State of Decay 2: Mastering the Map Reset – A Survivor’s Guide

So, you’re staring down the barrel of zombie hordes in State of Decay 2, and you’re wondering what happens when you restart the map. Let’s cut right to the chase: restarting, or rather, moving to a new map, is like hitting the refresh button on your apocalypse experience. It wipes the slate clean on the world around you while allowing you to maintain your hard-earned progress. The game resets the map, repopulating it with loot and Plague Hearts, mimicking the conditions of starting a brand-new community. Crucially, your difficulty setting remains the same, and you get to bring your community, vehicles and all the supplies in your locker with you.

This mechanic offers a valuable way to reinvigorate your gameplay without completely sacrificing your progress. Now, let’s delve into the specifics.

Understanding the Map Reset Mechanic

In State of Decay 2, the world eventually becomes familiar. You’ve cleared out every building, know all the resource locations, and have likely eradicated most of the Plague Hearts. While this familiarity can be comforting, it can also lead to stagnation.

Moving to a new map allows you to explore fresh territory. It provides new challenges, opportunities, and revitalizes the core gameplay loop of scavenging, base-building, and community management. You will get to claim a new base when you move, at which point you’ll have access to all the resources and gear that you had in your previous base (including everything you spent to build and upgrade your facilities).

Here’s a breakdown of what happens when you move to a new map:

• Map Reset: The entire map is reset, with all locations repopulated with loot. This means new opportunities to find valuable resources, weapons, and vehicles.

• Plague Heart Revival: All Plague Hearts return to the map, presenting a renewed threat that you must overcome. This is particularly useful if you’ve already eradicated them all from your current location.

• Base Relocation: You’ll need to choose a new base from the available options on the new map. However, don’t worry; your existing facilities and improvements are retained and can be rebuilt at your new location, so long as you have the resources.

• Community Preservation: Your community members, their skills, and their levels remain intact. This allows you to continue developing your survivors without starting from scratch.

• Inventory Retention: All items stored in your community’s locker are transferred to the new base. You don’t lose any of your hard-earned resources.

• Vehicles Travel With You: All vehicles you have parked at your base will also travel with you to the new map.

Why Consider Moving to a New Map?

There are several compelling reasons to consider moving to a new map in State of Decay 2:

• Fresh Challenges: A new map introduces new challenges, forcing you to adapt your strategies and learn new environments.

• Resource Depletion: If you’ve exhausted the resources on your current map, moving provides access to new sources of supplies.

• Gameplay Variety: Experiencing different maps can prevent the game from becoming repetitive, keeping you engaged in the long term.

• Leader Legacy Completion: Completing your Leader’s Legacy questline gives you the option to move to a new map and choose a new leader, keeping your community fresh.

• Difficulty Adjustment: Although the difficulty setting remains, the change of scenery can make the game feel new and challenging, particularly if you choose a map with a reputation for being tough like Meagher Valley with its dense zombie population.

Choosing the Right Map

State of Decay 2 features several distinct maps, each with its unique characteristics:

• Meagher Valley: Considered by many to be the best map for newcomers. It offers a balanced mix of resources, combat scenarios, and base locations.

• Cascade Hills: A map with varied terrain and a good selection of bases.

• Drucker County: This map has wide-open spaces, making it ideal for driving and scavenging across large areas.

• Providence Ridge: A map offering a good variety of base locations and resource distribution.

• Trumbull Valley: This map is available with the Trumbull Valley Pack and is based on the original State of Decay setting.

The best map depends on your playstyle and preferences. Experiment with different maps to find one that suits you.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some frequently asked questions about map resets in State of Decay 2:

What happens to my outposts when I move maps?

Your outposts are abandoned when you move to a new map. You will need to establish new outposts in your new location.

Can I move back to a previous map?

Yes. Moving to a Map Exit point or completing your Leader’s Legacy allows you to choose from any of the available maps.

Do I keep my vehicles?

Yes. All vehicles parked at your base will be transferred to your new base location.

What happens to my community members’ relationships?

Community member relationships remain intact. Your established friendships and rivalries carry over to the new map.

Does the difficulty level change when I move maps?

No, your difficulty setting remains the same.

How many survivors can I bring with me?

The number of survivors you can bring depends on your community size. The game limits any community to no more than 12 survivors.

What happens if I disband my community instead of moving to a new map?

If you disband, all characters not sent to the Legacy Pool will be lost, along with all supplies in your locker.

What is the Legacy Pool?

The Legacy Pool is where you can store individual characters to be used in future communities. These survivors will not be included in your continued community.

What’s the difference between continuing and disbanding a community?

Continuing a community allows you to choose a new map, difficulty, and survivors for the next “Run” of the game while keeping your supply locker contents. Disbanding means losing all non-legacy characters and supplies.

What’s the hardest map in State of Decay 2?

Meagher Valley is considered one of the more challenging maps due to its densely packed zombie population.

What is the easiest map in State of Decay 2?

Meagher Valley is often recommended as the easiest map, especially for newcomers, due to its balanced environment.

How do I choose a leader for my community?

You can choose a leader by completing their personal questline. The leader you choose will determine the legacy boon you receive at the end of the game.

What are the different leader types, and what do they focus on?

The different leader types include:

• Builder: Focuses on long-term infrastructure and quality-of-life improvements.
• Trader: Focused on establishing connections and building a prosperous society through commerce.
• Sheriff: A leader who focuses on justice and safety, but can also bring about many conflicts.
• Warlord: A leader that focuses on weapons and eliminating threats, but is likely to stir up tension in the community.

What is the best trait in State of Decay 2?

Some of the best traits include:

• Volunteer Coordinator.
• Officer Material.
• Red Talon Operative.
• Indefatigable.

How often should I move maps?

There’s no hard and fast rule, but a good time to consider moving is when you’ve cleared most of the Plague Hearts, exhausted the local resources, and want a fresh challenge. It’s also worth considering when you want to complete a Leader’s Legacy.

Final Thoughts

Moving to a new map in State of Decay 2 is a fantastic way to keep the game fresh, overcome resource depletion, and experience new challenges. By understanding the mechanics and considering your own preferences, you can make the most of this feature and continue to thrive in the zombie apocalypse. So, gear up, load your vehicles, and prepare for a new adventure in a different corner of the undead world. It will be good to remember that games are excellent tools to support instruction, improve engagement, and reinforce learning. Consider reading more about the intersection of learning and gaming through organizations such as the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org.