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Family Builds [Final Patch]
By willum.d
A compilation of builds for Family, updated up to the final patch
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willum.d
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Category: Characters, Classes, Crafting, Loot, Walkthroughs, Weapons
Languages: English
Posted
Updated
5 Apr, 2024 @ 9:35am
22 May @ 1:12pm
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Guide Index
Overview
Introduction 
Bones 
Cook 
Hands 
Hitchhiker 
Johnny 
Leatherface 
Nancy 
Sissy 
Meta Builds - Bones, Cook 
Meta Builds - Hands, Hitchhiker, Johnny 
Meta Builds - Leatherface, Nancy, Sissy 
Resources 
Outro 
Comments
Introduction

This game has been abandoned by the devs.

I do not recommend buying it if you haven't already, nor do I recommend buying any future products from GUN due to their track record of failing to maintain their games.

Check out my updated Family Perk Ratings guide!
https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3239617611
Victim Builds: https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3205606550
This is a compilation of strong build paths for Family. The effects of every perk will not be described in this guide. They can be found here:
https://texaschainsaw-massacre-the-game.fandom.com/wiki/Perks#Family_Perks

Check the "Meta Builds" sections at the bottom if you just want to copy a build!

General Notes
  • Skill tree and Ability tree paths are marked with either L, M, or R. L indicates to go left. M indicates to go down the middle. R indicates to go right.
  • The fastest executions for each Family member are listed at the top of their respective pages. If the fastest execution for a Family member is DLC, then both that execution and the fastest free execution will be listed. Both of the fastest DLC kills can currently be found in Execution Pack II.
Perk Notes
  • Irrelevant perks are ignored for perk pools. These are generally weak, situational, and/or detrimental perks, like Insulated or Sip Sip Sip. Feel free to use them, but they will be ignored for the purposes of this guide. All of the default perks are also ignored, since they are unexceptional and guaranteed with every skill tree path (except Blood Runner, which is included in some builds, but is not listed for each path to avoid redundance). See my "Family Perk Ratings" guide in the "Resources" section for my thoughts on all of the perks.
  • Scout is recommended for most serious builds assuming that there is access to it, due to how strong it currently is.
Grandpa Perk Notes
  • Grandpa perks are unfortunately weak after the rework to them combined with Victim rushing still being so strong.

  • The best Grandpa perks are the following:
    • Nobody Escapes Hell (Level 2; very strong when active, but held back by its level requirement)
    • Suffocating Grip (Level 1; the strongest Grandpa perk currently)
    • Windoom (Level 1; only on Family House)
  • Other notable Grandpa perks are the following:
    • Always in Sync (Level 2; mainly in solo queue)
    • Animal Farm (Level 1; seems to work at level 0?)
    • Experienced Stalkers (Level 1)
    • Exterior Alarms (Level 3; extremely strong when active, but really held back by its level requirement)
    • Well Well Well (Level 1)
  • The following Grandpa perks should be ignored unless there's nothing else available:
    • Barge to the Point (Level 2; the worst Grandpa perk currently)
    • Brute Strength / Swinging for the Fences (Level 2; better than the rest of this tier, but still unexceptional)
    • Don't Have All Day (Level 3)
    • Excited Grandpa (Level 3)
    • Well Fed Young'uns (Level 3)

Attribute Notes
  • Savagery is the most important attribute for Family. Maps are dense with loops and wells, meaning that you can typically only get a few hits in before Victims make it somewhere safe. Most to all your points should be going toward this stat before others.
    • Savagery breakpoints will be mentioned on each character page, if applicable. These were calculated with the damage sheet in "Resources" and have not been tested by me, so feel free to correct any mistakes in the comments.
    • Breakpoints for exact builds (Serrated, etc.) will be stated in the "Meta Builds" sections, where applicable.
    • Use the damage sheet in "Resources" if you have your own specific breakpoints to calculate.
    • It might be worth just maxing Savagery anyway, since Victim Toughness and health are always going to vary across matches. Damage from other Family members or the environment will also vary.
  • Blood Harvesting is a poor attribute due to the Grandpa perk rework combined with the strength of rushing. It also gets countered by Agitator, Back for Blood, and Maria. A few points can be invested into it for breakpoints, but it's best to outright ignore it currently. Its main use is just for getting Exterior Alarms, Nobody Escapes Hell, Suffocating Grip, or Windoom active, or just for casual play. The breakpoints for Blood Harvesting are as follows:

    • 25 Blood Harvesting
      • 100 blood capacity vial and 5 buckets required to tier up Grandpa
      • This breakpoint is mainly useful for guaranteeing a tier up after a kill.
    • 38 Blood Harvesting
      • 4 buckets required to tier up Grandpa
    • 25 Blood Harvesting + Universal Donor Tier 2/3
      • 4 buckets required to tier up Grandpa
    • 28 Blood Harvesting + Universal Donor Tier 1
      • 4 buckets required to tier up Grandpa
    • 35/40/45 Blood Harvesting + Universal Donor Tier 3/2/1
      • 3 buckets required to tier up Grandpa

  • Endurance is a good attribute, but should only be invested in after Savagery is decently high or maxed. As previously stated, Family can typically only get a few hits on Victims before they make it to safety, so making each hit count is key.
  • Attributes do not have any effect above 50. Make sure that your attribute is no higher than 50 if using Feral, Siphon, or Unrelenting.
Bones

Recommended Ability Path: L/M/R, M, M/R
Recommended Execution: Straight to the Jugular
Character Notes
  • For level 1, Global Reveal is probably best for solo queue, whereas Gore Bomb Damage Increase would be better in a coordinated team. Free Gore Bomb might be worth using only if Vial-ent is equipped.
  • Bones' Savagery breakpoint is at 48 (47 with Serrated), so bring it up at least that high. Dump the rest of your points into Endurance. Optionally, Blood Harvesting can be brought to 38, but this isn't worthwhile currently.
  • No Escape is not worth using against good teams, since you don't recover that quickly from the well drop, and decent Victims will just loop you in basement. Going in basement is also a big waste of time and keeps you away from patrolling. No Escape is really only useful if a Victim happens to get incapacitated from the hit that sent them to basement, such as from a Leatherface overhead. Even in this scenario, their Toughness also can't be too high, or they'll just recover in front of you.
  • Hunting Enthusiast is also not worth using due to how slow it is, and Reckless is just a waste of a perk slot.

I do not own Bones, so some perk/attribute listings may be incorrect. Feel free to comment with any corrections!

Path 1: Serrated
Skill Tree Path
R, L, R, L
Perks
  • Big Swings
  • Feral
  • Fired Up
  • No Escape
  • Serrated
  • Vial-ent
Build 1 - Generalist
  • Feral
  • Serrated
  • Fired Up / Vial-ent
Build 2 - Damage
  • Serrated
  • Vial-ent
  • Big Swings / Feral
Build 3 - Blood
  • Blood Banker
  • Surgical
  • Universal Donor
Grandpa Perks
  • Don't Have All Day
  • Excited Grandpa
  • Experienced Stalkers
  • Suffocating Grip
Attributes
29 Points Total
Notes
  • Path for getting Serrated. Notably also gets Feral, Fired Up, Vial-ent, and Suffocating Grip, but loses Muscle Memory and Wire Frame.
  • Probably Bones' best path - Serrated is a great damage perk, Feral is very useful on a low Savagery character, the third perk choices are solid, and Suffocating Grip is the best Grandpa perk in the game. The only problem is the lack of Scout, but none of Bones' paths get Scout.
  • Going M, M, R instead will get Blood Banker, Siphon, Surgical, Universal Donor, You'll Pay For That!, and Animal Farm, but lose Big Swings, Feral, Fired Up, Vial-ent, Don't Have All Day, Experienced Stalkers, and Suffocating Grip. This isn't worth it and should only be used for a blood build, mainly with Bones' Free Blood Vial level 3 ability upgrade.

