How to Reduce Noise and Thrive in State of Decay 2

In State of Decay 2, noise isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a crucial mechanic directly impacting your community’s survival. Excessive noise attracts hordes of ravenous zombies, making your base vulnerable to attacks. Reducing noise is vital for long-term success. Here’s how you can effectively minimize the ruckus and keep your community safe:

The primary way to reduce noise in State of Decay 2 involves managing your community size and actively using facilities strategically. Each survivor in your community generates “passive noise,” directly represented by the noise level of your Command Center. Therefore, having fewer survivors naturally reduces your overall noise signature. However, reducing your community size might not always be the most desirable option. Here are the key strategies to reduce noise, without sacrificing your community’s strength:

• Minimize Active Noise-Generating Activities: Avoid performing multiple noisy activities simultaneously. Instead, complete one before starting another.
• Upgrade Your Base Facilities: Many facilities, when upgraded, produce less noise. Focus on upgrading the most frequently used facilities first to reap the best noise-reduction benefits.
• Choose Your Base Location Wisely: Certain base locations are naturally more secluded than others. Selecting a base on the outskirts or one that is naturally defensible, with fewer points of entry, will give you an early advantage.
• Manage Morale: A happy community is a quieter community. Keeping morale high reduces the overall noise level. Utilize facilities, hero bonuses and community members that increase your morale, helping your community remain calm and collected.
• Use Silenced Weapons When Possible: Weapons without silencers create much more noise than silenced versions. Investing in silencers and silenced firearms will attract fewer unwanted visitors.
• Stealth When Traveling: When exploring the world, crouch and move slowly to avoid generating unnecessary noise.
• Strategic Facility Placement: Where you place your facilities can impact your noise levels. Certain combinations or placements can reduce, or amplify your overall noise.

By actively implementing these strategies, you can keep your base safe and drastically reduce the zombie hordes you attract, making for a more peaceful and successful community.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Noise in State of Decay 2

What is ‘passive noise’ and how does it affect my game?

Passive noise, directly linked to your community size, is the base noise level your community generates simply by existing. This is represented by the Command Center’s noise level. The higher your community’s population, the higher the passive noise, and the more likely you are to attract zombies. Reducing community size or implementing noise reducing strategies can keep the passive noise low.

Does upgrading my Command Center reduce noise?

No, upgrading your Command Center doesn’t reduce its noise output. The noise level of the Command Center is directly tied to the number of survivors in your community. Upgrading the facility may allow for more survivor actions, but won’t diminish the noise.

What are the noisiest facilities in State of Decay 2?

Generally, facilities that involve crafting, repairs, and high levels of activity produce the most noise. Certain facilities are inherently noisy, such as Workshops, Shooting Ranges, and certain infirmary upgrades. Be mindful of these facilities and limit their use when you can.

How does morale influence noise levels?

Low morale can increase noise levels. A discontent community is a noisy one. Survivors with low morale are more likely to argue, complain, and act carelessly. Maintain your community’s morale by completing community requests, providing ample resources, and utilizing morale-boosting leaders and heroes.

Does the time of day impact noise levels?

No, the time of day itself does not directly impact noise generation. However, during nighttime, zombies become more active, meaning the impact of excessive noise becomes more noticeable.

Can I use a facility to mitigate noise?

While there isn’t a specific facility solely designed to reduce noise, facilities like a Gardens (or other similar facilities) can positively impact morale, which, indirectly, helps reduce your overall noise level. Some facilities, especially upgraded ones, produce less noise than their lower level counterparts, but no one facility is designed to minimize noise.

Does having a watchtower help with noise?

While a watchtower doesn’t directly reduce noise, it provides an important defensive position. Defensive facilities can help you manage zombie attacks that may happen due to noise, allowing you to maintain your community rather than having to waste time repairing damage.

What’s the benefit of using silenced weapons?

Silenced weapons significantly reduce the noise you generate when firing. This reduces your threat level and avoids drawing in large groups of zombies. This gives you more flexibility when hunting, looting, and defending your base.

Do certain leader types generate less noise?

No, no specific leader types directly reduce your overall noise. However, different leader types provide different bonuses and facilities, some of which may help with managing your community, which could indirectly help keep noise levels down. Warlords can create an armory, providing easier access to silencers which could indirectly reduce noise in combat.

Does wearing headphones or earbuds help reduce noise in State of Decay 2?

Unfortunately, in-game, the gear worn by your survivors has no effect on their noise level, which is directly managed by the mechanics mentioned above. However, in the real world, listening to music or podcasts may help you concentrate better and, therefore, be more strategic about noise management in the game.

Does moving my community members into smaller groups affect noise?

No, moving your community members into smaller groups does not affect noise levels; noise levels are directly tied to the community population size. You might find it useful to use smaller groups for looting and scavenging but it won’t change how loud your base is.

How does stealth impact noise levels?

Using stealth, by crouching, moving slowly, and using melee attacks reduces your individual noise footprint when traveling. This can prevent you from attracting unnecessary zombies. Moving quickly through the world will alert zombies to your location.

Are there any base upgrades that reduce noise?

While there isn’t a direct upgrade that states it reduces noise, upgrading certain facilities like Workshops or Training areas often increases efficiency and lowers the time they are active, thus reducing the total noise emitted over time.

What color noise is best to listen to while playing State of Decay 2 to improve focus?

While the game itself doesn’t include noise color manipulation, some players find that listening to brown noise or pink noise can help with focus and concentration in the real world. This can help with better strategizing and community management in the game.

Can noise level impact the rate of infestation?

While infestations are a natural occurrence based on time and the threat level of the map, excessive noise certainly can make infestations more severe or more frequent. Keeping your noise down helps keep your general threat level down, which, in turn, can reduce the likelihood of more zombies showing up at your base, which is an infestation.

By carefully managing your community, choosing the right base, utilizing stealth, and strategically implementing the strategies outlined above, you can effectively lower noise levels in State of Decay 2, giving your community a higher chance of survival and longevity in the face of the zombie apocalypse.