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Shambler sdw

A walking zombie
(TLS:UC)

"...people just... started killing each other. The ones they killed didn't stay dead."
Jackson Hall

Zombies, or Infected, are the main antagonists in The Last Stand series. They appear to have lost all sense of humanity and only their most basic instincts remain, with the addition of a desire for feeding on the living. It is unclear what caused the outbreak, but it was most likely caused by some kind of infection, transmitted by human or animal bites. Most people who have been bitten by zombies also turn into zombies themselves, explaining why the phenomenon spread so rapidly. Brutal attempts to contain the epidemic, including carpet bombing of infected areas and execution of civilians, have proved ineffective in preventing the spread of the disease.

Common traits[]

All zombies are restricted to melee combat, as they lack the necessary intelligence to use projectile weapons. Once they reach melee range, however, they are typically capable of immediately killing most people with a single bite, which will turn their victim into another zombie. Even those that are immune can be overwhelmed by the zombie's strength, which allows them to harm even those wearing a full set of body armor.

Zombies rely on sight and sound to find their targets, and will simply wander around if not alerted. Once they are, however, they will pursue the survivor that alerted them unless the survivor evades them without making any noise or they're distracted by another survivor who's either closer, attacking them, or is making more noise. In The Last Stand Dead Zone, most zombies seem to still have relatively undamaged skin despite being there several years after the outbreak. This implies that when the infection took over the victims' bodies, the process of decomposition was mostly, if not completely halted.

Zombies tend to congregate in groups if they haven't encountered a survivor yet, and will generally attack as part of that group once they're alerted.

In The Last Stand: Union City, Walking, Running, Fat and Armored zombies can occasionally grab the player, immobilizing them and causing small amounts of damage until either the zombie or the player is killed, or the player presses either the A or D keys enough times to shove the zombie off. In The Last Stand: Aftermath, they will instead inflict massive damage and infection progress if the player fails to press the key (X) enough times.

Zombies will always take the shortest path towards a survivor they're alerted to, and will smash through or go around any obstacles in their path, if possible. In Union City, however, they will climb over barricades and obstacles instead of battering at them. Zombies in The Last Stand: Dead Zone will only attack obstacles that are destroyable, such as a Small Barricade.

Types[]

Walking/Walkers[]

Walking zombies are the stereotypical slow zombies which ignore all pain and injury. They are featured in all installments of the series. They will simply walk towards any living person and attempt to attack them. What they lack in quality, however, they make up for in quantity, and they may distract survivors from other, more dangerous zombie types.

Some walking zombies move faster than other walking zombies, but not as quickly as runners. They are otherwise identical to other walking zombies. Conversely, in Dead Zone, some limp rather than walk, making them even slower than other walking zombies. However, they do slightly more damage.

Running/Runners[]

Zombierunning

A running zombie.
(TLS:UC)

These zombies behave much in the same way as Walking zombies and are indistinguishable in appearance, but sprint towards survivors instead of walking. This makes them a high priority target, as they can build up quickly if left unchecked, allowing them to overwhelm a barricade or individual survivors.

They begin appearing in Level 3+ hordes in Dead Zone and have less health than Walking zombies.

In Aftermath, Runners are usually distinguished by their shirtless and skinny appearance. Like previous iterations, they have low health and can be often be killed with a single weapon light melee attack. Some of them may be mutated, sporting glowing red spots on their skins and purple haze on their hands but will also wear clothing like a normal Walker. These variants have a chance to drop Infected Blood Samples when killed.

Infected HERC Scientists[]

HAZMAT-suited HERC scientist zombies are introduced in Dead Zone. They appear in Level 6+ hordes and are identical in stats and behavior to regular walking/running zombies.

Fat[]

These zombies are similar to Walkers and Runners, but are much fatter, allowing them to take more damage before they die. The upside is that their larger frame makes them an easier target and they move slightly slower due to their increased weight, though running fat zombies do exist.

Fat zombies never appear in SWAT or Military armor. This is most likely due to the fact that people in those professions have to be physically fit. Fat zombies are never turned into Crawlers by explosives; instead, they will die instantly.

They begin appearing in Level 6+ hordes in Dead Zone.

