If you’ve been grinding out in State of Decay 2 these days you’ve probably come to realize that “man, this game has gotten harder”. The introduction to the plague territories and all the new mechanical changes have really changed the dynamics of the difficulty regardless of where you play at. Standard, or Lethal; it doesn’t matter!
So this guide right here will give you my top ten crucial tips on how to survive the State of Decay 2 in 2024.
Tip 1: Blood Plagues
So my first and easily one of the most important tips has to be to carry at least one blood plague cure with you at all times. I had to learn this the hard way when I first started playing again not long ago and losing a few of my community members has reminded me that blood plague cures will save your lives.
Make sure you farm up plague samples and have one available either carrying in your inventory or in your nearby vehicle. Bonus extra tip on top of this, carrying a scent block can also save your life but this one is harder to get.
Tip 2: Don’t Panic
The second tip falls right in line with the first one and that is “Don’t panic if you do get blood plague”. If you have the opportunity to get back to your base, you can park someone who has the plague in the infirmary and it will prolong their life until you find a cure.
PRO tip here as well: You can even cheat this a little by going to one of your outposts and switching characters rather than parking your character with the plague through the community menu.
Tip 3: Health and Stamina Items
This one might be one of the most obvious tips for the State of Decay veterans. But if you’re new to the game or even if you have some experience; this is the one that a lot of people forget, which gets them killed and that is simply always carry health and stamina items when you go out on a run.
While the new blood plague mechanics, especially in Lethal, might be more dangerous than losing your health, it can still happen from time to time, and having painkillers with you at all times should be mandatory if you’re at the start of the game. Even bandages are better than nothing. So, make sure to keep your health up and pop them when needed.
But I’d argue the thing that will get you killed the most is lack of Stamina which leads to your health dropping or getting blood plague. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve survived simply by just running away. And when you have a backpack full of items your stamina will deplete very quickly, so one of the most important things you can do is carry snacks, or energy drinks, or stimulants to keep your stamina up at all times.
This is arguably more important than anything else because even if you keep your health up and blood plagues off of you, you can still get overwhelmed and the best way to survive is to fight off as much as you can, which needs your full stamina to make a run for your life.
So what I always do is at least keep a stack of pills and one stack of snacks in my inventory. But if you have an abundance of energy drinks or stimulants or you can craft them, go with those instead. Pop these things freely, don’t be stingy as it can save your character’s life.
Tip 4: Stealth
The tips I just gave you are what to have with you in dire or dangerous situations but this tip here is to help completely avoid those situations as much as you can. This brings us to the fourth tip, Stealth! This is massive and the best way to avoid those extremely threatening situations. Being crouched down and moving via stealth, and walking are all key to not making noise and attracting lots of zeds.
Keep in mind that regular zeds will scream out and draw more of them to you, which draws more freaks like ferals. So it’s important to be quiet when moving or killing zeds as it makes survival much easier. This includes looting and taking the slow route instead of speeding up and making noise if you get a failed check. Playing this way can be time-consuming but it’s mandatory in my opinion if you aren’t well equipped.
If you have a gun and hundreds of bullets to spare and you go in “All Rambo” then you’re good to go. But playing in Lethal, I find myself constantly being stealthy, not because I’m scared of zeds, but because I’m scared of triple feral packs. So being stealthy in this game will absolutely save your community’s lives.
Tip 5: Use Arrows
With stealth being the theme here, my next tip is “Arrows over Bullets,” or at least using silencers at all times. This one, I admit, I’ve learned the hard way. Lately, with the difficulty changes, stealth has become a priority. And in my mind, having a gun as backup if I’m in trouble made sense, but the problem is many times when I faced threatening situations and drew my gun to blast away, I would be safe for a few seconds, only to realize that now 50 zeds are drawing near.
Now, instead, I am using crossbows because they are one, silent; two, the weapon doesn’t break; and three, the ammo is cheap, making it my preferred weapon of choice, especially early on in a new community. As you start to gather resources, though, I prefer using guns with a silencer at all times, preferably a handgun to reduce weight. This includes when going after enemy enclaves, as if you’re fighting humans with a loud gun, you’ll find yourself quickly fighting off both zeds and humans alike, which leads to your death. So, my tip here is to silence ranged weapons as much as you can to survive.
Tip 6: Stacking Infection Resistance
My next tip is one I’ve talked about many times, and that is stacking infection resistance. This makes a huge difference. There are several ways you can easily stack infection resistance without relying on random luck. First, level up someone in medicine, then go for pathology and pursue the full route.
This will provide community-wide resistance, and even a difference of 50 versus zero makes a significant impact. Additionally, you can find someone with the Hygiene Trait or visit Sasser Regional Hospital in Drucker County. Find ways to stack this if you can because it truly does make all the difference.
Tip 7: Sniper Recon
So, this one might be a tip that can be a bit harder to accomplish but is certainly doable in a number of ways, and it’s absolutely a lifesaver, even in the most dire situations like a triple feral attack. Building a sniper tower, especially if you have the Builder hero specialization, and calling for support when in trouble is invaluable.
Other ways to access this support include enclaves that can provide radio support if you’re allied with them. Additionally, unlocking this feature through Cleo with points from Daybreak is another viable option, which is personally what I use. Last but not least, if you acquire the New Hope Church outpost in Providence Ridge, it gives you the option to call for support. If you’re ever in trouble, find high ground or a safe spot and call on this support to save your life.
Tip 8: Pace Yourself
Now, this tip is crucial to the pacing of your game and it makes the difference between a community ready to fight versus one that’s under-equipped. That is: don’t do too much too soon.
When you start a new community and begin building up your characters with influence through missions, they start to progress from citizens to heroes, which increases the game’s difficulty. This is why you don’t encounter triple feral packs at the start of a new game, but you start seeing them after a long playthrough along with other dangerous scenarios.
So, hold off on doing missions until you’ve collected a decent set of items in your base and you feel comfortable taking on more threatening situations. This approach ensures that your community is adequately prepared for the challenges ahead.
Tip 9: Grab and Shove
Now, this tip is something I didn’t know until this year, and it’s huge, especially in combat-related situations: grab and shove.
When facing large packs of enemies, this technique is incredibly useful. Simply dodge and grab them, then push them into the group. This effectively grants you full crowd control, keeping damage off of you and making it easier to handle larger packs.
Learning this combo and utilizing it to its fullest extent can greatly improve your combat effectiveness and survivability in intense situations.
Tip 10: Vehicle for the Win!
Last but absolutely not least, and this one might seem obvious, but it’s worth mentioning: Use your vehicle.
This becomes trickier at higher difficulties since vehicles can’t withstand many hits before exploding, but even if it does explode, sometimes you can get enough traction to escape. Hop in your car and run away in bad situations. If necessary, run over zombies. Here’s a slight tip: the back of your car sustains little to no damage, whereas hitting the front or engine can cause the car to break faster.
So, when all else fails, use your vehicle. These are my top 10 tips to survive that you need to know. Share your tips in the comments below to help your fellow survivors, and subscribe to join a fast-growing community. Also, join my State of Decay 2 Discord to team up with fellow survivors. I’m Sunny as always. Stay safe, survivors.
