Surviving the zombie apocalypse in How to Survive 2 requires more than just quick reflexes. Understanding the game’s mechanics, especially the experience (XP) system, is crucial. This guide provides a detailed walkthrough of key aspects, including leveling up, camp management, character customization, and resource utilization, to help you thrive in this harsh world. This is your “How To Survive 2 Guide”.
XP System: Leveling Up and Camp Development
In How to Survive 2, XP is earned by eliminating zombies and completing quests. Unlike many RPGs, XP is used for three critical areas:
- Player Level: Increasing your character’s level unlocks new skills and improves attributes.
- Player Skills: Enhance your combat prowess, crafting abilities, and survival skills.
- Camp Level: Upgrading your camp unlocks higher-level areas, new crafting options, and attracts more survivors.
The player’s level is capped by the current camp level. To progress, you must invest XP into upgrading your camp.
Camp Upgrades and Zombie Hordes:
Upgrading your camp requires completing a challenging quest: defending against a massive zombie attack. Constructing the “Pylon” is essential to trigger and withstand these attacks. The difficulty of these attacks increases with each camp level.
Camp Level and Monster Levels:
The camp level directly influences the level of zombies encountered on the camp map. A level 20 camp means facing level 20 zombies. Be cautious when upgrading, as higher-level enemies can pose a significant threat. At level 10, Night-crawlers start appearing which can be annoying near quest givers.
XP Requirements:
Here’s a breakdown of the XP needed for various levels:
- Level 10 Camp + Level 10 Character + All Available Skills: 900,000 XP
- Level 20 Camp + Level 20 Character + All Available Skills: 6,000,000 XP
- Level 25 Camp + Level 25 Character + All Available Skills: 11,000,000 XP
- Level 30 Camp + Level 30 Character + All Available Skills: 20,300,000 XP
- Level 35 Camp + Level 35 Character + All Available Skills: 30,300,000 XP
- Level 40 Camp + Level 40 Character + All Available Skills: 51,000,000 XP
- Level 45 Camp + Level 45 Character + All Available Skills: 70,500,000 XP (Based on the Beta Branch)
Character Customization
Customize your character by accessing the inventory screen above the helmet slot.
The visual appearance (Optic) of your character has no effect on their abilities. It’s purely cosmetic.
Inventory Management and Storage
Managing your inventory effectively is crucial for survival.
- Player Inventory: Has a weight limit. Exceeding this limit reduces movement speed and stamina regeneration. Overburdening prevents sprinting and climbing, potentially leading to being trapped, especially in areas like the sewers. Invest in better backpacks and skills to increase carry capacity.
- Kovac’s Bunker Crate: This crate is linked to your character and accessible from any camp. It’s the only place to store your Flashlight, Bird, and the unique Armor found within.
- Trunks at Camp: Build as many as you need (no known maximum). Guests can deposit items, while members can both deposit and withdraw. Be extremely careful, as deleting a trunk permanently deletes all contained items.
Mobile Storage Solution:
Consider using alternative character profiles as “mobile crates” for resource transport. This allows you to easily access supplies for building and upgrading camps without constantly gathering materials.
Inventory Sorting Tip:
The order in which you add items to your inventory or a trunk remains consistent until you remove the last item from a stack. Use this to strategically organize your inventory.
Food and Drinks
While starvation and dehydration won’t kill you directly, they weaken your abilities. Maintain your food and hydration levels to stay at peak performance.
- Prioritize “Berry Juice” and “Grilled Fish with Peas” for sustained sustenance.
- Early game, drink any water you find (empty bottles can be reused for Berry Juice).
- Complete the Turkey Quest at the radio (level 5) for 20 Large Cooked Eggs (50% food and melee buff).
- Save Blackberries, Cans of Fish, and Cans of Peas for the Kitchen.
Medicine and Buff Potions
Medicine isn’t perfectly balanced; while higher-tier items heal more, they are heavier and take longer to use. Medicinal herbs often offer the best balance.
Buff potions are rare but provide significant advantages in specific situations:
- Brown potions are effective against Crocodiles.
- Cyan potions are useful during Madison’s second quest.
- Green potions reduce reload time.
- Orange and Yellow potions aid in running quests or map completion.
Kovac’s Bunker: Fast Travel System
The entrance to Kovac’s Bunker is located near your starting point. It serves as a fast travel system within your camp map, becoming usable after discovering two different entrances.
Item Categories
Items are categorized into five types:
- Tools: Used for lock-picking or crafting recipes (not consumed).
- Parts: Needed for upgrading buildings or crafting usable items.
- Melt-able Metal Items: Can be melted into bars, then refined into sheets, tubes, and pellets.
- Resources: Wood, plants, animal hide, textiles.
- The Rest: Miscellaneous items like fan letters or white paint (potential future uses in recipes).
Some items may belong to multiple categories (e.g., copper rivets can be melted but are also used in crafting).
Virtually all items can be found in the game, except for the Flashlight and Armor located in Kovac’s Crate. Losing these items can create significant problems.
Conclusion
Mastering the XP system, managing resources, and understanding item categories are essential for survival in How to Survive 2. Use this guide as a resource to navigate the challenges of the zombie apocalypse and build a thriving community. Good luck, survivor!