In Aftermath, Fat zombies can be distinguished by their large frame and occasional mutated red spots. Stronger versions have a large glowing gash in their stomach. They can also run, but have slightly lower health than their walker counterparts. Fat zombies are immune to any form of stun.

Crawlers[]

Zombiecrawling(better)

A crawler.
(TLS:UC)

Crawlers are created through explosions in The Last Stand 2, and occasionally spawn in Union City. They move and strike faster than Walkers and can often be difficult to see, especially when corpses litter the ground or when there's a foreground object in the way. They can also be run past, unlike most zombies.

Dogs []

Zombie dogs are very fast and can be difficult to hit, as they are much lower to the ground. They can easily overwhelm a barricade or a group of survivors if not dealt with quickly. They also attack much faster than other zombies, quickly draining a barricade's durability or a survivor's health. Their weakness is their low health, making them an annoyance at best to a skilled survivor.

In Union City, they cannot be knocked or shoved back, necessitating the player to kill them in order to get them out of the way.

They were introduced to Dead Zone after the 1.04 patch on May 7, 2012 and start appearing in Level 3+ hordes. They can alert other zombies with their barking once they themselves are alerted, which is also easier to do.

In all games, they are generally depicted as rottweilers covered in blood, as suggested by Jack's diary. In Dead Zone, some dogs will be German Shepherds instead of rottweilers.[confirmation needed]

Armored[]

Armored Zombies wear kevlar vests, which protects them from melee attacks and most projectiles, including assault rifle rounds. Their head and legs are usually not protected, though some wear helmets, forcing the player to shoot at the legs or at the unprotected face.

Generally, these zombies do not run, but have been seen to do so occasionally, making them very dangerous enemies, especially if they are carrying weapons. It should be noted that explosives will penetrate their armor, as will rifles in Union City.

In Dead Zone, they take damage normally, but are the most durable zombie type and give additional XP upon death. They are divided into three types: Police (Level 13+), Military (Level 14+) and HERC (Level 18+), in order of appearance. Police and Military zombies are equal in durability and XP, but HERC zombies are higher on both counts.

A HERC Hazmat zombie with armor may be found in the City zone. They have more armor points and they can also run. Their armor can still be broken off with the same tactics with an armored soldier zombie. It takes at least seven melee weapon hits to completely break the armor.

In Aftermath, at least one or two zombie soldiers in a group can often be seen wearing armor. Like previous games, the armor is highly resistant to firearms. But in this iteration, the armor can be broken off. The armor will protect the zombie from incoming gunfire, but it will eventually shatter. Alternatively, the armor can be broken off by using any melee weapon or a charged unarmed punch, removing one armor piece per hit. It takes about four to six melee weapon hits to break completely break off the armor.

If the player has acquired the SR-110 rifle, then the player can easily eliminate any Armored Zombie in a single shot as the gun effectively bypasses their armor instead. Even the running fat Armored Zombie will die in a single shot from the SR-110. Fire damage from the flamethrower, molotov, or natural burning source on the ground will also slowly strip armor off of the zombie.

Weapon[]

Weapon Zombies are present in The Last Stand, The Last Stand 2, Union City, and Aftermath. They typically carry a melee weapon, though zombies carrying firearms have been sighted. As zombies lack the required intelligence to properly use the latter, however, they've been exclusively used as bludgeons. The weapons may have frozen in their hands due to rigor mortis.

On certain days in The Last Stand, a zombie will carry a firearm that can be scavenged for use afterwards. They have the same stats and do not behave any differently than their base type. They are, in order of appearance:

  • Day 3: A Fat Police Zombie carrying a .357 Magnum.
  • Day 6: A Fat Biker Zombie carrying a Shotgun.
  • Day 17: An Army Zombie carrying a M4A1.

In The Last Stand 2, Walking, Running, Fat and Armored zombies can carry a variety of melee weapons, allowing their strikes to instantly kill any survivor (except Jack) behind the barricade if they're directly in front of them. They begin appearing in locations after Glendale.

In Union City, the same zombie types can carry melee weapons, though their effect is toned down to simply causing more damage. They begin appearing in areas after Newtown, and their carried weapons cannot be looted. They can carry Machetes, Hatchets, Claw Hammers or Cleavers.

