State of Decay 2 Help Tips

Explore all of the State of Decay 2 help tips in the game including for curveballs, plague hearts, zombies, hostile enclaves, special outposts and more.

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A Leader's Legacy	Each type of leader has a legacy they want to leave for future generations.	Once blood plague is defeated, your leader offers goals to realize this legacy.	Achieving a legacy "wins" the game and unlocks a boon for later playthroughs.
Base Facilities	Facilities like the Workshop unlock new capabilities for your community.	Use them to craft items, produce resources, and perform other key functions.	Track the ongoing costs of your facilities on the Base menu.
Being a Builder	A Builder believes in security and absolute self-reliance.	They aspire to be able to provide for a large and prosperous community.	They can construct a Sniper Tower, plus an advanced Generator and Barracks.
Being a Sheriff	A Sheriff believes in defending everyone in town and takes risks to help others.	They do not tolerate raiders or thieves, and will fight them if necessary.	They can build a Field Hospital and a more advanced Lounge and Shooting Range.
Being a Trader	A Trader believes in trust and generosity, even in the apocalypse.	They aspire to create a network of friendly enclaves that support one another.	They can construct a Trade Depot, an advanced Still, and the biggest Farm.
Being a Warlord	A Warlord trusts and values the people in their own community over all others.	They believe that only those with strength and value to the team earn survival.	They can build an Armory, plus a more advanced Barracks and Fighting Gym.
Blood Plague Victims	Keep blood plague victims in your Infirmary to halt the progress of the disease.	If you can bring them the cure, you can use it to save their lives.	If you can't, you may need to kill them to prevent the plague from spreading.
Choosing a Leader	Each survivor's personality determines what type of leader they can become.	The four leader types each unlock their own unique facilities and missions.	Try the Sheriff, Warlord, Builder, and Trader leaders to learn what they offer.
Choosing Recruits	When choosing whom to recruit, examine a survivor's list of skills.	Some skills, like Medicine, are particularly valuable to your base facilities.	Find potential recruits by befriending enclaves and rescuing people in trouble.
Claiming Outposts	Outposts are sites where you can switch characters and swap supplies once claimed. Some outposts provide extra benefits that you can review on the base screen.	Secure a building, then interact with the claim point to make it an outpost. Upgrading outposts increases their safe zone radius.	Outposts also allow you to set up defenses like incendiary mines, infestation bait, and plague disruptor, so make sure to choose a tactical location.
Customize Your Apocalyptic Look	State of Decay 2 now features survivor outfit customization!	Visit your community screen to explore the free outfits and hats now available.	Acquire more options by completing bounties or by scavenging in the world.
Earning Standing	When your people accomplish things, they earn standing in the community.	Survivors with high standing become heroes and offer bonuses to the group.	Any hero can then be promoted to become your community's leader!
Fighting Zombies	Zombies are hard to kill. You have to destroy the head.	Headshots with guns are highly effective, but loud without a suppressor.	Watch for opportunities to quickly kill a zombie from behind or on the ground.
Finding a New Territory	If you survive long enough, you will exhaust the resources in your territory.	The Command Center 2 facility lets you find a new territory to settle.	When you're ready to depart for good, just drive to the exit on your map.
Future Communities	Finishing your final Legacy mission opens the Legacy Pool screen.	Placing all survivors from a community into the Legacy Pool ends that community.	Continue your community with a few survivors or start a new one on a fresh map.
Helping Another Player	When you join someone else's game, your role is to assist them.	You can contribute supplies to their community and use their facilities.	All the influence, skills, and items you collect can be brought home.
Human Enclaves	The frontier is inhabited by many small enclaves of human survivors.	If you're helpful, they can become allies, trading partners, or recruits.	Ignore or betray them, and they may become dangerous hostiles.
Infestations	Plague hearts release infesting hordes to infest locations around the map. If infesting hordes reach an existing infestation, its severity will increase, adding to the zombies present.	You can quickly clear infestations just by taking out all the screamers, however all the other freaks they attract to infestations sometimes drop items when killed!	You can use radio calls to have community members scout and destroy infestations. Killing an awakened plague heart will also cause its created infestations to wither away over time.
Infesting Hordes	Awakened plague hearts send out infesting hordes to create and reinforce infestations. If they arrive at a location, including your outposts, they will disable it until the infestation is cleared.	The ultimate goal of these hordes is to find the player’s base and set up for a direct siege. Your base’s noise level determines how quickly the infesting hordes close in on your base.	Infesting hordes are slow moving and can easily be scouted and destroyed before they arrive at their destination. Outpost defenses are also very effective on hordes when strategically placed.
Morale	On the base screen, you can view your community's morale.	When morale is low or high, it has an effect on your community's performance.	Improve morale by building facilities, or by satisfying each survivor's needs.
Multiplayer	Friends can join your game any time, bringing characters from their communities.	Use your radio to send up a flare and invite strangers to join your game.	You can also volunteer to join strangers' games from the same menu.
New Features Incoming	Plague territory prevents you from claiming sites near a plague heart. Kill the heart to claim any sites within its territory, but be careful.	Certain actions in plague territory contribute to waking a plague heart: killing zombies, screamers calling for help, attacking or killing another plague heart.	Plague hearts are not aware of you if the zombies are not. Stealth kills will not awaken a plague heart. Vehicles draw a lot of attention.
