Dead Nation Tips and Tricks: Dead Bodies Everywhere

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Dead Nation Tips and Tricks: Dead Bodies Everywhere

What’s old is new again! Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition hits PS4 on March 4th, 2014 with a host of new features and enhanced graphics. We’ve dusted off this comprehensive strategy guide from the game’s 2010 PS3 launch, which should get you a head start with the Apocalypse Edition. Enjoy!

Dead Nation’s nonstop shooting and scrambling will test the mettle of even a veteran gamer — and that’s part of the fun! I’ve compiled my battle-tested tactics gleaned from beating the game on the “Grim” difficulty, plus bonus tips shared by PlayStation Twitter followers. Earn more gold, find more health, beat back mobs efficiently, and choose the right upgrades. Be sure to leave your own battle-tested tips in the comments!

Mob Rules

 
  • Rush makes you (briefly) invincible. Pressing L2 grants you a burst of speed that makes you untouchable for a nanosecond. Use it to dodge angry Bombies, power through a zombie crowd, or sprint over flames. But even the Rush won’t save you from the dreaded Cutter…
  • Master the Melee. Melee attacks (R2) knock away all zombies, even those lurking behind you, so it’s a must for crowd control. To be a real melee monster, collect fashionable ExoGear armor pieces hidden throughout the game and equip them at the Weapon Shop.
  • Melee while reloading. Stuck in a reload animation just as a mob is closing in? Jam on the melee button (R2) to fend off the onrushing zombies — it won’t interrupt your reload progress. So no excuses: Reload at every opportunity!
  • Learn to love car alarms. That telltale red warning light is your cue to open fire — the resulting racket will bring every nearby zombie running, giving you time to slink away before the ensuing explosion.
  • Trick the Jumper into smashing other zombies. When you hear its distinctive shriek, Rush away. With practice, you can use this technique to direct the Jumper right into a zombie crowd with lethal results.
  • Listen to the music. Dead Nation’s dynamic soundtrack gets the blood pumping. But, more importantly, it can give you clues about the next threat. If you hear the music kick into overdrive, ready a powerful weapon!
  • When all else fails, throw a grenade. It’s tempting to solve every problem with bullets, but equipment like flares and mines are absolute lifesavers. Use them regularly or suffer the consequences!

Dead Nation for PS3: Multiplier and cash orbs

Cash is King

  • Keep your enemies close. Those gold and red orbs that gush from defeated zombies? They boost your cash and score multiplier, respectively, but their value decreases rapidly over distance. For maximum cash, stay as close as possible to the carnage.
  • It pays to wait. Glowing blue boxes always carry ammo; all other boxes alternate between red (score multiplayer) and gold (money for weapons and upgrades). If you’re strapped for cash, wait for each box to turn gold before opening it.
  • Cash 4 Health. Topped off on life? Don’t let that health kit go to waste. Tap R2 — you’ll squash it and gain bonus cash. Protip: This doesn’t work in real life.
  • Junk in the trunk. Car trunks always contain gold, so be sure to loot them at every opportunity.
  • Leave no gravestone unturned. Take some time to venture off the main path. Dead Nation is riddled with secret nooks and crannies loaded with item boxes and cash, and you’ll need every last dollar if you want to max out all of your gear.
  • Ammo comes first! Remember to buy ammunition and items before spending all your cash on upgrades and new weapons.

Dead Nation control scheme

Tips for Healthy Living

  • Rest a little. Your character automatically regenerates 20% of his or her life bar. If you’re low on life and facing long odds, grab that next health kit after you regenerate and you’ll come out ahead.
  • Health-o-Matic. Soda machines are scattered throughout the environments, and can provide one of two effects. Shoot it to create a noisy diversion; Melee it (R2) to gain a quick health boost.
  • Max out your Endurance. If you’re having trouble surviving, equip ArmoShell armor upgrades at the next Weapon Shop to boost your defense.
  • Rush the flames away. Flames and poison goo will melt down your health bar in milliseconds. Rushing (L2) will slough off any harmful substances and get you back in the fight.

