Fungus - Mega Brutal Guide (Guaranteed Win) - CURRENTLY OUTDATED!

I very much would have liked to have created a guide for Fungus that both guaranteed a win (or 90% chance with random events being what they are) but this is not possible with Fungus. I however can provide a guide that guarantees a win nearly 100% of the time if you follow it exactly and understand the trick to it which I will explain in detail. Remember that fungus is probably the most difficult of the viruses and adjusting the guide to fit random events which prevent any mega-brutal guaranteed win on first try will improve your chances.

I will look into a Perfect Score guide in the future but with Fungus even 90% chance doesn't seem likely as you have to play it very aggressively and this allows random chance to determine a win or not. Will do my best to improve your chances in this case anyhow.

Once again this guide is for those who are looking to WIN but know they will not receive a perfect score (4 out of 5 at best).

Fungus - Introduction

Fungus - Mega Brutal

First I would like to point out unlike my previous guides we are not attempting to reach a perfect score but are instead using this guide to GUARANTEE NEARLY 100% of the time a win Fungus on Mega Brutal but this requires that you follow the guide to the letter, a vague understanding of the organism, and later in the guide reading and understanding how we are able to achieve a win 100% of the time.

Fungus takes time to travel so it's our job to help it move, spread, and get DNA as quickly as possible before the cure wipes it out. Bombings and other events were tested and did not prevent a win. Timing is also important so it's important that you be patient at times and let the cure grow to uncomfortable levels at times. This also means there will be portions where we have to wait around for DNA or our Gene, Transmission, Symptoms, and/or Abilities do their job.

Shall we begin?

Fungus - Genetic Code

I've managed wins but none guaranteed a win but this guide 100% of the time and a gene here or there may be new to you so I'll do my best to explain my reasoning and how they lend a helping hand in winning each and every time I ran through it.

• ATP Boost
  
  • Always a nice and helpful gene but with Fungus is invaluable as we need unlock it's potential as quickly as possible and no other gene did the job faster with the early boost of DNA.
• Genetic Mimic
  
  • One of our main goals from the start is to make Fungus damn near impossible to cure anytime soon because time is what we need if we want a guaranteed win with this gene helping slow it's progress.
• Suppression
  
  • Fungus just doesn't seem to like the Island Countries no matter how well adapted it is made for it so the usual Aerocyte and Aquacyte were ditched for this gene as we will run into borders closed down where hopping the fence is vital to our success and this Gene helps us do just that.
• Urbophile
  
  • With borders being more a problem than Islands with Fungus we want to hit Scandinavian countries hard.
• Patho-Stasis
  
  • Every option matters with Fungus but with our goal of holding back the cures progress and the more important spreading of Spores (which is how we win this) which is why this gene is a must have if you're looking for a guaranteed win.

Fungus - Choose Starting Country

I don't know if I've stumbled across the perfect Country to let loose hell on humanity, fallen for this Country, or stuck to familiarity but I do know that I had more success with Fungus in Saudi Arabia then I have in India, China, UK, South Africa, and the US (sorry didn't have time to try each and every Country and plenty that are slow with the best of them already) thus leading me back to good SA!

Fungus - Transmission :: Phase One

Transmission is gonna be kept simple to save on DNA but not ignored as we'll need it doing it's job when we are finishing up Abilities :: Phase One

• Water 1
  
• Bird 1
  
  • I mentioned before borders being troublesome in some cases more so than Islands with Fungus and Bird droppings seem to give the helping hand we need.
• Water 2
  
  • While Island Countries (all of em) seem to deflect the Fungus organism for whatever reason there is still a chance you'll snatch em up with a boat and this makes this guide that much easier but we can't rely on chance (as I said water/Island specific Genes, Transmission, Symptoms, and Abilities quite often led to none of them being infected so our focus will not be on this.) however it's a cheap and useful transmission for spreading our Fungus while Air filters are quite often implemented as a random event early on.

Fungus - Abilities :: Phase One

Alright we say Phase One but this one is done in parts where we stay with Abilities but have to focus on a main build, spreading spores, popping bubbles, spreading a bit more, popping, and finishing up! It's not something you'll want to evolve as soon as the DNA is ready nor do you want to overdo it at the risk of losing DNA so pay attention!

