User:Linkthewindow/Newbies Guide(draft)

Note to any prospective editors: Please don't edit this yet! I'm just writing this as a draft of what I may submit to the page on guides. If you have any suggestions, please use the discussion page.

Newbies have a tough time in Malton. Everyone knows that, and having just left the "newbie" phase to enter the "seasoned player" phase, I thought I might leave my thoughts on basic survival strategy in Malton, advice on what to do if you are dying, and most importantly, how to achieve a reasonably high level. Urban Dead is not a difficult game if you have a basic education in how to survive.

This guide will be structured first as a walkthrough of levels 1-4, then as some more general information on what you should carry, where the action is (in-game, that is) and how to not get on every zombies, Pkers and groups hit list (ie: a guide to surviving player politics.) A guide to safehouses will be in here somewhere as well.

Finally, in the words of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: Don't Panic! Also remember that death is never permanent. Someone can shoot you, chop you up with an axe, and even digest you, and you will still be fine (once you get a revive.) So without further ado, lets get started.

Your First Day

Your Starting Location

Before you do anything else, check where you have started out. This depends on your choice of class (for example, Doctors start in a hospital.) If the barricades are at very strongly barricaded (referred to as VSB from here on) and the building is populated, its worth remembering. Sleeping in a tactical resource point is stupid for anyone with Free Running-they are a target of zombie break-ins and people only do it if they want to defend the buildings (ie: dam tactics.) At your level though, you don't have much choice. All safehouses are barricaded extremely heavily (EHB,) so you won't be able to enter without Free Running.

If the building is barricaded EHB, you might want to spend your first day searching for items you will need later on (obviously starting class dependent) and sleep in the safe(er) building. If you want XP however, venturing outside is something you will have to do.

Getting your first XP's

Once you have checked your starting building's barricade levels, you'll want to start getting some XP. XP is the way you get skills, and getting skills is how you advance in the game. For most characters, getting XP needs using disposable items (FAKs, ammo,) so you will spend a large amount of time searching (boring, I know.) If you started as a firefighter however, you have a fire axe. A fire axe doesn't need ammo, so you can happily kill zombies without searching every few days. Below are the best ways to get XP (when starting) for all classes.

Military:

Private: Find ammo in police departments. Chances are you will find a few extra pistols as well. Keep them and go out and kill zombies. Unless the suburb you are in is under attack, killing zombies out in the street isn't a problem-it's the only way to get XP. If the suburb is under attack, try getting the local zeds out of survivor buildings.

Medic: A bad starting class, so don't choose it. If you did however, the only real way to get XP is by getting first aid kits from hospitals and then randomly healing survivors. If you are lucky, then you will find someone injured (start healing from the bottom of the stack, as those people are more likely to be injured.)

Scout: Not a brilliant starting class. Best way to gain XP is by healing, so follow the tactics listed above for medics.

Scientist:

NecroTech Lab Assistant: Use your DNA Extractor to extract DNA from ferals. You will get 4XP per DNA extracted, and you won't need to use any disposable items. You will also help out more experienced survivors with NecroNet Access so they can track zombie movements. Try to go to a moderate (yellow) suburb-there will be lots of zombies (and a bit of danger too.)

Doctor: You can detect if survivors have an injury (their HP is listed next to their name.) This means that healing is very easy-ether stay at a hospital and heal those who come, or visit the local VSB buildings (this becomes easier with Free Running.) XP gain is slow in green and moderate in yellow suburbs, but there are lots of injured in orange suburbs and at besieged malls-however their is a lot of danger (and you probably won't be able to enter them anyway.) However, be sure to search for FAK's at local hospitals.

Civilian:

Policeman: Pretty much the same as the Private, search for ammo, and kill local zeds.

Firefighter: Use your fire axe to kill the local zeds. The strategy here is the same as that of the Private, but you won't need to search for ammo.

Consumer: A bad starting class. Use the same tactic as the Medic, heal random people and find some FAK's.

Ending your first day

Simply, make sure you are in a VSB building-they may be hard to find, but thats because the survivor community overbarricades them (shame...) Remember, once you log out, you continue to exist in the game world, so don't end your day on the street. Also try to end your turn in a populated building, as they provide a "safety in numbers" against the zombies. Sure, it's cold, but so is a zombie apocalypse.

Your First Few Levels (1-4)

What skills to get?

In one word, the first skill you should get (with a few exceptions dependent on class) is Free Running. Free Running allows you to get into those elusive EHB safehouses, by running into them from an adjacent (usually VSB) building. However, if you started as a Medic, Scout or Civilian, you may be better off getting diagnosis, as that will make healing a LOT easier.

After Free Running, it's pretty dependent on starting class. Here are some suggestions for each class:

Military:

Private:

Pistol Training: Pistols are a lot more common then shotguns, so go the pistols route first.

Advanced Pistol Training: A logical follow-on from the above. A 65% hit rate makes ammo wastage a lot less.

Medic:

Diagnosis: Makes AP-wastage from healing non-injured survivors nil. However, the 150AP asking price is a lot.

Shopping then Bargain Hunting: Makes finding those FAK's a lot easier. Be sure to get free running first though.

Scout: Same as medic. Note that you won't have to bother about getting Free Running (a big plus.)

Scientist:

NecroTech Lab Assistant:

Lab Experience: Allows you to revive survivors. Not a brilliant source of XP, but it will get you in the locals good books. Be sure not to combat revive however.

Diagnosis: Opens up a second XP-gaining option by allowing you to heal as well.

Doctor:

Shopping: Because the find rate for FAK's in malls makes hospitals look silly by comparason.

Bargain Hunting: A logical follow-up from the above. Makes the FAK find rate 50%

Civilian:

Policeman: Same as Private.

Firefighter:

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Makes killing zeds a lot easier, and makes it statistically possible to kill one zed a day.

Diagnosis: Opens up another XP-gaining path in healing. Useful in a big siege and when there are few zeds around.

Consumer:

Diagnosis: Makes AP-wastage from healing uninjured people nil.

Bargain Hunting: Ups the find rate to 50% in malls.