He isn't the strongest. Not even close. If you’re playing in high-rank lobbies against four-man teams with flashlights and perfect callouts, Philip Ojomo—the Dead by Daylight Wraith—can feel like he’s made of wet cardboard. But that’s not why people play him. They play him because there is nothing quite like the sound of that Wailing Bell echoing through Autohaven Wreckers right before a surprise uncloak. It’s the purest form of the "jump scare" mechanic in the game.
Most players remember their first match against a Wraith. You’re sitting there, hitting your skill checks on a generator, feeling relatively safe because you don’t hear a heartbeat. Then, the air ripples. A bell tolls. Suddenly, a seven-foot-tall man with a spine for a weapon is lunging at your back. It’s terrifying. Honestly, the Wraith is the reason many people get hooked on the game in the first place, even if he eventually falls off in the "meta" compared to killers like Nurse or Blight.
The Tragedy of Philip Ojomo
The lore matters here because it explains why he plays the way he does. Philip wasn't a monster. He was a guy looking for a fresh start at Pete’s Landfill. He thought he was just crushing cars. He didn't know his boss was hiding "clients" in the trunks of those cars to be executed. When Philip found out he’d been an unwitting executioner, he snapped. He threw his boss into the crusher. It’s a grisly backstory that anchors him in the world of the Entity as a soul that is basically broken.
This translates to his visual design. He’s lanky, almost skeletal, wrapped in bandages and wielding the Azarov’s Skull. Unlike the Trapper, who feels heavy and industrial, the Wraith feels ethereal. He’s a ghost in the machine.
How the Wailing Bell Actually Works
You’d think "being invisible" would be an automatic win. It isn’t. In Dead by Daylight Wraith gameplay, "invisibility" is more of a suggestion. You are shrouded, meaning you have no Terror Radius and no Red Stain, but survivors can still see a shimmering distortion in the air. If they’re paying attention, they’ll see you coming from thirty meters away.
The real trick is the speed. While cloaked, the Wraith moves significantly faster than his base 4.6 m/s speed. This makes him one of the best "map pressure" killers in the game. You aren't just looking for one person; you’re patrolling every single generator in a massive loop.
💡 You might also like: How the Red Rock Casino Million Dollar Jackpot Actually Works
When you decide to attack, you have to "uncloak." This takes about 3 seconds. During this time, you slow down, which gives the survivor a chance to reach a pallet or a window. However, the moment you finish uncloaking, you get a "Windstorm" burst—a massive lunge speed increase for about 1.25 seconds. If you time this right, you can hit survivors even if they’ve already started running.
Common Mistakes New Wraith Players Make
- Uncloaking too early. If you start ringing that bell while you’re still ten meters away, you’ve lost the element of surprise. Use the environment. Hide behind a wall, start the uncloak, and then strafe around the corner just as the bar finishes.
- Respecting pallets too much. The Wraith is vulnerable to "pallet looping." Because he has no ranged attack, survivors will try to keep a piece of wood between you and them forever.
- Ignoring the "Lightburn" mechanic. This is huge. If a survivor shines a flashlight on you while you are cloaked, it doesn't just blind you—it stuns you and forces you to uncloak. It’s painful and can lose you the game.
The Add-On Paradox
Add-ons change the Dead by Daylight Wraith from a mid-tier annoyance to a high-tier threat. The "Swift Hunt" series of add-ons reduces the time it takes to uncloak. This is arguably more important than any other stat. If you can uncloak in 2 seconds instead of 3, the survivor has 33% less time to find safety.
Then there’s the "Coxcombed Clapper." This is a legendary (Ultra Rare) add-on that makes the Wailing Bell completely silent. Think about that. No sound. No warning. You just appear. When you pair this with "All-Seeing" (which lets you see survivor auras within 12 meters while cloaked), you essentially become an unstoppable wall-hacking machine.
But honestly? You don't need the pink add-ons to win. Even the brown "Soot" add-ons that suppress your light and sound after uncloaking can confuse survivors long enough to get that crucial first hit.
Why the Wraith Struggles Against Top Teams
If you watch competitive tournaments, you rarely see the Wraith. Why? Because information is king. Top-tier survivors use "Windows of Opportunity" and stay on comms. The moment one person sees the Wraith "shimmering," the whole team knows where he is.
