Critical Build #1: Fireman with Melee, SMG, Rifle
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Critical Build #1 with Fireman
Optimized Stats at Level 95 |
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Notes:
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Critical Build #1 is the easiest build to achieve.
This makes it a good choice for freshmen students not sure about what they need. It's cheap, effective, and low on stat-consumption. It uses Melee and Rifles for quiet looting and Sub-Machine Guns for crowd-control and grinding.
We suggest that Firemen use this build.
The Fireman profession's boost in Melee and Endurance will make it easier to get stats and proficiency nearly finished by Level 50. Also, the low stat requirements of this build make it ideal for professions that have no special stat boosts.
The build's stat requirements are so low it that it is possible to maximize Reloading and optimize Accuracy without shortchanging other vital stats - and still have leftover points for Endurance. Depending on personal preference and skill-set, students may not need this much Reloading and Accuracy, in which case they may dump more points into Endurance.
Pistols vs. Rifles in Critical Builds
Some students prefer to use Pistols rather than Rifles in Critical Builds - specifically, Automatic Pistols, which like Rifles require 112 Critical Hit. This is a viable option, but one that we do not favor, because in addition to Critical Hit, Pistols need help in the Accuracy department (those stats could be better spent elsewhere).
Also, low-level Pistols lag behind Rifles in terms of killing power: Pistols do not catch up to Rifles until they reach 100-Proficiency. We will consider Automatic Pistols later, in Critical Build #2, which uses Grenade Launchers - another weapon requiring a boost in Accuracy.
There are some downsides to Critical Build #1:
- It includes two Looting Weapons whose functions overlap to some extent. Melee is useful early in the game, before students have optimized Reloading for firearms; later on, Rifles are stronger. When students reach the End Game, they may find themselves wishing for different third weapon.
- Mid-level Submachine Guns lag behind Assault Rifles until Critical and Reloading Stats are in place. Their grinding ability will be somewhat impaired until the build nears completion.
- The build lacks firepower of Hybrid Builds. Only expensive, high-end Sub Machine Guns approach the DPS of Heavy Machine Guns.
- The build does not allow for use of Strength-based armors. Students must rely on Non-Strength armors, such as the Mesh SLX, the Exterminator Mesh, and eventually the Nomad Mesh, which tend to be more expensive and less effective than their Strength equivalents.
Nevertheless, students will be able to loot and grind effectively with Critical Build #1 throughout the undergraduate program. After Level 50, success and playing style will determine whether students should continue with this build or stat-reset for a Hybrid Build. Another option is to raise Strength to 50 in order to turn this into Critical Build #3, allowing the use of Chainsaws and some Heavy Armour.
This lesson includes the following chapters:
- Weapon Progression
- Undergraduate Program: Taking Weapons & Stats to Level 50
- Outpost-by-Outpost Development Guide
- Postgraduate Program: Taking Weapons & Stats to Level 95
- Hybrid Build Option via Stat Reset
UPDATE: The total points required to optimize Critical Chance for Submachine Guns have been reduced from 124 to 112. The following text was written before this change and may contain reference to maxing Critical Chance stat, which is no longer necessary.
CRITICAL BUILD #1
WEAPON PROGRESSION
UPDATE: This weapon progression was developed when it was necessary to use firearms to kill exploding zombies from a safe distance. These zombies no longer explode when killed with melee weaponry, so there is no need to equip a rifle at Level 18. Students still may wish to do so, or they may continue raising melee proficiency instead.
Below is the weapon progression for this build. Boldface indicates recommended weapons worth holding onto while working on other proficiency or earning cash to purchase the next weapon. Other weapons are placeholders to be swapped out as soon as possible.