Weapon zombies return in Dead Zone as Elite infected.

In Aftermath, only Walkers carry melee weapons.

Riot[]

Riot zombie with shield

A Riot zombie
(TLS:UC)

Riot Zombie

A Riot zombie
(TLS:DZ)

Infected herc riot

HERC variant
(TLS:DZ)

Riot zombies are a type of zombie introduced in Union City. In addition to body armor, they carry riot shields that render them almost completely invulnerable to bullets. However, their shields limit their speed, making them unable to run.

They can be killed by explosives, crouching and shooting the feet, shooting the top of the head, shooting when they attack, jumping and shooting them from above, or with melee attacks to the legs. High-caliber weapons like the M24 will penetrate their kevlar armor and helmets, but not the riot shield.

In Dead Zone, they lack the riot shields, making them simply an exceptionally durable Armored zombie variant that is moderately resistant to all weapons, though they still cannot run. They begin appearing in Level 25+ hordes and are distinguished from regular Police Armored zombies by their helmets with visors and slightly heavier body armor.

In addition, there are HERC variants which are even more durable and are capable of running. They are distinguished from regular Riot zombies by their forest-green camouflage and the HERC logo on their armor vest. They only appear in Level 51+ compounds, locations and Union Island.

Sleeping[]

Sleepingz

A Sleeping zombie.
(TLS:UC)

Sleeping zombies are a type of zombie introduced in Union City. They lie down on the ground and appear to already be dead. However, if alerted to the player's presence, they will rise and attack. Once they have risen, they will behave like a regular zombie.

They will always be Walking, Running, or Crawler zombies, but never Fat, Riot, Armored, or Dog zombies. They will also never carry weapons, but they can drop items; therefore a body wearing an item backpack is a dead giveaway, as background corpses never wear backpacks. Sleeping zombies also lie with a stiffer body, and can be identified by this characteristic should they lack a backpack. They can be killed before they manage to stand up, and doing so 10 times will fulfill an Achievement.

Backpack[]

Zz6

A backpack zombie with a hatchet.
(TLS:UC)

M249dropped

An example of what a backpack might contain, in this case a Military M249 SAW.
(TLS:UC)

Backpack zombies are a type of zombie introduced in Union City. These carry items in their backpack (determined by random chance, can be affected by the Luck stat), which are dropped when they are killed. All zombies except Crawlers and Dogs can carry backpacks.

They also appear in Aftermath in which they are guaranteed to have some loot on them unlike Walkers and Runners.

Bruiser[]

Bruiser

A Bruiser
(TLS:DZ)

Bruiser zombies are a type of zombie introduced in Dead Zone. Formerly bikers, their strength is so great that they will always knock back survivors they manage to hit. They are also more durable than most other zombies, aside from Armored and Riot zombies, and some are even capable of running, making them very dangerous enemies. They are greatly resistant to melee weapons, and begin appearing in Level 16+ hordes.

Rotter[]

Green Zombies

A group of Rotters
(TLS:DZ)

Rotter zombies are a type of zombie present in The Last Stand, The Last Stand 2 and The Last Stand: Dead Zone. They all have green skin and hollow eyes with a rotted appearance, hence the name, but are otherwise identical to their base zombie type in the first two games. They return in The Last Stand: Dead Zone, but with lesser durability than regular zombies. They can be Walking, Running or Fat zombies, as well as Armored zombies in The Last Stand: Dead Zone. They begin appearing in Level 15+ hordes.

Elite[]

Elite herc rare

Elite Rare HERC zombie (TLS:DZ)

Unique elite zed

Elite Unique HERC zombie with a Saw-Ax (TLS:DZ)

Elite zombies are a type of zombie present in Dead Zone. Much like weapon zombies from previous games, they carry melee weapons and can either be Walking, Fat, Rotter, Riot, or Armored. They are distinguished from other zombies with a health bar (bluish-gray for Rare and orange for Unique) and an increased height, and their presence is announced by a unique sound cue and a brief screen overlay. They have greatly increased health and deal large amounts of damage, making them formidable enemies. Some of these infected are impervious to either ballistic or melee damage, but never both. Elite zombies appear at random during missions, and may be part of a horde attack, but will never appear during compound attacks or the Raid on Union Island.[1] Once killed, an Elite Box will be added to the player's inventory and will contain a certain amount of Infamous Trophies, Infamous Skulls, and/or Fuel. They begin appearing in Level 15+ hordes,[2] and will only appear in missions that are within five levels of the Leader's level.[3] There are 21 individual Elite enemies in the game.[4]

