State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition — 5 Best Tips for Beginners

So, you’re just starting out in State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition? Not entirely sure where to go or what to do? Don’t sweat it — here are the five best tips that’ll get you chomping through those first hordes of zombies and into your brand-new communal world.

5. Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

It goes without saying, but seeing as State of Decay is a survival game at heart, there’s no real use in trying to bite off more than you can chew in the first several hours of playing the actual game. Truth is, establishing a foothold in the undead world isn’t an overnight process, which means you’ll need to set aside a lot of the open-world exploration for last, and essentially prioritize the needs and wants of your protagonist first. In other words, don’t think that you can simply waltz up to a community center and liberate it with nothing more than a battered 4×4. That time will come, for sure, but for the first several hours, you’re going to want to settle for the bare necessities, such as finding food, a weapon, and a safe spot to lay your head when the sun finally falls beyond the hills.

This brings us to another point: don’t confront zombies unless you absolutely have to. This goes for tackling hordes, too; they’ll be a lot tougher than you to start out, so don’t expect to be able to whittle down dozens of enemies in a single battle. Fact is, if you practically overdo it, then you’ll only wind up getting your first character sent to the infirmary, or worse, to an early grave. To prevent this from happening, aim to run as much as possible, as this will build up your overall stamina and ability to endure lengthier periods of hiking or sprinting.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Play God

When it comes to establishing your first outpost, you’re only going to want to employ the best survivors out there to keep it operational. To start, you’ll only have enough room for nine members, which means you’ll need to sift through each of their character traits and abilities to be able to whittle the roster down to a compact, self-sustaining team. And if, by some unfortunate circumstance, you happen to find a survivor who’s “just another mouth to feed”, so to speak, then don’t be afraid to send them packing to free up space for someone who can bring more to the table.

When it comes to managing your community, you’re going to want to have each member armed with a melee and ranged weapon of some sort, if only to protect your assets while you’re out scavenging. Ideally, you’ll also want to research a Guard Post as soon as possible, as this will help your squad to spot and eliminate potential threats ahead of their infiltration.

3. Prioritize Building an Infirmary

When it comes to laying the groundwork for your first official outpost, you’ll need to decide which buildings to craft first. On this note, you’ll want to prioritize building an infirmary—a unit that will not only treat your non-active NPCs, but also provide you with a well-balanced stockpile of resources and buffs, too.

If you have the time and resources to spare, then aim to boost your infirmary to level 2 as soon as possible, as a higher level will grant your inactive characters a steady stream of health benefits and cure the likes of blood plague and trauma in the process.

2. Use Your Car, Don’t Weaponize It

It just so happens that vehicles in State of Decay 2 are something of a rarity, which means you’ll need to do right by them in order to keep them for the long haul. And by that, we mean not weaponizing it for the sake of weaving together a bunch of ruthless kills out on the open road. Annoyingly, cars can take a great deal of damage — to the point that they’ll eventually pack up and stop working altogether. And seeing as it can be relatively hard to come by a space motor, you’d be far better off treating what you currently have with a bit more respect. In other words, don’t drive it like you stole it, if you can help it.

For the sake of keeping your vehicles in tip-top condition, you’ll wait to prioritize walking and sprinting over driving. If, however, you need to cross the map to explore an objective or landmark, then aim to use the roads and avoid any passing hordes. And if you absolutely have to weaponize your vehicle, then aim to use the car doors when driving alongside an infected enemy.

1. Know Your Weapons

As you’ll be cutting through your fair share of zombies at some point or another, it’s better to know which melee and ranged weapons to use, and which ones to steer well clear of. In most cases, you’ll find that one-handed melee weapons not only provide a heavier strike, but can also deal blows a lot quicker than the average two-handed weapon. What’s more, they’re easier to lug around on your travels, which means you can keep your overall agility and maneuverability up to scratch, too.

In addition to one-handed melee weapons, you’ll also want to focus on using silent ranged weapons, such as crossbows. Again, as you’ll be wanting to keep a low profile when scavenging homes for supplies, you’ll ideally want to keep anything that’s even remotely noisy back at the nearest outpost and with one of your inactive characters. And remember, the quieter you are, the lower the chance of being swarmed by a passing horde will be.

So, what’s your take? Do you have any useful tips for State of Decay 2 newcomers? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.