Path 2: Wire Frame
Skill Tree Path
L, L, L
Perks
  • Activated
  • Muscle Memory
  • Tracker Tagged
  • Unrelenting
  • Wire Frame
Build 1 - Generalist
  • Unrelenting
  • Wire Frame
  • Activated / Muscle Memory / Tracker Tagged
Grandpa Perks
  • Always in Sync
  • Barge to the Point
  • Nobody Escapes Hell
  • Windoom
Attributes
29 Points Total
Notes
  • Path for getting Wire Frame. Notably also gets Activated, Muscle Memory, Tracker Tagged, Nobody Escapes Hell, and Windoom, but loses Feral, Fired Up, No Escape, Vial-ent, and Suffocating Grip.
  • This path isn't worth using - over-committing to chases is a good way to lose in this game, and Bones isn't even that great at it due to his lack of Scout. Nobody Escapes Hell and Windoom are nice to have, but Suffocating Grip is overall better.
  • Going L, L, R, R instead will get No Escape, Exterior Alarms, and Well Well Well but lose Nobody Escapes Hell, Tracker Tagged, Wire Frame, and 1 attribute point. This isn't worth it and should only be used for an anti-well build with No Escape and Well Well Well.
Cook

Recommended Ability Path: R, M, L/R
Recommended Execution: Clobbered
Character Notes
  • All Family See Noise is a very important upgrade for Cook's ability if playing solo or even if playing with friends casually. Increase Focus Speed should only be taken if playing with a coordinated team that knows callouts.
  • Cook's Savagery breakpoint is at 43 (42 with Serrated, 46 with +15% DMG, and 50 with both), so bring it up at least that high. Dump the rest of your points into Endurance. Optionally, Blood Harvesting can be brought to 38, but this isn't worthwhile currently.
  • Cook absolutely requires Scout, even more so than everyone else - he is simply too slow to do anything to Victims otherwise.

Path 1: Security Pins
Skill Tree Path
R, L, L
Perks
  • Activated
  • Big Swings
  • Easily Tuckered Out
  • Scout
  • Security Pins
  • Serrated
  • Surgical
  • Tracker Tagged (See Notes)
  • Unrelenting (See Notes)
Build 1 - Generalist / Meta
  • Scout
  • Security Pins
  • Serrated / Surgical / Tracker Tagged
Build 2 - Damage
  • Big Swings
  • Serrated
  • Activated / Easily Tuckered Out / Scout
Grandpa Perks
  • Animal Farm (See Notes)
  • Barge to the Point
  • Exterior Alarms (See Notes)
  • Suffocating Grip (See Notes)
  • Well Well Well
Attributes
34 Points Total
Notes
  • Path for Security Pins. Notably loses Universal Donor and Vial-ent.
  • Easily Cook's best path, no question. Security Pins is a meta-defining perk that can slow down rushing significantly. Running anything else will only hurt your odds of winning.
  • Going M, R, L instead will get Animal Farm, Exterior Alarms, Tracker Tagged, and Unrelenting but lose Big Swings, Well Well Well, and 3 attribute points. This isn't worth it, since Exterior Alarms isn't good anymore now that it's tied to level 3 Grandpa, Well Well Well is a decent level 1 Grandpa perk, and the extra attribute points are nice.
  • Going L, R, L instead will get Suffocating Grip and 1 attribute point, but lose Big Swings, Serrated, and Well Well Well. Not worth it, since Serrated is Cook's best third perk option. This variation is fine if choosing to ignore Serrated, though - the attribute point is nice and Suffocating Grip is solid.

Path 2: Universal Donor + Vial-ent
Skill Tree Path
R, L, R, L
Perks
  • Big Swings
  • Scout
  • Serrated
  • Tracker Tagged (See Notes)
  • Universal Donor
  • Unrelenting (See Notes)
  • Vial-ent
Build 1 - Generalist
  • Scout
  • Serrated
  • Universal Donor / Vial-ent
Build 2 - Damage
  • Big Swings
  • Serrated
  • Vial-ent
Grandpa Perks
  • Animal Farm (See Notes)
  • Exterior Alarms (See Notes)
  • Nobody Escapes Hell
  • Suffocating Grip (See Notes)
  • Well Well Well
Attributes
33 Points Total
Notes
  • Path for Universal Donor and Vial-ent. Notably loses Security Pins and 1 attribute point.
  • This path not having Security Pins unfortunately makes it worthless. Security Pins is a very strong, irreplaceable perk for slowing down Victims from rushing. Getting Nobody Escapes Hell is nice, but it's nowhere near as good as Security Pins, especially with the Grandpa perk rework.
  • You can go M, R, R, L instead for Animal Farm, Exterior Alarms, Tracker Tagged, and Unrelenting at the cost of Big Swings, Well Well Well, and 3 attribute points. This isn't worth it, since Exterior Alarms isn't good anymore now that it's tied to level 3 Grandpa, Well Well Well is a decent level 1 Grandpa perk, and the extra attribute points are nice.
  • Going L, R, R, L instead will get Suffocating Grip and 1 attribute point but lose Big Swings, Serrated, and Well Well Well. Not worth it, since Serrated is one of Cook's best perks here. This variation is fine if choosing to ignore Serrated, though - the attribute point is nice and Suffocating Grip is solid.
Hands

Recommended Ability Path: L, L, L/M or R, R, R
Recommended Execution: Nut Cracker
Character Notes
  • Reduce Ripstall Cooldown is an important upgrade. The level 2 upgrade for it should be prioritized, with the level 1 version only being used if using Ripstall Install Trap for level 3.
  • The Increase Damage When Ripstalling upgrade at level 3 isn't that good, but it might be worth taking over Increase Defensive Barge Damage if not using Bruiser, and if Ripstall Install Trap isn't available. The barge also has a bad hitbox, so you may never use it in a match anyway outside of well drops.
  • The Increase Defensive Barge Damage upgrade at level 3 isn't that useful without Bruiser - it only increases the damage of the barge by 4.8 for a total of 20.8 compared to an increase of 9.3 for a total of 40.3 with Bruiser. Still, the barge is good for well drops and this adds a bit more.
  • Ripstall Install Trap is the strongest of the three level 3 upgrades for the ability, but you can only get the level 1 Ripstall Cooldown upgrade with it. This upgrade is not recommended on Family House or Slaughterhouse, since Hands spawns far from both generator and battery on them, meaning that he can't quickly turn them off and back on again to trigger the effect.
  • Hands' Savagery breakpoint is at 47 (50 with +20% DMG), so bring it up at least that high. Dump the rest of your points into Endurance. Optionally, Blood Harvesting can be brought to 25, but this isn't worthwhile currently.
  • Hands is one of the three Family members whose default execution isn't their fastest - make sure to change it if you care.
  • Barrier Breaker should be equipped if there's no Leatherface and you're on Family House or Slaughterhouse. It's not as important on the other maps, but it can still be useful.

