State of Decay 2: Difficulty Settings Explained

Navigating the numerous difficulty settings in State of Decay 2, especially as a new player, feels like its own challenge, but we’re here to help. Here’s a comprehensive overview of each difficulty mode, how they differ, which one is right for you, and we even answer a few questions about the game’s various difficulties and challenges. No matter which difficulty tier you select, State of Decay 2 is likely to get its hooks in you.

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State of Decay 2

State of Decay 2, developed by Undead Labs and published by Xbox Game Studios, is an open-world zombie survival game with a focus on building and managing a community of survivors.

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Green Zone

Action Difficulty

• Zombies
  • Easier to kill and deal less damage
  • Less plentiful and less aggressive
  • Nearby zombies appear on the mini-map
  • Freaks are very rare
• Infestations
  • Plague Hearts require less effort to destroy
  • Plague hearts only awaken to a great deal of activity
  • Blood Plague kills survivors slowly
  • Infestations spread sluggishly
  • Zombie sieges at your base pose only a limited threat
• Combat
  • Combat costs less Stamina, and fatigue accrues slowly
  • Combat noise is less likely to draw zombies
  • Hostile humans are less deadly in combat
  • Vehicles are more durable
  • Injuries and trauma are uncommon and less severe

Community Difficulty

• Survivor Management
  • Fighting and Shooting skills improve faster
  • Each survivor consumes only half as much food per day
  • All survivors receive a bonus to their morale
  • Survivors don’t start fights or waste resources
  • New recruits may show up at your base
  • Influence and standing rewards are significantly increased
• Base Management
  • Facility and outpost costs are decreased
  • Food-producing facilities produce extra food
  • Vehicles have higher fuel efficiency
• Weapon Crafting and Breakage
  • Crafting weapons costs less
  • Weapons last longer before breaking

Map Difficulty

• Resources
  • Resources (food, ammo, etc.) are very plentiful
  • Each rucksack holds 5 to 9 units of that resource
• Gear and Vehicles
  • Weapons are very plentiful
  • Consumables and crafting ingredients are very plentiful
  • Most vehicles are found undamaged, and with gas in the tank
• Blood Plague
  • Each map includes 7 Plague Hearts
  • Killed Plague Zombies often drop plague samples
• Claiming Sites
  • Home sites cost less influence to claim

Standard Zone

Action Difficulty

• Zombies
  • Zombies have normal toughness and deal normal damage
  • Zombies exhibit normal pursuit behavior
  • Zombies are somewhat plentiful
  • Nearby zombies appear on the mini-map
  • Most freaks appear as solitary threats
• Infestations
  • Plague Hearts pose a reasonable challenge to destroy
  • Plague Hearts awaken to moderate activity
  • Blood Plague kills survivors relatively slowly
  • Infestations spread steadily
  • Zombie sieges pose an occasional threat to your community
• Combat
  • Combat noise is likely to draw zombies
  • Hostile humans are dangerous in combat
  • Damage to survivors can cause lasting injuries or trauma

Community Difficulty

• Survivor Management
  • Each survivor consumes 1 unit of food per day
  • Survivors with low morale can start fights or waste resources
• Base Management
  • Facility costs and outpost costs are fair
  • Vehicles will spawn in good condition

Map Difficulty

• Resources
  • Resources (food, ammo, etc.) are plentiful
  • Each rucksack holds 3 to 6 units of that resource
• Gear and Vehicles
  • Weapons are plentiful
  • Consumables and crafting ingredients are plentiful
  • Many vehicles can be found on the map
• Blood Plague
  • Each map includes 10 Plague Hearts
  • Killed Plague Zombies occasionally drop Plague Samples

Dread Zone

Action Difficulty

• Zombies
  • Zombies are tougher and deal more damage
  • Zombies are more plentiful and more aggressive
  • Some hordes are extra large or contain armored zombies
  • Zombies do not appear on the mini-map
  • Freaks are more plentiful and can join a horde
• Infestations
  • All Juggernauts have Blood Plague
  • Plague Hearts are harder to destroy
  • Plague Hearts awake more readily
  • Blood Plague kills survivors relatively quickly
  • Infestations spread more rapidly
  • Zombie sieges at your base are more dangerous
• Combat
  • Combat actions cost more Stamina
  • Combat noise is more likely to draw zombies
  • Hostile humans are tougher and more dangerous
  • Vehicles are less durable

Community Difficulty

• Survivor Management
  • All survivors have a penalty to their morale
  • Influence gain from skills and facilities is greatly reduced
  • Influence and standing rewards are slightly increased
• Base Management
  • Facility and outpost costs are increased
  • Radio commands cost more influence
• Crafting Items
  • Items cost more to craft

