Sire's Incomplete Guide

**Last Updated:** 9/10/2020

Welcome to Sire’s Guide for On No It’s Zombies Arctic: Updated. This is mostly a side project to help new players and may be updated on the rare occasion.

Also, the names of some things are likely not accurate to their in-game descriptions, but their effects are the same.

## Human Players (Marines)

### Roles & Builds

Roles are essentially what Marines do during a match. Roles and Builds have some overlap, but different builds can be used for different roles. Builds are what exactly the Marine has, such as their weapon, suit, experimental, and so on.

Also, sometimes roles (words be here)...

**Sector Security** - The “jack of all trades” role, Sector Security is mainly about defending your designated sector (usually your starting one) by any means necessary. On occasion other sectors may ask for help and you can lend your assistance, but otherwise you are focused on just holding your sector. // Should your sector fall, repeat the process in a different one (and remember at the end to defend the hanger and board the ship lest you be left behind!)

   Despite having a lot of freedom, one other major task Sector Security should do is reclaiming lost rooms with Psi Disrupters. This is important as it adds a buffer between the Marines and the Zombie horde, and anything that slows down the zombies is good for the Marines. It also stops zombie spawns in that room.

**Sensors** - Sensors are an important role, but can also be considered a “side-role” at the same time. The Marine is tasked with placing Motion Sensors around the map so the Humans are always aware of the Zombie movements. After the sensors have been placed, the Marine is free to transition to another role, but remember to keep sensors up as they fall.

   Also, at endgame, you can try to use the Motion Sensors to build a “wall” of sorts around Hanger Control to help defend it. Getting the T2 MS upgrade is great for the scans as well as you can scan behind closed doors, scan a hatched Alpha cocoon to see what Alpha is now on the field, and so on.

   For some specific location ideas…

1. Power Vespene Geyser (right in the end of the corridor)
2. Outer Fuel Room (in the middle, next to the fence)
3. Lab Refinery (top left corner)
4. Security (next to the northern door)
5. Manufacturing Vespene Geyser (on the top right corner)

**Fortify Engineer** - A variant on Sector Security, but fully outfitted towards fortifying an area with various deployables and supporting their team. These Engineers are also tasked with building Acceleration Drones for their sector as well as being on “Divert Duty” to speed up the fueling process.  It is a pure “Turtle” build and is the only build that encourages AFK Mining throughout the match. *The Marine itself is often neglected, only getting the default Stimpack and/or the Combat Suit to move around their sector faster as well as mine more. Only outfit the Marine if everything else is done and you are flying high with Vespene Gas.*

   One major difference of Engineers and Sector Security is usage of Psi Disrupters. While Security uses them to reclaim rooms, Engineers place Disrupters next to the hangers and other important areas to further augment their defenses. Getting the Psi Depressor (Slow) is extremely important, especially once hangers open up. It doesn’t matter if Security is infested, the Slow upgrade will still work and be useful.

   While Psi Disrupters are placed in the rear next to hangers, Turrets are placed a bit further up next to hotspots or other chokepoints to help hold back the zombie hordes. If there are available Healing Drones to be placed, do so next to your Turret Nests. // While a full pack of 6 Turrets is great for holding off a horde, two packs of 3 work just fine in handling wandering Zombies if they are not focused on your sector. A good strategy is to start off with two 3 nests, and then transition into the 6 full once the outer defenses fall.

   Also, Engineers are expected to be placing Mining Charges (Nukes) to help out their team in the defense. Nukes are highly effective against Zombie Hordes and Alphas, so keep an eye on them to blow them up at the right time! Encourage your teammates to buy Nukes if they have the gas for it as they are extremely useful in endgame against the hordes.

   Essentially, Fortify Engineers plan for the endgame sequence and the last stand. If they can build up the base of operations, when all the Marines are present and the Zombie Horde is upon you, all of the Engineer’s work can truly begin to shine. When the other layer of defense falls, build another one on the inside or in the hanger itself.

   *One thing to note, if Power is taken, the Fortify Engineer is weakened considerably*, especially if the power lines are cut for the Zombie Ultimate (constant energy drain for mechanical). However, Engineers can still fight back by using the Recharge Drone to energize their failing machines, as well as manually recharging them.

   *In addition, the Fortify Engineer’s playstyle is extremely weak to being rushed and being denied gas.* If the zombie begins to push your sector early and disrupt your mining operation, it can be extremely difficult to regain momentum as the Fortify Engineer can’t do anything by itself.

**Active Contain** - Active Contain does everything in their power to constantly, *constantly*, be slowing down the main Zombie horde. This role can be considered advanced as it will require the Marine to be running around the map a lot and will mainly be building their Marine as a powerhouse instead of heavily relying on deployables.

