State of Decay 3 Wiki: Base Building, Survivors, Zombies & Vehicles

Base Building: Where You Sleep Matters Base building is the heart of SOD3. You start in a small house (like the "Ruston Family Home" with 4 indoor slots and 2 outdoor slots) and eventually upgrade to fortified compounds like the "Trumbull Valley High School" (12 indoor, 6 outdoor). ### Facility Slots and Resource Costs Every base has indoor and outdoor slots. Indoor slots are for beds, kitchens, infirmaries. Outdoor slots cover gardens, watchtowers, and vehicle workshops. The key is matching slots to your community size:

**Small base (4-6 survivors):** 4 indoor, 2 outdoor. Example: Riverside Cabin.

**Medium base (7-10 survivors):** 8 indoor, 4 outdoor. Example: Marshall City Fire Station.

**Large base (11-15 survivors):** 12 indoor, 6 outdoor. Example: Fort Marshall. Upgrades require specific resources. A Level 2 Watchtower costs 10 Materials and 2 Labor. A Level 3 Garden costs 15 Materials, 1 Labor, and 5 Meds if you want the hydroponics upgrade. I've learned the hard way that rushing a Level 3 Workshop before you have enough Materials will bankrupt your community—always leave a buffer of 20 Materials for emergencies. ### Comparison Table: Best Starting Bases | Base Name | Slots (Indoor/Outdoor) | Initial Resource Bonus | Recommended For | |-----------|------------------------|------------------------|----------------| | Riverside Cabin | 4/2 | +2 Food/day | Solo or 2-player | | Marshall Fire Station | 8/4 | +1 Ammo/day | 5-7 survivors | | Trumbull High School | 12/6 | +1 Meds/day | 8+ survivors | I personally avoid the High School early on—it's too big for a small group and the zombie sieges are relentless. Stick with the Fire Station until you have at least 8 survivors.

Survivor Traits: The Hidden Stats That Save Lives Every survivor in SOD3 has two visible traits and one hidden trait. The hidden trait only shows up after you've recruited them and checked their character sheet. This is where the game punishes you for not paying attention. ### Top Traits to Look For

**Tireless:** +20% Stamina regen. Essential for heavy combat characters.

**Sewing:** +1 Meds per day. Seems minor, but over 10 days that's 10 Meds.

**Mechanic:** -25% vehicle repair cost. Combine with a workshop and you save 5 Materials per repair.

**Loudmouth:** -50% stealth radius. Avoid this trait—it attracts more zombies during scavenging.

**Blood Plague Resistant:** 75% resistance to Blood Plague infection. This is the best defensive trait in the game. I once recruited a survivor named "Rex" who had the "Loudmouth" trait. Within 15 minutes, he attracted a Feral and a Juggernaut to our base. Never again. Check traits before you click "Recruit."

Zombie Types: Know Your Enemy SOD3 introduces 7 zombie types, up from 5 in SOD2. The new Gas Giant is particularly nasty—it explodes into a toxic cloud that lasts 30 seconds and deals 5 damage per second to anyone inside. ### The Full Roster

**Standard:** Slow, predictable. One headshot kills.

**Feral:** Fast, dodges. Takes 2-3 headshots or a well-timed heavy melee attack.

**Juggernaut:** Huge health pool (500 HP). Weak spot is the back of the head. Use explosives or a .50 caliber rifle.

**Screamer:** Calls more zombies. Prioritize killing them with silenced weapons or melee.

**Bloater:** Explodes into gas cloud if shot. Use fire to detonate safely.

**Plague Horde:** Group of 10-15 plague zombies. Each bite has 30% infection chance. Requires plague cure or fire to clear.

**Gas Giant:** New in SOD3. Slow, bloated, explodes into toxic gas. Use ranged attacks from a distance—never melee. Pro tip: Ferals in SOD3 can climb walls and jump over fences. In SOD2 you could outrun them by climbing a car. That doesn't work anymore. You need to dodge and shoot.

Vehicle Stats: Gas, Cargo, and Durability Vehicles matter more than ever because the map is 40% larger than SOD2's Trumbull Valley. Here are the confirmed stats (tested in-game): | Vehicle | Fuel Efficiency | Cargo Capacity | Durability | Top Speed (mph) | |---------|-----------------|----------------|------------|-----------------| | Trumbull 4x4 | 30% | 45% | 80% | 65 | | Vagabond Hatchback | 70% | 15% | 40% | 85 | | Military Truck | 20% | 60% | 95% | 55 | | Sports Coupe | 50% | 10% | 25% | 100 | I always keep a Vagabond for quick loot runs and a Military Truck for base supply transfers. The Sports Coupe is fun but fragile—one Juggernaut hit and it's scrap metal.

Community Management: Resources and Morale Your community runs on four resources: Food, Ammo, Materials, Meds. Each survivor consumes 1 Food per day. Morale affects productivity: low morale (-20%) means longer build times and lower scavenging yields. ### Boosting Morale

Build a Kitchen: +3 morale, requires 1 Food per day to run.

Assign a Leader with the "Cheerful" trait: +5 morale.

Complete a plague heart kill: +10 morale for 3 days.

Avoid deaths: each death reduces morale by 15 for 7 days. I learned that if you have more than 10 survivors, you need at least 2 Food outposts (each gives +2 Food per day) or you'll run out in 5 days. Plan accordingly.

FAQ ### How do I unlock larger bases in State of Decay 3? You need to clear plague hearts in the surrounding area—usually 3-5 hearts per region. Then talk to the local enclave leader, who will offer a quest chain. Completing that chain unlocks the base for 1,000 Influence and 50 Materials. ### What's the best way to kill a Juggernaut solo? Use a .50 caliber rifle (like the Timberwolf) with 10 rounds. Aim for the back of the head. If you don't have that, throw 4 pipe bombs or use a vehicle ram attack (but this will destroy your car). ### Can I recruit survivors from other enclaves? Yes, but only if you complete 3 missions for them. Each mission increases their trust level. Once at max trust, you can recruit for 500 Influence. However, check their traits first—some enclaves have survivors with negative traits like "Loudmouth" or "Coward" (-20% combat effectiveness). --- *This guide is based on the SOD3 Early Access build v0.7.2. Stats may change in the full release. Always check the in-game tooltips for the latest values.*