The subject of this short guide is the I.C.U. Build in Dead by Daylight. In this guide, we aim to delve into all the details to help you easily reach your goal. Let’s get started!
I.C.U. Build in Dead by Daylight
The Build, & My Reasons For It.
THE “I.C.U” BUILD
Nurses Calling + Nowhere to Hide + Dragon’s Grip + Trail of Torment,
From: Nurse, Knight, Blight & Pyramid Head.
I find this build creates a quite frantic and chaotic game. It can take the most experienced opposition by surprise, if you get on a role. More importantly, I think it creates fun for new and typical players, who are often in solo or duo games, with 2 other normal level players.
I think there is good synergy between the 4 perks. You see where people are a lot. They tap a gen to stop it regressing, scream, run off, to heal. Nurses begins. They start Dragon’s grip. You go invisible effectively with “Torment” and can one down them. You use “Nowhere” to light them up. They panic and don’t go back to the gen which you put Dragon’s Grip and Trail of Torment on.
So, very much a hit and run build that makes games more frantic and chaotic. Often multiple end up injured close to each other. One is downed by Dragon’s. They try to get them up and light up on nurses. You then get 2 down at once quite often and it can spiral to 4. But, mostly it just makes fast and furious games with everyone under pressure.
Trail of torment can act as a mini jump scare creator. Paired with Nurses and Nowhere you see them. But torment makes you almost invisible. Dragon’s grips give you one down. (So, pretend not to know where they are. “Leave”. Circle back).
As with my “Red Dwarf” Survivor build, this build creates a lot of auras. It means anyone watching (live or a video), can really see what is going on more too.
FUN NOT DOMINATION
Do bear in mind, I am not playing to dominate, or crush. I’m not trying to 4k or get 100 game win streaks (again) endlessly, like some, have to. I play the game and killer role, almost purely for fun. No doubt, my MMR has lowered. But, I have no interest in going back to playing dead serious, and playing only the hyper competitive types, who play oh so many games every, day, month and year. I was Red Rank 1, many years ago. I am happy with that,. I could get back, but I don’t need to.
So, be alert to the fact, that this build does not have meta slow down perks. It does not have meta hex perks. It is all about finding and chasing people. You do have to focus on keeping a 3 gen in place if you want to kill one or more. It is hard work in some games, but the kind that is fun. It is not the lazy grind to Grade 1 (that others camp and tunnel for, yet again)
SWAP OUTS
- Historically the build used: “i’m All Ears” (Ghost)
- And “Darkness Revealed” (Dredge)
- And “Awakened” (Wesker)
THE “U.C.ME” variation
- Dark Devotion + Nemesis + Dragon’s Grip + Trail of Torment
From Plague and Oni.
ONE SIZE FITS ALL
Although developed for Clown, I run “I.C.U” or “U.C.ME on everyone now. In 2021, I started to play the killers in order. I start at Trapper, and switch forward by one after each game. (Currently till I get to Alien). So I get to know them all, but I don’t live on one and get bored, or always win (or loose).
A SELF BALANCING ACT – HOOKS BEFORE KILLS
Since I don’t want or need to dominate in every game, like the gross overplay “must win” sub-set, my MMR falls. I decided that I don’t want to change the game to total friendly, as some chose to do. So I do kill survivors, (but not dominate or crush ASAP). New players need fun, but they also need to learn the game. And the pressure, of things like second stage hook skill checks
So, I set out to find and hook everyone once, plus at least one other twice, before I will kill anyone (i.e. The hud wheel counts total hooks. So I need 6 hook units, before I hook to kill=7). I will kill them all, if I want… I consider this build, plus this self imposed rule, reduces the advantages killers have, with over 500 hours. Most players are at 20-100 hours, not 500 to 20,000 hours. Meta means most games are no challenge, as you are mostly facing these teams, not SWF with similar hours. This build means most get 2-4 out.
FEEDBACK LOOPS
From using this build and playstyle for some years, I see how people seem to love it. They tell me. I get almost no toxic issues in chat. Hardly any in game, ever. Most SWF are nice too. Meanwhile those who massively and grossly overplay, say its toxic all the time. But, then I don’t take all the OP meta to crush people all the time, and make vids, ad nausem, for years on end, making out its all skills and smarts, and not unfair gross unbalance, from playing 100 to 1,000 times more than normal.
Any how, I like playing the game a lot, and this build. Maybe you will too.
Good luck to you, if you try it out.