Path 1: Fired Up / Attributes
Skill Tree Path
R, L, L, L, L/R
Perks
  • Activated (See Notes)
  • Barrier Breaker
  • Blunt Force Trauma
  • Bruiser
  • Dinner Bell (See Notes)
  • Fired Up (Right)
  • Rip Stalled
  • Siphon
  • Short Fuse (See Notes)
  • Surgical
  • Tracker Tagged
  • Universal Donor (See Notes)
  • Unrelenting (Left)
Build 1 - Generalist
  • Rip Stalled
  • Fired Up / Unrelenting
  • Barrier Breaker / Any
Grandpa Perks
  • Barge to the Point
  • Brute Strength
  • Don't Have All Day (See Notes)
  • Experienced Stalkers
  • Well Well Well
Attributes
27/30 Points Total (L/R)
Notes
  • Path for Unrelenting and a good amount of attribute points at 30, or Fired Up and 27 attribute points. Notably gets Rip Stalled as well, but loses Big Swings.
  • Contender for Hands' best path, since Rip Stalled is a solid perk and Fired Up / Unrelenting are good third perk options. However, Rip Stalled might not get much value if you're trapping objectives that you use your Ripstall ability on.
  • Going right at the last fork will get Fired Up but lose Unrelenting and 3 attribute points. This might not be worth it - doing this results in a net loss of 10 attribute points. Endurance as a stat is always helpful, whereas Fired Up is slightly more situational, and did get nerfed down to 75%. Still, Fired Up is pretty good.
  • Going L, R, L, L, L/R instead will get Short Fuse and Don't Have All Day but lose Blunt Force Trauma, Bruiser, and Brute Strength. This is a fine variation if you want Short Fuse, but I recommend sticking with the main path slightly more.
  • Going R, R, L, L, L instead will get Dinner Bell and 3 attribute points but lose Blunt Force Trauma, Rip Stalled, and Surgical. Not worth it, since Rip Stalled is good against smarter Victims. You can also just use the Short Fuse variant above if you want the aura reading on triggered traps.
  • Going L, M, L, L/R instead will notably get Activated, Universal Donor, and 1 attribute point but lose Rip Stalled. Also not worth it due to the loss of Rip Stalled but it's not bad - Activated synergizes with Hands' high damage and door stun animation.
  • Going L, L, L/R, L/R instead will get Slow Hands and 1 attribute point but notably lose Rip Stalled. This isn't worth it, since Slow Hands does not affect door lockpicking and this variation really lacks any good perk options otherwise.

Path 2: Big Swings
Skill Tree Path
R, L, L, R, L
Perks
  • Barrier Breaker
  • Big Swings
  • Blunt Force Trauma
  • Bruiser
  • Dinner Bell (See Notes)
  • Feral
  • Rip Stalled
  • Surgical
  • Tenderizer
  • Tracker Tagged
Build 1 - Generalist
  • Feral
  • Rip Stalled
  • Barrier Breaker / Big Swings
Build 2 - Damage
  • Big Swings
  • Bruiser
  • Tenderizer
Grandpa Perks
  • Barge to the Point
  • Brute Strength
  • Nobody Escapes Hell (See Notes)
  • Windoom
Attributes
27 Points Total
Notes
  • Hands' max damage path. Notably gets Big Swings, Tenderizer, and Windoom but loses Activated, Well Well Well, and 0/3 attribute points.
  • This path is quite strong now that Hands lost Scout. Compared to Path 1, Unrelenting gets exchanged for Feral, Well Well Well gets exchanged for Windoom, and you get Big Swings but lose 3 attribute points. Big Swings is pretty workable at tier 3 with 37 Endurance, and its downside is fine since Hands can't catch up to Victims that well without Scout anyway. This path only suffers if using Barrier Breaker + Rip Stalled + Attribute Perk, since compared to Path 1, it is the same minus 3 attribute points.
  • You can chain a door stun after a barge, allowing for some nasty damage with Bruiser, Tenderizer, and the Increased Defensive Barge Damage level 3 ability upgrade.
  • Going R, R, R, L instead will get Dinner Bell and Nobody Escapes Hell but lose Blunt Force Trauma, Feral, Rip Stalled, Surgical, and Tracker Tagged. Not worth it, since Rip Stalled can be pretty good, Feral helps with the Endurance issue created by Big Swings, and Nobody Escapes Hell, while strong, is harder to activate with the Grandpa perk rework combined with the strength of rushing.
Hitchhiker

Recommended Ability Path: M, R, R or R, M, L
Recommended Execution: Sliced Meat
Character Notes
  • Go R, M, L for the ability if not using Dinner Bell. Go M, R, R otherwise. Even without Dinner Bell, M, R, R might be better anyway since Hitchhiker's base trap damage is lacking. M, R, R might also be better on Family House, since it is so small. Increase Escape Difficulty isn't worth investing that much in, since it is countered by bone scraps, some perks, or just being too far away.
  • Hitchhiker's Savagery breakpoint is at 48 (47 with Serrated, 38 with +15% DMG, and 37 with both), so bring it up at least that high. Dump the rest of your points into Endurance. Optionally, Blood Harvesting can be brought to 25, but this isn't worthwhile currently.

Path 1: Venom
Skill Tree Path
L, L, L, L
Perks
  • Dinner Bell
  • Feral
  • Scout
  • Venom
Build 1 - Meta
  • Scout
  • Venom
  • Dinner Bell / Feral
Grandpa Perks
  • Brute Strength
  • Nobody Escapes Hell
  • Suffocating Grip
  • Well Well Well
Attributes
28 Points Total
Notes
  • Hitchhiker's trap path with access to Venom. Notably loses Serrated.
  • Contender for Hitchhiker's best path, since his traps don't do much damage without upgrades (around 20). This build makes it so that they do around 80+ if combined with the M, R, R ability upgrade path. For reference, a 25 Toughness Victim has around 111 health.
  • Remember to keep on chasing a Victim if they break out of your trap after stepping on it - they will probably bleed out within the next 30 seconds.
  • Going left at the second fork will get Big Swings, and going right will get You'll Pay for That! Neither are particularly good, so go for whatever.
  • Going M, L, L, L instead will get 1 attribute point but lose Dinner Bell, Brute Strength, and Well Well Well. Not worth it, since you want to use Dinner Bell with this build to maximize trap damage. This variation is better if someone else is using Dinner Bell or if you're on comms for the extra attribute point, though.

