Boon Totem 101 and where to find totems.

Updated for Chapter 31: All Things Wicked! This guide will help you find potentially good totem locations on ALL maps, as well as give you some tips on how to place your boons wisely.

Welcome / Disclaimer

Hello and welcome to my totem guide!


The purpose of this guide is to help you find good spots to place down your boons in order to make sure they don't get snuffed out so fast, as well as some tips of when to do it. You can also use this guide to help you find that damned devour hope.

Keep in mind that my goal here is showing you 2 or more spots on every map so you can have a general idea of where to look for totems, but remember that some of the places shown here might not be good or realiable in every match due to the RNG nature of maps.

I will not be listing ALL possible totem locations on every map because that's not the point of this guide. So, please, use this as a quick reference tool.

If this guide helped you in any way, feel free to like it, save it to your favourites or leave a comment!

You can also check my other survivor guide:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2841167069

General tips

Don't just bless the first totem you see without thinking about it.

As a general rule, avoid placing a boon right after the match has just started. There's a high chance the killer will find it during their initial patrol, and a totem that gets snuffed out 10 seconds into the game gives 0 value, making you waste a lot of time during early game, arguably the most crucial point of the match.

Remember, it's all about making the killer waste time looking for it. That's why you don't just bless the first totem you find in the open. Check your surroundings first. Sometimes there will be no "great spot", but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try to find a somewhat hidden place.

As a rule of thumb, avoid placing boons next to unfinished generators. The killer will easily find it while checking on the gens.

Choose places according to which boon you're using.

Are you running Circle of Healing? Place it close to a lone, finished gen in a corner to create a safe healing zone that can last for the whole match since the killer would have no business wasting time going there unless they're following someone.

Are you running Shadow Step or Exponential? Those will give the most value around central places to help with looping, stealth, and occasionaly for the free Unbreakable. Works great on maps with two floors and/or two-story buildings if you don't place it in an obvious place. The same goes for the newest boon: Illumination. You need it to cover a big area to help your team find gens, so it makes no sense setting it in a distant, isolated corner.

Are you running Dark Theory? Why? lol I kid, but follow the same logic above.

Be mindful of high-traffic areas.

The shack is a famous place to have a totem. That means it is also a great place for a boon? Well, maybe not. Remember that the shack is one of the best looping tiles in the game, so if you place a boon on the shack, someone will probably take the killer there while looping.

The shack might be a good place if you don't get the basement or a gen inside (or you've already finished its gen).

Be smart when using Circle of Healing.

Let's think about it: if the match has just started, then no one needs healing yet. You'll be wasting precious time to set up a totem that will not help anyone for a while and that can be snuffed out before it gives you any value. Again, don't waste your time. Do gens instead.

Now, let's say you've just unhooked someone, but the totem is really far on the other side of the map. Do you run there with your buddy? Please, don't. You'll be wasting a lot of time on two people when you could've just healed there way faster. It takes 8 seconds to heal someone with CoH, so, if it's going to take you more than 5 seconds to run to the totem area, then don't bother. Just heal right there where you are.

Now, if you're injured and not being chased, you can run across the totem area so other survivors can see your aura and come to heal you if they can. But please, don't stand right next to the totem while healing someone or being healed. If the killer finds you there, he will also discover the boon location for free.

Important perk interactions

Hex: Pentimento

Pay attention to your screen to discover if the killer is running Pentimento. If so, remember that hex totems created by it cannot be blessed into boons. They get destroyed instead.

Remember that blessing a hex totem takes 28 seconds. This is an eternity in DBD time. So, if you waste all that time trying to bless a hex that was created by Pentimento, you will get absolutely nothing for your time.

Even if you're not facing Pentimento, don't bless hex totems unless you absolutely have to, since it takes forever and the killer will probably know its exact location since it takes the place of their hex.

Cleansing X Blessing

Cleansing a totem means destroying it. So, any perk that requires you to cleanse a totem will not trigger if you bless it, unless it is clearly stated otherwise.



For example, blessing a totem will neither give you the benefits of Inner Healing, nor will Counterforce make you bless totems faster.




Overzealous, however, is a different case, since it was updated to also grant its benefits after blessing a totem. The same goes for Clairvoyance after being updated.

LIST OF MAPS

Don't know which map you're in? Open the menu during a match (hitting ESC on pc) and the name will be right there.

Azarov's Resting Place

Spot 1 - Main building

Better if the basement is not there.

Spot 2 - Corner

No gens around, just how we like it.

Spot 3 - Tires

Common tile, can be found on different places of the map.

Badham Preschool

All 5 variants are fairly similar, so I'll just list some common spots for those.

1 - Kitchen


2 - Hidden among tall bushes

This one is really hard to see.

3 - School basement

Remember to do the gen first so the basement area is safer.

4 - House basement

Same thing, always do the gen here first.

5 - House top floor

Blood Lodge

Most of those are common tiles that can spawn on different places. You can also sometimes find one on the upper floor of the lodge, which might be good.

1


2


3

Coal Tower

1 - Outside main building


2 - Top floor

You know the drill.

3 - Logs

Dead Dawg Saloon

1 - The "box"

Fairly common to find a totem inside this tile. There's usually a gen nearby.

2 - Saloon top floor

Pretty neat, assuming no one brings the killer up there.

3

Sneaky.

Disturbed Ward

1

Smart Mikaelas always do the gen first. Be a smart Mikaela like this one.

