tips for a beginner?

[Protag]

i just need some general advice that will get me to canada.


what perks/traits are good for custom characters? what stats should i generally look for?

[Snowpityluv]

I played alot with my friend on Xbox, so I'm not sure if this applies to the desktop version.
Signature weapon IMO, is really, really, good, you get a indestructible weapon that can't even be removed by events. Martial arts achieves much of the same, but stops them from using chainsaws and ranged weapons.

[HudsonHawkmoth]

Generally speaking, Civilized is (or was) considered a bit OP, as it gives good personality stats and I think mechanical/medical for a small, permanent morale penalty. Signature weapon has been buffed, so it's definitely a good idea when you're looking to start out with something good. The weapon changes depending on your primary trait chosen, too.

The trait that causes low personality/attitude scores (COOL IT) has perks when fully charged. There's a few merchants/random people you can charge your Cool It meter on with no major repercussions.

Avoid low loyalty characters, even if their starting stats are good. It's easy enough to raise anyone's stats if you're patient, so low loyalty chars are more of a liability unless you want a self-imposed challenge. They'll often nick your stuff when their morale is low, and the benefits they offer otherwise are meager enough to not justify their presence.

NEVER recruit the Governor-Emperor. He'll always run away with your food after a few days.

Fitness is, in my experience, much more important than strength. High strength, low fitness chars will generally speaking become winded faster than the inverse stat spread. Strength in this game does NOT impact weapon damage.

The best starting location is the rest stop. Decent amount of food and ammo, generally at least one good weapon, and I've even had uzi's spawn there right from the get go. Always go to the rest stop if it's your starter, and generally when it comes up on the road.

Get unbreakable weapons ASAP. Some decent ones anyone can wield include the nightstick, brass knuckles, the XTREME hockey stick (this one is too rare to be relied upon, sadly), hatchet (if you're weak). Drop breakable things like screwdrivers and ice picks as soon as something sturdier shows up.

Locations that come up in red are high risk, high reward. Generally speaking the zombies will be higher in density and more aggressive. Come prepared.

Avoid using firearms in swarm situations unless you're utterly surrounded. The noise (unless using silenced weapons) will make them come in hard and heavy. Swing your weapons until your characters are fatigued. The exception to this is the last siege before Canada, where I find it's best to hunker in an abandoned house and just cut loose. The door serves as a choke point and as long as your weapons and guns are good, you can handle it.

If you find the Museum event and it says the display is "Guns of Modern Warfare", do it. You're guaranteed a minigun if you make it. Museums also show up randomly (but *very* rarely) within random houses, and you'll usually find something good like a cavalry saber.

Some people like Car Nut, but generally speaking I find that all cars don't last too long unless you manage to modify a van through the on-the-road garage event to use less gas. THAT or an SUV can be a beast when set up, but it's too random to be reliable.

[Sans the Hedgehog]

if any event calls for a personality check, civilized is the way to go!

don't like bandits? get a paranoid (high wits, low attitude) or oblivious (low wits, high attitude) character on your side!

don't recruit g***, clown (if you can avoid it), or the governer-emperor. don't do it. on the contrary, the wiz, gigaguy, the anime girl (if you can manage to get rid of her before The Thing happens), samedi and l*nk are some pretty sick rare characters!

if you find a dog, recruit that dog!!! they don't need weapons (which is good for early game when all you have are brooms and wrenches), they're super fast in case you need to FLOOR IT the heck out of somewhere, and they only consume 1 food at the end of the day.

only use guns if you're fatigued and/or if you're being swarmed. any decent party can effectively take out big groups of zombos with patience and sheer determination!

phoenix is a pretty good perk for if you're having trouble generally surviving, if you can manage to unlock it. 2 shots at life, and if you're lucky, the explosion upon their first death can take out a big chunk of a horde (and maybe even save you, if you're trapped)!

BERSERK!!/big bruiser is a pretty funky perk/trait combo if you want to start out with a super swole character.

beware: if a location's name has flashing text, that means it's a rare location, and something rather unusual could happen if you went there!

ALWAYS go to the dark/haunted mansion if you've got a full party, a flashlight/tacticop lite or two, and think you're prepared. lots of Loot, always has a rare weapon hidden somewhere, and has a slappin' soundtrack to boot!