Path 2: Serrated
Skill Tree Path
M, L, R, L, L
Perks
  • Big Swings (See Notes)
  • Dinner Bell (See Notes)
  • Feral
  • Scout
  • Serrated
Build 1 - Meta
  • Scout
  • Serrated
  • Dinner Bell / Feral
Build 2 - Damage
  • Big Swings
  • Feral
  • Serrated
Grandpa Perks
  • Brute Strength (See Notes)
  • Nobody Escapes Hell
  • Suffocating Grip
  • Well Well Well (See Notes)
Attributes
29 Points Total
Notes
  • Hitchhiker's damage path with access to Serrated. Notably loses Venom.
  • Contender for Hitchhiker's best path. More consistent than the Venom path, since Victims might not always step in your traps, but loses out on the huge reward that Venom gives. This path can still get good trap damage too by just going M, R, R on the skill tree.
  • Going L, L, R, L, L instead will get Big Swings, Dinner Bell, Brute Strength, and Well Well Well but lose 1 attribute point. Fine option if you want more trap damage with the M, R, R ability path but still want the aura highlight with your traps with Dinner Bell. It's probably better to just use Venom with Path 1 if you want trap damage, but this variation lets you do a bit of both. This variation also lets you go for a max damage meme build with Big Swings.
Johnny

Recommended Ability Path: R, M, L
Recommended Execution: A Sticky End
Character Notes
  • Johnny has a strange lunge - it actually makes you faster instead of slower, and you can just keep on going without missing even after you hit a Victim twice. Feel free to just swing endlessly if you catch a Victim out in the open, while taking care to not swing past them or get spun. With Scout, the lunge has a tendency to go too far past the Victim, so watch out for that. You can also just spam swings for the movement speed, although you usually want a stamina perk or a high Endurance to help with this.
  • Johnny's Savagery breakpoint is at 42 (40 with Serrated, 45 with +15% DMG, 42 with +20% DMG, and 47 with +40% DMG), so bring it up at least that high. Dump the rest of your points into Endurance. Raising Blood Harvesting to 25 isn't worth it - while it will allow Johnny to fill his vial with 5 buckets (to trigger Vial-ent, typically), his vial can almost be filled in 5 buckets with his base 16 Blood Harvesting. There will only be 3.6 blood missing after 5 buckets, which can be earned with just a single hit on a Victim.
  • While Scout does make lunge spamming a bit more awkward once close to a Victim, it is still highly recommended for Johnny, same as for everyone else.

Path 1-1: Scout
Skill Tree Path
R, L, R, R
Perks
  • Activated
  • Scout
  • Unrelenting
  • Vial-ent
Build 1 - Meta
  • Scout
  • Vial-ent
  • Activated / Unrelenting
Build 2 - Stamina
  • Blood Runner
  • Scout
  • Unrelenting
Grandpa Perks
  • Always in Sync
  • Well Well Well
  • Windoom
Attributes
35 Points Total
Notes
  • Path for Scout. Notably loses Big Swings and Serrated.
  • Johnny's best path, just because it gets access to Scout along with having other good perk options.
  • The massive amount of attribute points that this path gets means that both Savagery and Endurance can be fully maxed when using Unrelenting. There will actually be 2 points left over for Blood Harvesting.
  • Blood Runner is a bit worse than the 5 extra Endurance from Unrelenting, so it's not worth using for a meta build.

Path 1-2: Big Swings
Skill Tree Path
R, L, L, R
Perks
  • Activated
  • Big Swings
  • Fired Up
  • Unrelenting
  • Vial-ent
Build 1 - Generalist
  • Big Swings
  • Vial-ent
  • Fired Up / Unrelenting
Build 2 - Damage
  • Activated
  • Big Swings
  • Vial-ent
Build 3 - Stamina
  • Fired Up
  • Unrelenting
  • Big Swings / Blood Runner
Grandpa Perks
  • Experienced Stalkers
  • Windoom
Attributes
33 Points Total
Notes
  • Variation of Path 1-1 which gets Big Swings. Also gets Fired Up but notably loses Scout and 2 attribute points.
  • This variation isn't worth it, just because it loses access to Scout.
  • The massive amount of attribute points that this path gets means that both Savagery and Endurance can be perfectly maxed when using Unrelenting.
  • Going left at the final fork will get Suffocating Grip and 3 attribute points but lose Fired Up and Experienced Stalkers. This probably isn't worth it - the 3 extra attribute points aren't that useful, since they will just go toward Blood Harvesting if using Unrelenting. Fired Up also helps mitigate Big Swings' downside a lot. This variation would only be worth it if ignoring Fired Up and Unrelenting and going with a full damage build.

Path 2: Serrated
Skill Tree Path
L, R, L, L, L
Perks
  • Down the Rabbit Hole
  • Easily Tuckered Out
  • Feral
  • Serrated
Build 1 - Chases
  • Easily Tuckered Out
  • Feral
  • Serrated
Grandpa Perks
  • Animal Farm
  • Don't Have All Day
  • Nobody Escapes Hell
  • Well Fed Young'uns
Attributes
33 Points Total
Notes
  • Path for Johnny's lunge spam build, with access to Easily Tuckered Out and Serrated. Notably gets Nobody Escapes Hell as a bonus, but loses access to Big Swings, Scout, and Windoom.
  • This path isn't worth it, just because it loses access to Scout.
  • The massive amount of attribute points that this path gets means that both Savagery and Endurance can be perfectly maxed when using Feral.
  • Going left at the second fork will get Exterior Alarms but lose Feral. Not worthwhile, since Exterior Alarms isn't that great anymore with the Grandpa perk rework, and Feral is Johnny's only good third perk option - the only other decent options are Blood Runner or Down the Rabbit Hole.
  • Going right at the fourth fork will get 1 attribute point but lose Nobody Escapes Hell. Not really worth it, since Johnny can perfectly max out his Savagery and Endurance with the 33 points already here plus Feral - the extra 1 point from this variation is only going toward Blood Harvesting.
Leatherface

Recommended Ability Path: R, M, M
Recommended Execution: Gutted Like a Deer
Character Notes
  • Leatherface is mostly unaffected by the stamina mechanic, so Endurance is a wasted stat on him. Higher Endurance can actually be detrimental to Leatherface if using Hysterical Strength, since it will take longer to proc.
  • Dump all of your points into Savagery and put the rest into Blood Harvesting. Leatherface isn't concerned with Savagery breakpoints since his Savagery is so easy to max out and he doesn't need Endurance.