Dead Nation for PS3: Shocker

Weapon Tips

  • Rifle: Limitless ammo makes this a handy fallback, and its charged “powershot” drills through a crowd like a hot knife through butter. The powershot can also snipe out a dangerous target in the middle of a crowd. Upgrade it early, but don’t rely on it.
  • Shotgun: Upgrade early and upgrade often. Perhaps the single most useful weapon in Dead Nation, the Shotgun makes mincemeat out of the toughest zombies. Don’t get trigger happy, though: ammo is painfully limited.
  • SMG: This rapid-fire weapon is best used against weaker zombies such as skeletons. On higher difficulties, the SMG will barely faze tougher enemies — use it with caution and upgrade it gradually over the course of the game.
  • Flamethrower: This specialized weapon fits a niche role. You’ll need to top off every upgrade to reach its full potential — a pricey proposition. It’s best for crowd control, as flaming zombies move slower and tend to scatter.
  • Blade Cannon: A keeper! The bladed projectile will carve through an entire horde, instantly killing all zombies — including the dreaded soldiers and fat men — with one well-placed shot. It’s also a one-hit kill against Bombies, though Jumpers and Cutters will barely shrug. It’s definitely worth upgrading.
  • Launcher: This powerful rocket launcher is the ideal choice against Cutters and Jumpers, though it starts with only five shots. Upgrade the ammo capacity posthaste, and always fire from a safe distance!
  • Shocker: This lightning gun can flash-fry a huge horde in seconds — if you have the cash to max out its upgrades. The Shocker will also immobilize lesser enemies, making it a powerful alternative to the Flamethrower.

Dead Nation for PS3: equipment

Equipment Tips

  • Flare: Invest in the Duration upgrade to keep zombie mobs distracted longer, then let loose with the Shotgun, Blade Cutter, or Shocker.
  • Grenade: Zombies will lunge for the blinking light, making Grenades a great choice for redirecting rampaging mobs. Stay clear of the red explosive radius!
  • Mine: Upgrade these bad boys as quickly as possible, especially to gain multiple Explosive Charges. Even though mines don’t attract special enemies like they do with zombies, you can still utilize them by standing behind mines and luring them in.
  • Molotov: Handy in a pinch, but self immolation is a constant risk. Molotovs are perhaps most useful for creating a literal firewall between yourself and an angry horde. Use with caution!
  • TNT: This screen-filling explosion inflicts the most damage of all, making it valuable against the rock-hard Cutters. As with the other items, zombies will be attracted to its blinking light.

Dead Nation: Co-op

Co-op and Community Tips

  • Make sure to balance the weapon loadouts for co-op play, so you can handle all types of zombies (via @EGjonas)
  • In co-op, play back-to-back to keep lights surrounding the area and you’ll have fun mowing down hundreds of the undead. (via @MeatRations)
  • Pump the first few rounds into the cars BEFORE you need them to blow up. Prime ’em. (via @BenKuchera)
  • Always exploit the exploding cars AFTER you’ve looted them. (via @Geofortean)
  • Use a charged shot to quickly set off a car alarm or a soda machine. (via @psnstores)
  • Upgrade the default Rifle to max power, then use bottlenecks in the environment to line up the zombies. Boom! Multi-kill! (via @Essmithsd)
  • Always be moving while engaged in combat. If you need breathing room, melee and rush are an effective way to buy precious seconds. (via @driftingdrafts)
  • Reload, switch weapons, and switch back to the original. The weapon will be at full stock without the wasted time. (via @Taggart451)
  • In co-op, stick side-by-side in a narrow alleyway and lure the zombies in while backing up. Using Molotovs for a line of fire and Mines (via @GameOnGreggy)

Comments are closed.

100 Comments

30 Author Replies

  • First! how about Tetris mini for PS3!!!

    • Sid Shuman (he/him)

      Hey, that doesn’t have anything to do with zombies! ^__^ No word on a mini, but there is a new PSN version of Tetris in the works for PS3.

  • i am having fun with the game. wish it would save at every new gate though.

    • Sid Shuman (he/him)

      Yeah, though it adds to the suspense because you can’t quit til you beat the level :-) Devious developers!

  • Nice post! I’ll be picking up the game soon.

  • I was just wondering what the patch I received today was for?

  • Dead Nation is awesome! one feature missing is auto aim like burn zombie burn has

  • @4 it was for the bug where if you had a full friendslist it would free the game up

    • Sid Shuman (he/him)

      Yep — it was a rare bug that affected a few folks, but it’s all fixed! Next stop: Online voice chat.

  • freeze the game*

  • This game is incredible. Feels so tight. The controls, the amazing graphics, and all the way down to little things like rumble feedback.