   The Teleport Experimental is extremely useful as it allows players to get from one end of the map to another at the cost of energy. Also, the Healing Drone is useful to have to slow a zombie’s advance by healing closed doors or healing the garrisoned security units.

   Of course, you can run any build desired for Active Contain, be it DPS or Tank. Teleport is not essential, but it can be problematic if the zombie is on the opposite side of the map where your Marine is.

**Cloaked Hunter** - This role mainly relies on sniping Alphas and other high priority targets with the power of ADV Cloak. You go in, activate Cloak, get to target, activate Weapon Overload, burst down the target, and get out. This build is effective when the Zombie is using Alpha zombies a lot, but it can also be used to destroy Extractors to deny the zombie passive income.

   Specifically, you will want the Combat Suit (or the Environmental Suit if the zombie has Virulent Creep), Weapon Overloader, Advanced Cloak, and a weapon of choice.

***-- DMG Rifle***, as an all rounder, is also effective when used in this role. Activating Weapon Overloader and going to town and burst down Alphas fairly quickly, while also providing insurance against the lesser zombies that may be roaming about. // However, you will need to be near the target in order to deal damage, making the timing of Cloak all the more important.

***-- Plasma*** is the dedicated Anti-Alpha weapon and can burst Alphas easily and from at range, making it a potentially safer option. Any of the Plasma upgrades can work, so choose one that best fits your playstyle.

***-- Beam Shotgun*** is the glass cannon build and can shred through anything, but it requires the Marine to basically be in point blank range to operate. *Do not use Shotgun if there are explosive zombies on the field, as they may explode next to you as you are blasting away at the target.*

   ***-- Long Rocket*** is an alternative way to go hunting, but it requires the Marine to exclusively use Long Rockets for their massive damage potential. It will be harder to hunt moving targets, but ones that stand still (Extractors or Eggs) can easily be blown to bits.

   Now, as a Cloaked Hunter, you will want to be wary of Parasitic Hosts and Sunken Colonies, as they can detect you even while invisible. If you pulled off the gambit once, a good zombie will immediately try to get a Host to counter you, so try to stop that from happening if possible. If a Host does hatch, try to coordinate with your team to take it down with Nukes (its only counter).

   Also, if the Zombie has Virulent Creep, it does make hunting a little less effective as the Combat Suit is not at full capacity or you are running Environmental instead. It is easy to die when attempting to snipe a target in enemy territory, and the longer it takes to burst it down, the more dangerous it is for the Marine.

**Roamer** - The Roamer can be considered a merging of Active Contain and Cloaked Hunter, but with more of a focus on support in enemy territory. This is also the primary “rescue” role, so the Roamer will attempt to break out any Marines who happen to get cocooned.

   If the zombie gets Virulent Creep, Roamers should get the Environmental Suit to counter it. As Roamers will spend most of their time in enemy territory (on creep), it is important to not be slowed down and surrounded while roaming.

   One of the best weapons to get as a Roamer is the Auto Rifle (The rifle that allows you to shoot and move at the same time). The reason for this is that the Auto Rifle will still allow you to defend yourself as you rescue cocooned Marines, and allows for kiting of zombies. // Getting a Weapon Overloader will help with a DPS increase as you can still move and shoot while under its effects, although slowly. Stimpack is better for running around the map.

   Getting the Healing Droid is a must (or at least the Healing Shield Equipment) as you will no doubt take some scratches from zombies as one roams. Getting the Droid is also useful in healing rescued allies.

   If the Roamer enjoys taking risks, they can try to reclaim major infested rooms (Power, Fuel, Contain, Security, Gate). This will likely earn the ire of the Zombie or at least some Drop Pods, so make sure one has an escape plan.

**Marine Role Build**

- 2 Sector Security

- 1 Fortify Engineer

- 1 Active Contain

- 1 Cloaked Hunter

- 1 Roamer

### Weapons

**Rifle:** The Rifle is the basic “all-rounder” weapon. It is useful against anything the zombie throws at you, even against Alphas. However, since it is the generic rifle, there are better weapons more suited for specific encounters.

   **Auto-Rifle:** One of the coolest upgrades in the game, the Auto Rifle allows the Marine to ***move and shoot*** at the same time, as well as getting a minor range increase. It is best for kiting zombies in large open areas as well as venturing into enemy territory.

   It pairs well with either the Stimpack or Weapon Overloader, with the Stim being more used for the movement speed while the Overloader is great for attempting to gun down incoming hordes while still moving around (slowly).