Exploding[]

Explosive zombie

Exploding zombie (TLS:DZ)

Exploding zombies are a type of zombie present in Dead Zone, and only appear in the Terror Dome. They are taller, bigger versions of rotter zombies, armed with explosives that only detonate when they are killed with firearms or explosives.[5] The resulting explosion will damage nearby survivors and zombies, making them both a threat and an unwilling ally. Whenever they spawn, a beep is heard but their explosives will not detonate on their own. 

Hordes []

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart
Zombie rush loop

The loop that plays during a zombie rush attack in The Last Stand: Union City, and in non-severe attacks in The Last Stand: Dead Zone.


Problems playing this file? See media help.

In Union City, zombies will attack in very large groups every ninety in-game minutes. If the player is outdoors, zombies will attack from the left-most side of the current area. If the player is indoors, a section of the ceiling will collapse and the zombies will attack through there. Each horde attack is preceded by an audio cue, and its own unique soundtrack plays. If the player leaves an area/room before the horde attack is complete, it will continue in the new location.

ZombieHordeUnionCity001

A horde attack in progress. (TLS:UC)

The number of zombies that can be involved in a horde attack is dependent on the danger level of the section of Union City the player is in. Zombie dogs, sleeping zombies, and crawlers never take part in an indoor horde attack; otherwise, what types of zombies take part in the attack solely depends on which section of the city the player is in.

In Dead Zone, there are two kinds of horde attack. The first is very similar to the Union City incarnation and strikes randomly during missions in the Dead Zone. It's preceded by an audio cue and the screen flashing red, while a red border appears around the screen and an alternate music track plays during the attack.[n 1] Every zombie will run towards the closest survivor and they will spawn more rapidly for the duration of the attack. The types of zombies spawned during a horde attack are random, but will always be the Running variation of their base zombie type. Normally, up to two rushes can occur during a mission,[6] but rarely a third or fourth rush may occur.[7]

Infected sighted

The "Infected Sighted" notification, along with the options (TLS:DZ)

The other kind periodically hits the player's compound only when survivors are present and the player is tending to their compound. The player will be notified via a dialog box, and will be given the option to immediately begin the fight or get an extra three minutes to prepare. The player cannot access the city map, Alliances panel, or the Bounty Office during this time. If there are traps present, the player may choose to arm them from this dialog box.

Once the attack begins, survivors will spawn at their assigned locations and will be armed with their assigned defensive weapons and gear. In the event that either one or both have not been done, they will spawn in random locations and/or equip the weapons with the highest DPS available, not including the ones already being used in defense.

The horde's level is equal to the Leader's level, which determines the strength of the zombies. Once the 3 minute time limit has expired, zombies will stop spawning, and the player wins once all remaining zombies are eliminated. Failure will not cause any additional penalties aside from the injuries sustained and buildings destroyed.

Compound horde attacks generally occur once every 24 hours,[8] although they may occur more frequently than that. The frequency of horde attacks can be permanently reduced by researching infected management, or temporarily increased by equipping the Baiting Your Home book. Attacks can also be completely disabled temporarily by equipping the Camouflage in the Apocalypse book.

The compound horde attack can be bypassed temporarily by refreshing the game once the notification is received, then quickly accessing the city map before the compound fully loads and sending all survivors out on missions. However, this will only postpone the attack, and the dialog box will appear again as soon as survivors return home.

In Aftermath, a horde is triggered when power is restored to military apparatuses, which includes HERC Stations and Large Supply Boxes. Runners in a large quantity will start rushing the player, but their advances are often stopped by conveniently placed barriers around the power unit. A very large, scripted horde also appears in the "A Bridge Too Far" mission in the City zone. In this instance, the player must survive a large horde of Runner zombies and occasional running fat zombies while the bridge lowers.

Burster[]

Burster2

A burster.

