Dead by Daylight
with Patch 1.3.0.
Overview
All Trials spawn with 5 Totems in random location, usually hidden against environmental objects and in nooks and cranies.
Depending on the Perks that are used (or not) by the Players participating in the Trial, Totems will appear in one of 3 possible states:
- Default as a Dull Totem.
- Cursed as a Hex Totem (a Rekindled Totem is equivalent to this state).
- Blessed as a Boon Totem.
Interactions
There are 4 possible ways to interact between Players and Totems.
2 of them require having certain Perks equipped:
- Cleansing
- Blessing
- Snuffing
- Rekindling
Cleansing
- This interaction is only available to Survivors
Cleansing is available on Dull Totems and Hex Totems.
Survivors can walk up to either type of Totem and perform the Cleansing interaction, which by default takes 14 seconds to complete.
The interaction cannot be interrupted, as this will reset any partial progress.
Once the interaction is completed, the Totem breaks apart into its constituent parts.
If it was a Hex Totem, this will trigger a map-wide thunderclap sound effect and remove the Hex Curse from it (which usually disables the associated Hex Perk).
Cleansing all Totems in the environment will prevent any new Hexes from being applied to them, as cleansed Totems cannot be (re-)hexed.
Blessing
- This interaction is only available to Survivors
Blessing is available on all Dull Totems and Hex Totems, if the Survivor has a Boon Perk equipped.
Survivors with Boon Perks equipped can walk up to either type of Totem and perform the Blessing interaction, which by default takes 14 seconds to complete on Dull Totems, and 28 seconds (double, Blessing a Hex Totem applies an Action Speed penalty of -50 %) to complete on Hex Totems.
The interaction cannot be interrupted, as this will reset any partial progress.
Once the interaction is completed, a map-wide thunder-roar sound effect is triggered, and the effects of the Boon Perks equipped by the Survivor performing the Blessing radiate from the newly created Boon Totem.
Blessing a Hex Totem has the same effects as Cleansing, except that instead of breaking apart the Totem, it will instead transform it into a Boon Totem.
Snuffing
- This interaction is only available to Killers
Snuffing is available to all Killers by default.
A Killer can walk up to any Boon Totem and snuff it out, which takes 1 second to complete.
Snuffing out a Boon Totem removes its blessing and transforms it back into a Dull Totem.
If the Killer is using the Perk Shattered Hope
, this interaction will instead break the Totem apart into its constituent parts, as if a Survivor had cleansed it.
Rekindling
- This interaction is only available to Killers
Rekindling is available on all cleansed Totems, if the Killer has the Perk Hex: Pentimento
equipped.
A Killer can walk up to any cleansed Totem and rekindle it, which takes 1 second to complete, transforming it into a Rekindled Totem, which looks slightly different to a regular Hex Totem, but otherwise behaves identically, with two exceptions (see below).
Totem Types
There are 4 different types of Totems:
Dull Totems
Dull Totems are unlit Totems found in random locations throughout the environment.
Unless the Killer uses any Hex Perk, or Hex: No One Escapes Death
or Hex: Plaything
prior to their activation, all Totems will be Dull Totems at the start of the Trial.
Hex Totems
Hex Totems are a special kind of Totem, identifiable by the lit candles underneath them.
If the Killer uses any Hex Perk (with the exceptions of Hex: No One Escapes Death, Hex: Plaything, or Hex: Face the Darkness
, which will not light their potential Totems until their activation), a randomly chosen Dull Totem will become a Hex Totem at the start of the Trial.
Each Hex Perk is tied to its own Hex Totem.
Neither the Killer nor the Survivors have any means to discern, which Hex is associated with which Hex Totem.
The destruction of a Hex Totem is accompanied by a distinct map-wide audio cue of a thunderclap.
Boon Totems
Boon Totems are another special kind of Totem, identifiable, and differing from Hex Totems, by a bluish shimmer emanating from the candles underneath them, as well as an audible drone sound effect whenever someone is within their range (24 metres).
Boon Totems cannot be cleansed, only snuffed.
The creation of a Boon Totem is accompanied by one of 3 distinct map-wide audio cues of a thunder-roar, similar to that of a destroyed Hex Totem, but less explosive.
Rekindled Totems
Rekindled Totems are a secondary form of a Hex Totem.
Currently, the only way to create them is by using the Hex Perk Hex: Pentimento, which allows the Killer to rekindle the broken remains of a cleansed Totem.
