Walker

A **Walker** is a common enemy type in The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners. They are also prominently featured as a force of nature in AMC's The Walking Dead and the original comic series by Robert Kirkman.

## Behavior

Walkers will shamble alone or in groups throughout each area of New Orleans. Once the player falls within their cone of vision or makes a loud enough noise, a musical sting will sound off, and the Walker will become aggressive toward the player, following them around. Once within range, they will attack the player.

Another form of Walker featured in Saints and Sinners is the Elite Walker. These Walkers are exactly the same as the previously-mentioned Walkers, except they wear helmets which partially protect their heads. there's also lightly faster ones, blind ones that have a pretty long reaction time to agro, and slower ones.

A third form of Walker featured in Saints and Sinners is the Plague Walker. These Walkers can be distinguished from normal Walkers by the appearance of a green, slime-like substance around their mouths. Their behavior patterns are no different than any other Walker, but if the player kills them from close range, they will inflict immediate Sickness damage against the player.

The fourth and final form of Walker featured in Saints and Sinners is the Gutbag Walker. These Walkers can be distinguished from normal Walkers by significant damage to their torso, specifically around the stomach. Their behavior is identical to all other Walkers. After the player has killed a Gutbag Walker, they can use an edged weapon to slash the Gutbag Walker's torso open, which will drop the Walker's Bowels. The player can rub this item on their body to temporarily deactivate Walker aggression. This effect is lost when the player sprints.

## Strategy

All Walkers can be manipulated and killed by similar means, though the same strategy used against a Walker may not be particularly effective against a Helmet Walker or Plague Walker, and vice-versa.

**Aggro the Walker:**

Any type of Walker can be aggro'd by the player making sufficient noise, either in-game or over their HMD microphone (if the option is active), or simply by the player falling into their cone of vision. The Walker will begin walking toward the player with intent to attack. The player can aggro a large number of Walkers and kite them through an enemy position to soften their defense for a later full-frontal attack. This tactic is especially effective at The Tower headquarters at Memorial Lane[*citation needed*], as the Tower members there are clustered closely together.

**Lose the Walker:**

Once aggro'd, Walkers move almost as quickly as the player while walking at normal speed. Walkers can be out-run by sprinting, and if the player puts a wall or other large object between them and the Walker, the Walker will lose contact, lose aggro, and begin to wander again. Similarly, if the player retreats into a very dark room and turns off their flashlight, the Walker will lose visual contact, lose aggro, and continue along elsewhere. Additionally, the player can kill a Bile Walker, use its bowels as camouflage, and avoid aggro from the beginning.

**Kill the Walker:**

This is the only point of strategy where the types of Walkers begin to differ. While all Walkers can be killed by decapitation and braining, this strategy is not necessarily effective or desirable for Helmet Walkers and Plague Walkers. Helmet Walkers, as the name suggests, wear helmets. These helmets have a weak point in them - typically a large open section near the face. To brain Helmet Walkers, the player has to carefully aim their weapon into that opening for a kill - even with firearms. Plague Walkers, on the other hand, do not have this attack resistance - however, when killed in close quarters, they will impart instant and significant [[Sickness] damage to the player. As such, these are best killed at range with firearms. Even long-reaching melee weapons, such as Absolution and the [[Grass Cutter], do not have the reach to safely dispatch Plague Walkers without incurring instant Sickness damage.