- Pen Knife/Beta Tomcat/Damaged Fire Axe1
- Iron Pipe (20 – Level 2)
- Shovel and/or Kris (50 – Level 8)
- Trench Knife (60 – Level 10)
- Sabre (80 – Level 14)
- SL8 (20 – Level 18)
- Battle Axe/Katana (100 - Level 22)
- Gramm M11 (40 – Level 30)
- UMP (50 - Level 32)
- Wakisashi (105 - Level 33)
- Nodachi (110 - Level 34)
- Chicago Typewriter (70 – Level 38)
- K-50M (90 – Level 42)
- M24 (30 - Level 44)
- M1 Garand (40 - Level 46)2
- M4 (100 - Level 48)3
- Spiker (120 – Level 50)4
- Criss Victor (105 - Level 53)
- Uziel 14mm (120 – Level 60)4
- Hawk Op 096 (80 - Level 80)
- Dragon SVD (90 - Level 85)
- VSS Vintorez (100 - Level 90)
- 577 Rex (110 - Level 95)5
Notes:
- Fireman profession begins with a damaged Fire Ax.
- Students with large bank accounts may substitute the Rebellion, an expensive 40-proficiency rifle that is superior to the 100-proficiency VSS Vintorez.
- Unlike other Assault Rifles, the M4 requires only 30 Strength, making it possible to use in a Critical Build.
- More expensive Melee and Submachine Guns can be acquired when finances allow.
- The limited-edition Corpse Piercer is a more expensive 110-proficiency rifle that nearly duplicates the effectiveness of the 120-proficiency Ironsight.
Critical Build #1 begins by developing Melee, which needs only Critical Hit stats to be effective.
This means that students can optimize their weapons without worrying about Accuracy and Reloading until later. By the time firearms are added, stats will be in place to benefit them.
Because Reloading is maxed before this build develops proficiency for mid-level and high-end rifles, ammo capacity is not an issue.
This allows students to to equip the low-capacity M24 and to hold onto the M1 Garand during postgraduate studies, skipping the MSG-9 (whose only advantage is bigger magazine size).
CRITICAL BUILD #1 UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
Zombie Hunter University's Undergraduate Program guides students in use of the their builds from Levels 1 to 50.
The program illustrates weapon choice and coordinating stat allocation, to ensure that points are in place to optimize weapons when they are equipped.
Level 50 is the cut-off for completing the undergraduate version of a build and earning a Bachelor's Degree.
After Level 50, build development is extremely slow. Whatever long-term goals a graduate has, the undergraduate build is the one that will be used for considerable time.
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Critical Build #1 with Fireman
Preferred Stats at Level 50 |
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Notes:
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Because of its low stat requirements, the Undergraduate version of Critical Build #1 can be finalized quickly.
30 Strength and 124 Critical Hit are required to optimize Submachine guns.
A substantial investment in Reloading is helpful, too, but this can wait while working on other stats.
Accuracy is less important in this build.
Melee weapons do not need points in Accuracy (or Reloading). Very High Accuracy Rifles can get by with only MC stats in Accuracy (though students may prefer to add base stats as well).
We recommend capping Accuracy at 60, which will provide Perfect Aim with Very High Accuracy rifles and Reliable Aim with High Accuracy rifles.
Since Melee and Rifles serve similar purposes, make them compliment each other as much as possible.
For example, a student carrying a Melee that strikes once per second might equip a Carbine Rifle that fires 1.5 times per second. Conversely, if the student is wielding a Melee weapon that strikes 1.5 times per second, he/she might use a Rifle that fires only once per second.
In either case, the slow weapon would be used to deliver maximum Damage Per Hit when taking out a single target; the weapon with faster speed would be used when attacking multiple targets.
Students can chose either type of rifle, because the stats for Critical Build #1 optimize both Bolt-Action Rifles with Very High Accuracy and Very Slow Firing Speed and Carbine Rifles with High Accuracy and Slow Firing Speed.
Firemen are well suited to achieve this build.
The profession provides a boost with Melee Proficiency. There is also a boost in Endurance, which allows survivors to sprint longer and survive more damage when attacked by zombies. The stat-boost is not as significant as that provided by the Athlete Profession; nevertheless, the extra proficiency points are a boon to freshmen students.
This build will work with other professions.
Although we recommend this build for Fireman, it is suitable for non-stat-boosting professions (such as Journalists) because its low requirements make it easy to achieve.
CRITICAL BUILD #1 UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
WEAPONS & STAT DEVELOPMENT BY OUTPOST
Next, we examine the undergraduate development of Critical Build #1 through Level 50.