Path 1: Scout
Skill Tree Path
M, R, L
Perks
  • Blood Banker
  • Down the Rabbit Hole
  • Scout
  • Siphon
  • Rough Cut
  • Tenderizer
Build 1 - Meta
  • Down the Rabbit Hole
  • Rough Cut
  • Scout
Build 2 - Blood
  • Blood Banker
  • Scout
  • Siphon
Grandpa Perks
  • Brute Strength
  • Experienced Stalkers
  • Exterior Alarms
  • Well Well Well
Attributes
29 Points Total
Notes
  • Scout path that also notably gets Rough Cut. Notably loses access to Big Swings, Vial-ent, and 4 attribute points though.
  • Generally Leatherface's best path, in my opinion. Scout makes Leatherface unfairly fast, allowing him to patrol doors efficiently and catch up to dashing Victims quickly. Leatherface is ~23% faster than a dashing Victim with Scout and his chainsaw revved.
  • This path is also best for getting the Hung up on you achievement. Make sure to use Down the Rabbit Hole, Rough Cut, Scout, and Well Well Well if trying for this.
  • Here's some tips for Hung up on you:
    • Rough Cut applies to all of Leatherface's attacks, but doing an overhead has a good chance to just outright kill the Victim, and doing basic attacks means stacking more bleed damage, so I recommend doing basic attacks. It can be worth doing the overhead on higher Toughness Victims just to lower their health, though.
    • Try to use thrust whenever possible - it's multi-hitting and good for causing bleed-outs. Just remember that the thrust has poor range, so you have to do it pretty much as the Victim starts going through the gap.
    • Victims are picked up with the interact key (E by default on PC). Make sure to mash this button as you approach the Victim - if you don't, they might enter the getting up animation in time, meaning that you can't execute them or pick them up (and they get i-frames for no reason, too).
    • Do not fall from any altitude while carrying a Victim - you will immediately drop them regardless of height for no reason. Very stupid and frustrating thing to have happen. I have no idea as to why this was programmed into the game.
    • Playing with any friends will help, since they can save the kill for you if a Victim bleeds out in front of them. Having them play Venom Hitchhiker and Serrated Cook will help, since both of those builds can apply bleed damage, and will help slow the game down.

Path 2: Damage
Skill Tree Path
L, L
Perks
  • Big Swings
  • Feral
  • Serrated
  • Universal Donor (See Notes)
  • Vial-ent
Build 1 - Meta
  • Big Swings
  • Serrated
  • Vial-ent
Build 2 - Blood
  • Universal Donor
  • Big Swings / Feral / Vial-ent
Grandpa Perks
  • Animal Farm
  • Swinging for the Fences
  • Well Fed Young'uns
Attributes
33 Points Total
Notes
  • Leatherface's max damage path, with access to Big Swings, Serrated, Vial-ent, and 4 more attribute points compared to Path 1. Notably loses access to Scout and Well Well Well, though.
  • This path is generally a bit weaker than Leatherface's Scout path, in my opinion. This path can get up to 35% more damage than the Scout one with Big Swings + Vial-ent, but no Scout is a pretty big downside - Leatherface is only slightly faster (~8%) than a dashing Victim without it, and no Scout hurts door patrolling or covering large areas like the outside of Family House. Also, Vial-ent takes time harvesting or requires a kill to activate, and the extra damage might not matter anyway if the Victim has lower Toughness or is already injured.
  • Going right at the second fork will get Universal Donor but lose Master Key, Serrated, and 1 attribute point. It's not worth it, but go for it for a blood meme build if you want. It helps activate Vial-ent faster, at least.

Path 3: Rubber Boots
Skill Tree Path
R, L, L, R
Perks
  • Activated
  • Punishment
  • Rubber Boots
  • You'll Pay For That!
Build 1 - Just Leave
  • Activated
  • Rubber Boots
  • Punishment / You'll Pay For That!
Grandpa Perks
  • Always in Sync
  • Barge to the Point
  • Excited Grandpa
  • Nobody Escapes Hell
Attributes
28 Points Total
Notes
  • Complete meme path. Only use this for the "Just Leave" clips with Rubber Boots. It doesn't even get Scout or Big Swings, and is stuck with the least attribute points at 28.
  • Punishment can actually be good against knowledgeable Victims, since they will use hiding spots to avoid your overhead. However, running it means not committing to the meme build with Activated, Rubber Boots, and You'll Pay for That!. If not committing to the meme, then it's better to just go with the Big Swings build for the damage. This would only be more useful if Victims were heavily abusing hiding spots.
Nancy

Recommended Ability Path: R, M, L/R
Recommended Execution: Road Kill (DLC) or Skull Crusher (Free)
Character Notes
  • Use Clear Vision if still learning maps or just for consistency. Otherwise, Spy Closest Victim can actually be pretty good if a Victim has breached an area and you can't find them. Spy Furthest Victim is not as good, since you can't confirm that it will track anyone useful - it might just track someone in the basement anyway. It could be good for when you're camping one extreme of the map and are giving callouts to an opposite teammate, however.
  • Nancy's Savagery breakpoint is at 43 (46 with +15% DMG), so bring it up at least that high. Dump the rest of your points into Endurance. Optionally, Blood Harvesting can be brought to 38, but this isn't worthwhile currently.
  • Nancy is one of the three Family members whose default execution isn't their fastest - make sure to change it if you care.
  • Road Kill is Nancy's fastest execution, but is DLC. It's only faster than Skull Crusher by ~0.1 seconds, so it's hardly important. It can be found in Execution Pack II.

Path 1: Poisoned Claws
Skill Tree Path
R, L, R, L, L
Perks
  • Dinner Bell
  • Down the Rabbit Hole
  • Hurt 'Em
  • I'll Kill Them All
  • Pins and Needles
  • Poisoned Claws
  • Strong Minded
  • Tracker Tagged
  • Universal Donor
  • Unrelenting (See Notes)
  • Wait a Second
Build 1 - Generalist / Meta
  • Hurt 'Em
  • Poisoned Claws
  • Dinner Bell / Pins and Needles / Wait a Second
Grandpa Perks
  • Always in Sync
  • Barge to the Point
  • Brute Strength
  • Well Well Well (See Notes)
Attributes
30 Points Total
Notes
  • Path for Poisoned Claws. Also notably gets Pins and Needles and Wait a Second, but loses Scout.
  • Contender for Nancy's best path. Poisoned Claws is a strong and important perk for her, even though it's been nerfed. Pins and Needles is really strong too, assuming that it procs even once and that there's time to set up the fourth trap. The buffs to Nancy's trap speeds makes farming Pins and Needles more viable. Wait a Second is decent, but did get hit pretty hard by its nerf.
  • Going R, L, L, R instead will get Unrelenting and Well Well Well but lose Hurt 'Em, I'll Kill Them All, Wait a Second, and 2 attribute points. Not recommended, since Hurt 'Em is strong now, and Nancy isn't good at committing to chases and would rather just have a utility perk. Also, this variation results in a net gain of only 5 attribute points due to the aforementioned loss of 2 attribute points.

Path 2: Scout
Skill Tree Path
R, M, L, L
Perks
  • Dinner Bell
  • Down the Rabbit Hole
  • Feral
  • Hurt 'Em
  • I'll Kill Them All
  • Scout
  • Strong Minded
  • Tracker Tagged
  • Universal Donor
Build 1 - Generalist / Meta
  • Scout
  • Dinner Bell / Feral / Hurt 'Em
Grandpa Perks
  • Always in Sync
  • Brute Strength
Attributes
26 Points Total
Notes
  • Path for Scout. Notably loses Pins and Needles, Poisoned Claws, Wait a Second, and 4 attribute points.
  • The other contender for Nancy's best path. Scout being buffed to not penalize melee damage combined with Poisoned Claws' and Wait A Second's number nerfs means that these paths are more even in strength now.
Sissy

Recommended Ability Path: L/R, M, M
Recommended Execution: Filet (DLC) or Flower Power (Free)
Character Notes
  • Sissy's poison does absolutely no damage without the Toxic Cloud level 3 upgrade. Unless it's already at level 3, don't waste poison clouds mid-chase unless the slowdown will help or you think that the Victim will be scared away from the loop. When you do get the upgrade, the poison does 15 damage over 10 seconds. This damage is unaffected by increases to poison duration.
  • Sissy's Savagery breakpoint is at 48 (47 with Serrated, 38 with +15% DMG, and 37 with both), so bring it up at least that high if you can. Dump the rest of your points, if any, into Endurance. Ignore Blood Harvesting on Sissy - it's high enough for all important blood breakpoints already.
  • Sissy is one of the three Family members whose default execution isn't their fastest - make sure to change it if you care.
  • Filet is Sissy's fastest execution, but is DLC. It's only faster than Flower Power by ~0.6 seconds, so it's not that important. It can be found in Execution Pack II.
  • Siphon isn't worth using on Sissy, since she already has enough Blood Harvesting for all important breakpoints.