Map Difficulty

• Resources
  • Resources (food, ammo, etc.) are less plentiful
• Gear and Vehicles
  • Weapons (especially crossbows and high-end weapons) are less plentiful
  • Consumables and crafting ingredients are less plentiful
  • Fewer vehicles can be found on the map
  • Most vehicles are found damaged or destroyed
  • Some sites on the map have nothing to scavenge
• Blood Plague
  • Each map includes 13 Plague Hearts
  • Killed Plague Zombies rarely drop Plague Samples

Nightmare Zone

Action Difficulty

• Zombies
  • Zombies are much tougher and deal much more damage
  • Zombies are much more plentiful and aggressive
  • Some hordes are extra large or contain armored zombies
  • Freaks are much more plentiful and can travel in groups
• Infestations
  • All Bloaters, Screamers, and Juggernauts have Blood Plague
  • Plague Hearts are much harder to destroy
  • Plague Hearts awaken to even limited activity
  • Blood Plague kills survivors very quickly
  • Infestations spread very rapidly
  • Zombie sieges at your base pose a dire threat
• Combat
  • Combat actions cost much more Stamina
  • Combat noise is much more likely to draw zombies
  • Hostile humans are tougher and very deadly
  • Vehicles are much less durable

Community Difficulty

• Survivor Management
  • All survivors have a penalty to their morale
  • Influence gain from skills and facilities is greatly reduced
  • Influence and standing rewards are drastically reduced
• Base Management
  • Facility and outposts costs are increased again
  • Food-producing outposts produce extra food
  • Radio commands cost more influence
• Crafting and Repairing
  • Items cost more to craft
  • Weapons cost more to repair

Map Difficulty

• Resources
  • Resources (food, ammo, etc.) are very limited
• Gear and Vehicles
  • Weapons (especially high-end weapons) are very limited
  • Consumables and crafting ingredients are very limited
  • Very few vehicles can be found on the map
  • Nearly all vehicles are found damaged or destroyed
  • Many sites on the map have nothing to scavenge
• Blood Plague
  • Each map includes 17-18 Plague Hearts
  • Plague Hearts can be found near one another
  • Killed Plague Zombies very rarely drop Plague Samples

Lethal Zone

Action Difficulty

• Zombies
  • Every zombie is a deadly threat
  • Zombies are far more numerous
  • Zombies pursue noise relentlessly
  • All freaks have Blood Plague
• Infestations
  • XL hordes include one of each Plague Freak
  • Plague Hearts are absurdly durable
  • Plague Hearts awaken extremely easily
  • Destroying Plague Hearts doesn’t kill nearby Plague Zeds
  • Blood Plague infection rates are much higher
  • Blood Plague kills survivors ridiculously quickly
  • Infestations spread extremely rapidly
  • Zombie sieges at your base are deadly
• Combat
  • Gunfire draws an insane number of zombies
  • Hostile humans are tougher and extremely deadly
  • Vehicles fall apart from only minimal damage

Community Difficulty

• Survivor Management
  • Skills and standing improve at a drastically slower rate
  • Each survivor consumes 100% extra food each day
  • All survivors have a massive penalty to their morale
• Base Management
  • Facility and outpost costs are increased yet again
  • Food-producing outposts produce even more food
  • Vehicles have lower fuel efficiency
• Crafting and Repairing
  • Items cost even more parts to craft
  • Weapons cost even more parts to repair

Map Difficulty

• Resources
  • Only minimal resources can be found
• Gear and Vehicles
  • High-end weapons are almost nonexistent
  • Crossbows are hard to find
  • The rare vehicles you find are trashed and need gas
  • Most houses on the map have nothing to scavenge
• Blood Plague
  • Each map includes 28-30 Plague Hearts
  • Plague Hearts can be found right next to each other

Choosing the Right Difficulty for You

If You’re New to State of Decay 2

Suppose this is your first time playing State of Decay 2. Welcome! You’re a little late to the party, but that’s not a problem because the game offers so much, thanks to years of updates and a passionate community.

All that said, if you’re starting your first community on SoD2, I recommend you start on Standard. It’s accessible, perfect for learning the ropes and pacing of the game, while still offering a slight challenge that doesn’t feel punishing.

If You’re Coming From Other Survival Games

If you’re visiting us from another zombie survival game, like Project Zomboid, you shouldn’t have any issues acclimating to the post-apocalypse we’re enjoying here. But still, you have questions, and I have answers.

In such cases, I recommend you play on Dread. It’s one step up from Standard, offering an accessible challenge that feels tough yet rewarding. Loot is somewhat limited, and zombies feel more numerous and powerful, but it’s not unfair. In my humble opinion, it’s the difficulty to play on.

If You Want the Full Roguelike Experience

If you can’t help yourself and must play on the most challenging difficulty setting in State of Decay 2 straight out of the gate, then look no further than Lethal. It’s unforgiving. There are more zombies, more Plague Hearts, tougher Freaks, fewer resources, almost no firearms, and your survivors are constantly suffering from morale penalties. It’s hell, but so damn fun!

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