The following outpost-by-outpost breakdown will clarify why certain weapons and stats should be in place to optimize performance in certain zones. While examining the information, remember that these suggestions are not rigid; there is room to adjust for personal style and skill-set.
We suggest that students spend one semester of 10 levels at each of the first three outposts and a senior semester of 20 levels at fourth outpost:
- 1-10 at Nastya's Holdout
- 11-20 at Dogg's Stockade
- 21-30 at Precinct 13
- 31-50 at Fort Pastor
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Critical Build #1 at Nastya's Holdout
Levels 1-10 (Freshman Semester) |
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STATS |
PROFICIENCIES |
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Strength: 25 |
Melee: 15 + 45 = 60 |
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Endurance: 45 |
Pistols: 5 |
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Agility: 25+25 = 50 (74) |
Rifles: 0 |
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Accuracy: 25 |
Shotguns: 0 |
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Critical Hit: 25+20 = 45 (69) |
Machinegun: 0 |
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Reloading: 25 |
Explosives: 0 |
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Notes:
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Recommended Weapons:
- Melee: Iron Pipe, Kris, Shovel, Trench Knife
- Stat Boosters: Pen Knife, Fire Poker, Chef Knife
Weapon Progression:
- Raise Melee to 20 for the Iron Pipe, to 50 for Kris and/or Shovel, to 60 for Trench Knife,
Stat Progression:
- Add 25 points to Agility. Supplement with Mastercrafted armor to get as close to 74 as is affordable.
- Add 20 points to Critical Hit. Supplement with Mastercrafted weapons to get stat close to 69.
Recommended Armour:
- Non-Stregth: Sports Armour
For the first 10 Levels, Critical Build #1 focuses on meeting the challenges of Nastya's Holdout.
These seem intimidating to freshmen students, but the zombies in the area are actually weak. The strongest normal zombie has only 34 Health Points; the only boss, the Flaming Zombie, has 2,500.
An Iron Pipe delivers 35 damage points with a Critical Hit, making it capable of killing all normal zombies with a single blow. This weapon is all that is needed to succeed this semester. Students will raise only one proficiency during freshman semester; no grinding weapon is necessary.
The only drawback is that the Critical stat will be nowhere near optimized, so the Iron Pipe will not deliver many Critical Hits. For this reason, we recommend adding some points in Critical at Nastya's.
Leveling up at Nastya's Holdout will provide students with 45 stat points.
Conventional wisdom dictates that students should work on one at a time. However, the zombies around Nastya's Holdout are so slow that 50 base points in Agility (plus M.C. stats from armour) are enough to outmaneuver them, even during agro spikes and outpost attacks.
By capping Agility at 50, students will have 20 leftover points to raise Critical Hit, improving the effectiveness of their weapons.
After the Iron Pipe, the greater DPH of later Melee weapons is superfluous against normal zombies.
The 50-proficiency Kris knife (which delivers the same DPH as the Iron Pipe but strikes faster) offers no advantage against a single, normal zombie, but it will clear agro more quickly. The Kris will also kill Flaming Zombies faster, because of its higher DPS.
With the same attack speed as the Iron Pipe, the 35-proficiency Crowbar and the 50-proficiency Shovel will not clear agro faster, but their higher DPH will defeat Flaming Zombies with fewer hits.
The Shovel and the Kris share an advantage over earlier Melee weapons.
Both have Very High Critical Chance: they will deliver more Critical Hits for students who have yet to optimize their Critical Chance stat.
With 60 proficiency in Melee, students can upgrade from the Kris to a Trench Knife.
With more DPH than the Kris, the Trench Knife is essentially a faster Crowbar, doling out 41 damage points every two-thirds of a second. The extra DPS will be mostly invisible in Blue Zones around Nastya's Holdout, but it will come in handy upon migrating through the Green Zones to Dogg's Stockade.
We should note one other advantage of knifes such as the Kris and the Trench Knife.
At a time when students cannot depend on their weapons to deliver Critical Hits (because their stats are not optimized), having a weapon that strikes more quickly is a solid advantage: the faster the hits are delivered, the sooner one will be critical.