Burster zombies are a zombie type in Aftermath. Depicted as obese, shirtless, very light-skinned zombies, they will charge the survivor upon detection and upon getting close, will explode and release a cloud of poison, poisoning any survivors caught in the blast or cloud. The poison will briefly damage the survivor and greatly raise their infection level for a short time if they are afflicted. The poison can be cured with an Antiviral or a Herbal Antidote.

In the City zone, an Acid variant will start appearing. They have the same obese appearance, but their skin is more green tinted and have glowing green mutations similar to the Spitter. Unlike its predecessor, the Acid Burster will release a cloud of green acid.

Bursters will only drop Infected Blood Samples if they are killed before exploding. They are initially encountered in the Suburbs zone.

Stunned cgarger

A stunned charger.

Charger[]

Charger zombies are a zombie type in Aftermath. They have the appearance of a mutated hulking zombie sporting bulky arms and impaled with a log spike through their left thorax. Their main attack of choice is a charging attack, which can deal heavy damage if it lands and knock the player down for a significant time, rendering them immobile and extremely vulnerable. Conversely, if they charge into an obstacle, they will become stunned for a significant time, allowing the player to deal damage without fear of retaliation. If approached, they will throw two heavy punches with their bulky arms, lethal if they all connect. Another attack is a ground stomp, unleashing a short shockwave that knocks anything back within proximity, both zombies and survivors alike. They are found in the Mountain zone and onwards.

Beginning in the Hell zone, Chargers will be armored. Their armor is the toughest out of all other armored enemies and it can easily soak up a lot of bullets before breaking off. However, the armor can still be shattered with any melee weapon, charged unarmed punches, or fire damage. Breaking off the armor via melee will also cause the Charger to stagger back as each armor piece is broken, opening a chance for a retreat. Explosives weapons or the SR-110 can be used to pierce/bypass them. Otherwise, take careful hit-and-run tactics to slowly break off the armor. They have a fixed set of delay between each attacks. Take care not to keep attacking after their armor completely breaks; it will not wind them back and will immediately start to punch after recovering. It takes at least four melee hits to completely destroy their armor.

Leaper[]

Leaper zombies are a zombie type in Aftermath. These zombies are distinguished by being on all fours and blackened skin, making them difficult to discern in dim lighting such as night time. Their choice of attack is leaping onto an unsuspecting survivor and thrashing them on the ground, which can be knocked off. They have hit-and-run tactics and therefore will retreat briefly after leaping regardless of whether they land on the survivor or not. They are constantly in a prone, pouncing stance which make them harder to shoot from above. They are found in the Mountain zone and onwards.

Spitter[]

Spitter zombies are a zombie type in Aftermath. They are distinguished as tall female zombies with glowing green spots. They have the ability to spit acid at a distance with reasonable velocity, making them one of the few ranged zombies encountered. Like Leapers, they will retreat after performing their attack though they will try to stay within range of the survivor. They are found in the City zone and onwards.

Underwater[]

Zombies can appear underwater in Aftermath. Their locations are marked by conspicuous bubbles in flooded areas. Should a survivor approach them, they will immediately grab and attempt to bite them. Should they be broken off their grip, they'll quickly retreat underwater. They cannot be killed in any way.[confirmation needed] They are found in the City zone.

Charred[]

Charred zombies are a zombie type in Aftermath. They are near-skeletal zombies that have mutated to adapt to the burns they received and are heavily resistant to firearms due to their fire hardened skin and bones, though can be easily killed by melee attacks. They are found in the Hell zone.

Flamer[]

Flamer zombies are a zombie type in Aftermath. They are similar to charred zombies, but have active fire inside them and are slower. Any attacks inflicted will cause them to spew fire in a random direction, igniting anything unlucky enough to be caught by the embers. As such, melee combat is highly not recommended as this will inevitably cause the player to burn themselves to death. Like their smaller Charred variants, they are heavily resistant to firearm damage and will require a similar number of shots to be killed. Unlike the Charred, they are immune to fire damage as they are already constantly on fire. Upon dying, their volatile bodies explode in a fireball that sets a small area around it ablaze like a molotov. They are found in the Hell zone.

