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The Shape, also known as Michael Myers, is Dead by Daylight's first licensed Killer. His terrifying gameplay revolves around stalking Survivors, building ferocity, and delivering swift, brutal kills. This relentless pursuit makes him a truly frightening opponent.
This Dead by Daylight guide details the best builds for The Shape, including both teachable and non-teachable perks to cater to players of all skill levels.
Updated January 13, 2025, by Siddarth Narasimman: Despite being historically one of the weaker Killers, Michael Myers remains a popular choice, especially for newer players. Recent buffs in Patch 8.4.0 have significantly improved his viability, making this an ideal time to explore optimal builds and add-ons for this iconic horror character.
The Shape: Best Non-Teachable Build (2025)
Mastering The Shape without access to other Killers' perks presents a challenge, but it's certainly achievable. This build utilizes Save the Best for Last to significantly reduce chase times, while Sloppy Butcher passively slows the game down. Bitter Murmur and Hex: No One Escapes Death dominate the endgame, eliminating Survivors without relying solely on prolonged stalking.
- Save the Best for Last (The Shape): Hitting a Survivor who isn't the Obsession grants tokens (up to eight), each reducing basic attack cooldown by 4% (maximum 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 while providing a strong early-game boost, crucial for compensating for The Shape's limited mobility and traditionally weak early game. Focus on controlling a generator cluster, tracking progress, and utilizing powerful perks.
The Artist's Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance and The Cenobite's Deadlock cripple generator progress. The Nemesis's Lethal Pursuer facilitates quick Survivor location and stalking, ensuring a strong start. Finally, Coup de Grâce enhances The Shape's performance in looping scenarios.
- Lethal Pursuer (The Nemesis): Reveals all Survivor auras for nine seconds at the match start. All aura-reading durations are increased by two seconds.
- Scourge Hook: Pain Resonance (The Artist): Starts with four tokens. Each Survivor hooked on a white Scourge Hook consumes a token and regresses the most-progressed generator by 25%.
- Deadlock (The Cenobite): Completing a generator blocks the most-progressed generator for 25 seconds (revealed by a white aura).
- Coup de Grâce (The Twins): Gains two tokens per completed generator. Use one token to increase lunge attack distance by 80%.
The Shape: Best Add-Ons (2025)
Memorial Flower
A common rarity add-on, the Memorial Flower provides a valuable 11% increase to stalking speed, a significant boost to The Shape's core mechanic.
Dead Rabbit
Decreasing the Terror Radius by 25% in Evil Within II is beneficial, but the increased Terror Radius in Evil Within III necessitates pairing it with perks like Monitor and Abuse to manage Survivor awareness.
J. Myers Memorial
This add-on grants a substantial 25% bonus to stalking gain rate, often used with the Tombstone Piece to mitigate the increased time to reach Evil Within III.
Hair Bow
The Hair Bow significantly increases threat during Evil Within III. Combining it with the J. Myers Memorial enhances map pressure through multiple Evil Within III activations.
Tombstone Piece
Arguably The Shape's strongest add-on, the Tombstone Piece allows an instant kill on any Survivor upon reaching Evil Within III, regardless of hook state, surpassing even the Ultra Rare Judith’s Tombstone by omitting the speed debuff.
Lock of Hair
Adds 40 seconds to Evil Within III (10 more than the Hair Bow) and increases the stalk rate for Evil Within III. While the Hair Bow is generally preferred, Lock of Hair is a viable alternative, particularly with Lethal Pursuer and J. Myers Memorial.
Fragrant Tuft of Hair
Despite a significant (200%) reduction to stalking rate, this add-on grants infinite Evil Within III, eliminating the need for stalking before insta-downs.