With a Shovel, a Kris, or a Trench Knife in hand (or a Shovel-Kris/Shovel-Trench Knife combo), students will be ready to graduate to Dogg's Stockade.
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Critical Build #1 at Dogg's Stockade
Levels 11-20 (Sophomore Semester) |
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STATS |
PROFICIENCY |
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Strength: 25 |
Melee: 60 + 30 = 90 |
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Endurance: 45 |
Pistols: 5 |
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Agility: 50 + 40 = 90 (124) |
Rifles: 0 + 20 = 20 |
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Accuracy: 25 |
Shotguns: 0 |
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Critical Hit: 45 + 10 = 55 (79) |
Machine Gun: 0 |
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Reloading: 25 |
Explosives: 0 |
Recommended Weapons:
- Melee: Sabre
- Rifles: SL8
Weapon Progression:
- Raise Melee to 80 for the Sabre
- Raise Rifle to 20 for the SL8
- Raise Melee to 90 for later use
- Skip the 90-proficiency Sledge Hammer, which delivers the same DPH as the Sabre; the only reason to purchase this weapon is its appearance.
Stat Progression:
- Add 40 to Agility
- Add 10 to Critical Hit
Recommended Armour:
- Non-Strength: Zylon Vest, Kevlar Vest
During sophomore semester at Dogg's Stockade, the focus is on facing new, stronger threats, which cannot be one-hit-killed with the weapons used in Nastya's Holdout.
The strongest common zombie is the Blood Hound with 100 Health points; there are also Mutant zombies such as Reapers (200 Health Points) and Bones (250 Health Points). Students may also encounter a new boss zombie, the Titan, with 7,500 Health Points.
It is not necessary (or even possible) to one-hit-kill these zombies. The main concern is Sirens, Irradiated Zombies, and Small Bloats.
Sirens have 70 Health Points. They do not attack directly, but their screams provoke agro. Students will want to silence with with a single blow; hence, the need to upgrade to an 80-proficiency Sabre, which delivers 77 DPH.
Small Bloats explode upon death, making it impossible to kill them with Melee without suffering injury.
For this reason, we raise Rifle proficiency to 20 for an SL8. The SL8 is also useful against Reapers, which have a long reach, and Irradiated Zombies, which spew projectile vomit, making it dangerous to approach them. As students develop their dodging skills and add points in Agility, they will be able to defeat these threats with Melee, but rifles are good for the time being.
Critical Build #1 does not develop a grinding weapon this semester.
In its place, students may use knifes, such as the Trench Knife or even a Kukri. These will not one-hit-kill the Yellow Zone zombies around Dogg's Stockage, but their faster striking speed is useful against swarms, and their higher DPS will kill Flaming Zombies and Titans more quickly.
Leveling up at Dogg's Stockade provides 50 Stat points.
We recommend adding 40 to Agility and 10 to Critical. Enhanced with M.C. stats, will give students enough speed to outmaneuver Blood Dogs and weapons enough Critical Chance to handle the new threats.
Fortunately, the Melee weapons utilized in Dogg's Stockade are all Very High Critical Chance, which require only 80 points total for optimization; with M.C. stats, it is possible to nearly reach this 80-point threshold for optimizing the Sabre. The SL8 rifle requires 112 points, but students will not be using it as much as the Sabre.
Since this is not a Strength build, students will have to rely on Non-Strength Armour.
A Zylon Vest or Kevlar Vest is adequate for usage around Dogg's Stockade (unless a student can afford the more expensive Mesh SLX or Mesh RX-2).
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Critical Build #1 at Precinct 13
Levels 21-30 (Junior Semester) |
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STATS |
PROFICIENCIES |
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Strength: 25 + 5 = 30 |
Melee: 90 + 20 = 110 |
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Endurance: 45 (69) |
Pistols: 5 |
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Agility: 90 + 10 = 100 (124) |
Rifles: 20 |
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Accuracy: 25 |
Shotguns: 0 |
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Critical Hit: 45 + 40 = 85 (109) |
Machine Gun: 0 + 30 = 30 |
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Reloading: 25 (49) |
Explosives: 0 |
Recommended Weapons:
- Machine Guns: Gramm M11
Weapon Progression:
- Raise Melee to 100 for Battle Axe/Katana
- Machine Gun to 40 for Gramm M11
Stat Progression:
- Add 10 to max out Agility
- Add 40 to Critical Hit
Recommended Armour:
- Non-Strength: Mesh SLX, Mesh RX-2
Precinct 13 places students at the western-most edge of the Orange Zones.