    Obvious now why everyone in the beta were raving about the game.

  • Thanks @6. Def a pretty sweet game, waiting for the voice chat patch before I really start playing though as I have a few friends that want to play online.

  • Great game!
    I like to use the cars that have alarms as fall back locations just in case I get overwhelmed I can use them to put some distance between me and a large horde.

  • Yes! this game is great!

    Hey Sid, can you hint the Dead Nation Team to patch in that over the should angle used in the Story Trailer?

    I really liked that view! Since teh graphics are so gorgeous it should’ve been there day 1! Visuals like those are nothing to be ashamed of!!

    • Sid Shuman (he/him)

      It’s a gameplay thing. You need a really large, expansive view of the environment for a game like this — changing the camera would make a completely different game, really. But thanks for the feedback! If you like Dead Nation, check out Super Stardust HD — a favorite of mine.

  • This may be a little early to ask, but has there been any talk of DLC in the near future?

  • i love the music when zombies arrive, it gets my blood pumping!

  • Great tips and great game guys! Best title on PSN by far.
    Thank you!

  • Best psn game i’ve played in such a long time! awesome tips!

  • love this game
    only had time to play for half an hour but was blown away by the production values
    awesome stuff. thanks Housemarquee!!!!!!!

  • You know I’m quite shocked they didn’t have a vehicle mission, like a tank, jeep, etc… mission, as those are always fun and perfect for a top down games, especially when they have zombies :P

  • I am having so much fun with this game and I’ve had very limited time with so far its killing me. Think I just finished the park. I really enjoy how hit reminds you stopping in between levels is much better than starting one and not finishing it. Anyway, the weekend is a few hours away, ready to really dig into this title.

  • Sid,

    Wen are you guys going to fix the dozens of missing games from everyone’s My Trophies page? Here’s some examples:

    Auditorium HD
    BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (Not in English)
    BlazBlue: Continuum Shift (Not in English)
    Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
    Costume Quest
    Crescent Pale Mist
    EA Sports MMA
    Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
    F1 2010
    Fallout: New Vegas
    Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage
    Jurassic: The Hunted
    Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
    Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers
    Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
    Nier
    Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
    Rock Band 3
    Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Episode 5
    Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Game
    Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes
    Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing
    Space Invaders Infinity Gene
    Star Ocean: The Last Hope International
    Sports Champions
    Tales of Monkey Island Ch: 1-5
    Vanquish
    WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011

  • I just got to the cemetary stage with all the Howlers/Screamers behind barricaded walls. It’s absolutely insane!!

  • Will there be a demo for Dead Nation?
    Not sure if I would like this game or not, without a demo I am hesitant to purchase. Have bought a few games in the past that looked great and had good reviews, but did not care for.

  • This game has just proven that the USA is at the forefront of protecting this world from zombie related deaths.

  • @ 21

    dont hesitate, buy it now this zombie game beats all other zombie games on PSN even blackops zombies

    ive been playing it on my xRAGINGFIREx account all day :)

  • absolutely love the game, but horrendous lag and lack of voice chat online are ruining the experience for me. i’m hoping that both problems will be ironed out soon.

    and the lag is not just me, i’ve spoken to a few people on my friends list who experience the same issues.

  • Sid could you tell the devs to make Status updates on the XMB to show you what your friends are doing. Something like how Call of Duty has it.
    Thanks

  • PLEASE make ONE small change for us! The square/triangle etc. buttons should be shortcut keys for weapons! This game requires a lot of switching weapons/items in battles but having to scroll through all your weapons when you need them can get you killed. For example a hoard of standard zombies come and you mow them down, suddenly a weak hoard comes from behind and you need to switch to SMG, but it always gets worse than that on Grim.

    So PLEASE give us the option to assign weapons/items to those currently empty buttons. I won’t be playing again on the 2 hardest difficulties until this is done.

  • Great game so far. Loved the carnival section!

    I can’t imagine how insane the game will be on the hardest difficulty setting.

    I like how varied the zombies are.

  • Canada will put up a good fight – I’ll make sure of that!

    Also, I absolutely love this game. Worth the wait.

  • @17 – I totally agree, I love my Zombie Highway on iPhone :) Nothing like running down some geeks and blasting your through hordes hehe.