**Titanium Bullets:** A straight DPS increase for the Rifle as it increases the damage output. This is the upgrade you want if you want to hunt down Alphas with ADV Cloak or burst some Zombie structures, as well as just doing more damage overall.

   One of the best combos of this upgrade is the Weapon Overloader as it will allow the Marine to one-shot SPD Zombies. While great when dealing with smaller numbers of them, a specialized weapon (Flamer or even Shotgun) will be better when dealing with an actual horde.

   **Bayonet:** The Bayonet is a surprisingly great upgrade. It can essentially negate a zombie attack and damage them back every (~.5) seconds, which is useful for roaming or not getting caught off guard (especially by Hunterlings).

   Having a Bayonet will allow the Marine to even tank the Aberration to some extent when used with a standard Healing Droid. However, the Bayonet will suffer against ranged opponents, such as the DPS Strain (who have a ranged poke attack).

**Flamethrower:** The premier close combat weapon, the Flamethrower is effective against hordes of zombies. It can also be built for tanking which can be considered essential in higher-level play. However, the Flamer is not as effective when dealing with Alphas, at least with killing them. Flamers got teammates for that.

   As an aside, Stimpack works well with the Flamethrower. While Flamer damage is split between the main attack and the DoT (Damage over Time) effect, increasing the ATK SPD helps apply more stacks as well as the rush of damage to the enemy. Remember, a dead zombie is one that cannot eat you.

   **Cyro Upgrade:** The to-go upgrade for tanking as it slows down enemy attack speed. This upgrade pairs best with the Shield Suit (extra armor) as well as the Experimental Healing Droid which provides healing and additional damage reduction.

   Now, while you will be built for tanking and take hits, do not believe you are invulnerable. It is still easy to be surrounded and die if not paying constant attention, so be careful!

   **Range Upgrade:** Love roasted zombie? Why not roast them more with the Range upgrade, as it will allow you to get out more zombies in a horde at once and even at a safer distance!

   One can say the Range Upgrade is more of the “DPS” option for large hordes of various strains (not HP), and may be the “go-to” option when not making a Tanky Flamethrower.

   **Napalm Upgrade:** This allows for more stacks of the DoT effect on the enemy. I believe it is more useful when dealing with HP strains as a Flamer, as well as the few times you want to incinerate a structure as a Flamer.

   Personally, I would rather get the other upgrades as a Flamer, but if you went Flamer and find yourself fighting lots of HP Zombies, getting the Napalm may help a bit with dealing with them (aside from just changing weapons entirely.)

**Plasma:** The long-range weapon for the Marine and also known as the Alpha Sniper. Plasmas are normally brought out when dealing with lots of Alphas, or may alternatively be fielded if there are a lot of HP zombies on the field.

   Just remember the Plasma is essentially a Sniper Rifle and ***is not effective against hordes of zombies***. Only break it out if you know your team can handle the horde or there are no Alpha counters.

   Lastly, the Weapon Overloader is probably the best choice for Plasma due to the passive DMG Increase as well as the ability to shoot faster.

   **Sniper Scope:** Grants extra range while standing still, allowing the Plasma to snipe enemies from a distance even easier. This upgrade is useful when dealing with a zombie player that loves using offensive structures, as well as just dealing with Alphas in general.

   Just keep in mind the extra range resets if you move, so pick your position carefully!

   **Slow Plasma:** Just like it says, this upgrade will slow the enemies movement briefly when fired upon, and even has the AoE slow. It is a great support option for Plasma as well as attempting to slow down fleeing Alphas so more shots can be get in.

   Slow Plasma may be the “standard upgrade” for Plasma users, as it allows them to both aid their team with the slowed movement while also trying to snipe incoming threats.

   **Corrosive Plasma:** The dedicated Alpha/Structure Hunter upgrade. Each shot will reduce the armor of the target by one (up to a set amount) allowing nearby allies to absolutely destroy the corroded target.

   Needless to say, Corrosive Plasma is more of a team upgrade, as it benefits teammates and allies who can fire faster to take advantage of the lowered armor. If hunting solo, Slow Plasma or the Scope (if you walk right next to them) may be a better choice.

**Rocket Launcher:** The “skillful” weapon that has both a short-range and a long-range attack. I guess you can consider it an alternative “all-rounder” compared to the Rifle, but it requires more skill to use properly.

   What skill exactly? Range management. If you just want to spam the short range, A-Move will work just fine. However, if you want to use the Long Rocket, you will need to target manually and make sure you are far enough away to use said rocket.

   The short rocket is great against standard Zombies, while the long rocket is great against Alphas or HP Zombies. Manage your range wisely to prevail.