• Cold Resistance 1
  
• Cold Resistance 2
  
• Drug Resistance 1
  
  • Quite often the UK be running the Olympics and if they do hold it before you evolve this Ability they're likely to walk away healthy and any land grab is a win with Fungus.
• Heat Resistance 1
  
• Drug Resistance 2

OK STOP!

Let's grab 6 DNA before we continue, once we have 6 DNA let's set game speed to 2 if you're on 3 (or 1 if you want to be sure not to lose DNA and aren't a quick clicker)

Let's spread some spores!

• Spore Burst 1
  
• Spore Burst 2
  
• Spore Burst 3
  
• Spore Burst 4
  
• Spore Burst 5
  
• Spore Burst 6
  
  • Alright this is going to randomly select Countries (hopefully Islands) and infect them. As soon as you close the window be ready and make sure to click each and everyone ideally in the order you see them first pop up so they don't shrink before you're done.

Ok now that we set off all those Spore Bursts let's grab more DNA whilst infecting more Countries. I've separated the order here to avoid losing DNA as there are many who will thank me later and it 'seems' to infect more when you do it like described or just my imagination.

• Spore Eruption 1
  
  • Like 1-6 Spore Burst, Spore Eruption will let lose a number of spores infecting many Countries that had we saved up 8 DNA and did them all at once many would have lost DNA also my theory that this style actually infects more Countries helps influence this choice. Be sure to pop each bubble and again don't miss any.

Alright we can now finish up Phase One of abilities by kicking this cure down before it's even gotten up.

• Genetic Hardening 1
  
• Genetic Hardening 2
  
  • This will slow down the cure's progress and it should still be low, let's keep it that way so we can stay focused on winning this.

Fungus - Symptoms :: Phase One

We're gonna need to make good use of what DNA we've got left and what's coming in while as these organism needs start doing damage, spreading, but again dumbing down those working on the cure. We're going to be saving those additional Spore Bursts & Eruption for the guarantee win in case things go poorly as they so often do with Fungus.



The cure has progressed a bit and they're helping it along by working with other Countries. Be sure to pop the blue bubbles!



(Note: Fungus with mutation gene, transmission, and symptoms is chancy as it rarely was worth the Gene type as well as DNA running it's own random course or mutating as fast without any of them but if any of the the below have mutated on their own which is common without the above mentioned, yay!)

• Rash
  
• Sweating
  
• Skin Lesions
  
• Necrosis
  
  • Our Fungus is now fatal and that means DNA as well as less work later which is important!
• Insomnia
  
• Paranoia
  
• Seizures
  
  • Step 2 to smacking down these feeble scientists!
• Cysts
  
• Hyper Sensitivity
  
• Paralysis
  
• Coma
  
  • Almost done messing with the cure and making sure it doesn't pose a problem as we make sure we can wait out the right circumstances for a guaranteed win!
• Coughing
  
• Pneumonia
  
  • May be tough to take Islands with Fungus but Pneumonia might just grab Greenland but at the very least help with it later as well as other Cold Countries and we'll want the plague to spread faster than people dying after we finish up Symptoms.

Fungus - Transmission :: Phase Two

With the cure slowed we need our Fungus to spread faster, break through closed borders, and out pace upcoming Symptoms and their lethality.

• Bird 2
  
  • Birds don't see lines claiming this land his or hers! Which is good for us :D
• Rodent 1
  
  • Drug Resistance helped but let's give our Fungus a bit more help in these urban areas especially if we need to break through closed borders which again are almost/if not worse than Islands with Fungus.

Fungus - Abilities :: Phase Two

If you're lucky the World Map should show 5-6 Countries left to infect.



If not (rarely works out so nicely) then the gene, transmission, symptoms, and abilities to slow the progress of the cure, breaking borders, and saving up spores for the right moment paid off!

We need to let the Fungus spread by bird with help from the Suppression gene to whittle down the list of uninfected Countries. Saving is still a little off (I don't save anymore as it crashed a game that was going well when I first started on Brutal and before the guides and did again during Bacteria not long ago) but if you don't mind the risk, this would be the time to save.

We're waiting for 9 or Less Countries listed in World Map (9 is very very risky preferably 7 which is still risky or less). Time to spread our spores again and infect the rest of the planet!