Plague Hearts	These grotesque flesh mounds start out dormant and are only awakened by player actions within their controlled territory.	Use caution in their territory, because once a plague heart awakens it will continually release hordes to spread infestations until it is destroyed.	There are many ways to destroy a plague heart, but fire is particularly effective.
Plague Territory	Plague hearts turn the regions around them into plague territory, preventing you from claiming sites. Kill the heart to remove its corruption in the region… but be careful!	Certain actions in plague territory will contribute to awakening a plague heart: • killing zombies • screamers calling for help • attacking plague hearts directly	Plague hearts are not aware of you if the zombies are not. Stealth allows you to cross plague territory safely, while vehicles draw a lot of attention and, therefore, risk. Drive safe.
Plague Zombies	Red-eyed plague zombies are carriers for the blood plague.	Plague zombies gather in highly dangerous areas surrounding plague hearts.	Dead plague zombies can drop fleshy samples that are ingredients for the cure.
Recruit Survivors from your Legacy Pool	Bring survivors from your Legacy Pool into your community via the radio.	Open your Radio menu and choose the "Recruit Legacy Survivor" button.	Select the survivor you wish to recruit and prepare them a warm welcome.
Rucksacks and Resources	Your community has five resources, which you collect as rucksacks.	Scavenge for rucksacks and deliver them to your base to stock up on supplies.	Resources can be depleted over time, or created with gardens and outposts.
Securing a Building	To secure a building, you must explore each room marked on the mini-map.	In addition to exploring all rooms, you must kill all zombies at the location.	Once secured, it temporarily becomes a zone where no new zombies appear.
Sending Survivors to the Legacy Pool	Survivors in your community can now be sent to the Legacy Pool.	Open the Community tab and use {input:UISpecial2} to mark them.	Talk to the marked survivor and let them know you'll see them again.
Siege Sites	Infestations near your base can become siege sites. Like other infestations, siege sites can be reinforced by infesting hordes to increase their severity level.	Unlike other infestations, once siege sites reach high enough severity, there is a looming chance a siege will trigger and they will send siege hordes to directly attack your base.	Sieges last until all siege sites have depleted - whether you wait for them, destroy them before they get to your base, or let your community fend for itself is up to you!
Special Outposts	Each map has a landmark outpost, which offers multiple strategic benefits.	Resource outposts can also be upgraded to increase their incomes.	Examine these outposts on the base screen to explore your options.
Storage vs Supply Locker	Resource rucksacks are delivered to the Storage facility at your base.	Weapons, consumables, and other inventory items are kept in your Supply Locker.	You can access the Supply Locker at home, or at any outpost you've claimed.
Surveying	Surveying from a tower fills your map with location icons.	Open your map and examine each icon to see what is available to scavenge.	Use the information you collect to plan scavenging runs and outpost claims.
The Bounty Broker	The Bounty Broker offers rare gear in exchange for completing bounties.	After you accept a bounty, your progress is tracked visibly on the screen.	Complete the bounty to unlock a free item and gain the option to purchase more.
The Builder's Monument	Congratulations! You've completed the builder's legacy.	You built an infrastructure that will keep this place running for years to come.	Your future communities can connect to your water and power supply!
The Curveballs Menu	Curveballs are randomly occurring events which contain world changing effects. These events will be recorded in your Curveball Menu.	When a Curveball becomes active, its effects will be visible and you'll need to adapt your play style to combat these mysterious events.	Whether you tackle them head on or try to avoid them a timed Curveball will eventually end, but another one may appear at anytime!
The Curveballs Objectives	Some Curveballs contain Objectives which are shown on the map and within the Curveball Menu.	Curveballs with Objectives will remain active until the Objective has been completed.	Certain Curveballs contain Optional Objectives; they are not required to end the Curveball but they help.
The Sheriff's Peace	Congratulations! You've completed the sheriff's legacy.	You mobilized your neighbors against outlaws, and you secured a lasting peace.	Your future communities will receive gifts from the folks you protected!
The Trader's Payoff	Congratulations! You've completed the trader's legacy.	You built and defended profitable relationships with your neighbors.	Your future communities will benefit from new trade opportunities!
The Warlord's Conquest	Congratulations! You've completed the warlord's legacy.	You secured your town for those you trust, and you held it against threats.	Your future communities can start the game with an arsenal of weapons!
The World Is Open	Once you're past the tutorial, you decide how you want to play.	Random missions pop up regularly, but whether to pursue them is up to you.	Destroy plague hearts to reclaim the map AND progress the campaign story.
This is State of Decay 2	You control a community of survivors in the wake of a zombie apocalypse.	Each survivor is unique and will die permanently if things go wrong.	You must venture into the wild to get the resources your people need to survive.
Using Your Influence	Trading with other enclaves uses a currency called influence.	You earn influence by completing goals, trading, and helping other players.	Spend influence to buy items, outposts, radio commands, and new bases.
Using Your Radio	Every survivor carries a radio that they can use to call in outside support.	If you need a resource or a recruit, you can use the radio to track that down.	Some survivors offer radio commands that heal, resupply, or rain down fire.
Vehicles	Use gas cans and toolkits to keep vehicles fueled and in good repair.	Approach the rear of a vehicle to store things in its inventory.	When parked at your base, you can transfer items directly to the supply locker.
Visit Scenic Trumbull Valley	The original classic setting of State of Decay is now a full-size core map.	It features six new bases, plus new storylines unique to the setting.	Moving to a new map is easy. Just find the exits on your map screen!