My Pig Journey: Traps, Stealth, and Lessons in Dead by Daylight

I still remember the first time I crouched behind a pallet as Amanda Young, the Jigsaw killer’s devotee and the first test subject from Saw. I thought I was playing a simple stalker. I was wrong. In 2026, after plenty of matches and more than a few embarrassing whiffs, I can say The Pig is one of the most satisfying stealth Killers in Dead by Daylight. She is not a straightforward chase monster; she is a pressure cooker with a hidden blade. And isn’t that exactly what a Jigsaw follower should be?

The First Lesson: Traps Are Clocks, Not Instant Wins

When I choose The Pig, I get a basic attack with her hidden blade and a special power called Jigsaw's Baptism. I begin with four Reverse Bear Traps, though Add-Ons can change that number. After I down a Survivor, I can place an inactive trap on their head. The trap is not a death sentence yet. It waits. When a generator is completed, every inactive Reverse Bear Trap activates. Then the Survivor has 150 seconds to search the Jigsaw boxes around the Trial Grounds. Each box takes 12 seconds by default. The countdown pauses if the Survivor is being chased or is downed, and if they try to leave through the Exit Gate with an active trap, it snaps shut. That is the beautiful cruelty of it: the trap makes Survivors choose between objectives and survival.

I learned quickly that the trap is not just a kill tool. It is a distraction engine. When I hear a trap activate, I do not always rush the box. Sometimes I let the clock do my work. Isn’t it better to make Survivors waste time than to chase them in a straight line?

Crouch, Dash, and the Art of Being Unseen

The Pig can crouch into stealth, gaining the Undetectable status at the cost of movement speed. From that crouch, she can Ambush Dash, attacking at increased speed and range from behind environmental obstacles. I love this part. I like to crouch near a generator, wait for the repair noise, and then dash out when the Survivor commits. It feels like a tiny horror movie every time. The first few matches are clumsy, yes. Her abilities can feel unwieldy to newcomers. But once I stopped trying to play her like a chase Killer and started playing her like a patient predator, she clicked.

The Pig's Own Perks

Amanda has three unique Perks, and I have learned to respect all of them even when I do not use them together. Once The Pig reaches levels 30, 35, and 40, her Perks begin to appear in the Bloodwebs of other Killers, which makes her a surprisingly good teaching character.

Perk	What it does	My take
Hangman's Trick	Gives a Loud Noise notification when a Survivor starts sabotaging a Hook, and while carrying a Survivor, reveals Auras of Survivors within 2/4/6 meters of any Hook.	Niche, but useful against sabotage squads.
Surveillance	Highlights regressing generator Auras in white; if regression is interrupted, the Aura turns yellow for 6/12/16 seconds, and repair noises are audible from 8 meters farther.	One of my favorite information Perks.
Make Your Choice	When a Survivor is rescued from a Hook while the Killer is at least 32 meters away, the Rescuer suffers from Exposed for 40/50/60 seconds.	Wonderful punishment for overly brave rescues.

Surveillance and Make Your Choice can travel to other Killers and create more dynamic builds. Hangman's Trick tends to be a match-specific pick, but I still smile when it catches someone crouching near a hook.

Building Around Her Weaknesses

The Pig does best with Perks that help her monitor generators and find Survivors. I like to lean into her stealth and her pressure. Good alternative teachable Perks include Corrupt Intervention from The Plague, Hex: Ruin from The Hag, Hex: Haunted Ground from The Spirit, Monitor & Abuse from The Doctor, Pop Goes the Weasel from The Clown, Save the Best for Last from The Shape, Tinkerer from The Hillbilly, and Whispers. Monitor & Abuse plus Whispers is a nasty little combination for complete stealth. Pop Goes the Weasel gives me a reason to hook and then punish a generator immediately. Corrupt Intervention buys me early time. Hex: Ruin makes passive regression hurt. Hex: Haunted Ground punishes cleansing. Save the Best for Last rewards clean basic attacks. Tinkerer tells me when a generator is close to completion and gives me Undetectable for a short window. Whispers tells me when someone is near before I see them. I also sometimes use standard meta Perks such as Hex: No One Escapes Death and Spies from the Shadows, but I try to experiment. Why copy a build if The Pig rewards patience and surprise?

Add-Ons I Actually Enjoy

The Pig's Bloodweb Add-Ons can sharpen her trap and stealth game. My favorite options increase the number of Reverse Bear Traps or slow down box searching. Last Will adds one available Reverse Bear Trap. Face Mask makes Survivors in a trap suffer from Blindness for everything except the Jigsaw Boxes. Amanda's Secret notifies me when a Survivor removes a trap and reveals their Aura for six seconds, though I can no longer see Jigsaw Box Auras. Rules Set No. 2 stops Survivors from seeing Jigsaw Box Auras until their trap activates. Because Killers are limited to what appears randomly in the Bloodweb, I experiment rather than chase one perfect setup. Isn’t that part of the fun?

Final Thought

In 2026, Dead by Daylight has no shortage of Killers, but The Pig remains special to me. She is an Intermediate-difficulty Killer who can feel awkward at first, yet she rewards planning, patience, and a little cruelty. I do not always win with her. But when a Survivor hears the trap activate and realizes the clock is already ticking, I feel exactly like Amanda Young should: unseen, patient, and ready to make my choice.