Survival tips

These tips apply to both maps. The numbers are the game’s base values (Normal difficulty softens them a little: zombie health ×0.9, damage ×0.85); for the details of each system, follow the links to the Mechanics pages.

The first rounds: filling your bank#

You start with 500 points and your loadout weapon (a pistol by default). Rounds 1 to 3 are the best time to earn points safely:

• Every bullet that hits is worth 10 points; the kill adds 50 points to the body, 90 to the head, 120 with the knife. A knife kill is therefore worth 130 points, more than twice a body kill.
• The classic method: put a few bullets into the body (without killing), then finish with the knife (V). The more bullets a zombie soaks before it drops, the more it pays.
• Rebuild barriers between zombies: 10 points per board, up to 500 points per round. It is also what keeps the zombies outside.
• Do not open every door at once: each door widens the area zombies come from. Aim first for a decent wall weapon and the way to the Power.

Surviving hits#

• You have 100 health. A zombie hit takes 25 early in the match, then more and more up to 50 around mid-game (21 then 43 on Normal): three hits are then enough to put you Down (two on Realistic). With Menhir, you go up to 250 health, six hits on Normal: get it before zombies hit at full strength.
• Health comes back on its own after about 3 seconds without being hit, and quickly after that. Back off, wait a second, then come back.
• On Realistic difficulty, zombies hit 50% harder (75 per hit at full strength) and your health takes longer to come back: Menhir becomes a must.
• Falls of more than 4.5 m hurt: watch out for platforms, cliffs and holes.

Training the horde#

“Training” means getting the zombies to run behind you in a single line, in a loop, then turning around to shoot into the pack. It is the basic technique for later rounds.

1. Pick an open area you can circle: a square, a large hall, around an obstacle. Avoid dead-end corridors and narrow stairs.
2. Always turn the same way, keeping some room on the sides. The zombies bunch up behind you.
3. Turn around when the line is tight: each bullet goes through or hits several zombies (piercing weapons, explosives, Forge of Ys effects). Reload while running, not standing still.
4. Save sprint to get out of trouble: it lasts about 4.5 seconds before it needs to recover (Marathon makes it longer and faster). The slide (C while sprinting) gets you around a tight corner.

There are never more than 24 zombies alive at once on the map: the rest wait their turn. A well-trained round therefore ends in successive waves.

Which weapons, when?#

• Rounds 1 to 5: starting weapon and knife, then a cheap first wall weapon (SMG, rifle).
• As soon as you can: the Mystery Box (950 points) gives a random weapon, including the best ones in the game and the wonder weapons (Wonder weapons and special weapons). It eventually moves after a few spins.
• The real milestone: the Forge of Ys (5,000 points) multiplies a weapon’s power and adds an effect. An upgraded weapon makes all the difference past round 15. Save up for it.
• Keep one weapon for the bulk of the horde (generous magazine, area damage) and another for lone threats (mini-bosses, hounds): see Special enemies and Bosses and mini-bosses.
• Buy ammo back at the weapon’s wall spot; Max Ammo Power-ups refill everything.

Perk buying order#

You can carry 4 Perks at once. When you are Down, they drop one by one (the last one you drank first, then one every 10 seconds): get revived fast, and buy back the ones that dropped.

Perk machines need the Power (Doors, barriers and Power); on Discovery, Menhir is given as soon as it is on. In front of each machine, a card shows the Perk’s effect and its priority (Essential, Useful or Special). The full list and effects are on Perks; each Perk can also be upgraded in the laboratory of the Hideout.

Power-ups and special rounds#

• Zombies sometimes drop a Power-up (Power-ups), at most 4 per round. It stays on the ground for about 26 seconds (it blinks near the end) and its timed effects last 30 seconds. Grab it fast, but not at the cost of going Down.
• A Kaboom or an Insta-Kill can wait a few seconds on the ground for the horde to close in: picked up when only two zombies are left, it is a wasted Power-up.
• The first special round comes between round 5 and round 7, then every 4 to 6 rounds. The last hound of an Ankou’s Pack always drops a Max Ammo. See Special enemies.

Points and spending#

• Going Down costs 5% of your points; dying (bleeding out) costs 10%, and you lose your weapons and Perks. You come back at the next round with at least 1,500 points.
• Korrigan’s Gumballs (Korrigan’s Gumballs) cost 500, then 1,000, then 2,000 points at the dispenser, three purchases at most per round; B uses the one in your pocket.
• The map’s traps cost 1,000 points, run for 25 seconds then recharge for a minute… and also hurt players who wander into them.
• Grenades refill at every new round: do not hoard them.

Revives#

• A Down teammate has 45 seconds before dying. To get them up, hold F near them for 4 seconds (2 with Second Wind). Reviving earns no points, but it saves the squad.
• Before reviving, clear the area or get cover: being interrupted often means two players Down.
• While Down you keep a pistol: shoot the zombies closing in on your rescuer, and crawl toward them.
• All the details: Down, revive and death.

Solo or as a squad#

In solo:

• Second Wind is your life insurance: it gets you up on your own, at most three times per match, after 5 seconds. After three self-revives, the machine no longer sells it to you.
• The pause menu (Esc) really stops the match: use it.
• Rounds have fewer zombies than with others: ideal for learning a map and its Easter egg.

As a squad (2 to 4):

• The pause menu does not stop the match: do not leave it open in the middle of a round.
• Split the roles: one player opens doors and the Power, another holds the barriers, everyone keeps an eye on Down teammates.
• There are more zombies per round, but also more points to go around. Do not steal all your friends’ knife kills in the early rounds.
• Playing with your ANKOU friends in the lobby gives up to 15% more XP and Moon Nectar (Lobby and match settings).
• Talk! Chat (T) or a Discord voice channel (Playing in Discord) changes everything.

Checked against the game on November 10, 2026