   As an aside, if you intend on maining the Long Rocket (and some scenarios, the Short Rockets), the Weapon Overloader can help due to the passive increase in damage output, as well as the firing speed.

**Shockwave Salvo:** A cool upgrade that launches additional short rockets in a line, allowing for some AoE capability as a Rocket.

   Keep in mind that this only affects the Short Rocket, so you will gain a short range AoE while keeping the Long Rockets for rare occasions.

   **Velocity Upgrade Thingy:** A generic upgrade that helps both Short and Long Rocket perform better. If you love the adaptability of the Rocket Launcher, this is the upgrade for you!

   While a generic upgrade, it does have its uses if trying to use the Long Rocket for Alpha Hunting, so you may want to pick this up if trying to hunt Alphas as a Rocket.

**Incendiary Rounds:** An upgrade for the Long Rocket that grants an AoE that deals fire damage over time. Just imagine a weaker Incendiary Grenade, but on a Long Rocket, and the debuff sticks to the zombies instead of an area.

   Arguably one of the best upgrades for the Rocket, but it requires skill to use as it requires Long Rockets to be fired. Then, for max efficiency, you will want to *manually target in the middle of the horde* to get the most out of the AoE effect.

   Also, remember this is only for the Long Rocket. Short Rockets get nothing, so make sure you are in the proper position when firing!

**Shotgun:** Want to deal tons of damage up close? A Shotgun is the answer, as it will annihilate basically anything in its path, horde and Alpha alike.

   The problem? The Shotgun is a weapon that requires heavy investment to see its potential realized, and is not good of an option compared to other weapons when not upgraded. It is a high-risk, high-reward weapon. Use it wisely.

   **Shrapnel Rounds:** An upgrade that is great for dealing with hordes of zombies, especially when dealing with weaker strains.

   The issue is that it only really shines when facing a horde, as it needs to bounce off a zombie to another one.

**“Beam Upgrade:”** This upgrade will increase the range of the special “Percentile Rounds,” as well as their damage slightly. This upgrade is useful when dealing with Alphas or other high HP zombies.

Personally my upgrade of choice when going DPS Shotgun as it is effective against everything. The Beams are “true AoE” while the Shotgun Pellets are “distributed” amongst its cone. So, the beams weaken everything while the pellets deliver the killing blows.

   **Slow Rounds:** An upgrade that is useful for slowing down a zombie advance. This upgrade is great if attempting to be a “tanky/support” Shotgun, but the Shotgun has higher killing potential than the Flamethrower when built correctly.

## The Hive Mind (Zombies)

### Strains

   Strains upgrade the basic form of Zombies into something more powerful, with each strain affecting 20% of your total troops. Each strain amplifies a single trait, being speed, hitpoints, damage, or granting an explosive mutation. It is impossible to combine strains into a single zombie (save for the special Containment Strain), but it is possible to mix and match strains to make a versatile horde.

   While going all in on one strain can be effective, zombie hordes that have variety are better equipped to deal with whatever the Marines may throw at them. Even 80% of one strain and 20% of a different one can be more effective than going 100% on a single strain.

**SPD:** The SPD Strain, as its name implies, focuses on speed. They move faster than the other strains, spawn in groups of 2, and excel in getting in areas quickly as well as surrounding their foes. When upgraded to T2, they gain the ability to leap at targets, making it easier to overwhelm their targets. T3 SPD Strains are Hunterlings, which can be notorious for spawning in and killing a nearby unprepared Marine.

   SPD Strains are best used against Plasma and Rocket Marines, as well as hunting down Marines who are foolish enough to wander in Zombie territory (especially when the Creep is upgraded). As these weapons mainly focus on single target, the lings can easily surround and cut off their escape routes.

   However, despite their mobility, the SPD strain is the most fragile. While Flamers and Shotguns can be surrounded and overwhelmed like any other, they can annihilate your SPD zombies easily. If there are two Flamer Marines working together, they have the potential to halt the entire assault of pure Lings.

   Overall, the SPD Strain is best for early-mid game harassment, but can fall off during the endgame due to their frailty and lack of siege power.

**HP:** The HP Strain focuses not only on increasing Hitpoints, but their armor as well. While they move slightly slower than the other strains, they can be unstoppable juggernauts when massed and can slowly grind away at any defense due to their bulk. The T3 variant is extremely bulky, having 750 HP with additional armor, making its “Tank” namesake well earned.

