User:Kalir/guide

Welcome, traveler, to the city of Malton. Strange things are happening here...

Introduction

This guide is designed not for survivors or for zombies, but for people who realize the truth about Malton: there is a cycle of immortality present. People die, reanimate as undead, become revivified, and live again. As such, you have the potential to be two people at once. You can, at the same time, be a master of self-sufficiency, and a powerful unliving machine. This is a guide to introduce how one might best go about this task.

Starting in Malton

There are a multitude of classes available to you in the beginning. Later on, your starting class will make no difference as you easily transition from one state to the other. Early on, however, it makes a big difference. Here's a ranking of all of the classes available, from best to worst. These rankings are heavily influenced by the capability to earn XP, which is very important for making a dual character.

1. Firefighter: The main thing putting the firefighter over the lab assistant in the rankings is the fact that they can gain up to 62 XP from a single zombie (70 if they have body building), whereas the lab assistant needs another zombie each time they use their DNA extractor. However, the AP-for-XP rate is lower than that of the Necrotech, so you need to consider the amount of zombies in a given area.
2. Necrotech Lab Assistant: The most notable thing about the Necrotech lab assistant is their ability to gain 4 XP by expending only 1 AP near a zombie. As long as you have zombies, you have experience. This makes them invaluable in highly-populated areas. However, their science focus becomes a hassle later on when filling out the military skill tree.
3. Police officer: Although not as efficient a choice for a solely survivor character, police officers make a good choice for dual characters as they start out with a flak jacket, which is important for any zombie to have. They have the same skill as a private, but only one ammo pack, but can buy science skills for less, which may be useful.
4. Private: The private starts out with a powerful weapon, ammunition for it, and the know-how to operate it successfully. Gaining XP with them is fairly easy, hampered only by their need for ammo. Seeing as pistol clips are hidden in police departments, which are usually heavily barricaded and big targets for zombies, this can outweigh the benefits.
5. Scout: Although scouts do not possess any safe means of gaining XP to begin with, they do start out with the Free Running skill, which is exceedingly useful in a time when survivor players set up barricades anywhere possible. It is recommended that you either find first aid kits and heal people, or a melee weapon (preferably a knife) and try a hit-and-run tactic with zombies.
6. Doctor: Doctors possess the Diagnosis skill, which comes in handy when playing as a healer, as you don't have to guess who needs to be healed. They also start out with two first aid kits, but getting to more will become a priority (and a problem if you're stuck with no enterable hospitals in the area).
7. Corpse: The only starting zombie class in the game is a fairly tough one for dual characters, as it is not only tough to find survivors to fight, but you also have to consider the fact that very few survivors will randomly revive you unless they lack no other means of dispatching you, making the dual character idea difficult. Still, the bonus to your two powerful attacks is greatly appreciated.
8. Medic: Medics are the only characters who start out with a cross-class skill, and therefore take much less time to fill out their skill tree. However, playing as a medic is fairly difficult. You have a pistol, but no skill with it and precious little ammo. Your best bet is to scrounge up first aid kits, find a high concentration of survivors and start healing them.
9. Consumer: The consumer is only lower than the medic because medics start with a cross-class skill. As long as the consumer in question can find a mall, the ability to find exactly what you need is not to be underestimated. Although it's generally a bad idea to use one for longer than necessary, your starting weapon does do more damage than your fists, and when necessary, you can attempt to use this to gain XP instead of trying healing.

Skills

The dual character is notable for having skills on both the survivor tree and the zombie tree. The important part is deciding which skills are useful for a dual character to have.

Survivor Skills

The survivor skill tree is divided into four sections: military, science, miscellaneous, and zombie hunter. Military skills cost 150 XP to a science character, but only 75 XP to a military character, and the reverse is true for science skills. Miscellaneous skills (and any skill a civilian character purchases) costs 100 XP. Zombie hunter skills cost 100 XP, but require a level 10 character (that is, a character with ten skills). This section deals with each skill, and how useful it is to a dual character.

Military

• Basic Firearms Training: Firearms aren't exactly the most effective of weapons for dual characters, but such a significant bonus should not be left unignored. Consider the amount of AP you spend searching for ammo before purchasing this skill. Privates and police officers start with this skill.
  • Pistol Training: As long as you can get access to ammo, this skill is an excellent choice, making the pistol an efficient weapon and method of gaining XP.
    • Advanced Pistol Training: The extra 10% here doesn't entirely justify the XP spent, but if you're gaining enough XP as is, feel free to purchase it.
  • Shotgun Training: Although shotguns are powerhouse weapons, the difficulty in locating both ammo and weaponry for this skill is not to be ignored. Obtain this skill if you find pistols ineffective for gaining XP.
    • Advanced Shotgun Training: Even more wasteful than Advanced Pistol Training.
• Hand-to-hand Combat: As you don't need to waste AP finding ammo for melee weapons, this skill comes in handy and significantly increases your XP intake if you favor melee weapons.
  • Knife Combat: The two advanced skills in the melee tree are more up to personal luck and preference: if you have a knife and use it, go with this skill.
  • Axe Proficiency: From what I understand, axes are harder to come across than knives, but are more effective all around. If you find an axe, get this skill. Firefighters start with this skill.
• Free Running: As more and more survivors are starting to barricade even unoccupied buildings to confuse zombies, it is nearly a requirement to get this skill in order to play as a survivor at all. Get this as soon as XP acquisition is a steady business. Scouts start with this skill.

