Quick Links
Dead by Daylight's first licensed Killer, The Shape—better known as Michael Myers—is a terrifying force. His chilling ability to stalk Survivors, building ferocity before striking, makes him a relentless predator. This guide explores the best builds for The Shape, incorporating both teachable and non-teachable perks to cater to players of all skill levels.
Updated January 13, 2025, by Siddarth Narasimman: While remaining a popular choice, especially for newer players, Michael Myers has historically been one of Dead by Daylight's weaker Killers. However, recent buffs in Patch 8.4.0 have significantly improved his viability, making this an ideal time to optimize his builds and add-ons.
The Shape: Best Non-Teachable Build (2025)
Mastering The Shape without access to other Killers' perks presents a challenge, but it's certainly conquerable. This build utilizes Save the Best for Last to shorten chase times, Sloppy Butcher for passive slowdown, and Bitter Murmur and Hex: No One Escapes Death to decimate survivors in the endgame without relying solely on stalking.
- Save the Best for Last (The Shape): Hitting a Survivor who isn't the Obsession grants tokens (max eight), each reducing basic attack cooldown by 4% (max 32%). Hitting the Obsession costs two tokens.
- Hex: No One Escapes Death (General Perk): After the final generator is completed, all Survivors are Exposed, and the Killer gains a 4% Haste effect until the Hex Totem is cleansed.
- Bitter Murmur (General Perk): Completing a generator reveals the auras of Survivors within 16 meters for 5 seconds. After the last generator, all Survivor auras are revealed for 10 seconds.
- Sloppy Butcher (General Perk): Basic attacks inflict Mangled and Hemorrhage, slowing healing by 25% and regressing unfinished healing.
The Shape: Best Build (2025)
This build prioritizes generator regression, providing a strong early-game boost to compensate for The Shape's limited mobility and generally weak early game. The focus is on controlling a generator cluster, tracking progress, and leveraging The Artist's Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance and The Cenobite's Deadlock for maximum disruption. The Nemesis's Lethal Pursuer aids in quickly locating Survivors, while Coup de Grâce enhances looping capabilities.
- Lethal Pursuer (The Nemesis): At the match start, see all Survivor auras for nine seconds. All aura-reading durations are increased by two seconds.
- Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance (The Artist): Starts with four tokens. Hooking different Survivors on white Scourge Hooks consumes tokens and destroys the most progressed generator (25% regression).
- Deadlock (The Cenobite): Completing a generator blocks the most progressed one for 25 seconds (revealed by a white aura).
- Coup de Grâce (The Twins): Gain two tokens per completed generator. Spend one to increase lunge attack distance by 80%.
The Shape: Best Add-Ons (2025)
Memorial Flower
At common rarity, the Memorial Flower is The Shape's best add-on, offering an 11% stalking speed increase—a valuable boost to his inherently slow stalk.
Dead Rabbit
While seemingly detrimental, the Dead Rabbit reduces Terror Radius by 25% in Evil Within II but increases it in Evil Within III. Use it strategically with perks like Monitor and Abuse to manage your Terror Radius effectively.
J. Myers Memorial
This add-on grants a flat 25% bonus to stalking gain rate, often paired with the Tombstone Piece to mitigate the drawbacks of slower Evil Within III progression.
Hair Bow
The Hair Bow enhances The Shape's threat level in Evil Within III. Pairing it with the J. Myers Memorial consistently applies map pressure.
Tombstone Piece
Arguably The Shape's strongest add-on, the Tombstone Piece allows instant downs on any Survivor upon reaching Evil Within III, regardless of hook state—functioning similarly to the old Memento Mori. This ability significantly impacts game flow.
Lock Of Hair
Adding 40 seconds to Evil Within III (10 more than the Hair Bow) and boosting stalk rate, the Lock of Hair is a viable alternative, especially when used with Lethal Pursuer and J. Myers Memorial.
Fragrant Tuft of Hair
Despite a 200% reduction in stalking rate, the Fragrant Tuft of Hair grants infinite Evil Within III, eliminating power management concerns and enabling instant downs without prior stalking.
