What are black locks and how to get them in Dead by Daylight

The mechanics in Dead by Daylight can save you as a survivor, and ensure you make through to the end to avoid being attacked or taken out by the killer looking to try and take you out. A useful strategy to keep in mind revolves around the black locks in the game, but how they work is a little tricky, especially if you lose track of it during your match.

The black locks do not serve as the primary form of escape in Dead by Daylight. They’re an alternative route for players to prioritize when they have no other options to escape, but only if certain conditions are met during their match. During the match, survivors need to have repaired more generators than survivors are remaining. The formula breaks down like this:

• If there are four survivors remaining, there are five generators repaired, and the exit gates have power.
• If there are three survivors remaining, there are four generators repaired, with one still damaged.
• If there are two survivors remaining, there are three generators repaired, with two still damaged.
• If there’s only one survivor remaining, there are two generators repaired, with three still damaged.

If you meet these conditions, then the Black Locks are available for survivors to use as escape routes. However, it’s still not that easy. These Black Locks will not open unless a survivor has a Skeleton or Dull key on their person. These items are scarce, and you only obtain them from chests, and some players have obtained them from the bloodweb.

Coordinating with your fellow survivors is important, and unfortunately, making sure you have a key in your character’s loadout while you’re playing is also essential. If you don’t have one, try to see if another person does, and you can find a way to survivor the killer until the set number of generators has been repaired.