Surviving and Winning at State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition

3.13.2020
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition puts you in charge of a community of survivors in the wake of the zombie apocalypse. Instead of playing a single character, you cycle through each of the unique personalities in your community, changing characters to meet the specific challenges you face. Your community can grow larger as you recruit additional survivors, or smaller if something goes wrong and you lose a teammate to the ravenous zombie hordes!
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After a brief tutorial that teaches the basics of the game (movement, combat, scavenging for loot, interacting with other characters), your community takes possession of a temporary base of operations. It’s not much more than four walls and some cots, but that’s enough to call it home. The next couple of hours ease you into the realities of post-apocalyptic survival through a series of missions that introduce the most common challenges your community will face, from gathering supplies to clearing out zombie infestations. 
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By the end of this mission sequence, you’ll have the opportunity to claim a larger, more elaborate base for your community. This represents your transition from early game into the mid-game experience, which is less directed and more open-world. You’ll also get the option to promote one of your survivors into a leadership role, such as Sheriff or Trader. This is an important decision that unlocks certain benefits for your community, such as unique facilities you can build at your base, as well as a specific endgame legacy story (described later). 
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Over the next several hours of play, you’ll face the ongoing challenge of keeping your community healthy, safe, and well-fed. At the same time, you’re tasked with clearing out the most dangerous zombies (those infected with deadly blood plague) from your town. Only by destroying every last plague heart in the area can you unlock the endgame legacy story that matches your leader selection. Completing this legacy “wins the game” by cementing your community’s lasting contribution to the world. It also unlocks a special boon that benefits your later communities, giving them a leg up on survival and letting you try new strategies! Want to know more about systems in State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition? Give yourself an edge and check out our Survival Guide series on YouTube.