Finding the best survivor perks in Texas Chain Saw Massacre is your best bet of escaping. Every character comes with their own thematic leanings, but with enough investment, you can alter their stats to fit just about any role. Once you’ve gained a few levels and started to explore the ‘Skill Tree’ you will start to unlock perks.
Each perk offers a drastic change to one element of Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Whilst you will never be able to fight the Family head-on, there are more than a few perks that can give you a temporary advantage. Having the right perks on the right build can turn a losing situation into a sure-fire win. Here are some of the best perks you can pick.
For more information on Texas Chain Saw Massacre, check out our system requirements guide. You can also take a closer look at the multiplayer and matchmaking mechanics, plus our best killer perks guide.
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+ 8Bomb Squad
One of the worst things that can happen in Texas Chain Saw Massacre is stepping into a trap. Things go from bad to worse in an instant, and when you factor in opposing perks like Dinner Bell, death will be coming for you swiftly. Disposing of traps is a pain, however, as they take a long time, they are in awkward places, and they require bone shards.
Bomb Squad fixes all of that. Once maxed out, you can remove these traps very quickly and you don’t need any materials to do so. This helps limit the oppressive nature of Hitchhiker and drastically increases your odds of survival. A very reliable perk when Hitchhiker is on the opposing team.
click to enlarge + 8Lucky Lockpicker
Cracking locks with unlocking tools is one of the most common tasks you have to complete. Unlocking tools only last for one lock, so you are going to have to source a whole bunch of tools if you want to make a solo exit. Lucky Lockpicker helps remedy that by giving your tools a chance to survive the unlocking process.
When this triggers, you gain a ludicrous amount of tempo as you don’t have to mess around sourcing a new tool. Instead, you can just work towards escaping with zero downtime. This is one of our most used perks despite its reliance on RNG.
click to enlarge + 8Clear Eyes
Perks that shut down the unique benefits of the Family are always powerful, which makes Clear Eyes one of the most powerful perks in the game; especially on Ana. Clear Eyes makes it so you can more clearly spot traps and poisoned items. These mechanics are linked to Sissy and Hitchhiker who just so happen to be two of the better killers in the game.
Since you can spot trouble brewing, you are far less likely to stumble into a trap. You can move around and scavenge without the threat of death. Well, less threat of death.
click to enlarge + 8Must Have Been The Wind
Gathering tools and opening passages early on is vital to escaping in Texas Chain Saw Massacre. The more efficient you are at getting top-side, the higher your chance of success. Must Have Been The Wind lets you play with fire a tad.
It lets you scavenge and open crawl spaces without making a noise. It has a charge system, so you can only do it a handful of times before the perk is shut off for the rest of the round, however, those handful of times are more than enough. This perk gives you tempo in droves, and that’s what we love to see in a perk.
click to enlarge + 8Tae Kwon Door
This is actually our favourite perk, partially because the name is ridiculous. The effect is also outstanding too. Slamming doors in people's faces is a great way to annoy them, but it’s also a fantastic way to stun them in Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Tae Kwon Door enhances that and makes your stun last far longer.
The stun is so effective that even at level one you are guaranteed to make your escape. If you want to be extra tricky, you can even lure killers towards doorways just to stun them. You can be a door-slamming machine, and you better believe killers will hunt you down because of it. Little do they know, that’s all part of the plan. If they are busy trying to avoid your doors, they aren’t focusing on your allies.
click to enlarge + 8Intuition
Intuition is a perk you unlock right from the get-go. It’s on this list because it’s really good as a general utility pick. Intuition highlights key areas where key items need to be used. For example, if you have a fuse, it will highlight the corresponding fuse box. When you are first learning the game, Intuition can help you find your way.
Not a fancy perk, but one that is universally useful.
click to enlarge + 8Radar Detector
Grandpa is a pain in the ol’ rear end. His Sonar ability is devastating and it triggers more often than you would like. One way to counter Grandpa is by taking Radar Detector. This lets you see every killer for a few seconds every time Sonar is activated. This information is supremely valuable for obvious reasons.
click to enlarge + 8Twinkle Toes
Finally, we have Twinkle Toes. At base, this perk is alright, but nothing special. Once levelled up, it becomes quite a gift. In short, this perk gives you a chance to move through bone charms without making a noise. It also allows you to avoid detection by chickens. Considering these are the two most common ways killers will uncover your location, you suddenly become far harder to find.
That’s all we have on Texas Chain Saw Massacre for now. Be sure to check out the best Steam Deck settings for the best possible handheld experience, or our guide on generators to nail your escape attempts more reliably.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Guides and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre page.