Guides:Zoe Gorefest's Guide for The Career PKer

Guide: Zoe Gorefest's Guide for the Career PKer

Introduction

So, you've finally done it. You've decided to sink into the foul, unforgivable recesses of the realm of PKing. For some, PKing is simply done to pass the time, or to make a general nuisance of themselves. It can be done by a single person, or in an organized group of people with a likeminded goal of harassing their own kind. A large majority of PKers are motivated by two main reasons:

(A) You still get 1/2 the regular rate of XP for attacking your fellow zombie/survivalist.

(B) It pisses people off.

Some turn to PKing as a means of entertainment, when they've assembled all of their desired skills as both a human and a zombie, and have hit the glass ceiling: they now have no use to collect XP, no new skills to acquire, and they now have nothing better to do. For others, PKing is a manner in which to deliver retribution against other PKers, such as Bounty Hunter clans. Since there's no permanent life or unlife, Bounty Hunting is still PKing, however, it's more of a sanctioned action within the populace of Malton, since they're "avenging the victims" in the public's eye. It's more or less the Urban Dead player's way of "an eye for an eye". Then there's the usual PKing that stems from rival groups clashing with one another over territory issues, or just plain bad blood.

PKing can be classified into two categories: "PKing" and "ZKing". "PKing" is a general term, but most use it to describe a survivor killing another survivor. "ZKing", as you can guess, describes a zombie mauling another zombie to death. Although they're pretty much the same thing, as all characters, alive or undead, are operated by players, people feel the need to separate the two acts as different types of violence. The only thing that changes between the two, is that if you're a zombie, and another zombie mauls you to death, you don't log back in and stand up as a human.

The tactics I've assembled below have been put together from my own experience, and they work quite well if utilized effectively. It's important for you to know that I am not telling you to go on a PK rampage. These tactics work well for killing, period: whether you're gunning down innocent bystanders, killing members of a rival group, or hunting other PKers as a Bounty Hunter.

Keep in mind that I will not be devoting much of this guide to ZKing. As ZKing is currently a pointless act (other than to waste APs and vent frustration if you're a dedicated survivalist character), there isn't much to cover. If you're a zombie and you're chewing on another undead husk, the worst you're going to do is inconvenience him/her 1 to 10 AP to stand back up. This lack of real penalty to the victims of ZKing is the primary reason it's been such a popular source for XP for low-level zombies trying to build skills. However, with the recent addition of the Feeding Drag skill, the ability to yank wounded survivors out of buildings allows higher level zombies to nurture their weaker brethren with easy kills for XP. This basically means that more ZKing is done these days out of spite, by fallen survivalists, and since a majority of career zombies already have Ankle Grab, you're only hindering them 1 AP. It's the factors of the AP cost to kill as a zombie, and Ankle Grab that make ZKing a futile effort to slow the efforts of an experienced zombie horde.

Now, let's take a look at what we'll be working with, as a survivor PKer.

Equipment

The Axe: A simple weapon. Hits at a rate of 40% accuracy when fully skilled, doing 3 damage per successful hit. This makes the fire axe the only melee weapon you should even bother with, as the kitchen knife, lead pipe, baseball bat, and the crowbar all pale in comparison of performance. However, even then it should be used only as a last-resort killing tool. Only pull this out if you're completely out of ammunition. The reason being is that it's difficult to rip into a victim with full HP, kill them, and still have the APs left to escape.

Handgun: The pistol is a common weapon, scavenged from Police Departments and malls. When fully loaded with a pistol clip, it contains six rounds of ammunition, for 5 points of damage per successful shot. When fully trained, you have a 65% chance of success for sinking a bullet into your intended target. The pistol is without a doubt, the most cost-effective weapon in regards to being easy to scavenge, having the most ammo capacity, and still doing more damage than that rusty axe you've been carrying around.

Shotgun: A personal favorite, the shotgun is a real crowd-pleaser. When its twin chambers are fully loaded, and you're fully trained on it, you have 65% accuracy and deal a whopping 10 points of damage per shotgun blast that meets your victim. You can pick'em up at Police Departments, malls, and on occasion, Arms (bars). There are two downfalls to this weapon: the lack of ammo capacity and the AP needed to keep one well-fed with shotgun shells. However, the upside is the heavy damage inflicted, as it deals double the damage a handgun round would inflict.

There are other weapons at a survivalist PKer's disposal, however, due to their various downfalls, these three killing instruments are the only ones you should bother with. Unless you've made some sort of bet, and after several beers you and a buddy get into wager about who can kill the most people with a kitchen knife, there's not any real reason to stray outside the trio I've listed unless it's simple personal preference. Maybe you just like lead pipes and flare guns.

However, do keep a crowbar around. Even if you're never going to use it as a weapon. It has its uses.

Strategy

Sure, any moron can run into a crowded mall, shout something in Spanish, and shoot someone. But there's a certain finesse and tactical planning that must go into effect if you want to stay on your A-Game when it comes to killing your own kind. You have to have to not only plan your infiltration and execution, but your escape plan as well. Sticking around buildings after you've gunned down someone will only advertise for the surrounding witnesses to butcher you in retaliation.

Scout your killing fields closely. Take into account the number of survivors inside a building, whether or not it's powered by a generator, if it's got a radio, and whether or not it's a high-priority target to zombies. All of these a important factors.

A building with only one survivor is an easy spot to murder someone. There are no other witnesses, and once you've done the deed, you can toss their carcass outside so they can't rise from the grave and maul you.

If you're in a crowded area, like a resource building, it's a double-edged sword. There's plenty of people to choose as a victim, but there's also several witnesses. If you're going to pick a spot like this, make sure you have at least 10 APs to spend to escape. Without them, you'll be a sitting duck, and you can be sure to wake up, undead, next to your victim outside the building. Malls are a popular spot for random PKers, as there's constantly people in them and you can lie in wait, like a serpent in the grass, stocking up ammo until the time to kill is just right. However, I personally avoid killing in malls, as people tend to stay in them for prolonged periods of time, and your reputation as a PKer will often precede you. If you kill in a mall, you'll want to avoid returning to it for an indefinite period of time. The reason being is that people who saw you PK will often remember you, and try to kill you as a preemptive strike. And hell, let's face it: if you're a repeat offender, malls are a bad idea since they're usually housing a Bounty Hunter or two.

A building with a functioning radio means that as soon as somebody logs in and sees your handiwork via "(your name) killed Bob Bobson.", they're going to broadcast it. If you need to, and have the APs to spare (as in, it won't interfere with you fleeing the scene), consider breaking the radio first. This is the first of two reasons I keep a crowbar handy. The lack of access to a radio means they're not going to be able to advertise your murderous antics immediately. Radio Killing is useful when you're PKing due to conflict with a rival group, for these same reasons, as it can cause a slight delay in the victim's friends being able to broadcast your presence in the vicinity.