Orange Zones are home to new threats such as Spiders and Tendrils. Bloats replace Small Bloats; Leapers replace Reapers; and students are more like to encounters the boss zombie known as a Mother.
As tempting as it is to reach for Machine Guns to defeat these dangers, stats are not in place during junior semester to optimize these weapons. Instead, get Melee to 100 for a Battle Axe/Katana, which will suffice for looting purposes until a Gramm M11 sub machine gun can be equipped at Level 30 for grinding purposes.
The Gramm M11 is adequate for defensive grinding, but it will suffer from low Reloading this semester, so it will not perform well for mass grinding.
Stick with Melee weaponry and a low-level Rifle.
Fear of being instantly killed by Leapers may tempt students to bump up Rifle Proficiency, but we recommend resisting the urge during junior semester. The combination of Battle Axe/Katana and SL8 is all that students need for looting around P13.
Yes, the SL8 is inferior to the M24, the M1 Garand, and the Chesterfield. Realistically speaking, however, juniors need to be working on a Machine Gun Proficiency now, and the improvement from leveling up Rifles instead would be negated by low Reloading. The problem is ammunition capacity: as weak as the SL8 is, it delivers more Damage Per Clip than the next few rifles:
- SL8 (20 proficiency): 1260 DCP
- M24 (30 proficiency): 315 DCP
- M1 Garand (40 proficiency): 571 DCP
- Chesterfield (50 proficiency): 714 DCP
In fact, it would take eight levels to raise proficiency to 60 before students could obtain a rifle with more Damage Per Clip: the MSG-9, with 1,428.
There is also the issue of Critical Chance: Rifles need 112 points to optimize their chances of delivering a Critical Hit. Because it is a Very High Critical Chance Weapon, the Battle Axe/Katana needs only 80 points in Critical Chance to reach optimal performance.
In short, there is no need to get a new rifle now that will not work as well as it should until later, when the Battle Axe/Katana is ready to go.
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Critical Build #1 at Fort Pastor
Levels 31-50 (Senior Semester) |
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STATS |
PROFICIENCY |
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Strength: 30 |
Melee: 100 + 20 =120 |
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Endurance: 45 + 4 = 49 |
Pistols: 5 |
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Agility: 100 (124) |
Rifles: 20 + 20 = 40 |
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Accuracy: 25 + 11 = 36 (60) |
Shotguns: 0 |
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Critical Hit: 85 + 15 = 100 (124) |
Machine Gun: 40 + 60 = 100 |
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Reloading: 25 + 75 = 100 (124) |
Explosives: 0 |
Recommended Weapons:
- Rifles: M24, M1 Garand
- Melee: Wakizashi, Nodachi, Spiker
- Machine Guns: UMP, Chicago Typewriter, K-50M, M4
Proficiencies:
- Add 10 to Machine Guns for UMP
- Add 5 to Melee for Wakizashi
- Add 5 to Melee for Nodachi
- Add 20 to Machine Gun for Chicago Typewriter
- Add 20 to Machine Gun for K-50M
- Add 10 to Rifle for M24
- Add 10 to Rifle for M1 Garand
- Add 10 to Machine Gun for M4
- Add 10 to Melee for Melee for Spiker
Stats:
- Add 5 to max Critical Hit
- Add 5 to Strength for UMP
- Add 75 to max Reloading
- Add 11 to Accuracy
- Add 4 to Endurance; dump remaining points into this stat
Recommended Armour:
- Non-Strength: Exterminator Mesh, Exterminator Mesh GT
Note:
- Generally, we do not recommend the M24 rifle, because its small clip size results in frequent pauses to reload. However, at this point in the build, with Reloading stat maximized, reloading is a negligible concern.
