Tomb Raider Invades the Fog: Lara Croft Joins Dead by Daylight

[Seth Larson]

Dead by Daylight’s ever-expanding roster of licensed characters welcomes a new survivor: Lara Croft, the iconic tomb raider herself. Arriving in Chapter 32.5: Tomb Raider, this marks the game’s seventh Half-Chapter DLC, bringing a fresh twist to the asymmetrical horror experience. She is a non horror character in a Horror game. At first glance, Lara Croft might seem an unusual fit. The Tomb Raider franchise leans more towards action-adventure than pure horror, and Lara’s reputation as a resourceful and fierce survivor precedes her. After all, this is a woman who’s taken down dinosaurs and even mythological deities! However, the developers, Behaviour Interactive, have chosen a specific version of Lara: the younger, less experienced Croft from the 2013 reboot. This incarnation is still grappling with the emotional toll of her first kill, showcasing a vulnerability not often seen in the character. While facing iconic killers like Chucky or the Trapper might seem comical compared to Lara’s past exploits, Dead by Daylight establishes its own internal logic. Here, even the most hardened

 

[Lara]

Lara Croft in Dead by Daylight? Don't get me twisted, I respect the hustle. Woman's faced down everything from jaguars to angry gods. But come on, this whole thing feels like a mismatch. Sticking a seasoned adventurer like Lara in a creepy murder game with lame ass serial killers? It's like tossing a lion into a chicken coop.

Sure, they're using the younger, less experienced Lara, but even then... Chucky? A killer repeatedly outsmarted by children? The Trickster? A guy whose idea of murder involves throwing knives during dance breaks? And Susie, a nerdy braces wearing teenager who uses a broken ruler to kill people?

 

[AceInTheGame]

The woman's conquered tombs older than recorded history, outsmarted cunning cultists, and even emerged victorious against mythical creatures. We're talking fire-breathing dinosaurs, giant wolves from another dimension, even a literal goddess! Dead by Daylight's cast? They're like toddlers playing dress-up in comparison.

Sure, Ghostface might be spooky with his little white mask, but have you seen the booby traps Lara casually disarms? The Trickster throws sparkly knives? Lara dodges bullets in slow motion for fun. Child's play, honestly. And that whole killer doll situation? Chucky and Tiffany wouldn't last five minutes against someone who can disarm landmines with a paperclip and a bobby pin.

The rest are hardly a challenge either. Telepathic twins? Cute. A cowboy with a harpoon gun? Lara's dealt with mercenaries wielding rocket launchers. Doctors and nurses with spooky powers? Less effective than a toddler's tantrum against someone who's stared down angry gods. The Demogorgon? Interdimensional monster, sure, but Lara's fought creatures from other dimensions before. And the Trapper? Seriously, bear traps? The woman solves ancient puzzles for a living!

Now, the Entity itself? That might be a different story. We don't know the full extent of its power. But here's the thing: Lara's taken down gods before. Maybe the real horror story is the Entity underestimating a resourceful tomb raider with a knack for defying the odds. Just because these killers are scary in their own realm doesn't mean they stand a chance against Lara Croft. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she ends up being the one giving them nightmares.

 

[Merlin29]

Canonically, she could kill most killers in this game, but let's remember it's just a game. The survivors don’t have weapons, and the killers are enhanced by the Entity. For example, Amanda from Saw is a very short woman in the movies, but here she can lift grown men and hook them on meat hooks. Also, demogorgons use echolocation and are blind, but in this game, they can be blinded by flashlights. It's all part of the gameplay mechanics to keep things balanced and fun.

 

[Younghee]

Since we have killer-less chapters like Nicolas Cage, Tomb Raider, and Left 4 Dead, I think Squid Game should definitely get its own chapter. They could use a map from the show and make the three most popular characters into survivors. I just love that show so much and it would be amazing to see it in the game!

 

[Leon_Wong]

The fact they're using the younger Lara from the 2013 reboot makes sense lore-wise. It showcases a vulnerability we haven't seen much from her. I appreciate Behaviour Interactive keeping the internal logic consistent. Even a badass tomb raider like Lara is stripped bare in the Entity's realm. It mirrors what happened to Jill Valentine and the Silent Hill crew.

 

[Dwight in a Box]

Whoa, Dead by Daylight is throwing us a surprise party! First they bring in all these fancy folks from Dungeons & Dragons, and now Lara Croft from Tomb Raider? Not exactly the usual horror final girls and survivor horror heroes? But hey, new characters are always fun!

Maybe it's their way of making things extra scary. Imagine Lara, a total badass, being freaked out by these killers! Scary in a different way, right? Plus, think of all the cool team-ups now! Lara with those D&D people, or fighting the killers with Bill from Left 4 Dead? The possibilities are endless!

 

[JJ]

Everyone freaking out about Lara Croft in Dead by Daylight? Come on, people, lighten up! Ash Williams is already running around the place with his boomstick MIA, and Ada Wong, basically Capcom's own Batman, is dodging chainsaw-wielding maniacs with a smirk. Lara Croft, a seasoned adventurer who's wrestled dinosaurs, fits right in!

Think about it. These killers are scary, sure, but they ain't exactly facing newbies. Dead by Daylight's already got its fair share of tough cookies as survivors. Besides, who wouldn't want to see Lara outsmart a creepy doll or outrun a K-pop-obsessed killer? Sounds like fun to me!

 

[Speedy Steve]

Lara, all pumped up and ready to survive, comes face-to-face with the Legion. She'll be running for her life, but the cornfield's a dead end. Then, bam! Susie with the ruler pops out, gives her a good whack on the back. Lara might be tough, but a well-placed smackdown from a pissed-off teenager can humble anyone. Chuckles darkly
It makes me laugh she can be killed by killers she can canonically defeat. I am a Suzy main and I cant wait to kill a God Killer with a Wooden ruler.

 

[LoopinDKillaz]

Good thing they chose Survivor Lara and not Classic Lara, Survivor Lara probably still has fight in her, but that's Survivor Lara, the one who runs and hides. Classic Lara? The one who punches wolves in the face and dodges gunfire for breakfast? Yeah, that Lara would mop the floor with the entire Dead by Daylight hookers crew.