💡 You might also like: Why Yume Mizuki Genshin Art and Cosplay Is Everywhere Right Now
Without a "map logic" power—like the Hag’s traps or the Artist’s birds—the Wraith is just a "M1 Killer." This means he has to rely on his basic attack (Mouse 1) to do everything. He can't shut down loops instantly. If a survivor is a "god-looper," they can keep a Wraith busy for three generators just by playing tiles efficiently.
He also suffers from "The Flashlight Problem." In 2024 and 2025 updates, the developers have tweaked lightburn, but a coordinated team with beams can still make a Wraith’s life miserable. You have to play around it. You have to be smarter than the beam.
Perk Synergies That Actually Work
You want perks that play into his hit-and-run style. Since the Dead by Daylight Wraith can disappear and move fast, you shouldn't be committing to five-minute chases. Hit someone, cloak, and go find someone else.
- Sloppy Butcher: This is almost mandatory. It makes survivors bleed more and take longer to heal. Since you’re hitting and running, you want their "down time" to be as long as possible.
- A Nurse's Calling: Since you have no terror radius while cloaked, you can sneak up on people while they are healing. Seeing their auras through walls while you're invisible is basically cheating.
- Discordance: This tells you when two or more survivors are on a generator. For a high-mobility killer like Philip, this is a dinner bell.
Playing Against the Wraith: A Survivor’s Perspective
If you’re on the other side of the bell, don't panic. The biggest mistake survivors make is running in a straight line. The Wraith's post-uncloak lunge is long, but it’s not very maneuverable. If you see him uncloaking, wait for the "whoosh" sound of his lunge and then sharp-turn around a corner or a rock.
Also, listen. Even when he’s invisible, the Wraith isn't silent. He has a very distinct "snarling" or "breathing" sound that sounds like a raspy, wet growl. If you hear that and you don't see a killer, he’s standing right behind you. Run.
The "Bone Clapper" add-on makes it so the bell sound comes from everywhere, making it impossible to tell how far away he is. If you hear that, stop looking for the sound and start looking for the shimmer.
📖 Related: Finding the Right Website of Endless Game Stock Images Without Getting Scammed
The Evolution of the Wraith
Since the game launched in 2016, Philip has gone through dozens of changes. At one point, he was considered the worst killer in the game. He was too slow, his uncloak was too loud, and he had no lunge. Behavior Interactive eventually gave him a "built-in" speed boost and adjusted his cloaking mechanics to make him viable.
Today, he sits in a healthy spot. He’s the "gatekeeper" killer. If you can't beat a Wraith, you aren't ready for the higher ranks. He punishes lack of awareness, but he rewards players who understand the fundamental mechanics of the game—like body blocking.
Expert Wraith players will actually use their "invisible" body to block a survivor from reaching a pallet or a window before they uncloak. It’s a dirty tactic, but it’s effective. You stand in the doorway, start the bell, and the survivor is trapped between you and a wall. By the time you’re visible, they’re already going down.
Actionable Steps for Improving Your Wraith Game
To truly master the Dead by Daylight Wraith, you need to stop playing him like a slasher and start playing him like a predator. He is about the "macro" game, not just the "micro" chase.
- Prioritize the "Hit and Run": Don't get tilted by a good looper. If you can't get a hit in 15 seconds, cloak and vanish. Find a weaker survivor or a vulnerable generator.
- Master the Body Block: Practice moving while cloaked to "sandwich" survivors against objects. Your hitbox exists even when your model is invisible.
- Learn the Shimmer: Go into a custom match with a friend and look at yourself. Understand exactly how visible you are at different distances and in different lighting (like the fog of the MacMillan Estate versus the brightness of Coldwind Farm).
- Value "Swift Hunt" Over Everything: Until you are very comfortable with your timing, always bring add-ons that speed up your uncloaking. It is the single biggest factor in whether or not you get a hit.
- Watch the HUD: In the modern version of DBD, the survivor activity icons tell you everything. If you see everyone is on a gen, don't waste time looking in lockers. Use your speed to disrupt them immediately.
The Wraith is a classic for a reason. He’s simple to learn but has a surprisingly high ceiling when it comes to psychological warfare. He’s about being where the survivors least expect you, exactly when they think they’re safe. Next time you load into a trial and hear that distant ding-dong, just remember: he’s probably closer than you think. Don't wait for the heartbeat. It’s not coming.