Path 1: Scout
Skill Tree Path
R, R, L
Perks
  • Easily Tuckered Out
  • Efficient Herbalist
  • Fired Up
  • Scout
  • Universal Donor
  • Wire Frame
Build 1 - Chases
  • Fired Up
  • Scout
  • Easily Tuckered Out / Wire Frame
Build 2 - Generalist
  • Fired Up
  • Scout
  • Efficient Herbalist / Universal Donor
Build 3 - Setup
  • Efficient Herbalist
  • Scout
  • Universal Donor
Grandpa Perks
  • Always in Sync
  • Excited Grandpa
  • Experienced Stalkers
  • Exterior Alarms
  • Nobody Escapes Hell
Attributes
25 Points Total
Notes
  • Sissy's Scout path. Notably also gets access to Fired Up and Wire Frame, but loses Feral, Linger, Rubber Legs, Serrated, Spore Loser, and Suffocating Grip.
  • Sissy's best path, just because it gets access to Scout along with having other good perk options.

Path 2: Poison
Skill Tree Path
L, R, R
Perks
  • Rubber Legs
  • Slippery
  • Special Blend
  • Spore Loser
  • Vial-ent
Build 1 - Poison
  • Rubber Legs
  • Special Blend
  • Spore Loser
Build 2 - Chases
  • Slippery
  • Vial-ent
  • Rubber Legs / Spore Loser
Grandpa Perks
  • Always in Sync
  • Animal Farm
  • Brute Strength
  • Well Fed Young'uns
Attributes
27 Points Total
Notes
  • Sissy's poison path with access to Rubber Legs, Special Blend, and Spore Loser but notably loses Feral, Scout, Serrated, and Suffocating Grip.
  • This path isn't worth it, just because it loses access to Scout. Also, Sissy only does 15 damage per poison (and only when it's at level 3), has to rely on poison station positioning, has to rely on poison station RNG, and is susceptible to rushing when trying to get poisons, so spamming poisons on Victims isn't as good as you would think. This build can be decent for slowing down Victims with Rubber Legs + Spore Loser to support other Family members, though. Taking the Create Poison Faster ability upgrade can help mitigate poison reliance slightly.
  • Going left at the second fork will get Linger, Tracker Tagged, and Swinging for the Fences but lose Rubber Legs and Special Blend. This isn't worth it - Rubber Legs synergizes pretty well with Spore Loser, and the loss of Special Blend hurts.

Path 3-1: Serrated + Spore Loser
Skill Tree Path
M, L, M, L
Perks
  • Big Swings
  • Feral
  • Serrated
  • Slippery
  • Spore Loser
Build 1 - Chases
  • Feral
  • Serrated
  • Spore Loser
Grandpa Perks
  • Animal Farm
  • Brute Strength
  • Suffocating Grip
  • Well Well Well
Attributes
26 Points Total
Notes
  • Sissy's damage path with access to Feral, Serrated, Spore Loser, and Suffocating Grip but notably loses Fired Up, Linger, Rubber Legs, and Scout.
  • This path isn't worth it, just because it loses access to Scout. Hitchhiker can also get a similar build but better - he has a higher move speed, gets Scout instead of Spore Loser, and gets more Savagery/Endurance.

Path 3-2: Serrated + Fired Up
Skill Tree Path
M, L, R, L
Perks
  • Big Swings
  • Efficient Herbalist
  • Feral
  • Fired Up
  • Serrated
  • Wire Frame
Build 1 - Chases
  • Feral
  • Fired Up
  • Serrated
Build 2 - Damage
  • Big Swings
  • Feral
  • Serrated
Grandpa Perks
  • Always in Sync
  • Excited Grandpa
  • Experienced Stalkers
  • Nobody Escapes Hell
  • Well Well Well
Attributes
28 Points Total
Notes
  • Variation of Path 2-1 which notably gets Fired Up and 2 attribute points but loses Spore Loser, Suffocating Grip, and Slippery.
  • This variation isn't worth it, just because it loses access to Scout. Hitchhiker can also get this same build but better - he has a higher move speed, gets Scout instead of Fired Up, and gets more Savagery/Endurance. This variation isn't bad compared to Path 3-1 though - Fired Up is a solid perk and the extra attribute points are nice. This variation is better if Victims don't abuse close encounters that much. This variation is also better for a max damage meme build with Big Swings, since it gets 2 more attribute points compared to 3-1 (Hitchhiker can also do the max damage build better than Sissy, though).
Meta Builds - Bones, Cook
Here are, in my opinion, the best builds for each character.
  • Some characters have multiple build options that are equally viable. Some characters also have multiple perk or ability upgrade options, since the benefits of certain upgrades/perks over other ones can be situational or hard to quantify. Upgrades or perks that are only useful in specific scenarios will be listed in the character or path notes.
  • Grandpa perks are listed by priority. Only use the lower priority ones if someone else already has the higher priority ones equipped or if you don't have access to the higher priority ones due to a build variation. Only use Windoom on Family House.
  • Characters' minimum listed Savagery are the amount required to reach breakpoints against 50 Toughness Victims. Make sure Savagery is at least that high, and then spend the rest of the points between Savagery or Endurance as you like. Keep in mind that the breakpoints will be different with perks like Serrated or Vial-ent.
  • Any blood breakpoints or perks are unfortunately not worth using with the current state of the game. This is because Victims can rush so fast, and it takes Victims far less time to stab Grandpa than it takes for Family members to feed him. This is further skewed if Agitator, Back for Blood, or Maria are in play.

Bones

Ability Path: L/M/R, M, M/R
Execution: Straight to the Jugular
Character Notes
  • Bones is likely the worst character in the game currently. He does not get access to Scout, which is very detrimental for a chaser like him. Also, his Gore Bombs can destroy key doors if placed too close, meaning that they aren't useful for objective slowdown. His bombs additionally have an audio cue and can easily be dodged by decent players. His bombs at least can nuke a Victim with the level 2 stamina drain upgrade, and especially so if another Family member is near.
  • For level 1, Global Reveal is probably best for solo queue, whereas Gore Bomb Damage Increase would be better in a coordinated team. Free Gore Bomb might be worth using only if Vial-ent is equipped.
Build 1: Damage
Skill Tree Path
R, L, R, L
Perks
  • Feral
  • Serrated
  • Fired Up / Vial-ent
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Suffocating Grip
  • Priority #2: Experienced Stalkers
  • Priority #3: Don't Have All Day / Excited Grandpa
Attributes
  • 47(?)-50 Savagery, 26-29 Endurance
Notes
  • Probably Bones' best build. Bones doesn't get any access to Scout, unfortunately, but at least gets some good damage with Serrated and max Savagery.
  • Vial-ent is pretty good now that Grandpa is no longer worth feeding with the Grandpa perk rework. It's better if it can get set up quickly, but Fired Up is possibly better in a faster paced match.