Scientific

• NecroTech Employment: Unless you already have a steady method of gaining XP, I suggest that you consider this skill (especially doctors) as it can be a good source of XP once you find a NecroTech office and obtain a DNA extractor. NecroTech lab assistants start with this skill.
  • Lab Experience: This skill grants the use of the powerful revivification syringe, which can be useful if you're playing with a group of friends and wish to bring them back to life on occasion. This may also make random revives easier, as survivors are likely to trust someone who can, in turn, revive them. However, other skills that expedite the XP gaining process are more important.
    • NecroNet Access: Sadly useless for dual characters. Even if you were playing with dual character friends, they most likely would not have the Brain Rot skill and would not need this service.
• First Aid: Although a bad choice for XP gain, I recommend this skill nonetheless, as few would like to be revived only to stagger around with 30 HP looking for a hospital. Medics start with this skill.
  • Surgery: Not recommended, as it only cuts back one first aid kit, and even then only if you're in a building where first aid kits are located.
• Diagnosis: A great skill early on, for either side. Survivors may use it to see who in a building needs healing, and zombies can see who is weak and pick them off first. Doctors start with this skill.

Miscellaneous

• Shopping: A decent skill after a means of obtaining XP has been secured, as it ensures that you can always find the item you need in a mall. Consumers start with this skill.
  • Bargain Hunting: A good choice, provided the conditions for getting Shopping have been found, or if you happen to be an unlucky Consumer.
• Body Building: As this skill carries over to both survivors and zombies, it is highly recommended.
• Tagging: Tagging is a poor method of XP gain, so this is reserved for when you have obtained all serious XP skills.
• Construction: As vital as this skill may seem, it's not strictly necessary, as there are all too many other people willing to barricade nearby. Plus, should a PKer arrive, not having barricaded, XP is that much closer.
• Radio Operation: I have never found much use for this skill, myself, unless you coordinate with a group, and they are unlikely to want a dual character in their ranks.

Zombie Hunter

• Headshot: As this skill does not increase XP gained or even provide gameplay benefits to anyone (not even yourself) I advise you to avoid it in favor of other skills.

Zombie Skills

Zombie skills all cost 100 XP, and don't have such clear-cut divisions as survivor skills. The following section, like the above, deals with each skill and its usefulness to a dual character.

• Scent Fear: This skill is more toned down than Diagnosis, but on the other hand, it tends to lead to some other useful abilities later on. Save this skill for later.
  • Scent Blood: Identical to Diagnosis.
  • Scent Trail: If you're constantly irritated by breaking into a barricaded building only to find it empty, this skill may come in handy. However, most people take care to finish off each zombie they come in contact with, so that must be taken into consideration.
  • Scent Death: Ideally, this skill helps you locate hordes of zombies to hide in and to fight with. In practice, it generally shows the location of the nearest revive point. Seeing as many people scorn the idea of random revives, this may come in handy if you find yourself stuck in a state of permanent death.
• Digestion: Again, most people tend to finish off zombies they come into contact with, so this skill becomes much less desirable in this case.
  • Infectious Bite: This skill doesn't benefit you in any way, unless you are one of those who prefers to bring cruelty to others by reducing them to 1 hit point and infected, so that they can do nothing but wait to die.
• Vigour Mortis: Practically required to play as a zombie at all. Corpses start with this skill.
  • Neck Lurch: Should you start by focusing on your bite attack, this one skill serves as a more effective means of XP gathering than two skills for claw attacks. A good opening choice if XP is slow.
  • Death Grip: If you find yourself constantly frustrated at your low accuracy with attacks, Death Grip may be a good choice, especially if Rend Flesh follows thereafter.
  • Rend Flesh: While this makes base claw attacks nearly as potent as Neck Lurches, it is recommended that you get this skill after or with Death Grip. The two skills together make for potent damage-dealers.
  • Tangling Grasp: This should be the second-to-last of the combat skills you obtain as a zombie. This opens up for the classic zombie attack of "pull in and bite" which offers the greatest XP gain available to zombies.
  • Feeding Drag: Not really a skill meant for you so much as to help new zombies get some food. If you're altruistic, feel free to get this, but gaining XP may be more in order.
• Memories of Life: As nearly all humans are indoors and barricaded in, this skill becomes a necessity for lone zombies. If you can find a horde to run with, consider skipping this skill initially.
  • Death Rattle: Mostly a flavor skill. Skip it until XP becomes steady.
  • Feeding Groan: Like Feeding Drag, this is meant to draw other zombies to your location to assist. If you find yourself booted out of freshly opened buildings, consider getting this skill.
  • Ransack: If traveling with a horde, this skill makes it much harder for survivors to keep themselves protected. On your own, however, it becomes rather useless.
  • Flailing Gesture: Once your horde has destroyed one building, this skill may keep them focused on a new target, as opposed to aimlessly dispersing. Otherwise, avoid it.
• Lurching Gait: AP is a precious resource for zombies. Zombies often on the move should definitely consider this skill.
  • Ankle Grab: If your area has any concentration of survivors whatsoever, get this skill. This also benefits zombies who have been revivified.
• Brain Rot: Antithesis to the idea of a dual character. Avoid at all costs.