Fort Pastor, like Precinct 13, is close to the border between the Yellow and Orange Zones.
However, Fort Pastor is farther east, where Spiders and Tendrils spawn more frequently. Missions are more difficult, and local boss zombies include Wraiths, Giant Spiders, and even Black Titans. Stronger weapons will be required, especially as senior students level up and explore the Red Zones east of the outpost.
Upgraded weapons will be useful.
The Nodachi will one-hit-kill all the Normal and Special zombies around Fort Pastor, the strongest being the Blood Dog (100 Health points). The UMP sub machine gun is an adequate upgrade from the Gramm M11, but more aggressive grinding will be possible with the Chicago Typewriter and the K-50M.
Students may be tempted to raise Machine Gun proficiency sooner, but the pace recommended in this build will have Critical and Reloading stats in place when the weapons are equipped. (For example, the K-50M delivers more DPS than the Chicago Typewriter, but the K-50M's smaller clip size makes it less effective for mass-grinding until Reloading is at 75 ore more.)
Because Critical Build #1 has only minimal requirements for Strength and Accuracy, it is possible to easily complete stats for the Undergraduate Build at Fort Pastor.
This semester, students will max out Critical Hit and Reloading, raise Accuracy enough to improve Rifle and Machine Gun Performance, then begin dumping points into Endurance (which will continue after Level 50).
By raising Machine Gun proficiency to 100 this semester, Critical Build #1 leaves only 20 points for Rifles at Level 50 - enough to equip the 40-proficiency M1 Garand.
ALTERNATE UNDERGRADUATE WEAPON PROGRESSION
WITH PRIORITY ON MACHINE GUNS
In the progression shown above, students will obtain only one 120-proficiency weapon by Level 50 (a Spiker melee).
We opted to raise Rifle proficiency to 40 for the M1 Garand and hold Machine Gun proficiency at 100 for the M4. The theory is that, even if students raise Machine Gun proficiency to 120 by Level 50, they probably will not be able to afford an Uziel submachine gun with good M.C. stats until later.
Quicker Path to Maxing Machine Guns.
Students who can afford the expense or who are willing to settle for a cheaper Uziel with lower M.C. stats can get Machine Gun proficiency to 120 by holding Rifle proficiency at 20 and investing those points in Machine Guns instead. After Level 50, students will resume developing Rifle proficiency.
This approach enables the build to equip an Uziel by Level 50 - or even a Street Dog 99 or a Nine Cutter-X. All three of these sub machine guns have an advantage over the M4 assault rifle: they use less-expensive handgun ammunition, which will be easier to find when around Secronom Bunker.
CRITICAL BUILD #1
COMPLETING THE UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
Upon reaching Level 50, a student acquires the Stat & Proficiency points needed to complete Zombie Hunter University's Undergraduate Program for this build.
This is a necessary requirement for earning Bachelor's Degree in Scientific Minimalism. Graduates may hone their skills in Fort Pastor while finishing up their degree requirements, or they may embark upon advanced studies in Secronom Bunker.
At Level 50, the undergraduate versions of Critical Build #1 should have a Spiker melee, M4 assault rifle, and M1 Garand rifle.
This weapon combo should be sufficient to loot and grind successfully while deciding whether to pursue an advance course with the same build or stat-rest to a Hybrid.
CRITICAL BUILD #1
POSTGRADUATE PROGRAM
After earning a Bachelor's Degree in Scientific Minimalism, students interested in postgraduate studies may pursue a Master's Degree.
Progress will be much slower, because only 2 proficiency points and 1 stat point are allocated for each new level.
Zombie Hunter University does not offer an advanced degree for Critical Build #1.
The low stat requirements of this build are better suited to the undergraduate program. Nevertheless, this section depicts the development of Critical Build #1 through the next 40 levels, which will provide an opportunity to amass sufficient stat and proficiency points to reset to a Hybrid Build in order to complete the postgraduate program.
Another option is to raise Strength during the postgraduate period, turning Critical Build #1 into Critical Build #3.
