Can You Change Your Leader in State of Decay 2? A Comprehensive Guide

Yes, you absolutely can change your leader in State of Decay 2. Unlike some games where leadership is a permanent choice, State of Decay 2 allows you to adapt to your community’s needs and the skills of your survivors. It offers a dynamic leadership system that encourages experimentation and strategic decision-making.

How to Change Your Leader

The process of changing your leader is straightforward, but it’s important to understand the implications before you make the switch. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Identify a Suitable Replacement: The first step is to identify a survivor in your community who is eligible to become a leader. To be eligible, a survivor must have reached Hero status. This is achieved by completing various tasks and demonstrating their usefulness to the community.

2. Open the Community Tab: In the game’s user interface, navigate to the Community tab. This is where you manage your survivors, their skills, and their roles within the community.

3. Select the “State of Decay” Symbol: Within the Community tab, look for the State of Decay symbol. This is the icon that allows you to manage your community’s leadership.

4. Choose a New Leader: Selecting the State of Decay symbol will bring up a menu showing all the survivors who have achieved Hero status. Choose the survivor you want to promote to leader.

5. Demote the Current Leader: Before you can promote the new leader, you’ll need to demote the current one. This process is irreversible in the short term and comes with consequences.

Consequences of Demotion

Demoting a leader is not without its drawbacks. Here’s what you should expect:

• Morale Penalty: The demoted survivor will experience a morale penalty. This can negatively affect the overall mood of your community, so be prepared to manage the fallout. Fortunately, the morale penalty is temporary and will dissipate over time.

• Return to Citizen Status: The demoted leader will revert to a regular citizen within the community, losing any leader-specific bonuses they previously provided.

The Importance of Choosing the Right Leader

Choosing the right leader is crucial for the success and survival of your community. Each leader type provides unique benefits and unlocks special Leader Projects that can significantly enhance your base and resources.

Leader Types and Their Benefits

• Builder: Builders focus on improving your base and infrastructure. Their Legacy Goal involves constructing key facilities and establishing a thriving community. They can build a trade depot, which can significantly enhance your trading ability and resources.

• Sheriff: Sheriffs emphasize justice and community protection. Their Legacy Goal centers on resolving conflicts and ensuring the safety of your survivors. They unlock the sniper tower that helps protect your base from zombie hordes.

• Trader: Traders prioritize resource acquisition and diplomacy with other enclaves. Their Legacy Goal involves establishing trade routes and building strong relationships with other communities. They can build the trade depot, which significantly boosts your trading capabilities.

• Warlord: Warlords focus on military strength and eliminating threats. Their Legacy Goal involves taking control of the region and wiping out all opposition. They can build an Armory, which allows you to craft ammunition.

The End Game Legacies

Completing a Legacy Goal “wins the game” by cementing your community’s lasting contribution to the world. Each leader type has its own unique legacy and a different gameplay experience.

Understanding Leader Skills and Traits

A character’s skills and traits will affect their ability to be a good leader. Look for traits and skills that boost community morale, resource production, or combat effectiveness.

Traits That Matter

• Volunteer Coordinator: Improves morale and can help resolve conflicts.
• Officer Material: Provides leadership bonuses.
• Indefatigable, Unbreakable, Immortal: All traits that boost the survivability and effectiveness of your leader in combat situations.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about changing leaders in State of Decay 2, designed to provide even more clarity and insight into this important game mechanic:

1. What happens to the leader-specific facilities if I demote a leader?

If you’ve built any leader-specific facilities (like the Armory for a Warlord or the Trade Depot for a Trader), those facilities remain fully functional even after the leader is demoted. This allows you to potentially benefit from multiple Leader Projects simultaneously if you change leaders and build their unique facilities.

2. Can I have multiple Leader Projects active at the same time?

Yes! If you demote a leader after building their unique facility, that facility will continue to function. This means you can have multiple Leader Projects running concurrently if you strategically change leaders and construct their respective buildings.

3. How often can I change leaders?

You can change leaders as often as you want, provided you have survivors who meet the Hero status requirement. However, keep in mind the morale penalties associated with demoting a leader each time.

4. Does the difficulty setting affect the leader change process?

No, the difficulty setting (e.g., Standard, Dread, Nightmare, Lethal) does not directly affect the process of changing leaders. However, the difficulty will impact how quickly survivors reach Hero status and the severity of the challenges you face, which can indirectly affect your leadership choices. The final slider makes it easier or harder to scavenge the world and find the resources, weapons, items, and vehicles you need to survive and thrive. This slider also increases or decreases the number of plague hearts on your map.

5. What is the maximum number of survivors I can have in my community?

The game limits any community to no more than 12 survivors. Opportunities to recruit new survivors become rare once your community reaches a population of 9 or more.

6. How do I recruit new survivors to replace a demoted leader or add to my community?

The main way to recruit more survivors is by completing quests for other enclaves. Completing these quests will increase their standing towards your community, thus becoming allies or willing to join your community.

7. What are the best traits to look for in a potential leader?

Some of the best traits to look for include Volunteer Coordinator, Officer Material, Indefatigable, Unbreakable, and Immortal. These traits improve morale, leadership abilities, and survivability.

8. Which leader type is considered the “best”?

There’s no universally “best” leader type, as it depends on your play style and community needs. However, many players favor the Warlord for their combat prowess and the ability to produce ammunition, or the Builder for their ability to create a resource-rich environment. Each leader type has its strengths and weaknesses.

9. How do I deal with the morale penalty after demoting a leader?

To mitigate the morale penalty, focus on activities that boost community morale, such as completing tasks that benefit the community, providing ample resources, and resolving conflicts peacefully. Survivors with morale-boosting traits like “Volunteer Coordinator” can also help.

10. Can I change the difficulty level after starting a community?

Yes, you can adjust the difficulty settings in State of Decay 2, but be aware that changing the difficulty can impact your community’s morale and resource availability.

11. What happens if my leader dies?

If your leader dies, the game will automatically select a new leader from the survivors who have reached Hero status. If no one meets this criterion, you’ll have to work to get someone promoted to that status.

12. Can I have two leader buildings in State of Decay 2?

Yes, you can have multiple leader buildings in State of Decay 2. If you build a leader-specific facility and then change leaders, the original facility remains fully functional, allowing you to benefit from multiple Leader Projects simultaneously.

13. What is the best weapon to use against a juggernaut?

The best weapons against a juggernaut are high-damage, high-capacity firearms like the RPG-7, the PP90M1, and most light machine guns.

14. What is the “Unbreakable” trait, and why is it valuable?

The Unbreakable trait provides significant benefits to the survivor: +45 Max Health and -100% Injury Chance, making them incredibly resilient in combat.

15. Where can I learn more about the educational aspects of gaming?

You can explore the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org or https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/ to learn more about the educational benefits and impact of games on society. The Games Learning Society is at the forefront of research and innovation in this field.