Things you should know about Mutant Year Zero

Mutant Year Zero is one of the last notable games coming out in 2018. I got into the game’s early launch to write a few things about it and here is what I found useful to know:

What is Mutant Year Zero?

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a tactical RPG set in a post apocalyptic world. The story follows a group of mutants on a mission to protect the Ark, humanity’s last bastion, from outside threats. The gameplay is a unique blend of real time exploration, XCOM inspired turn based combat and stealth that work seamlessly together.

Choose the difficulty wisely

Mutant Year Zero is a game in which the enemy’s power is determined by their level. By progressing further into the story you will meet stronger variations for enemy types that you faced before. With levels, the enemies gain health to the point where they become damage sponges. This artificial way of enhancing the challenge makes it quite troublesome to progress on the harder difficulty levels. So choose your starting difficulty wisely as on Hard and Very Hard your mutant’s abilities and regeneration are severely affected.

Explore the maps thoroughly

The maps serve as small sandbox platforms in a slightly linear world progression. Each map was handcrafted and doesn’t feature any procedurally generated elements. The players will inevitably pass through most of them following the game’s story and it’s important to get the most out of each map.
As the resources in the game are limited, it’s highly indicated to explore the maps to their fullest. Each of them contains a good amount of scrap and weapon parts which are the game’s main resources, but this is not all. Artifacts and gear can also be found which can be used to strengthen the mutants for the tasks ahead. Just be wary of the enemy’s level and don’t rush into anything as you can always come back later to finish exploring.

The flashlight highlights interactable objects

The lush environment of the devastated maps makes it difficult sometimes to spot useful items. This is where the mutant’s flashlight comes into play. The interactable objects that are illuminated by the flashlight are highlighted, making it easy to spot them.

Stealth

Stealth is a crucial gameplay mechanic that makes all the difference in this game. While exploring a map in real time, you can press left click to turn off your flashlight and enter stealth mode. In stealth your group of mutants will move at a slower speed reducing the enemy’s view range in the process. This will allow you to pass undetected through tougher areas or set up an ambush for patrolling enemies.
Note that while sneaking around, only the mutant you control can be spotted by enemies no matter the position of your other two group members.

Equip silent guns on your secondary weapon slot

The versatility of the stealth mechanic is undeniable. In order to make the best of it, it’s advised to equip silent guns on each mutant in your group. This way you can stalk lonely enemies and take them out without alerting their nearby friends.

Open up with an ambush

No matter if you go quietly or guns blazing, the best way to start a fight is through an ambush. Ambushing your enemies means you’ll be the first to shoot, giving you a mathematical edge. So no matter the situation, make sure to enter the ambush mode when picking up a fight.

You can fast travel from anywhere

As long as you are not in combat, you can fast travel to any discovered location by accessing the map (M by default) and choosing the next location you want to visit. This is particularly helpful when trapped in a bad situation.

Progression

Being a tactical RPG, Mutant Year Zero does have a progression system. The progression is split in three important components: gear, mutations and artifact skills.
• As per usual the players can change the gear of each character with better items. The guns can be enhanced using weapon parts to increase their base stats and through attachments.
• The character’s progression is based on leveling as a group. The levels are gained fairly quickly, rewarding a skill point for every mutant with each new level up. These points can be spent on a mutations tree or to increase the base combat stats. While each mutant has access to eight mutations, they can only use three at a time.
• Last but not least are the artifact skills. The artifact skills can be leveled up on the Ark at Pripp’s place (the bar) and the bonuses unlocked apply to the group as a whole. In order to gain these skill points you need to find artifacts while exploring the world.
Each part of the progression system is important and cannot be ignored if you want to succeed in your mission to protect the Ark.

Get the Deal Maker artifact skill early

There is no way to grind levels or resources in this game. The resources are limited and if you are wasteful, there’s always the danger of running out of spending scrap. I will suggest investing the first artifact you find in the Deal Maker skill which gives 20% off at the Ark’s shop.

Adjust your loadout for the situation

I mentioned above that despite having access to eight skills, a mutant can only use three at a time, one of each type. However limiting this may sound, it isn’t all that bad. You can change the skills configuration at any time as long as you are not in combat. Scout your enemies and prepare for them by combining the skills with the optimal gear for the situation.

Iridia’s shop list updates every 10 levels

Iridia is ARK’s vendor. She trades in scrap and sells everything from consumables (grenades, medkits) to armors, guns and attachments. Her shopping list is going to be disappointing at first. But do not worry! Iridia’s shop list is updated with new items every ten levels. You will be notified in the game when this happens. So make sure you pay her a visit the next time when you are in the Ark.

Ending note

At the moment I wrote this guide I haven’t finished the game. I will make sure to come back and update or add new information based on my findings as I progress further into the game. In the meantime, I hope the information in this guide will serve you well.

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[JK]

Is there really any viable alternative to sneaking and ambushing? One thing I liked about XCOM was the various play styles you could apply. Here, it seem, you won't get anyware without sneaking and picking most of your enemies of before engaging with the "main" fight .

[Strange Matter sticks Together]

hura, I wasn't aware of this one
thank you very much Nodrim!

[Nodrim]

They are working on this:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1649010/Miasma_Chronicles/

[Strange Matter sticks Together]

The only thing I would like to know about "Mutant Year Zero" is if and when the developers release a second part? Or another tactical game by the same developers.
XCOM 2, Wasteland 3, Hard West non game comes even close to the brilliant combat of "Mutant Year Zero". And I miss Selma shouting "You D*ckwipe!". AWESOME

[GrUnTs]

You can also use skills like corpse eater while keeping stealth, which is really nice when you want to save up on the medikits. i.e: Grab an isolated butcher, stealth kill him, try to be on ambush range from another enemy but also near the corpse, enter ambush and use the corpse eater skill, exit combat

[Nano Black]

Stealth is a key element in this game and I couldn't agree more. I hardly ever use any other weapon apart from my silent weapons. Combined with Short Circuit and Hog Rush, you can control enemies for a couple of turns. Tactical and relaxing game to play :)

[skywalkerfx]

I gave up using silent weapons early in the game. As weapon upgrades are expensive, the payback of maybe ambushing one weak enemy before a fight hardly seemed worth the investment to upgrade the weak silent guns. I found positioning my crew before a battle was much more important than looking for stray characters to silently pop.
The author feels differently which is fine - just giving you a different viewpoint.

[jworf999]

I can't get the skulls that activate skills to appear after killing someone
please help

[Perfice]

NOTE: You can change the difficulty at any time.

Just had to do that because I was getting creamed on HARD.

[Max Critical]

Oh, but you can kill almost anyone with silent weapons, discovered pretty neat strategy. With 2 of the other characters start a fight with the silent weapons, if you can`t kill him fast enough. Ram him with the pig and his skill, almost every enemy falls down stunned. After the turn ends, it is your turn, you can do whatever you want with the enemy. I done it - overkill using point blank fire and double shot again from the pig. Later on, you can lvl up the silent weapons to max and max out the Criticals (Max Critical).