Advancing to Secronom Bunker is a requirement for earning a Master's Degree in Scientific Minimalism.
Graduate students may tarry at Fort Pastor, developing their build further before embarking for more dangerous climes; however, Level 70 is the absolute latest during which students should remain in the outpost. After reaching Level 71, students will require Level 71 food and medicine, which cannot be found anywhere nearby. At this point, looting in Black and White Zones farther east becomes a necessity.
During the undergraduate program, Scientific Minimalism recommends using the minimum weapon needed to defeat local threats. However, in Secronom Bunker, it is wise to equip the most powerful weapons possible. Though worthy only of a Bachelor's Degree, Critical Build #1 will keep students alive while they loot to afford more expensive equipment.
The following chart showcases the postgraduate development of Critical Build #1, so that students can see what weapons and stats will be in place upon reaching Level 90.
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Critical Build #1 at Secronom Bunker
Levels 51-90 |
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STATS |
PROFICIENCY |
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Strength: 30 |
Melee: 120 |
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Endurance: 49 + 25 = 74 (98) [xx] |
Pistols: 5 |
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Agility: 100 (124) |
Rifles: 40 + 70 = 110 |
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Accuracy: 36 + 20 = 56 (80) |
Shotguns: 0 |
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Critical Hit: 100 (124) |
Machine Gun: 100 + 20 = 120 |
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Reloading: 100 (124) |
Explosives: 0 |
Recommended Weapons:
- Melee: Dual Blade, Gut-Splitter
- Machine Guns: Criss Victor, Uziel, Street Dog
- Rifles: SIC 550, Hawk OP96, Dragon SVD, VSS Vintorez, 577 Rex or Corpse Piercer
Proficiencies:
- Raise Machine Gun to 105 for Criss Victor
- Raise Machine Gun to 120 for Uziel*
- Raise Rifles to 75 for SIC 550
- Raise Rifles to 80 for the Hawk OP96
- Raise Rifles to 90 for the Dragon SVD
- Raise Rifles to 100 for the VSS Vintorez
- Raise Rifles to 110 for Rex or Corpse Piercer
Stats:
- Cap Accuracy at 56 (80 with GC stats)
- Dump remaining points into Endurance.
Recommended Armour:
- Non-Strength: Nomad Mesh
Recommended Implants:
- 2 Rage Implants
- 2 Agility
In Secronom Bunker, students will not only continue to raise proficiency to equip better weapons.
They will also purchase more expensive weapons than they could not afford in Fort Pastor, even though they had proficiency in place, such as the Dual Blade melee and, hopefully, the Street Dog sub machine gun.
This progression skips over rifles whose only virtue is ammunition capacity.
Because Reloading stat is maxed, the large clip size of such rifles as the 60-proficiency MSG-9 and the 90-proficiency M82A2 is mostly irrelevant. Hold on to the M1 Garand until reaching 75 proficiency for the SIC 50. Upon reaching 80 proficiency, trade up for the Hawk OP96 and skip the 90-proficiency M82A2 in favor of the Dragon SVD. Wind up with the VSS Vintorez and a 577 Rex.
Why two rifles?
The Vintorez is a Carbine; the Rex is a Bolt-Action. The Vintorez is good for dealing with crowds; the Rex is good for picking off stronger individuals (e.g., it can one-crit-kill a Long Arm). Students can alternate between them, depending on the task at at hand.
Students should reach Level 95 with those two rifles, plus a Dual Blade and at least an Uziel. Though the zombies near Secronom Bunker are extremely dangerous, these weapons are adequate for looting, grinding, and boss-hunting.
Keep in mind that subtlety and skills are required, because the firepower of Critical Build #1 is insufficient to dominate the local wildlife.
Expensive Alternative Rifles
Students who can afford the 40-proficiency Rebellion rifle (which is better than the 100-proficiency VSS Vintorez) will have a better build at Level 60 than those who equip the Vintorez at Level 90.
This is why we recommend raising Rifle proficiency last: the Rebellion is such a good option that it is like having a third elite level weapon.
Likewise, the 110-proficiency Corpse Piercer is a big improvement over the more affordable 577 Rex.