Rekindled Totems work the same as a Hex Totem, with the sole two differences that once they are cleansed again, The Entity will completely remove the broken remains from the environment, making any further interaction impossible, and that Survivors cannot bless them.
Unlockables
Survivor Perks
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Better than New | You are an expert in combat medicine. Patients leave your care reinvigorated. Upon completing a Healing action on another Survivor
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Boon: Circle of Healing | A Boon that offers comfort amidst the terror.
Press and hold the Active Ability button on a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem All Survivors benefit from the following effects when inside the Boon Totem's radius:
Only one Totem can be blessed by your Boon Perks at a time and all of their effects are active on the same Boon Totem. "Try this, it is better than anything you'll find in a pharmacy." — Mikaela Reid |
|
Boon: Dark Theory | Your obsessive study of the paranormal has given you unprecedented knowledge of other Realms and planes of existence. Press and hold the Active Ability button on a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem All Survivors benefit from the following effects when inside the Boon Totem's radius:
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Boon: Exponential | When it seems like your number is up, you consider ways to recalculate the odds. Press and hold the Active Ability button on a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem All Survivors benefit from the following effects when inside the Boon Totem's radius:
"It is not our time to die... probably." — Jonah Vasquez |
|
Boon: Illumination | Your keen insight is something best shared with others.
Press and hold the Active Ability button on a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem All Survivors benefit from the following effects when inside the Boon Totem's radius:
Survivors can only be affected by one instance of Boon: Illumination at a time. Only one Totem can be blessed by your Boon Perks at a time and all of their effects are active on the same Boon Totem. "A shift in reality. Heavy with hidden meanings." — Return |
|
Boon: Shadow Step | A Boon that conceals the truth. Press and hold the Active Ability button on a Dull or Hex Totem to bless it and create a Boon Totem All Survivors benefit from the following effects when inside the Boon Totem's radius:
"Stick to the shadows and cover your tracks." — Mikaela Reid |
|
Clairvoyance | There is an intrinsic energy in you that sees beyond your vision.
Whenever you cleanse or bless a Totem
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Counterforce | You know how to withstand an enemy stronger than you, and it starts with hunting down and knocking out their support. You cleanse Totems
"I don't mind a little detective work." — Jill Valentine |
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Detective's Hunch | Unlocks potential in your Aura-reading ability. Each time a Generator is completed, the Auras
"Are you able to tell us where you were last night?" — Detective David Tapp |
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Inner Strength | You look inwards and trust your instincts when you feel lost and alone.
Each time you cleanse a Totem
 Status Effect.
"All this time I've been trying so hard to pretend like everything's fine, but it's not." — Nancy Wheeler |
|
Overzealous | Fighting back against the Ravage motivates and inspires you.
After cleansing or blessing a Totem
 by any means.
"The Ravage senses us. We need to work fast." — Haddie Kaur, Ravages of the Abyss Episode 9 |
|
Small Game | You have the undeniable capability to sense danger.
Small Game has a cool-down of 14/12/10 seconds each time it activates. For each Dull or Hex Totem cleansed by any Player, Small Game is automatically granted 1 Token:
"Nope." — Andy, The Lost Tapes |
Killer Perks
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Hex: Blood Favour | A Hex that gains the favour of The Entity when blood is spilt.
All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex Totem "It would be no leap of the imagination to suggest that the Trials are a biological response of sorts." — Journal of Talbot Grimes |
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Hex: Crowd Control | A Hex that ensures those lesser than you are properly herded.
Whenever a Survivor performs a Rush Vault action, Hex: Crowd Control triggers its effect:
 is cleansed or blessed.
"You have no control. People like you never did." — Ji-Woon Hak |
|
Hex: Devour Hope | A Hex rooting its power on hope. The false hope of Survivors ignites your hunger. Each time a Survivor is rescued from a Hook while you are at least 24 metres away, Hex: Devour Hope receives 1 Token, up to a maximum of 5 Tokens:
is cleansed or blessed.
"If you do nothing, you have their blood on your hands. If you save them, her hunger grows." |
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Hex: Face the Darkness | You make an example of one of your victims, forcing their allies to become awed by your power.
Once you injure a Survivor
Hex: Face the Darkness deactivates when the Cursed Survivor either enters the Dying State Hex: Face the Darkness is disabled for the remainder of the Trial if Survivors manage to cleanse its Hex Totem "I shall make an example of one. These mewling worms will never know peace." — Tarhos Kovács |
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Hex: Haunted Ground | Two trapped Hex Totems will spawn in the Trial Grounds.
