How Long Does it Take to 100% State of Decay 2?
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Reaching 100% completion in State of Decay 2 is a significant undertaking that demands patience, strategy, and a considerable investment of time. While the main objective of destroying all plague hearts and completing a leader’s legacy missions can be accomplished in approximately 16 hours, achieving true 100% completion is an entirely different challenge. On average, gamers striving to see all aspects of the game should expect to dedicate around 116 hours. However, this figure can fluctuate based on individual playstyles, difficulty settings, and the player’s familiarity with the game’s mechanics. This substantial playtime includes not only the core objectives but also the multitude of side activities, map exploration, base management, character progression, legacy unlocks, and completion of all the different ending requirements.
Factors Influencing Completion Time
Several elements contribute to the variable completion time, including:
Player Skill and Familiarity
Players experienced with survival games, particularly the first State of Decay title, will generally progress through State of Decay 2 faster. Understanding enemy patterns, resource management strategies, and base building mechanics can shave off significant time.
Difficulty Settings
Playing on higher difficulty settings, such as Nightmare mode, presents significantly more challenges, making progress slower. More aggressive zombies, rarer resources, and more difficult plague heart encounters will increase the overall playtime.
Completionist Approach
The term “100% completion” itself is somewhat subjective. For some, it may mean just seeing the ending with each leader type. For others, it includes completing all achievements/trophies, unlocking all legacy boons, and exploring all the maps thoroughly. The more comprehensive your interpretation of 100%, the longer it will take.
Map Exploration and Looting
Fully exploring all the maps, discovering all locations, and looting all available resources takes considerable time. Meagher Valley, known for its dense building layout, will likely require a fair time commitment to fully scour.
Base Management
Building and maintaining a fully functional and upgraded base, including establishing necessary facilities and outposts, is a time-intensive process. Selecting the best base locations, such as those in Trumbull Valley, is a vital consideration and can alter gameplay flow.
Character Progression and Legacy Unlocks
Leveling up community members, obtaining their skills, and completing the various legacy goals for the different leader types is core to the 100% experience and requires multiple playthroughs. Disbanding communities and restarting with legacy boons is a large time sink.
DLC Content
State of Decay 2 has multiple DLCs, most notably Heartland. Completing the content and storylines in the DLCs will add significant playtime to the overall 100% completion effort. These DLC’s introduce new maps and characters that need to be managed for full completion.
Understanding the 116-Hour Estimate
The 116-hour estimate represents a broad average. It assumes that the player will not only complete the main story but also delve into side quests, explore thoroughly, build and upgrade different bases, and work towards unlocking all leader legacy boons. It includes time spent recruiting survivors, managing community morale, and scavenging for vital resources. This duration also accounts for the time spent dealing with plague hearts, blood plague zombies, and other threats that the game throws at the player. A dedicated completionist might even go beyond this figure.
Time Investment Breakdown
- Main Campaign (one leader): Approximately 16 hours.
- Completing All Leader Endings: Roughly 40 hours (16 x 4, with some overlap as characters and experience carry over).
- Full Map Exploration and Looting: Around 30 hours across multiple playthroughs, varying with map density and playstyle.
- Base Management and Community Growth: Approximately 20 hours, accounting for multiple bases and multiple restarts.
- DLC (Heartland): An additional 30 hours to fully complete.
- Miscellaneous Activities and Collection: Around 10-20 hours, covering everything else required for 100% such as maxing out skills.
As you can see, the time investment stacks up quickly when you factor in all of the gameplay elements. To make the best use of your time, plan to strategically select your bases, as the base locations can influence loot accessibility, and which bases have the facilities you need at that time.
Is It Worth It?
State of Decay 2 offers a rewarding gameplay experience for players seeking an in-depth zombie survival game. While reaching 100% completion is a considerable time sink, the game offers plenty of content and challenges to keep players engaged. Completing legacy boons can add extra replayability and can influence the difficulty of your subsequent playthroughts. Ultimately, whether or not the time investment is “worth it” depends on individual preferences and how much the player values comprehensive completion and immersion in the game.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a full day in State of Decay 2?
A full in-game day lasts two hours in real time. Daytime is one hour, followed by one hour of night. This day-night cycle adds strategic depth, as nighttime can be more dangerous but also offers its own advantages, such as easier stealth kills.
Is there an end to the State of Decay 2 campaign?
Yes, there is an end. You “end” the game after destroying all the plague hearts and completing the final missions specific to your chosen community leader. Completing a leader’s legacy awards you with a boon that can be used in future playthroughs.
What is the maximum number of survivors in a community?
The maximum number of survivors in your community is 12. However, it becomes much harder to recruit new members after your community exceeds 9 survivors.
What are some of the best base locations?
Some of the top base locations include Pterodactyl Ptark and Farmland Compound in Trumbull Valley, Barricaded Strip Mall and Mike’s Concrete in Drucker County, and the Lumber Mill in Providence Ridge. Each offers a unique set of advantages.
Which is the best map in State of Decay 2?
Meagher Valley is considered by many to be the best map due to its densely packed buildings, making scavenging for resources easier compared to maps like Drucker County.
How many endings does State of Decay 2 have?
There are four main endings in State of Decay 2, one for each of the leader types (Sheriff, Warlord, Trader, and Builder). Each ending gives a different boon you can use in later games.
When should I move my base?
It’s ideal to move after recruiting a few survivors and being able to secure a bigger base with more facilities. A bigger base gives you better perks and more spots for building.
Is the Heartland DLC worth it?
Yes, the Heartland DLC is worth it for players looking to add more hours of gameplay and additional storylines, including a brand new map with uniquely customizable base slots.
Should I continue or disband my community?
Continuing keeps your items but resets the map and does not unlock boons. Disbanding unlocks boons and lets you move survivors to the legacy pool for future use.
Do vehicles disappear in State of Decay 2?
No, vehicles do not disappear permanently. The last vehicle you used is marked on the map.
What is the main goal of State of Decay 2?
The main goal is to build and manage a community, secure resources, and survive against hordes of zombies, while strategically dealing with the blood plague and eventually completing the final missions for your chosen leader.
How many bases can you have?
You can only have one main base, but you can claim a series of outposts to boost resource income.
Can you skip nighttime in State of Decay 2?
No, you cannot skip the nighttime. You must manage the threats that are present in the night to progress.
What are some of the best starting traits for survivors?
Some of the best traits include Volunteer Coordinator, Officer Material, Red Talon Operative, Indefatigable, Diehard Veteran, Unbreakable, Immortal, and Can Sleep Anywhere.
What are the key strategies for a new player?
Key strategies for new players include avoiding enclaves, carefully selecting outposts, learning the loot locations, knowing zombie types, stockpiling before fighting plague hearts, using instant kills and stealth, and taking care of your vehicles.