The Corpse Piercer is almost as good as the 120-proficiency Ironsight; in fact, with a Damage Boost, the hit profile of both weapons is identical (i.e., it takes the same number of shots to kill a target). This is a tremendous advantage during postgraduate build development, when leveling up to equip a third 120-proficiency weapon can take weeks.
Unfortunately, the Corpse Piercer is a limited-edition item, which means it cannot be looted; used ones in the marketplace are very expensive. Likewise, the Ironsight is probably beyond the financial capacity of first-time students to whom we recommend Critical Build #1.
Implants
Reaching Level 50 opens up four slots to equip implants for the first time.
Several different types of implants are available, but as with stats, it is better to focus on one or two capacities rather than three or four.
In general, we recommend first-generation implants because they are less expensive.
For example, a single Violence Implant will increase DPH by twice as much as a Rage Implant, but the Violence Implant cost nearly one hundred times more. You do the math.
A Rage Implant increase inflicted damage by 1%. Two Rage Implants will nudge the DPH of a Dual Blade melee just past 170, making it one of the few weapons that it can one-hit-kill Rumblers in Red Zones.
Agility Implants increase speed by 0.75% each. This is not much, but every little bit counts when it comes to hunting fast boss zombies in Black and White Zones.
CRITICAL BUILD #1
COMPLETING THE POSTGRADUATE PROGRAM
We have designated Level 95 as the conclusion of postgraduate work with this build.
Students could continue raising Rifle proficiency to 120 in order to equip an Ironsight, a Marksman G8, a Worg, or a Longshot. However, these Very High Critical Chance Rifles require only 80 stat points in Critical. It makes more sense to stat-reset, shifting points from Critical to Strength to create a Hybrid Build.
Note: like the 120-proficiency Rifles, the 110-proficiency 577 Rex is a Very High Critical Chance Rifle, requiring only 80 stat points in Critical.
We do not recommend a stat rest upon purchasing this rifle, because its Very Slow Firing Speed is of limited use in crowd-control situations. Students will want to switch back and forth between this rifle and the VSS Vintorez, which requires 112 stat points in Critical.
This is why Zombie Hunter University recommends switching builds to complete the Postgraduate Program.
By this time, more than enough points will be available to maximize Strength without shorting other vital stats, creating a more powerful build.
Students may wish to select a new build that exploits the Fireman's bonus points in Melee - one using Rifles, Melee, and Heavy Machine Guns instead of Sub Machine Guns. Stats would look like this:
|
Critical Build #1 With Farmer: Stat Rest to Hybrid Build Level 100 Optimized Stats |
|
|
STATS |
PROFICIENCY |
|
Strength: 100 |
Melee: 15 + 105 = 120 |
|
Endurance: 45+ 31 = 76 (100) [xx] |
Pistols: 5 |
|
Agility: 25 + 75 = 100 (124) |
Rifles: 0 + 120 = 120 |
|
Accuracy: 25+ 31 = 56 (80) |
Shotguns: 0 |
|
Critical Hit: 25+ 31= 56 (80) |
Machine Gun: 0 + 120 = 120 |
|
Reloading: 25+ 51 = 76 (100) |
Explosives: 0 |
Recommended Weapons:
- Melee: Dual Blade, Gut-Splitter
- Machine Guns: XLGunner-8, SCAR 9000, Gau, Wraith Cannon
- Rifles: Ironsight, Marksman G8, Worg, Longshot
Students are of course free to stat-rest to any kind of Hybrid Build they prefer. Even if students do not use Melee in their revised builds, they will still have the advantage of the Fireman's 20 bonus points in Endurance.
Recommended Build Templates:
- Critical Build with Melee, Submachine Gun, Rifle
- Critical Build with Pistol, Submachine Gun, Grenade Launcher
- Critical Build with Melee-Chainsaw, Sub-Machine Gun
- Survival Build with Melee-Chainsaw, Shotgun, Rifle
- Assault-Hybrid Build with Pistol, Machine Gun, Grenade Launcher
- Hybrid Build with Pistols, Shotguns Grenades
Return to Introduction to Builds
Matriculated
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