Intro I've beaten this game on at least 10 occasions and paid much attention on the best methods for optimizing your killing power and chances of survival. Here are detailed tips to help you beat the game that may not be covered in other walkthroughs in this forum. The post is long but I make an effort to explain my rationale for these recommendations rather than just tell you what is what.
Terms Runner = running zombie Walker = walking zombie (includes power walkers) Rush = group of zombies, typically runners Buildings = homes/ stores/ police stations/ farms/ etc.
Objective: Protect your survivors. Strategy: - Focus on killing runners. - Leave most of the walkers for survivors to kill. They will kill approximately 50% of all walkers. - In the period between runners, use your excess ammo to briefly shoot walkers. Always leave an excess of 15-20 bullets for unexpected rushes. - The best time to reload your weapon is right after a rush of runners.
Main weapon: Uzi. 50 bullets/ clip. A rapid fire weapon with a wide spread and quick reload. If used correctly you should be able to kill 3-4 zombies per clip. The wide spread improves your chances of a headshot. How to use it: I find the best position to stand is directly in the center. Occasionally you will need to move up or down to hit zombies at the uppermost and bottommost positions. Considering the spread, position yourself in a way so that you'll hit a cluster of zombie heads. If there are no runners on screen, reload your weapon when it reaches 15-20 bullets.
Secondary weapon: Chainsaw. Best used on a zombie rush that's banging at your barricades. How to use it: Aim for the head for instant kills. To quickly kill a cluster of zombies, simply activate the chainsaw on the first zombie's head and walk (up or down) toward the other end of the pack.
Survivor weapons: After testing a number of weapons, here is one arrangement I recommend. (1 = topmost survivor, 4 = bottommost survivor) 1 = AK-47 2 = Shotgun 3 = Sawn-off shotgun 4 = Revolver
Use the strongest weapons in the middle section since this is where zombies are most densely packed. This combination of faster weapons and shotguns combines a less frequent but powerful punch for instant kills, and intermittent fast shots to take out injured zombies.
Other weapons Glock: Trade this in when you get the Revolver. Revolver: 6 bullets/ clip. 2 bullets in the head kills. Good for beginning 2 cities. Powerful in the hands of a survivor. Compound bow: Quick reload after 1 shot. 2 arrows in the head kills. Good for 2nd and 3rd cities. Slower shots compared to semis make it vulnerable to rushes/ crowds. Shotgun: 8 bullets/ clip. Powerful gun with medium spread but reloads too slowly to be effective. Not uncommon to be caught in the middle of a rush only to find yourself feebly feeding bullets into the chamber. Ump 45: Less bullets than the Uzi, moderate reload. Slightly more accurate, good for head shots. Use this until you find the Uzi. Effective for the first 2 cities. Hunting rifle: Moderate reload speed after 1 shot. 1 bullet in the head kills. Able to penetrate multiple zombies. Align your shots to hit 2 zombie heads where possible. Not effective against a rush. Only effective in the first 2 cities. MA41: 30 bullets/ clip. Very accurate and great for head shots. 5 bullets aimed at the head kills. Should be able to kill 4-5 zombies per clip. Goes through bullets very quickly and requires more accuracy/ skill and reloading. For greatest effect, pulse the gun (i.e. shoot 5-6 bullets at a time) while aiming for one zombie's head. This reduces recoil (improves accuracy, conserves bullets, and ensures you're readjusting your aim for maximum damage. AK-47: 30 bulles/ clip. Probably the most powerful semi. About 4-5 bullets aimed at the head kills. It has a wide spread, similar to the Uzi. Like the MA41, it goes through bullets quickly, so requires more conservative shooting and reloading at optimal moments. Pulse the weapon (4-5 bullets per pulse) for optimal shooting. Minime: 200 bullets/ clip. Very wide spread but bullets do less damage than other semis. Approximately 7-8 bullets aimed at the head kills, or if you choose to just wildly spray the gun, then 10-12 bullets to the body. Excellent against a rush or mob of zombies. Best to reload when it looks safe. This gun has the longest reload time - about 5 seconds. Rocket launcher: Slow reload after 1 shot. This is THE end game weapon; even better than the Minime. One rocket takes out a throng of zombies, and all vertically aligned zombies on the field. Wait until zombies are somewhat clustered and close in proximity to one another, then fire into the centre of the mob. Sometimes it's best to reposition your character at the topmost or bottommost part of the map so that you can angle your shot into the heart of a group. The reload is slow, but not to the point where you will be crippled. Don't be afraid to shoot at lone zombies with the rocket launcher, especially barricade bangers.
Beating the clock - Do not visit all the cities. This unnecessarily wastes time (days) and supplies. I recommend skipping Whistler's Grove. - Skip Jonestown. Alternatively, you can visit Whistler's Grove to stock up as much as you can on supplies. You want to have a surplus of supplies so that you can pass right through Jonestown without having to stay there a day longer than you need. Jonestown is extremely difficult with almost an unending throng of zombies. Without adequate supplies, you'll find most of your time spent between searching buildings and repairing your barricades, thereby prolonging your stay. With survivors armed with shotguns, you do not need the AK-47 and MA41 found in this city. - Weapons. It's not true that the weapons are always found in police stations. You definitely have a higher chance of finding a weapon, but be sure to search houses and other buildings as well. Another misconception is that it's better to search buildings that take less time. The location of weapons are predetermined. Sometimes they are found in buildings that take 3 hours to search, sometimes 5 hours.
To go to Union City or not Once you arrive at Union City the game ends with a crappy "Congratulations, you made it" kind of message. This, of course, spoils your fun as you just spent 40 minutes of gaming and JUST found the Minime and RPG in the previous city, only to have it taken away by an ending with no payoff. I recommend going back to previous cities and enjoy your new toys, especially in Jonestown as you may not have had the chance to finish exploring the buildings in that city.
One thing I would like to say is that survivor AI behavior best suits certain weapons, specifically ones that do more damage with fewer shots and that have long reload sequences when held by the player. There are two reasons for this; the survivor AI does not shoot much (its behavior does not change according to weapon) and it has one generic reload animation, (thankfully it is short) similar to the player's reload animation for the hunting rifle, for all weapons. Therefore, it is best to give them a gun like a shotgun to take advantage of its short reload animation and to remedy its hesitance to shoot with more damage per shot. For these reasons, I don't think that an automatic weapon such as the AK-47, which does less damage per shot than some other weapons and has a short reload animation even when held by the character, plays to the AI's strengths well. Perhaps you did well with it, Nurgle, but I think replacing the AK-47, which you recommend be held by the first survivor, with a weapon like the hunting rifle would be a better choice.
Also, it should be noted that survivors can't wield the Compound Bow, Hand Grenades (found in Jonestown; search the whole place, I guarantee you they're there), or RPG.
Once you find it, NEVER go through a single night without it. It excels at keeping zombies off the barricade and, more importantly, killing weapon holders BEFORE they kill your survivors. You just got to be quick and alert.
