Survivor

C H A R A C T E R T Y P E SURVIVOR

General Info A survivor (or human) is any character that is not a zombie. Survivors include civilians trapped in the city, military forces sent to enforce the evacuation, and scientists studying or supporting the effort. Survivors spend variable (75-150) Experience Points (abbreviated XP) to purchase skills, depending on which starting character class they chose. Survivors begin more mobile than zombies; expending only 1 action point (abbreviated AP) to move into an adjacent block compared to 2 AP per block moved for zombie characters. However, this difference is negated once a given zombie acquires the Lurching Gait skill (thereby taking only 1 AP to move). Survivors possess no effective natural weaponry and thus are reliant on man-made weapons to inflict damage. Some characters choose Melee Weapons (the most popular and effective currently being the Fire Axe) to avoid the necessity of searching for and reloading ammunition. Other survivors choose to primarily use Firearms. While firearms require additional preparation, they do more damage and have better accuracy than melee weapons for a survivor with all available combat skills. As a survivor, combat is not the only path to gaining experience and helping quell the zombie onslaught. Many survivors follow a non-combat path, electing to revive the undead or focus on First Aid. Given that reviving slain survivors is both difficult and costly, survivors generally defend themselves and their comrades through the construction of barricades. Higher level survivors often alternate performing all of the above functions. Some players refer to survivors as "humans", although the game itself does not. The kiZombie word for survivors is harmanz or bra!nz. It is important to note that survivors usually outnumber zombies as can be seen on stats page. There are several theories regarding the perceived Survivor-Zombie Imbalance. An important factor is that new players choose to play as survivors at a much higher rate than zombies; choosing to recreate the gun wielding glory of their favorite horror movie hero rather than the brain-munching gore brought on by the masses of zombie hordes. Survivor Tactics Over the years spent traversing Malton's suburbs, survivors have come up with tactics so as not to get eaten as often; other strategies often cover how experience can be gained in the most AP-effective manner. Survivor Experience Survivors gain experience in many ways, these include (but are not limited to); Healing - This is the most common form of EXP gained by newbies, as it is low risk, as long as they stay inside a Hospital and heal injured survivors, in return for barricades or protection. Combat - Many, after gaining their first few skills, turn to combat, as it kills zombies as well as giving experience. Tagging - This is an uncommon way of gaining experience, as you only gain 1/2XP for tagging certain buildings. Reviving - This is often a choice for those that are created in the science class, (which are most common, due to the usefulness of Diagnosis to starting out survivors) which is considered the most AP-efficient way of dealing with a zombie, creates more members for the survivor side, and helps those that can't stand being zombified become human again. Survivor Defence Survivors need to stay alive. If they don't, they will be killed and turn into Zombies. To protect themselves, and others around them they take many measures, following a now ubiquitous tactic summarised in the phrase "Cade, Kill, Dump, Heal."; Barricading; Barricades are the most effective defence for Survivors. If there are any barricades present at all, zombies cannot enter a building. Zombies without the skill Memories of Life cannot enter a building unless the doors are open, an action which can only be performed by another zombie with the skill. Weapons; Offence is the best defence. By killing the zombies in a given area, you're less likely to be eaten the next time you log in. Since the barricading update, killing standing zombies may be preferable to barricading, as it means another survivor will have more chance of barricading without the interference. Dump; If you dump a dead body outside of the building you are in, it will cost them at least 1 more AP to eat you, possibly saving your life. Heal; If you heal everyone in a building to full health (50-60 HP) then there will be less deaths. If you are at a lower health, you will be targeted, unless the killer is hunting down a particular character, but don't count on it. Groups Survivors will often create groups to co-ordinate their efforts. These tend to be small and focus on moderate objectives such as reclaiming key buildings, though they are much more n umerous than zombie groups.