Cook

Ability Path: R, M, L/R
Execution: Clobbered
Character Notes
  • With the current state of the game, any serious team composition needs to have a Cook with Security Pins. Without him, Victims are free to quickly rush through doors and open up the map, forcing Family members to do longer patrols or camp a side of the map. Cook also happens to have great Savagery, and his Seek ability is strong and is great for when you need to camp an objective.
  • Only use Increase Focus Speed for the level 3 ability upgrade if playing with a coordinated team that knows callouts.
Build 1: Security Pins
Skill Tree Path
R, L, L
Perks
  • Scout
  • Security Pins
  • Serrated
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Well Well Well
  • Priority #2: Barge to the Point
Attributes
  • 42-50 Savagery, 29-37 Endurance
Notes
  • Meta Cook. Going this way instead of M, R, L gets 3 more attribute points, and the loss of Exterior Alarms isn't that bad with the Grandpa perk rework.
Meta Builds - Hands, Hitchhiker, Johnny
Hands

Ability Path: L, L, L/M or R, R, R
Execution: Nut Cracker
Character Notes
  • Hands is still good despite his nerfs, although not a guaranteed pick anymore. His Ripstall cooldown nerf hurts, and the removal of Scout really hurts his chasing/patrolling ability. Still, his Ripstall counters Danny/Saboteur, his traps are good for objective slowdown, he can break barriers (with a perk), his barge can tack on extra damage to a well drop, and he is good at close encounters. He can be worth swapping in over Hitchhiker or Leatherface.
  • R, R, R should be avoided for the ability path if on Family House or Slaughterhouse. It might be worth ignoring anyway for the slightly better Ripstall cooldown.
  • Barrier Breaker should be definitely be used if Leatherface is not present and if on Family House or Slaughterhouse. It can also be taken on the other maps, but it's a bit less important.
Build 1: Utility / Solo Queue (No Leatherface)
Skill Tree Path
R, L, L, L, L/R
Perks
  • Barrier Breaker
  • Rip Stalled
  • Fired Up / Unrelenting
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Experienced Stalkers / Well Well Well
  • Priority #2: Brute Strength
Attributes
  • 47-50 Savagery, 30-33 Endurance (no Unrelenting)
  • 47-50 Savagery, 40-43 Endurance (if using Unrelenting)
Notes
  • Build for when Leatherface is not in play and/or you need to destroy barricades yourself. Gets 3 more attribute points or Fired Up compared to Build 2 and only notably loses Big Swings.
Build 2: Damage (Leatherface in Team)
Skill Tree Path
R, L, L, R, L
Perks
  • Big Swings
  • Feral
  • Rip Stalled
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Windoom
  • Priority #2: Brute Strength
  • Priority #3: Barge to the Point
Attributes
  • 50 Savagery, 37 Endurance
Notes
  • Build for when Leatherface is in play and can destroy all the important barricades, since an attribute perk is needed with Big Swings, and Rip Stalled should always be taken if playing against sweaty teams.
  • Just use Build 1 if you don't want to use Big Swings - it gets the same perks otherwise and 3 more attribute points or Fired Up.
  • This build just barely misses the 50 Toughness full health Victim breakpoint by around 5 health. This is quite a minor amount, however, so a 4 hit kill is entirely possible with this build, especially since not everyone brings 50 Toughness.

Hitchhiker

Ability Path: M, R, R or R, M, L
Execution: Sliced Meat
Character Notes
  • Hitchhiker is a meta character. His traps are good for objective slowdown, loop denial, or even as a surprise. Being able to crawl through gaps can be helpful at times. He can also deal great damage with his Serrated / Venom builds. Overall, he is an amazingly versatile character that works on every map and has little weaknesses.
  • Only use R, M, L for the ability if not using Venom and if not on comms. It could still be worth ignoring this, though, and simply calling out the trap location after using Family Focus.
Build 1: Traps / Competitive
Skill Tree Path
L, L/R, L, L or M, L, R, L, L
Perks
  • Scout
  • Venom
  • Dinner Bell / Feral
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Nobody Escapes Hell / Suffocating Grip
  • Priority #2: Well Well Well
Attributes
  • 43 Savagery (no Feral)
  • 48-50 Savagery, 29-31 Endurance (if using Feral and M, L, R, L, L)
  • 48-50 Savagery, 28-30 Endurance (if using Feral but L, L/R, L, L)
Notes
  • Not using Venom means that Victims can choose to just tank your traps in favor of rushing an objective. This is most notable with Family House's front window. Low skill Victims will probably respect your traps, meaning that this build will get less value.
  • Choice at the second fork doesn't matter.
  • Go M, L, L, L for the skill tree and replace Dinner Bell with Feral if someone else is using Dinner Bell. Put the extra attribute point into Endurance. Note that doing this will make you lose access to Brute Strength and Well Well Well.
Build 2: Damage / Solo Queue
Skill Tree Path
M, L, R, L, L
Perks
  • Feral
  • Scout
  • Serrated
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Nobody Escapes Hell / Suffocating Grip
Attributes
  • 47-50 Savagery, 29-32 Endurance
Notes
  • This build assumes that Victims will respect your traps and will not try to brute force through them to rush an objective. Overall more consistent, especially in solo queue.

Johnny

Ability Path: R, M, L
Execution: A Sticky End
Character Notes
  • Johnny is decent due to his great lunge, but his attack hitbox is bad and Leatherface is a better chaser. Victims will frequently close encounter you to avoid lunge spamming, which is a problem that Leatherface ignores. Johnny's tracking is also pretty weak - he can't follow footprints through gaps, his tracking can be countered by Victims crouching, and tracks range from hard to impossible to see during the day or in bushes. Johnny, while very lethal out in the open, lacks utility that everyone else gets.
Build 1: Scout
Skill Tree Path
R, L, R, R
Perks
  • Scout
  • Vial-ent
  • Activated / Unrelenting
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Windoom
  • Priority #2: Always in Sync / Well Well Well
Attributes
  • 45-50 Savagery, 45-50 Endurance (no Unrelenting)
  • 50 Savagery, 18 Blood Harvesting, 50 Endurance (if Unrelenting is equipped)
Notes
  • Activated is good since Victims will stun Johnny frequently to avoid his lunge spamming. When active with Vial-ent, he can kill a full health, 50 Toughness Victim in 4 hits.
  • Vial-ent is pretty good now that Grandpa is no longer worth feeding with the Grandpa perk rework.
  • Bringing Blood Harvesting to 25 will allow Vial-ent to activate with exactly 5 blood buckets instead of 5 buckets + a hit or 6 buckets. This is not worth doing, since this means sacrificing 9 points from Endurance.
Meta Builds - Leatherface, Nancy, Sissy
Leatherface

