A significant part of the progression in State of Decay 2 revolves around enhancing your survivors and community as a whole. One such aspect is by selecting a leader. Each type of leader in State of Decay 2 offers a unique boon, from additional influence to better healing to more weapons and explosives to help you survive the undead. As a new player, you might be stumped about which leader to select first.
First and foremost, you must learn How to Promote Leaders in State of Decay 2!
Types of Leaders
Next, let’s take a quick glimpse at the types of leaders available to you.
- Builder — Focuses on crafting long-term base structures and quality of life improvements, like water and electricity.
- Trader — A leader focused on connecting with outside enclaves to rebuild a lucrative society through trade and business.
- Sheriff — For those who love Rick Grimes in The Walking Dead, the Sheriff allows you to play judge, jury, and executioner in the apocalypse.
- Warlord — Enjoy big guns and bigger explosions? The Warlord provides better equipment and the ability to craft ammo via the Armory.
Each one directly affects how you play State of Decay 2. From community-building and cooperation to all-out domination and violence, you have choices!
The Best Leader for New Players
For your first game of State of Decay 2, you’ll want to focus on completing a boon. In doing so, you’ll unlock that leader’s abilities, or boon, for future games, too.
For instance, if you complete a game on Nightmare, you’ll unlock that leader boon for all difficulty levels below Nightmare, including Green and Standard, for instance.
I think the best leader for new players in State of Decay 2 is the Builder.
Opting for the Builder will unlock stable electricity and water for your entire base. Both electricity and water provide a nice mood boost and allows certain structures to function at 100%.
Furthermore, the Builder can construct a Sniper Tower for free covering fire, a Luxury Barracks 2 with five beds and a greater morale boost, and the Generator 3, which uses less fuel and provides no noise pollution. Each construct proves useful even in the late game.
Your Leader, Your Play Style
In the end, however, the type of leader you select will vary depending on your play style. You might prefer to go guns-blazing and dominate every enclave on the map through force and sheer will.
There is no incorrect way to play State of Decay 2. By all means, ignore my advice and opt for Warlord first! Have fun!