2

Common tile. There's almost always one inside one of these.

3 - Main building

Gives a nice area around it.

Eyrie of Crows

1 - Main building - upstairs

Covers a nice area, can also be found on the other side sometimes. Just don't take the killer up there so they will need to waste some time getting there. There's usually one dowstairs as well, but that's not a great spot.

2 Around the main building

Nice central area coverage too.

This map kinda sucks for totems. You can find some on isolated corners after the gens are done, but that's it.

Family Residence

1 - Main building

Sneeeaky.

2


3


Those can be great or terrible, depending on where it spawns.

Father Campbell's Chapel

1 - Circus area



2

Common tile on this realm.

3

Always check between those weird walls.

Fractured Cowshed

1 - Pigs

Ew.

2

Always check behind those barrels.

3 - Corn

You love to see it.

Garden of Joy

1 - Main building



2 - Motel

Nice place for heals if no gens nearby.

3

Gas Heaven

Not so many unique spots here. Most are shared with other Autohaven maps.

1 - Main building

There's always a gen and a pallet next to it so... you know.

2 - Between the cars

Greenville Square

Your best bet for this map would be finding a totem around the main building for a nice coverage or hope for good rng around the corners. All the other spots are located in open areas.

1 - Main building





This one is upstairs inside the bathroom.

2 - Map corners

Nice spot for an endgame totem next to the exit gate.

Grim Pantry

1 - Main building


2 - Corners



Nice and isolated.

Groaning Storehouse

Mostly common tiles.

1


2


3 - Main building

Good place for all boons other than CoH.

Hawkins Laboratory

1- Upstairs


Can be a great place to waste the killer's time. You know the drill already, get the gen first.

2- Exit Gate

Can live through the whole match if you're lucky. Can spawn in both gates.

3- Back area

Do it.

Ironworks of Misery

1 - Main building upstairs


Gives a nice range around the building. Just don't get the killer up there.

2

And a common one for good measure.

Lampkin Lane (Haddonfield)

Killers' favorite map.

1 - Outside main building

Don't mind Sadako pointing at nothing.

2 - House of Pain


3 - Yellow House


4

This can be the best spot ever if RNG is at your side since there's basically nothing around.

Midwich

1 - Bathroom


2 - Between broken lockers


3 - Upstairs


4 - Exit gate area

Mother's Dwelling

1 - Locker gym


2 - Circle of rocks

Nostromo Wreckage

1 - Main building, corner


2 - Main building, outside

Located to the right of the main building.

Ormond

1 - Ramp

Can spawn on different places.

2 - Cabin


3 - Main building

There can be another one upstairs as well.

Pale Rose

1 - Ship upstairs

Offers a nice area once the gen is done.

2 - Under the ramp


3 - Map corners


Nice places for healing.

Raccoon City - East

1 - Welcome Leon room

Shared spot with the West wing.

2 - Library


3 - Crash area


4


5

Raccoon City - West

1 - Blocked crash area



2 - STARS office


3 - Locker room


4 - Back exit

Rancid Abattoir

1 - Cow tree


2 - Harvester

Common spot for all farm maps.

Rotten Fields

The same lame spots of all farm maps. Zzz.

1 - Corn


2 - Harvester

Sanctum of Wrath

1 - Between the bushes, corner of the map

Probably the "best" spot on this map, since all others tend to be pretty exposed.

2


3 - Hugged by rocks

Shattered Square (Borgo)

1 - Gallows


2 - Houses




3 - Main building

Shelter Woods

Pretty bad totem spawns here, usually the same ones you can find on other maps from this realm. You can get lucky to get some on the corners of the map though.

1 - Around the main building

Suffocation Pit

1 - Around the main building



2 - Logs


3

Common tile.

Temple of Purgation

Not so many good places here other than maybe the lower level of the main building (after doing the gen of course). Other ones around can usually appear on the same common tiles shared with Mother's Dwelling.

1 - Temple



2

The Game

1 - Bathroom

Potentially good after doing the gen and no basement next to it.

2 - Crates

Sneaky.

3 - Exit gate areas


Since there's nothing around, this totem can live through the whole match.

Thompson House

1 - Main building



2 - Cow tree

Toba Landing

1 - Main building

There's another possible spawn on the opposite side.

2 - Outside

Offers a nice central area coverage.

3

Torment Creek

Yeah, you've guessed it right: mostly the same farm tiles. Boring.

1 - Crates


2 - C.O.R.N.

At least you have the main building to guide you.

3 - Harvester

Treatment Theatre (Lery's)

1 - Exit gate area

Took me a long time to discover this one.

2 - Upstairs, central area

All the way to the side.

3 - Map corners

A good place for safe healing.

4 - Common tiles

Wrecker's Yard

Yeah, another lame one with terrible totem spawns.

1 - Broken bus


2 - Corner

Isolated area after the gen is done.

Wretched Shop

1 - Bus

Common tile to find a totem on other Autohaven maps as well.

2 - Main building

Hidden back there.

[deez nutz]

dam thankyou for putting all of the effort for this guide

[Sophis]

Really??? I wasn't aware of that change. I'll update it, thanks for the heads up!

[POATAN CHAMA CHAMP]

>For example, blessing a totem will not give you the benefits of Inner Healing or OVERZEALOUS, and Counterforce won't make you bless totems faster.
Overzealous got buffed not too long ago to apply effect after blessing.

[zhuo]

good post

[Julia ♡]

Our favorite guide is back <3