How smart are the zombies?

[Otis]

hey everyone. I'm new to all this. Had the game for over a week and I think I've found where I want to build a base but have a question. I'm going to build on the roof of a 6 story apartment building I've found (as soon as I figure out how to get up there) and was wondering if I spike alternate stairways each story is the Zombie AI smart enough to have them change stairwells each time? was asking cause id like to have a quick safe way down through the building. Thanks.

[SylenThunder]

Zed tracking is not that intelligent. They will just beat on the walls of the first floor trying to get to you until the SI breaks and the structure collapses. They don't really "see" stairs as anything other than another block. They will path to, and target doors to get to your fleshy meat, but that is about the extent of their pathing outside of the player tracking they do.

[a4twenty]

as explained above, they will destroy everything beneath you causing everything to come crumbling down. as much as that is a good lesson to learn..... maybe keep looking or even better build from scratch.

[Otis]

Thanks for the info. Guess being high in the sky is not that great of an idea. Oh well. survived my first horde night in a little shack with 4 rows of spikes around it and thought this giant structure would be great if I could direct the horde where I wanted it to go but guess ill find a place close and try to design something. Appreciate it guys.

[Crater Creator]

Standard disclaimer: I play on PC.

 

Zombies don't avoid spikes. They can also go up a flight of stairs without issue if you haven't doctored it. You shouldn't assume you're safe on the second story. But they seem to get confused as you go higher, so on the 5th floor or higher you'll see what the other posters mention, where they decide to attack walls at ground floor instead.

 

In my humble opinion, staying high in the sky is bad because it's too effective.

[Outlaw_187]

That apartment building was my 2nd base back in my earlier days of playing. I just set up a quick makeshift base on the 3rd floor I believe, putting spikes up all around the perimeter & flooded the hallway/entrance way with them (of course this is before they upped the cost of wood required to make them)

 

It was pretty intense during horde night because I could hear them tearing everything to bits but could not see them. I would creep out to the stairwell expecting to any second see them running towards me. Awesome fun but very stressful. I was legit nervous for my characters life!

[SylenThunder]

On PC we had someone set up on top of a skyscraper yesterday on one of my servers. (modded prefab. There aren't many high skyscrapers in the console, sorry.)

7-day horde spawned on the 4 floors below them. Destroyed the floors, and sections began to collapse. I heard all about it later, but would have loved to have see it in person.

[Thelek]

best to build at least 50 meters from any pre existing structure until they get the MD5 figured out. i prefer to build underground at bedrock for my base with a 10 x 10 structure at ground level for fighting. you can get a lot of good ideas for builds from youtube.

[Otis]

OK I think I understand now. Spent the night on the rooftop cause it was to late to get to my little shack. Heard Zed's all night. went from floor to floor nothing. got courage up to go to ground floor, nothing. daylight comes Zed's making a heck of a racket still nothing in building my doors are still intact. open door and go outside 14 Zed's in the corner of the front porch/step area . walk over and arrow them all in the one spot.

[a4twenty]

OK I think I understand now. Spent the night on the rooftop cause it was to late to get to my little shack. Heard Zed's all night. went from floor to floor nothing. got courage up to go to ground floor, nothing. daylight comes Zed's making a heck of a racket still nothing in building my doors are still intact. open door and go outside 14 Zed's in the corner of the front porch/step area . walk over and arrow them all in the one spot.

 

and they will do structural damage to those blocks, eventually bringing it down unless you stay on top of maintenance. especially if they get into the parking garage at the base of the hotel.

[Amanda]

Astute zombies are essentially people who happen to be chilly, should not have to eat or may yearn for brains. They can think ahead, they can utilize firearms, they can construct weapons.

[GRAW2ROBZ]

Thanks for the info. Guess being high in the sky is not that great of an idea. Oh well. survived my first horde night in a little shack with 4 rows of spikes around it and thought this giant structure would be great if I could direct the horde where I wanted it to go but guess ill find a place close and try to design something. Appreciate it guys.

 

High ground is the best. Just have to do repairs after blood moon nights. You can use scrap boxes to elevator yourself up to that roof top you mentioned. Maybe plop down a bunch of bales of hay to jump down onto or rig a ladder on the outside wall. That leads to the roof. Then where that ladder ends up. Box that off with jail doors and a wall.

 

Also add the rusty bars all the way around the roof top lip laying flat. So the spiders don't climb up. Or cement all the doors and widows in. Then have vault door tunnel in the basement that leads elsewhere up. Also remove scrap boxes if you elevator your self up to a roof. Cause crawlers can climb up the scrap frame boxes.

[Amanda]

Wise zombies are essentially people who happen to be icy, should not eat or may want brains. They can think ahead, they can utilize firearms, they can construct weapons. In the event that you construct a divider they can move mounted guns up and blow gaps in it.

[UnsentSoul]

High ground is the best. Just have to do repairs after blood moon nights. You can use scrap boxes to elevator yourself up to that roof top you mentioned. Maybe plop down a bunch of bales of hay to jump down onto or rig a ladder on the outside wall. That leads to the roof. Then where that ladder ends up. Box that off with jail doors and a wall.

 

Also add the rusty bars all the way around the roof top lip laying flat. So the spiders don't climb up. Or cement all the doors and widows in. Then have vault door tunnel in the basement that leads elsewhere up. Also remove scrap boxes if you elevator your self up to a roof. Cause crawlers can climb up the scrap frame boxes.

 

High ground is the best....? Ya I’ll pass on that horrible advice.

[GRAW2ROBZ]

High ground is the best....? Ya I’ll pass on that horrible advice.

 

I'm way passed day 150+. Tunnels work as well. But then you miss out on looting zombies.

[skullpoker]

as explained above, they will destroy everything beneath you causing everything to come crumbling down. as much as that is a good lesson to learn..... maybe keep looking or even better build from scratch.

 

Not entirely true. If you're on the second floor, best bet is to reinforce a support column every few blocks. Zombies tend to hit the weakest available part of a structure so having support columns and weaker walls will get them to attack the weaker sections which gives you time to hang on a ladder and pick them off with a bow. It's also much less costly to repair a basic wood block that it is to repair an iron or better column.

 

Also, take out stairs and use a ladder with hatch. In the current build they cannot attack a hatch above them so ladder with a hatch on top is extremely safe for now. You can also pop the hatch open and have easy access to hit their heads if you stand above the ladder.

[six4bravo]

I’ve always build a sort of killing floor away from my main base. Consists of an elevated cross shape structure with spikes below it and lighting, ramp with a gap to get onto it, and supply chests with ammo, food and meds in the middle. This has worked great.