State of Decay: Best Survivor Traits Guide

AntMag.NET

The beauty of State of Decay is that there's no single right or wrong way to build your team. The following opinions are just one perspective to help you approach team building, but feel free to experiment and find what works best for you.

There are a couple of methods for team building:

One method is to look for survivors with two beneficial traits, such as Powerhouse + Counselor or Nimble + Leadership. Medical expert + construction expert is another strong combination. Heroes, who might have a helpful radio option, are an exception to this rule.

Another way to approach team building is by considering the specific roles survivors will fill. Here are some common roles and the traits that suit them:

Essential Survivor Traits:

Medical expert: Increases the chances and speed of recovery for injured and sick survivors.
Construction expert: Speeds up construction and vehicle repair.
Counselor: Prevents survivors from dying during the simulation, reduces fighting, and stops them from running away or committing suicide.

Valuable Survivor Traits:

Fitness expert: Allows for an exercise routine that increases maximum stamina by 10% (in addition to the fitness area's 10% benefit) and reduces injuries.
Leadership skill: Survivors with high leadership skills build trust faster, allowing enclaves to join much quicker (requiring fewer missions).

Helpful Temporary Traits:

Research expert: Quickly reduces the time for research projects. Their benefit diminishes once all research is complete.
Chemist: Required to build a munitions shop and reduces accidents when making explosives. Their necessity decreases once a sufficient quantity of munitions is produced.

Other Helpful Traits (Comparatively Less Valuable):

Cook: Can prepare a feast for +20 vitality and +10 stamina. However, a regular meal provides +20 vitality, and the stamina bonus may not be essential if other bonuses (like sufficient beds and a dojo) are present.
Plant expert: While they can find more food during the simulation, a fully grown greenhouse can provide +9 food per day, which, along with food outposts, is usually sufficient.

Survivor Roles:

Runners:

These survivors find the first vehicle, establish initial outposts, or travel to areas where a car is not desired due to noise attracting zombies. A nimble character with edged weapons is ideal for this role, as they can handle constant zombie streams and ferals. Maxing out cardio and giving them the marathon skill is recommended. Shotgun specialists with the endurance trait can also serve as runners.

Ninjas/Scavengers:

These survivors handle scavenging and outpost setup after moving into the base. Powerhouses are well-suited for this role due to their carrying capacity and ability to handle approaching zombies. They can be equipped with heavy or edged weapons.

Fighters:

Sent to clear infestations or rescue others, these survivors focus on killing zombies. Melee specializations with combat endurance are preferred, often combined with the nimble or powerhouse trait. Nimble and edged or nimble and heavy are popular combinations. Powerhouses excel with edged weapons for instant decapitations. Blunt weapons can also be effective with the uppercut, though they consume more stamina. Traits like powerhouse or reflex are not strictly necessary for fighters.