State of Decay: 10 Mistakes That’ll Get You Killed

Traveling on the rocky road to death.

Undead Labs’ State of Decay casts you as one of several mortal characters attempting to survive the zombie apocalypse.  You don’t necessarily have the benefit of superpowers and alien weaponry. Instead, you must scour a dangerous world in search of supplies. Meanwhile, decisions you make have a lasting impact.  For your sake, we hope you don’t succumb to the following blunders that’ll likely get you killed.

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Leaving the Door Open

Basic rule of preventing zombies from coming inside: shut the front door. We’ll break into someone’s house and leave the door wide open, which might as well be a personal invite for some undead freak to rush in and snack on our brains.  

Forgetting to Board Up Windows

This is the second worst mistake next to the door. You always have the option to board up windows, some of which are broken to begin with.  Fail to do this and you can kiss your character’s life goodbye.

“Pausing” the Game

Bringing up your map or inventory screen doesn’t pause State of Decay.  On the contrary, doing this leaves you vulnerable.  Press the Start button to take a break and thank us later.

Carrying One Melee Weapon

Melee weapons eventually break from extended use, so it’s always a smart idea to have a backup machete or wrench.  Otherwise you’ll have to resort to punches and kicks that will put you on the fast track to the afterlife. 

Never Looking Over Your Shoulder

Zombies attack from all directions.  We knew this before starting the game.  That didn’t stop us, however, from staring straight ahead, unaware of the lone enemy creeping up from behind.  RIP. 

Driving Busted Vehicles

The cars and trucks in this game take realistic damage from repeatedly plowing into things, zombies in particular.  It’s possible to lose both doors and wheels, the latter of which slows you down considerably.  You’ll cover more ground in a pickup, but don’t get trapped inside a death machine. Some zombies are faster than they seem.

Also take caution while traveling off road.  Considerable fog often hides steep drops.

Abusing Stamina

You can’t run around like crazy attacking zombies without consequence.  Characters have stamina meters that decrease over time.  Rely on it too much and your survivor’s movement becomes staggered and they won’t sprint until it partially/fully recovers. Remember that with zombie horde right behind you.

Quick Searching

Pressing Y allows you to slowly rummage through file cabinets, bookcases and other objects in search of supplies.  LB plus Y speeds up the process but you’ll make more noise.  In other words, patience is a virtue. Haste makes brain paste.

Firing Guns Without Suppressors

A pistol or hunting rifle may seem like the most efficient means of killing zombies, but these weapons make a lot of noise. One shot is all it takes to attract the horde.

Misusing/Abusing Ammunition

A zombie’s erratic movements make headshots especially difficult. With ammo at a premium in more dangerous areas, chances of you wasting three or more rounds on a single zombie are high. Then you go to reload and, uh-oh, you’re bone dry.  

Forget to pack extra bullets before heading out?  Yes? OK, prepare to bleed.

State of Decay is available for Xbox 360.

More Life-Saving Advice

State of Decay Beginner’s Tips

Do you have personal tips for staying alive? Let us know in the comments section.


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Prima Games Staff
The staff at Prima Games.