Dead by Daylight 10.2.1: Surrender Has a Bloody MMR Catch

Niels Gys

3 hours ago

5 min read

Dead by Daylight patch 10.2.1 changes when Survivors can surrender and when Killers can end a Trial. The last remaining human Survivor can now surrender if at least one bot remains, while Killers can end a match once every remaining Survivor is a bot, without having to knock them down first. There's a catch: Surrender counts as an MMR loss, while Abandon counts as a draw. The October 14 update also fixes several Killer abilities, perks and technical problems, although the broader complaints about prolonged matches remain unresolved.

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Surrendering to a serial killer now comes with an MMR penalty

Under 10.2.1, Survivors can surrender when they're the only human left in a Trial and at least one bot remains. Previously, this situation fell under Abandon. That might sound like a minor terminology change, until you remember that Behaviour Interactive established different matchmaking-rating consequences in patch 10.2.0. Abandon counts as a draw, while Surrender counts as a loss. So the same situation now carries a different outcome classification. You're the last actual person on your team, everyone else has buggered off and left you with their digital replacements, and you decide you've had enough. Perfectly understandable. Unfortunately, the game's matchmaking system still expects someone to take responsibility for this catastrophe. Apparently, that someone is you.

There's something wonderfully ridiculous about a horror game where you're being chased by supernatural murderers, your teammates have been replaced by robots, and the biggest concern is how Human Resources intends to classify your departure. Somewhere, a man with a clipboard has decided that voluntarily leaving a nightmare should negatively affect your performance review. Presumably, he'll also want an explanation for your lack of commitment during the annual appraisal. Still, the condition is specific: you must be the last remaining human Survivor, with at least one bot still present. This isn't a general-purpose escape button whenever a Killer starts making your evening unpleasant.

Killers can finally stop murdering robots to earn permission to leave

The Killer-side change makes considerably more sense. Killers can now use End Trial when every remaining Survivor is a bot. The previous requirement that those bots also had to be in the Dying State has been removed. This fixes a remarkably stupid situation where every actual human could have abandoned the match, but the Killer still had to hunt down their computer-controlled replacements and physically incapacitate them before being allowed to finish.

Imagine being an unstoppable supernatural murderer, only to discover that you're legally required to beat four robots unconscious before clocking out. You've spent the evening terrorising people with weapons, supernatural powers and an impressive disregard for human rights, yet somehow your greatest obstacle is an administrative procedure. Perhaps the Entity has recently hired someone from middle management who insists that all artificial victims must be horizontal before the paperwork can be processed.

Removing this requirement is an excellent quality-of-life improvement. Once everyone remaining is a bot, forcing the Killer through additional combat achieves very little beyond extending a match whose original competitive purpose has disappeared. Behaviour has finally acknowledged that murderers occasionally have better things to do.

Ghost Face wearing his iconic white scream mask and dark, bloodstained hooded outfit in a foggy, moonlit forest in Dead by Daylight.

Before Behaviour started handing out MMR penalties like parking tickets, patch 10.2.0 introduced the whole Surrender circus and finally gave Survivors a way to communicate without interpretive crouching. See what else changed in 10.2.0

But what about slugging and matches that drag on forever?

Here we reach the part of the update attracting considerably less enthusiasm. Patch 10.2.0 removed broader Surrender conditions associated with repeated slugging and prolonged inactivity. Those protections have not returned in 10.2.1, and players have been questioning the decision in the official community discussion.

I can understand why. There's an enormous difference between a Killer legitimately outplaying four Survivors and a match becoming effectively pointless to continue. Being knocked down, hooked or sacrificed is part of Dead by Daylight. You voluntarily entered a playground occupied by someone carrying a weapon and demonstrating an extremely flexible interpretation of recreational activities. Complaining that they tried to kill you would rather miss the point. But repeated slugging becomes a different problem when it leaves people with little meaningful ability to participate. At that stage, the frustration isn't necessarily about losing. It's about how long you're expected to remain involved while doing practically nothing.

The latest patch makes it easier to finish certain matches once human players have been replaced by bots. Good. But what about situations where humans are still present and the match has become unnecessarily prolonged? That's the argument Behaviour hasn't settled. Nobody needs a complimentary emergency exit whenever a Killer looks at them aggressively, but there ought to be room to distinguish legitimate pressure from situations where the game has effectively turned into an unpaid waiting-room simulator.

Ghost Face, Wesker and The Knight also received fixes

Fortunately, patch 10.2.1 isn't entirely occupied with determining which circumstances constitute an administratively acceptable surrender. Several Killers received meaningful corrections. Ghost Face had a reveal issue fixed that previously allowed Survivors to reveal him without sufficiently seeing his character model. Considering that remaining hidden is fundamental to his power, being exposed when someone hasn't properly spotted you rather defeats the purpose of stealth.

The Mastermind (Wesker) received adjustments to Virulent Bound redirection behaviour, while The Knight had an especially embarrassing problem corrected: his Guards should no longer become trapped in dropped pallets during Hunts. You've summoned armed medieval enforcers to pursue your victims, presumably men who've participated in sieges and slaughtered entire armies, only for somebody to drop a wooden pallet and bring the military operation to a complete standstill. I suspect the Crusades would have ended considerably earlier if someone had thought of visiting IKEA.

Additional fixes affect The Skull Merchant, Xenomorph, Demogorgon, several perks and maps. The patch also addresses a Wraith-related crash and an issue where Killers could become stuck in third-person camera view under certain latency conditions. These are documented fixes rather than guarantees that every affected interaction now works flawlessly in live matches.

One Halloween problem also deserves mentioning. The Haunted by Daylight "Hook 20 Survivors" challenge has been failing to register progress for some players. Although 10.2.1 doesn't explicitly list a fix, reports from October 14 and 15 suggest progression has resumed for some, while others still report problems. We've covered the issue separately in our Halloween hook-challenge report.

For now, 10.2.1 is a welcome improvement with one obvious unfinished argument attached. Killers no longer have to beat an entire team of robots unconscious before going home, but the question of when human players should be allowed to leave a match that's already stopped being worth playing remains unanswered.

The Knight from Dead by Daylight stands in bloodstained medieval armour, gripping a massive sword beside an iron prison gate with a chained prisoner behind it.

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Dead by Daylight 10.2.1 FAQ

When can Survivors surrender in patch 10.2.1?

Survivors can surrender when they're the last remaining human player and at least one bot remains in the Trial.

Does surrendering affect your MMR?

Yes. Surrender counts as an MMR loss, while Abandon counts as a draw. Apparently, even escaping a supernatural murderer requires a performance review.

When can Killers end a Trial?

Killers can end the match when all remaining Survivors are bots. They no longer need to knock every bot into the Dying State first.

Can Survivors surrender because of repeated slugging?

Not under the broader conditions removed in patch 10.2.0. Those protections weren't restored in 10.2.1.

What Killer bugs did patch 10.2.1 fix?

The update addresses Ghost Face's reveal mechanics, Wesker's Virulent Bound redirection, Knight Guards getting stuck in pallets, and several other Killer and technical issues.