Noir are a duo of antagonists in Dead Signal, having returned from the Welcome to the Game series. They once again return in Dead Signal, which we wrote a full review of here.

They appear early in the night and peruse you throughout the duration of the game. They strike at random and appear without warning, so they’re hard to proactively deal with., and require specific behavior to beat them when they arrive. But with the steps below, your chances of survival will improve.

1. Spot the difference

Perhaps the most important part of dealing with Noir is to remember that they behave differently from one another. There are two to deal with, a male and a female.

They present very similarly, wearing matching black shirts and jeans. If you encounter them at a distance they’re hard to tell apart, but get a little closer and pay attention to differences in their hair and body shape.

2. Learn their behavior

They both have very specific ways to counter them.  For the Male, you must approach him–but not too close–flash him once with your flashlight, and turn away.

You must wait about ten seconds while facing away before moving, be sure to stand perfectly still or you’ll be killed. There is no specific audio cue when it’s safe to move, so just count your seconds out to ten and give yourself a couple more to be safe. There is no penalty for waiting too long, and the penalty for moving too early is a game over.

As for the female, it’s a similar solution but tweaked ever so slightly. First, you have to walk up very close to her. You’ll know you’re close enough when she bobs her head to the side. Stop as soon as you see this, then away from her and wait ten seconds just like the male Noir. No need to

That’s all you need to do to dispatch Noir when they show up, but there is much more to their mechanics and behavior that you need to watch out for.

3. Remember they can show up anywhere

With Lucas and Mr. Delfalco, there are always some tell-tale signs of their arrival. You spot Mr. Delfalco in the cameras first, or you might see Lucas’ laser through your window.

They have a logic that you can follow, and that helps you keep a mental map in your head of where they might be.

That is not the case for Noir. These guys can show up seemingly at will, and whenever they want. It does not matter if your door is locked, they might appear directly behind you while at your desk.

As such, it’s important to never let your guard down. When monitoring cameras, take frequent breaks to stand up from the desk and patrol your apartment, Noir could be standing directly behind you or in the bedroom. Just be sure to move slowly and carefully wherever you go. Especially when you leave your apartment. Do a double take down the hall in either direction because one of them could be waiting for you.

They could be standing on the roof, outside of your apartment, or down the hall on a floor you need to make a delivery to.  This makes Noir one of the trickier killers to deal with as they don’t appear to have any limits on when and where they can show up.

4. Don’t run

Noir absolutely hates running. Zero tolerance for it.

If you see them, even if they’re at the far end of a hallway, do not run towards them. Approach slowly.

I have lost playthroughs because one of the Noir was standing right on the other side of my apartment door, and they killed me when I opened it because I had been running in my apartment.

Since Noir can even show up in your apartment you’re never totally safe from them so as a general rule you should never run. It only saves you a few seconds of time and has the potential to cost you the entire playthrough.

5. Don’t forget your training

When Noir does show up, you must not forget the order of operations when it comes to dealing with them. This info is sent to you via DM on your computer which you can’t access when away from it.

Remember, spot which Noir you’re dealing with. if it’s the Male, approach, and flash with the flashlight, then turn away for ten seconds.

If it’s the Female, approach very close until she cocks her head, then turn away for ten seconds.

Do this, while remembering never to run around and ensure you’re checking your apartment regularly, and you might just survive Dead Signal.

If you’re struggling to beat Mr. Delfalco, the new killer added to Dead Signal,  or Lucas, the classic from Welcome to the Game, we’ve written guides on them as well.