What Happens When Everyone Dies in State of Decay?
In the unforgiving world of State of Decay and its sequel, State of Decay 2, the stakes are incredibly high. The permadeath system means that every decision, every encounter, can lead to a character’s demise. But what happens when those hard-won survivors, the heart of your community, all fall? The answer is straightforward but painful: If all of your survivors die, the game is over. You’ll be met with a game over screen declaring “Community Lost,” indicating that your community has been wiped out. Your progress ends, and you’re returned to the main menu, forcing you to start anew or continue with a different community from your Legacy Pool. There’s no miraculous revival, no last-minute save—when everyone is dead, that particular story ends.
The Consequences of Total Loss
The impact of a total wipeout in State of Decay and State of Decay 2 goes beyond a simple game over screen. It means the loss of all progress you’ve made in that community: your meticulously upgraded base, your stockpiled resources, and your carefully recruited survivors are all gone. This highlights the brutal nature of the game and underscores the need for cautious, tactical gameplay. Every mission, every scavenging run, every confrontation must be approached with a careful risk assessment because the stakes are consistently dire.
The Importance of Community Management
Given the consequences of total community loss, effective community management is critical. Managing resources, ensuring the health and morale of your survivors, and cautiously exploring the world are paramount to survival. Overextending your survivors, ignoring threats, or neglecting base defenses can quickly lead to a downward spiral. Furthermore, ignoring the dangers of the plague infection, a key element in State of Decay 2, can rapidly decimate your ranks.
Learning From Failure
While a total loss in State of Decay can feel devastating, it is also a powerful learning experience. You can analyze your past decisions, identify mistakes, and apply these lessons to your future communities. This includes things such as improving your combat tactics, managing resources more effectively, or learning to recognize when a mission is too risky. Each failed community offers you a new perspective and potentially more successful run next time.
The Permadeath System
The permadeath mechanic is central to the State of Decay experience. Unlike games where you can reload a save after a character death, when a survivor dies here, they are gone permanently from that particular run. This makes every survivor unique and every life valuable. This forces you to develop attachments to your characters and to be extra careful with their safety. Every death has significant weight, making you rethink your approach to the game with each life lost. The risk of losing all your survivors to permadeath also makes the game much more intense.
The Impact of Legacy Characters
In State of Decay 2, the use of Legacy characters adds another layer of complexity to permadeath. These are survivors from previous playthroughs that you can bring into new communities, granting you potential starting advantages. However, if a Legacy character dies, they are gone forever, not just for that playthrough, but from the whole legacy system, emphasizing that no one is truly safe in the game’s world.
The Heartland DLC
The Heartland DLC for State of Decay 2 also follows the same rules. If all of your survivors die, the game ends, and you are sent back to the main menu. Just like the main game, there is no magic reset. Every community lost is permanent, and it is important to take all the steps to ensure everyone lives.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the consequences of death in the State of Decay universe:
Q1: Can a community be wiped out in State of Decay?
A: Yes. If all of the survivors in a community die, the game ends, and you’ll be taken back to the main menu. Your community is permanently lost.
Q2: What happens if you don’t clear infestations in State of Decay 2?
A: If you don’t clear infestations, their population will constantly increase, with more Screamers and zombies spawning. They become significantly more dangerous and eventually overrun your base.
Q3: How many survivors can you have in a State of Decay 2 community?
A: You can have a maximum of 12 survivors in your community. Recruiting becomes rarer after reaching 9 or more, so choosing who to keep is crucial.
Q4: Can you revive a character in State of Decay?
A: In the original State of Decay, there was a method to potentially “revive” a character by immediately exiting the game before it saved. However, this doesn’t apply to State of Decay 2, where deaths are permanent.
Q5: How does permadeath work in State of Decay?
A: When a survivor dies in State of Decay or State of Decay 2, they are gone forever from that current game. They cannot be revived or recovered.
Q6: Is there an end to State of Decay 2?
A: Yes. You can “win” the game by completing your leader’s chosen Legacy mission after destroying all plague hearts. However, the game will still allow you to continue to play even after completing the final story missions.
Q7: How do you recruit new survivors in State of Decay 2?
A: New survivors can be recruited by completing missions for enclaves and by rescuing survivors in distress. You can also occasionally find survivors during random map encounters.
Q8: What is the Legacy Pool in State of Decay 2?
A: The Legacy Pool is where you can place survivors from your current community. They are saved, and you can start a new game with them. These characters will still die permanently if they die in the next playthrough.
Q9: What happens if a legacy survivor dies in State of Decay 2?
A: Once a Legacy character survivor dies in a future playthrough, they are gone forever and can no longer be used in the Legacy system.
Q10: What happens when you send a survivor to the Legacy Pool in State of Decay 2?
A: Before starting a new community, you can send survivors to the Legacy Pool. Those survivors will not be included in your next playthrough but are available for future ones. You also keep your supply locker.
Q11: What are the best bases in State of Decay 2?
A: Some of the best base locations include Pterodactyl Ptark and Farmland Compound in Trumbull Valley, and Barricaded Strip Mall in Drucker County. There are also others in each of the different maps.
Q12: Can you lose in State of Decay 2?
A: Yes, you can lose in State of Decay 2. When all your community members die, the game ends.
Q13: What are some of the best traits in State of Decay 2?
A: Some of the best traits are Volunteer Coordinator, Officer Material, Red Talon Operative, Indefatigable, Unbreakable and Immortal. Morale, stamina, and the other buffs make these extremely valuable.
Q14: Is State of Decay a horror game?
A: Yes. State of Decay is a third-person survival horror video game series, known for its intense permadeath system. The danger of losing your characters is one of the reasons why it is categorized as such.
Q15: Does State of Decay 2 have DLC?
A: Yes. State of Decay 2 has DLC, like the Daybreak Pack, which introduces a new game mode that puts the player in the shoes of a mercenary fighting off waves of zombies.
In conclusion, in State of Decay, the death of your entire community is a definitive end. It reinforces the importance of planning, careful execution, and an acute awareness of the dangers around you. The permadeath system emphasizes the value of every life, ensuring that each playthrough is a unique and intense survival experience.