   HP Strains are best for focused assaults and sieges, meaning they excel at endgame, but can suffer during the fueling process due to being slow. Also, while they can grind away at defenses, it takes time for them to do so which may be a problem as time may not always be in the zombie’s favor. Lastly, HP strains are best used as a horde, but hordes are countered by Mining Charges. Be on the watch for those lest your unstoppable horde go up in an explosive finale.

   Overall, the HP Strain is an excellent all-rounder due to their bulk and can be considered one of the strongest strains when massed, but suffer from their slow movement and potential to be nuked.

**DMG:** DMG strains not only increase their DMG output, but also gain extra damage against mechanical objects such as turrets and sentry bots, making them effective in annihilating defense lines. Oh, and at T2, they gain an extra ranged attack which they can use to poke at targets before going in with their pincers, making weaving around DMG zombies a dangerous ordeal.

   DMG strains are also used for assault and sieges, but attempt to overwhelm foes by pure firepower instead of outlasting them. They will perform wonderfully when they reach their opponent, but they have to get there first. Despite their firepower, the DMG strain can be considered looked down upon because they can’t always reach their target to do their job.

   Overall, the DMG Strain is also an all-rounder due to their damage and have the potential to blitz through enemy territory. However, should they encounter a defense that they cannot break, they will need support so they can continue the onslaught. Alternatively, use the DMG strain as a supportive powerhouse instead of your main strain, so you can have some firepower when you need it.

**Volatile:** The Volatile strain focuses on explosions, specifically when they perish. The benefit is the AoE damage they do, and at T2, the pools of acid they leave on the ground. At T3, the Kaboomer leaves a massive pool when slain and has been responsible for capturing a few inattentive Marines who decided to stand in the fire.

   Volatiles shine at area denial, as well as countering Flamers and Shotguns (if they don’t have the Hostile Environment Suit). They also work well in sieges as they funnel in and blow everything up, but that’s also their problem. Volatiles have no real staying power as they explode, so should the horde run out of steam, all of that previous denied ground is easily reclaimed.

   Another thing Volatiles shine in is when they are combo’d with Drop Pods and the Nydus Worms. Drop Pods can become “Volatile Bombs” as they group a number of Volatiles on a location to simply explode, while the Nydus Worms allows for endless spawning to keep up constant pressure. Also, Volatiles counter Mining Charges (Nukes) to some extent as their acid piles and explosions can damaged the cloaked charge, potentially killing it before it has the chance to go off.

   Overall, Volatiles are great when massed or acting as support, but are only effective when fielded in overwhelming numbers due to their “one and done” nature. A handful of Volatiles may be able to do some damage, but they won’t really be able to capture or hold anything.

- - - - - - - - - -

**Blood (Geneweaver):** Unlike the strains listed above, these strains are limited in some fashion and do not spawn normally. For the Blood strain specifically, they are limited to the Geneweaver Alphas. They can be considered “super generic” zombies in that they deal more damage and have higher HP, but are summoned for a limited duration.

   While this may sound boring on paper, having an instant 8 or 16 Blood Zombies spawn in a single location can be deadly and is useful for taking out undefended rooms or being used as an escape mechanism while the Geneweaver deep tunnels elsewhere due to Marine attacks.

**Flying (Geneweaver):** The Flying strain is also limited to Geneweaver Alphas and is unique in the fact that they “hover” above the main horde, increasing the DMG output as you stack a ground zombie and a flying zombie on top of each other. Of course, this also makes AoE attacks more effective, such as grenades, the flamethrower, or Incen Rockets. Also, like Blood, the Flying strain is only summoned for a limited duration.

   Another feature of the Flying strain is their ability to access the sublevel systems by flight. This can lead to potential ambush situations or backdoor assaults (such as backdooring Fuel from the Fuel Geyser), but remember the flying zombies are on a timer before they expire.

**Amalgamation (Special Containment Strain):** This strain is limited as you must capture Containment and further infest it to gain access. Once doing so, you will get a small amount of special Amalgamation strain zombies which is a combination of all of the aspects of the various strains, making them a fearsome zombie to deal with. Yes, that means they can leap to targets, have high HP, have a ranged attack, explode upon death, and even fly.

   Having strengths from all the strains, the Containment strain excels in being micro’d and hunting down Marines, or being used as a special task force to backdoor rooms. Amalgamations have the potential to solo Fuel or Security by themselves, making them a powerful choice for any Zombie. (Also remember you get an Alpha for further infesting Containment, so the Alpha can be used as support or for other purposes.)

   However, as powerful as they are, the Amalgamation strain is limited in number. Once they perish, that’s it. One could try to be conservative by using a Legion Zombie to support and heal them, or making sure the Amalgamations regen themselves before their next task, but trying to keep them alive above all else may lead to the zombie’s downfall.