Dead by Daylight: Stranger Things Chapter 2 Review Summary

Vecna is fun and well-designed, with a strong but balanced killer, useful survivor perks, polished DLC, great Dustin and Eleven additions, and fresh counterplay, though there are no major negatives.

Vecna is fun and well-designed: Vecna is widely praised as a fun, intuitive, and well-balanced killer with a high skill ceiling. Players enjoy both playing as and against him, and his power is considered fair and rewarding.

Survivor perks are decent and useful: Survivor perks are generally seen as okay to good, with some niche but fun options that encourage team coordination. They are considered balanced and not outclassed.

DLC is well-made and polished: The DLC is described as well-made, polished, and one of the best in a long time, even without a new map. It is considered worth the price and highly recommended.

Killer is strong but balanced: The new killer is generally seen as strong and fun, with unique mechanics that are fair. Some consider Vecna stronger than others, but overall balance is praised.

Dustin and Eleven are great additions: Dustin and Eleven are well-liked as survivors, with cool designs and useful perks. Their addition is seen as interesting and spot-on for the game.

Survivor perks are forgettable: Survivor perks are described as boring, weak, situational, and not meta-changing, with many being forgettable or unusable. Only a few, like Dustin's teamwork perk, are noted as somewhat useful, but overall they are mediocre.

Vecna is overtuned and unfun: Many reviewers describe Vecna as overpowered, with no punishment for missing attacks and an ability to instantly attack again, leading to terrible counterplay and an unfun experience. Some note he is either terrible or overpowered, with no middle ground, and call for major nerfs.

Steve's iconic scream removed: Reviewers consistently complain that Steve Harrington's original scream and voice lines, including the beloved 'Stevegull', were removed and replaced with a less impactful version. This change is seen as ruining the character's experience.

DLC is overpriced and disappointing: The DLC is criticized as the worst, a shameless cash grab, not worth the price, and mechanically a total failure. It offers nothing new or innovative beyond fanservice, and the price is considered too high for the content.

Killer ability spam dominates: Multiple clusters highlight a killer whose power has no cooldown and can be spammed non-stop, with a particularly strong right-click attack. This makes the killer frustrating and unfair to play against.

Vecna's Abilities and Playstyle: Clusters 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, and 18 discuss Vecna's map-control abilities, counterplay, Worldbreaker mode, underground attacks, and vine attacks. His playstyle is new but difficult, and his power requires prediction and timing.

Perks for Killers and Survivors: Clusters 4, 9, 13, 16, and 19 discuss perks for both killers and survivors. Survivor perks include various effects, and killer perks can synergize with the roster.

Killer Abilities and Mechanics: Clusters 1, 5, and 9 mention that killers have unique abilities and mechanics, such as using powers through walls, high mobility, and traversal attacks. The game includes killers with powers.

New Killer and Survivors: Clusters 10, 11, 14, and 15 mention that chapters and DLC add new killers (Vecna) and survivors (Eleven and Dustin). Both come with new perks.

Killer Power Spammability: Clusters 1 and 17 highlight that the killer's power can be spammed, used repeatedly with no or very short cooldown. This is a common criticism.

New killer is buggy: The new killer is reported to be buggy, with various issues affecting its functionality. This leads to a frustrating experience.

Endlessly buggy: The game is described as endlessly buggy, with persistent issues. This suggests ongoing technical problems.

High ping connectivity issues: Players experience over 100 ping and constant connectivity issues. This leads to laggy and unstable online play.

Aiming and hit detection broken: Players report that the ability has crooked aiming and hit detection issues. This makes the ability unreliable in combat.

Frequent server disconnections: Players get disconnected from dedicated servers, disrupting gameplay. This affects online matches regularly.

Must-have for Stranger Things fans: Multiple clusters strongly recommend the DLC specifically for fans of the Stranger Things series, though it may not appeal to others.

Mixed DLC recommendation: Opinions are split on whether the DLC is worth buying, with clusters both recommending and discouraging purchase.

Not recommended: A few clusters explicitly do not recommend the DLC, citing reasons like removed content or developer practices.

Wait for a sale: Many reviewers suggest waiting for a discount before purchasing, especially if not buying at launch.

Killer gameplay opinions: Feedback on the killer (Vecna) is mixed, with some praising the unique playstyle and others concerned about balance.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

The dominant player report is that the new killer/chapter never becomes fun: the killer feels weak or boring, abilities are uncreative, and solo queue is frustrating. A minority says it clicks or is fun after a learning curve, but no review ties enjoyment to a concrete time or event.

Friction: Killer feels weak or low-tier; Powers are slow near hooked survivors; Steep learning curve; Hard against good survivors; Solo queue tunneling; Boring or uncreative perks and abilities.

Unlock drivers: Overcoming the killer's learning curve.

Stranger Things Crossover Fan: Prioritizes character identity, cosmetics, and fan-service additions over competitive perk optimization. Motivation: Play as favorite Stranger Things characters and enjoy the licensed crossover content. Stance: buy.

Frustrated Solo-Queue Survivor Main: Solo-queue survivor, often forced into meta or exhaust builds and dependent on team coordination. Motivation: Get fair, coordinated survivor matches where perks and teamwork are viable without oppressive killer pressure. Stance: no buy.

Vecna Killer Enthusiast: Killer-focused, playing Vecna for his power feel and design; some approach him casually or as a new killer. Motivation: Enjoy playing Vecna as a fun, flavorful killer with strong map pressure and fantasy. Stance: buy.

Monetization: The reviews provide direct evidence that the game sells paid DLC chapters granting strong perks and overpowered killers, with multiple players explicitly labeling it pay-to-win. Complaints about overpriced DLC and a cash-machine focus reinforce the aggressive monetization picture, while no gacha or lootbox mechanics are reported. Because real-money purchases are tied to gameplay power, the audit falls into the Predatory tier.

Includes killer and survivors: The DLC includes a killer, two survivors (Dustin and Eleven), and new perks for both sides. It also contains cosmetics and achievements.

Stranger Things DLC crossover content: The DLC is a crossover collaboration between Dead by Daylight and Stranger Things, adding characters, perks, and cosmetics. It is a second collaboration or chapter based on the Stranger Things franchise.

Comparison to first ST chapter: Reviewers compare this chapter to the first Stranger Things chapter, with some saying the original left a bigger impact. Others consider this chapter better than the first.

New voice lines added: Voice lines were added for Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan. New voice lines for Steve were specifically mentioned.

Eddie skin in Dustin's shop: Dustin received Eddie as a legendary skin, available in Dustin's skin shop. This allows players to use Eddie Munson as a cosmetic.