Getting Started

Welcome to the battlefield, soldier! **Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare** is a game of strategy and cunning, but don't expect to last too long unless you know the basics! Follow this guide, and you'll be sure to rack up the kills in no time!

## Basic Mechanics

Garden Warfare is a third person shooter, and keeps with the trappings of such a game. Keep an eye on the battlefield; forgetting your place, role, and goal will quickly get you killed, so make sure you know what you're doing before launching into a fight where you might be overwhelmed.

## Playstyle and Classes

Certain classes have unique playstyles that demand a different approach than others. These classes are listed below.

### Assault

The Assault Class encompasses the Peashooter and the Foot Soldier, and are used primarily for frontal assault. The assault unit is the typical middle of the ground unit, requiring no special strategy or plan to use effectively. Just keep in mind you have significantly reduced health compared to the tank, and no increase to agility or healing bonuses to compensate.

### Melee

The Melee Class encompassed the Chomper and the Scientist. These classes fundamentally operate in close range, but you have a bevy of abilities available that other classes do not. For the Chomper, you can upgrade your close ranged attack to deal massive crippling damage and prevent respawning, while as a Scientist, you can heal your allies and teleport a short range. You need to be careful with the melee class due to your reduced health.

### Speciality

Though the Plants have the formidable Sunflower medic in this class, the Zombies have the Engineer, both very capable anti-assault units specializing in projecting power across the map. Be wary of your surroundings, as you are the easiest to take out, but be aware that your support, or lack thereof, can make or break a team in mere moments.

### Heavies

The heavies are units that have mass damage, but are either slow moving or require support to function. This includes the Plants' Cactus and the Zombies' All-Star, who both have incredibly damaging weapons but require support to survive and thrive.

## Plantables/Consumables

Garden Warfare is a unique game in that, in addition to the four base characters on each team, players can use plantable and consumables Plants/Zombies obtained in the Sticker Shop. These characters are completely controlled by the AI, but can change the flow of battle in seconds. Learn the ins and outs of each unit, and apply when you see fit!

## Health and Knockouts

Each character has a set amount of health as defined in their character cards and at the bottom left part of the screen. When damaged is sustained, health will drop, and when moved into cover, the character will slowly regenerate up to a maximum of 50% max health. 100% health can be achieved through the use of the Sunflower ability set, the Heal Flower, or the Scientist. Headshots score extra damage and killing an enemy by headshot alone will net more PvZ coins. After "killing" (knocking out) an enemy, a countdown will appear on the enemy's screen, giving them time to respawn, select a new character, or even revive the old character.

## Weapon Basics

In Garden Warfare, all weapons have infinite ammo, but each weapon has to be reloaded after a set amount of time (with the sole exception of the All-Star). Each character has a primary weapon and a set of three special abilities, which are earned and refined as levels are gained through the use of challenge stars. Primary weapons can have three attachments, which are instantly applied when unlocked through Sticker Shop packs.

## Leveling

Garden Warfare is unique in that it does not have an EXP function, focusing instead on PvZ Coins, which can be used in the Sticker Shop to unlock characters, variations, weapon attachments, and other customizations. After a certain amount of challenge stars, defined at the beginning of each game, a character may progress by a level. Each map has a set max of three challenge stars at a time, with new challenges opening with each gained level.

## Rank

Your overall rank is tied to your performance across all eight characters and four classes, so make sure to play diversely and intently!