• Spore Burst 7
  
• Spore Burst 8
  
• Spore Burst 9
  
• Spore Burst 10
  
• Spore Burst 11
  
• Spore Burst 12

Again pop all bubbles hopefully infecting plenty of Countries but if not all like the image below we still have Eruption to finish the job.



Still have secure Countries... Can't have that!

• Spore Eruption 2

Pop the final bubbles and hopefully like the image below we have infected all Countries and can finish the job and win this!



If a Country managed to avoid infection you have options. If bordering a Country with Infected you can wait and hope it infects them but if it hasn't already... may be time to load that save if you made one or start over from the beginning and be a bit more patient as recommended so we have fewer countries to infect. This will work on 6 Countries 100% of the time.

Fungus - Symptoms :: Phase Two

Time we end their suffering as death is taking it's time with the survivors (unless of course it mutated the right symptoms in which case we've got us a gentle soul... Fungus Empathy!)



(Note: Make sure your newly infected Countries have 100+ infected and that number is quickly rising. If slow, let it pick up speed before doing the following otherwise you may kill em off faster than the infection can spread to all)

• Total Organ Failure
  
  • You can evolve other abilities and speed it up but I usually focus on shuffling for a 4 out of 5 score at the least.

Fungus - Abilities :: Phase Three

We should be good to kick back and let our final Symptoms do it's job without worry but I am still stubborn and hate to see a score of 3 out of 5. Also if things lasted longer than expected the cure progress may have reached an uncomfortable number. So let's get this done!

• Genetic Reshuffle 1
  
• Genetic Reshuffle 2
  
• Genetic Reshuffle 3
  
  • As if the sucker punch, curb stomp, and laughter at scientists wasn't enough here Genetic Reshuffle brings down the cures progress more so which should give you a bit of satisfaction with a score of 4 out of 5 (3 if you had some bad luck).

Fungus - Conclusion

All of humanity should already be choking on our Fungus (damn athlete's foot).



And so we made it! Congratulations :)

This guide took me longer than most as I finally decided users were more interested in a guaranteed win than a perfect score that would take I don't know how many attempts to get. If you did everything listed in this guide and understood my timing with spores you're seeing the screen below!



You can mark Fungus off your Mega Brutal to-do list! And 4 out of 5 ain't bad (again sorry if you got 3 heh)!



Well I hope those that requested help with Fungus finally have exactly what they need and honestly I can't see how you can lose with this guide unless user error or updates to the game have changed something for the worse hehe.

For those that don't follow my Weekly Contagion & Other Indies Stream & Giveaway I did one for Plague Inc: Evolved if you'd like to check it out!

Sorry but it does not let us embed a time-stamp. Plague Inc: Evolved portion starts at 5mins 10seconds.

If you have any questions I'll do my best to answer them as quickly as possible. Also check out my other guides - http://steamcommunity.com/app/246620/discussions/0/43099721963116155/

Update: Here is a Video Guide I put together today (Nov 2nd, 2014) for those struggling. Hope it helps - http://www.twitch.tv/tatsur0/c/5421189

You got this guys! Will get on the other requests ASAP!

[Ayama]

First try. Thank you. Finally got that pesky one off the list

[Layla Spellwind]

2 attempts. Failed twice, Cannot recommend this guide, do not waste your time.

[antiquail]

i burst 1–6 and erupted before getting cold resistance and other things

567 days, 61% cure, 4 bios

[Lucki]

Got it 3rd try with switching to Catalytic switch!

[Bob]

24 attempts with no success

[sonoftheduck]

I skipped bird 2 and rodent 1, ended up making it, but it was uncomfortably close

[Echo Five]

Worked on the 3rd or 4th try, if you're struggling with DNA points I recommend using the Catalytic Switch gene because there is going to be a lot of cure bubbles. (cure progress was like 87% for me when I won)

[MultiGamerThew]

Thanks it worked on first try.

[Digital Panopticon]

As said in the title the guide is Outdated. Luckily I found a working guide on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/plagueinc/comments/10mtc4r/fungus_mega_brutal_guide_v2/

[ΞΩ|PROVIDENCE|ΩΞ]

OK never mind, this guide really is outdated... I have all the right genes and I followed this guide to a tee and I still lost...