State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition Zombie Guide

State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition, as you might expect, has a lot of zombies in it. At first you encounter the regular zeds that appear in any open-world survival horror game, but as you get deeper into the experience, some of the undead start to look and act differently. They become more than a forgettable nuisance during the early stages. You know, all the way back at the Ranger Station.

As we found out the hard way, some of the zombies in this game are no joke, but all of them have weaknesses you’re able to exploit. You’ll probably want to pay our State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition combat tips a visit, but after that you can refer to this guide on the different types of undead in the game and how to kill them.

Screamer Zombies

The Screamer is a type of zombie that doesn’t have any arms, but will work as an alarm that draws other zombies into the area, as well as disrupts the player’s ability to function. While they won’t do the same type of damage output as other zeds, they should be dealt with first. The faster you kill these guys, the less likely you are to get swarmed. Ideally you want to sneak up and take them out with a stealth attack.

Juggernaut Zombies

As the name suggests, these zombies are extremely hard to kill. You’ll know you’re near one because of its huge body and small head. These foes can take a serious amount of damage, and there is no great way to kill one. Instead, if you don’t have to deal with it, avoid this creature and go about your business. If you do get one’s attention and don’t feel you can defeat it, go inside a house to break line of sight, then try to exit through a second door. More often than not this will cause the beast to lose you.

The time will come when you have to fight one, and for this, we suggest either explosives or perhaps an assault rifle. Go for headshots only, and if you can put a wall between you and the Juggernaut, great. You can also run the monster over using a vehicle, but you’ll probably destroy your ride and need to hit this enemy more than once. These guys are a real pain.

Bloater Zombies

Hey, remember these guys from The Last of Us? They aren’t exactly the same, but they have similar looking builds. Bloaters are typically taller than other zombies in State of Decay and their mid-section looks rather disgusting. They can be hard to spot from a distance, but you’re relatively safe unless you find one up close.

A Bloater will try and burst near you, releasing a toxic gas that can suck the health and stamina from you in a hurry. For this reason, try to kill it from range, which makes using guns the ideal way to take one out. Avoid that toxic gas cloud at all costs.

Feral Zombies

The Feral zombie is the worst of the worst in State of Decay. Part of this is due to the fact they will typically spot you first, and also because they are vicious fighters. They can run you down, mess you up and will take more damage than regular zombies. They can be found all over the map, both indoors and outdoors. In a nutshell, these zombies are problematic.

When a Feral is about to attack, identify the warning signs. The first is a growl, followed by panting and sprinting sounds. This only gives you a few seconds to react, but you’ll be relatively safe if there are a couple survivors with you. While the Feral attacks one person, the other two can team up to put it down. Of course, if you see one at range, shoot the zombie before it gets a chance to fight.

SWAT Zombies

As players might expect, SWAT zombies look like dead folk dressed up as SWAT officers (because really, that’s what they are), which means spotting them is fairly simple. They can show up just about anywhere, but expect to find them close to the courthouse. Also, due to their body and head armor, SWAT zombies can take more bullet damage than regular undead enemies.

Since firearms aren’t a good choice, go with melee combat to take these guys down. The good thing here is that they are as vulnerable to a serious beat down as any regular zombie. Of course you can shoot them if you want, but it will take more ammunition than it normally would. The best bet here is to hit them repeatedly, which is both effective and quiet.

Army Zombies

These zombies are not unlike the SWAT zombies, but they are much faster, which makes them a big step up in competition. You can identify them by their uniform, and they won’t appear until later in the game, typically close to the Fairgrounds.

When dealing with them, we’ll once again suggest melee (or running them over in a vehicle), but you want to make sure to strike first and often. Do not let this speed-demon get an attack off, or you might find yourself scrambling to survive. Instead, put the pressure on and don’t let up until you kill this thing once and for all. Again you can use guns, but their body armor makes firearms less effective, and guns are loud.

If you’re just getting started with State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition, don’t forget to read up on what supplies you’ll need, along with choosing and securing the best Home Site. We also know how to transfer your game data from Xbox 360 to the Xbox One.

If you’re looking to get your hands on all of our State of Decay: Year-One Survival Edition content in one place, visit our State of Decay guide and become the ultimate survivor.