"Her home become profane." |
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Hex: Huntress Lullaby | A Hex rooting its power in despair. Your hunt is an irresistible song of dread which muddles your prey's attention.
Each time a Survivor is hooked, Hex: Huntress Lullaby grows in power and gains 1 Token, up to a maximum of 5 Tokens.
All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex Totem "That song, it drives me crazy!" |
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Hex: No One Escapes Death | A Hex rooting its power on hope. You are animated by the power of your Hex Totem when the Survivors are on the verge of escaping. Once the Exit Gates
Hex: No One Escapes Death remains inactive if no Dull Totems are available. Once the Status Effect is revealed to Survivors, Hex: No One Escapes Death reveals the Aura All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex Totem "And the beast became faster and more powerful as if The Entity's shadowy whips were lashing at its back." |
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Hex: Pentimento | You reveal the true power of the Totems, hidden within their remains.
You can perform a ritual on a cleansed Totem to resurrect it as a Rekindled Totem.
When a Rekindled Totem is cleansed, its remains are consumed by The Entity and it cannot be rekindled. "Though a pentimento is an inherently concealed piece of art, there is something to be said of the desire to discover that which is beyond." — A Guide to Art & Process (1961) |
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Hex: Plaything | A Hex that toys with a victim's suffering. If there is at least one Dull Totem
All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex Totem |
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Hex: Retribution | A Hex that lashes out upon its destruction. Those who cross you will be punished.
All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex Totem "Bloody fool, you pulled the trigger on yourself." — Caleb Quinn |
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Hex: Ruin | A Hex that affects the Generator Repair progress of all Survivors.
All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex Totem "A curse is upon you. It will cause your ruin." |
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Hex: The Third Seal | A Hex that hinders the Survivors' Aura-reading abilities.
The last 2/3/4 Survivors you hit with a Basic or Special Attack suffer permanently from the following effect:
is cleansed or blessed.
"She touched your skin, you bear the witch's mark!" |
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Hex: Thrill of the Hunt | A Hex rooting its power on hope. The false hope of Survivors fills you with excitement and strengthens your Totems. For each Totem remaining in the environment, Hex: Thrill of the Hunt is granted 1 Token.
All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex Totem |
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Hex: Two Can Play | A Hex that teaches those who mess with you a lesson.
Anytime you are stunned or blinded by any Survivor a total of 4/3/2 times, and if there is not yet a Hex Totem
is cleansed or blessed.
"From now on, no more Mr Good Guy." — Chucky |
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Hex: Undying | A Hex which maintains the vile powers that flow throughout the Trial. The Auras
All effects of the Hex Perk persist until its Hex Totem |
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Shattered Hope | To capture your prey, you must first extinguish their hope.
"Nothing is permanent here. Nothing except our endless perdition." — Unknown, Notebook |
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Thanatophobia | Their courage fades in the face of their undeniable mortality.
"She plays with us and revels in our pain." |
Change Log
Patch 2.5.0
- Improved the hiding spots of Totems as new interaction mechanics allow them to be placed closer to other objects.
Trivia
- In the Game files, Hex Totems are referred to as "Hex Bags".
- In rare cases and due to bugs, it has occurred that some iterations of the largest Maps spawned an additional sixth Totem.
- Killers who have a unique Hatch closing animation will use that when snuffing a Boon Totem, except The Dredge
, which uses an attack animation. - If a Survivor is (self-)healing thanks to Boon: Circle of Healing and a Skill Check appears while the Killer is snuffing the Totem, that Skill Check will automatically fail.
- There are only a handful of Perks with the ability to increase one's Blessing speed.
Video
| Ash blessing a Dull Totem | Yun-Jin blessing a Hex Totem |
|---|---|
| Snuffing a Boon Totem | A Killer snuffing a Boon Totem, from Survivor POV |
Gallery
A Dull and a Hex Totem in comparison.
A lit Hex Totem.
Yun-Jin blessing a Hex Totem.
Yun-Jin cleansing a Hex Totem.
A lit Boon Totem.
The blue-ish HUD overlay emanating from the Boon Totem.
A lit Boon Totem's blue-ish Aura.
A Hex Totem blocked by The Entity.
