Dead by Daylight Developer update reveals removal of Leatherface masks

The changeable masks of DBD's Bubba Sawyer have been removed permanently following harassment

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A Mid-Chapter, Dead by Daylight Developer update has been rolled out to DBD today, removing The Cannibal’s four changeable Leatherface masks for good.

According to the official Developer Update, the DBD Bubba masks have been removed due to “hateful activity” and will not be brought back. Instead, players who have played as The Cannibal will be awarded 6,000 Iridescent Shards to compensate for the removal of the unlockable faces.

It’s not the first time that Behaviour Interactive have rapidly changed the game through a Dead by Daylight Developer Update, as the one in September overhauled the ranked system,

What were the unlockable DBD Leatherface masks?

DBD fans who play Bubba Sawyer, a Dead by Daylight killer based on the Texas Chainsaw Massacre’s Leatherface, were previously able to unlock four changeable masks for the character. The masks were based on the original four survivors; Dwight Fairfield, Meg Thomas, Claudette Morel, and Jake Park, and could be worn by the killer in reference to the original Leatherface’s trait of wearing his victim’s skin over his own face. In order to claim each mask, the player had to sacrifice each of the original survivors 25 times while playing as The Cannibal.

Why were the DBD Bubba masks removed from the game?

As of January 4th, 2022, the DBD Leatherface masks have all been removed, with the reason being that players were using the masks while engaging in “hateful activity”. While the exact reason was not made clear on the official post, rumors circulating the internet suggest that players were using the face based on Claudette, a Black girl, while racially harassing other players.

Behaviour Interactive, the developer behind Dead by Daylight, were quick to react to the claims and put the plans in motion to remove the masks. They have said, “We will not tolerate hateful activity and will continue to take every step necessary to protect the community.”

Free Dead by Daylight Iridescent Shards

In order to compensate those players who have earned the masks, Behaviour Interactive have given 6,000 free Iridescent Shards to everybody who played with The Cannibal before the Mid-Chapter update was rolled out on January 4th, 2022. Iridescent Shards are one of the DBD in-game currencies and can be redeemed in the Shrine of Secrets for Teachable Perks.

Other Dead by Daylight Mid-Chapter changes

Grade rewards increased

According to the Dead by Daylight Developer update notes, Behaviour Interactive have been tracking Grade rewards to ensure that they seem fair. They have apparently determined that the effort outweighed the reward, and, as such, will be increasing the rewards earned in-game from February 13th.

Perk Updates

Ten Perks have been changed in this Mid-Chapter update. Here’s just a few of them, with the full list available – along with all the other changes that have taken place – on the official DBD forum post.

Dead Man’s Switch

Originally, Dead Man’s Switch required The Obsession to be hooked. This has been deemed too restrictive, and so Dead Man’s Switch now activates when any player is hooked.

Distortion

More and more things with aura-reading ability have been introduced since Distortion was first brought in, meaning that tokens are now used up quickly. As such, the number of tokens you start with with the Distortion Perk has been increased to four.

Remember Me

Previously, Remember Me was restricted to only activate when The Obsession was damaged with the Killer’s basic attack. As this made the Perk unpopular with some Killers, a new token is earned with Remember Me every time The Obsession loses a health state.

Wake Up

Wake Up has been altered to, hopefully, more appropriately, counter the newly-improved Remember Me. With this Mid-chapter update, the gate opening speed bonus has been increased to 15/20/25%.