Ability Path: R, M, M
Execution: Gutted Like a Deer
Character Notes
  • Leatherface is a meta character. He has the best damage and move speed in the game, and offers good utility with being able to destroy barricades and crawl spaces. His immunity to close encounters is very important too, ever since they were buffed. His only real weakness is that he lacks an objective slowdown tool.
  • Leatherface mostly ignores the stamina mechanic, thus ignoring Endurance on him is recommended.
Build 1: Scout
Skill Tree Path
M, R, L
Perks
  • Down the Rabbit Hole
  • Rough Cut
  • Scout
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Experienced Stalkers / Exterior Alarms / Well Well Well
Attributes
  • 50 Savagery, 32 Blood Harvesting
Notes
  • Scout is great for door patrolling and catching up to Victims before they can make it to a loop. It's also good in large open areas like when Victims make it outside on Family House. Victim Endurance being so strong right now means that Scout is extra crucial for catching up to them now.
  • Down the Rabbit Hole is good if a Victim has breached an area and they can't be found. Seeing their aura in the basement will let you know that they welled and that the area doesn't need to be patrolled anymore.
Build 2: Damage
Skill Tree Path
L, L
Perks
  • Big Swings
  • Serrated
  • Vial-ent
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Animal Farm
  • Priority #2: Swinging for the Fences
  • Priority #3: Well Fed Young'uns
Attributes
  • 50 Savagery, 36 Blood Harvesting
Notes
  • Good for getting kills on high Toughness Victims with max health, but might not get any value if Victims have low Toughness or have already lost some health.
  • No Scout means that Leatherface is only slightly faster than dashing Victims, which especially hurts with how strong Victim Endurance is currently.
  • This build is superior when defending something like an open valve gate, or maybe when in a small area like in Family House before it's breached.
  • Vial-ent is pretty good now that Grandpa is no longer worth feeding with the Grandpa perk rework.

Nancy

Ability Path: R, M, L/R
Execution: Road Kill (DLC) or Skull Crusher (Free)
Character Notes
  • Nancy is decent. Her traps unfortunately don't help with objective slowdown and do a pitiful amount of damage (can be remedied with Hurt 'Em now, though), meaning that they're only useful for the stun and tracking. Her Spy ability is good, but will sometimes be worthless depending on who it tracks (although this is alleviated with her level 3 ability upgrade). Nancy is mainly good on Family House, but Cook, Hands, Hitchhiker, and Leatherface are better picks for that map anyway.
  • Clear Vision probably isn't worth using if you have enough map knowledge, and Spy Closest Victim is good for finding someone who has breached an area. Clear Vision could theoretically be better if you got perfect RNG when spying.
Build 1: Poisoned Claws
Skill Tree Path
R, L, R, L, L
Perks
  • Hurt 'Em
  • Poisoned Claws
  • Dinner Bell / Pins and Needles / Wait a Second
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Always in Sync / Brute Strength
  • Priority #2: Barge to the Point
Attributes
  • 43-50 Savagery, 15-22 Endurance
Notes
  • Pins and Needles is pretty strong when it procs, but it relies on RNG, and there probably won't be enough time to set up all of your traps with Victims rushing. The buffs to Nancy's trap speed does help with farming it, however.
  • Unequip Dinner Bell if on comms or if someone else has it equipped.
Build 2: Scout
Skill Tree Path
R, M, L, L
Perks
  • Scout
  • Dinner Bell / Feral / Hurt 'Em
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Always in Sync / Brute Strength
Attributes
  • 43-46 Savagery, 15-18 Endurance (No Feral)
  • 43-50 Savagery, 18-25 Endurance (Feral)
Notes
  • Unequip Dinner Bell if on comms or if someone else has it equipped.

Sissy

Ability Path: L/R, M, M
Execution: Filet (DLC) or Flower Power (Free)
Character Notes
  • Sissy is decent after her buffs, but is still not too great. Her poisons hardly help with objective slowdown and do no damage without her level 3 ability upgrade (and even then only do 15). She is also stuck with a slower base move speed despite being a chaser, tied with Hands and Nancy. Most of her attributes being stuck at Blood Harvesting hurts too. Her skill tree is good, but her best path doesn't have anything to help with her lack of damage. Hitchhiker is almost strictly superior to her due to his better ability, move speed, attribute distribution, and skill tree.
Build 1: Chaser
Skill Tree Path
R, R, L
Perks
  • Fired Up
  • Scout
  • Wire Frame
Grandpa Perks
  • Priority #1: Nobody Escapes Hell
  • Priority #2: Experienced Stalkers / Exterior Alarms
Attributes
  • 35 Savagery
Notes
  • Build for being almost impossible to lose in chase, which is nice for tunneling weaker Victims or for making certain parts of the maps not an infinite anymore. Suffers from a lack of damage, unfortunately, with only 35 Savagery and no damage perks. This path gets Activated, but it's not that valuable with lower Savagery, lower base damage, and a semi-situational trigger condition (stuns are common, but being able to hit someone within 40 seconds of it is less so). It isn't worth using over Fired Up or Wire Frame.
Resources
Game Mechanics

Perks, etc.

Youtubers
Outro
I hope you found this guide helpful. If you did, then make sure to like, favorite, and share it. If there's anything in this guide that you disagree with or would like to see added, then please leave a constructive comment down below. Any corrections of false information, grammar, etc. are also appreciated.
16 Comments
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J Sleezy 24 Jun, 2024 @ 5:15pm 
great guide thanks
willum.d  [author] 18 Jun, 2024 @ 5:57pm 
@glythe not everyone has 50 toughness or max health at any given point. sometimes you can only get in a hit or two on victims, and breakpoints to kill end up not mattering. if you have any of these known breakpoints anywhere, then i'd like to see them. otherwise i'm not sure why you're even bothering to comment.
glythe 18 Jun, 2024 @ 4:40pm 
Considering there are known breakpoints for max hits needed vs 50 toughness it isn't necessary to just blindly max savagery - but you do you.
willum.d  [author] 18 Jun, 2024 @ 2:10pm 
@glythe i know what endurance does. i just said its not that useful of an attribute. family gameplay mainly comprises of hitting a victim a few times then returning to patrol without committing to chases. savagery compliments this playstyle better than endurance. its still a decent attribute - i just think savagery is more important.
glythe 18 Jun, 2024 @ 9:36am 
"Endurance is not that useful of an attribute, and should only be invested in after Savagery is maxed."

You realize that's not true at all right? Every point in Endurance makes your melee swings cost less and let you run for longer.
willum.d  [author] 12 Jun, 2024 @ 6:46pm 
i just finished updating the family guide now. i will be working on the victims guide next, then doing the new characters.
Amber Freeman 11 Jun, 2024 @ 8:46pm 
hey if you have any builds for the victims after this update please share because I have no idea what to use for Ana since they messed up her tree skill bad.
willum.d  [author] 11 Jun, 2024 @ 3:36pm 
@Censored if you can send any evidence for endurance modifying chainsaw heat, then i will consider changing my notes
willum.d  [author] 11 Jun, 2024 @ 3:35pm 
im working on it now, dont worry. it will probably take me a couple of days though.
El Ninja Rubio 11 Jun, 2024 @ 3:07pm 
Hello brother, we hope you have the new guide ready for these days after the update, thank you!