  • please sid. tell the devs to make a patch to where we dont always have to upgrade every damn time we want to play a different mode or play with someone new. that gets tedious too quickly. and why cant we play with someone whos behined or ahead in storyline it should’nt matter. i cant play with friends who arent on the same pace as me i think that is stupid.

  • Gotta love the Doom-3esq soundtrack :P

  • Can’t wait to pick this up!

  • Sid, all i have to say is good job! you guys did great work! I’m having a blast with this… i just can stop playing.

    Thank you, your hard work paid off

  • Any word on when a demo will arrive?

  • Housemarque continues to make me love evey game they put out.

    Sid- tell them to get to work on Super Stardust HD 2!!

    I’ve waited long enough lol

  • @ 1 Thanks Sid. I’ve been asking for tetris mini for awhile now. PSN title sounds even better!!! PS RULES!!!!

  • Please give us the option to save private online game coops and other game modes separately, it would be nice to have separate save options rather than to have to play entire levels over with people or to have to start completely over with another friend.

    Can you also add a few more in game characters?

    I love this game!!!

  • If you’re out there clamoring for a demo, STOP! Just go buy it. I guarantee you will love it.

  • @30 Kane22

    That’s pretty much what I was saying. I think that needs to be addressed. Please make sure the guys over at HouseMarquee see these suggestions, thanks Sid!

  • @5 You want Auto -Aim??!?! Noob!! No way I’d be okay with auto aim. This is Zombie survival at it’s finest.

    Also , Sid, can you add a way for us to reply to other’s messages on the blog instead of it being one long thread? It would be nice if it were more like a comment section where we could interact with other gamers a bit more.

  • Best PS Blog Headline EVER! Dead Nation is this year’s Downloadable Game of the Year.

  • can you please tell HouseMarquee to fix the online Campaign issue – you can only play online if the other player is at the same stage as you in the campaign mode.

    why can’t just invite a friend to help you pass a level?

  • Best game I have ever downloaded.

    Practically all zombie fans will love this game.

  • @22
    US is only first because of its population. If you use a ratio, Canada is doing extremely well even if it has 1/10 of the population of the US. Plus, our total kill per recruit ratio is higher. :D

    I started the game on Grim on it’s very challenging. I love it! Games these days are too easy, I’m glad there’s still a few exceptions!

  • @19
    Glad I am not the only one that noticed many games missing still… once in awhile a new one will be missing but then it gets added shortly but yeah, there are many that have been out awhile that still don’t show up.
    Please fix! Thanks!

  • Any plans on making the soundtrack available on PSN?

  • I’m lovin this game
    BTW

  • I mentioned this stuff before, but I’ll say it again:

    The weapons should stay upgraded permanently. I finished the game tonight, and I started a new game and I had all my armor but I had buy all the guns and upgrades again. Kind of unfair to those of us that put all that effort in it to have buy everything over again.

    Also, I don’t like the fact that I have to finish an entire level in order to quit and save. We should be able to have the game auto-save at the checkpoints, and be able to continue our game later from the checkpoints.

    I also read here that the file is copy protected. Are you guys serious? What’s the point of that? Out of the 30 PS3 games that I own, only two are copy protected: Assassin’s Creed 2 and Dead Nation. Please unlock the file.

    The game is very good and other than those few issues, I’m enjoying it.

    • Sid Shuman (he/him)

      Good points. That said, I think weapon upgrading is a big part of the fun, and the order in which you upgrade creates a totally different game. Stripping out upgrading on higher difficulty playthroughs would also make the games much easier.

      A common request, but I think the way saves work helps boost the tension. The levels (counting all checkpoints) are often about 15 minutes, so we’re not talking about a big inconvenience. Just beat the level before you save and quit!

      Didn’t know about the copy protected saves. I’ll check around.

  • PSN Store game of the year!

    I love it.

  • I’m stuck on level 5 (Grim difficulty) All I can say is that cutters are the cheapest enemy ever invented! I’m stuck specifically at the gate before Chinatown.

    I make my way through the numerous hordes and finally make it out of chinatown only to be ambushed by another horde and a cutter.

    The cutter friggin gets me every time! And now I’ve temporarily given up hope because I’m fed up with making my way through chinatown (that’s difficult in itself) only to die in one-hit by the cutter.

    • Sid Shuman (he/him)

      Cutters are insane. I strongly recommend using the Launcher from a distance. The key is the keep them far, far away. In a pinch, lay some dynamic. The Shotgun is good as a last resort.

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