The Last Zombie[]

In Aftermath, the last zombie encountered at the end of the road possesses the same traits as most other zombie types in the game. It runs and attacks fast like a Runner zombie. Because of its speed, it must be dodged every single time. He also has attacks from Chargers; it can throw two punches and it can charge straight for a hard tackle. These two attacks are the only time he'll be vulnerable for an open shot. As dangerous as it seems, all its attacks actually deal normal damage and only has a little higher health than a standard Walker.

Special Events[]

In Dead Zone, zombies with unique appearances show up alongside regular zombies during special events and holidays. This is only cosmetic, and they behave exactly the same as regular zombies.

4th of July (American Independence Day)[]

All of these zombies wear a blue and gray short-sleeved shirt with stars and red stripes on it, red and white striped pants, beards, and a top hat similar to the ones seen in depictions of Uncle Sam. They behave the same as Walking zombies and only appear during Level 4+ missions.

Halloween[]

These zombies resemble regular zombies with normal bodies, but have Jack-o'-lantern heads, complete with glowing yellow eyes. They appear during hordes normally during Halloween 2012, while they only appear with the "Jack-o-Infected" Trick that might be obtained by opening a Treacherous Trick or Treat Trunk.

Evil Pumpkin Head (Halloween 2013)[]

Evil Pumpkin Head infected have Jack-o'-lantern heads with glowing red eyes and horns growing out of it. Their bodies appear to be Fat zombies with a unique blood-stained shirt and they are also larger than all other zombies. They are the target of the "Halloween Hunt!" Dead Zone task and begin appearing in Level 6+ hordes.

Berserker (Halloween 2015)[]

Special "berserker" zombies have red heads and sharp blades attached to their arms, and run very fast compared to other zombies. The blades vastly increases the damage they are able to deal, and also increases their effective range, making them formidable enemies for even heavily armored survivors. They are the target of the Mr.X's Horde community task. They start appearing in Level 4+ hordes, from South Trenton onward.[n 2]

A second variation was introduced on October 23, and are essentially berserkers clad in riot armor, sans the helmet. They cannot run, but have greatly increased durability compared to their standard counterparts.

Super Soldier (Halloween 2017)[]

Undead Super Soldiers wear an EXO suit, red-eyed gas masks, and gray uniforms. They run and attack very fast, rivaling the speed and lethality of Berserker zombies. They were added in the Undead Blitz Second Wave update and start appearing from Meadow View onward.

Z-Mas[]

Exploding Santa Zombie

An exploding Santa zombie.

These zombies include common depiction of Santa Claus, namely a white-bearded plump man in a red and white tunic, pants and hat. They behave exactly the same as Fat zombies and begin appearing in Level 6+ hordes.

In the Operation Whiteout update, Santa zombies with explosives strapped to them appeared. Their presence would be announced by the jingling of bells, and would explode once killed, potentially harming any survivor that was within the radius of the blast. Just like Exploding infected from Terror Dome, they can damage nearby infected with their explosion and their explosives will not detonate if killed with melee.

Reindog (Z-Mas 2015)[]

Reindog zombies are zombie dogs with antlers and a red, "Rudolph's" nose.

Criminal[]

Criminal zombies were introduced in the 2018 Outbreak update and consisted of zombies in orange jumpsuits and pants typically worn by prisoners. There are two variants: one wearing the full orange jumpsuit, with greatly increased damage and speed (similar to berserkers) and armed with shivs, making them very dangerous enemies; and a slower-moving zombie with orange pants and white tank tops that do not run, but deal considerable amounts of damage.

Trivia[]

  • Civilian zombies' clothing are randomly generated and can result in hundreds of different combinations.
  • Dog zombies in the first three games are always black-furred rottweilers, while Dead Zone introduced German Shepherds. More barking sounds were also added in the latter.
  • Infected soldiers in the first two games appear in plain green fatigues, while soldiers in Union City and Dead Zone wear desert variants. It is possible that the infected personnel in plain green fatigues are National Guard members and the desert variants are soldiers pulled out of the Middle East in response to the outbreak.

Notes[]

  1. The track that plays is similar to the one in Union City, although the number of musical elements is scaled to the difficulty of the horde attack; less severe hordes may include only the drums, while more dangerous hordes may have an electric guitar accompaniment.
  2. Berserkers in Level 4 missions appear to be glitched, missing their red heads, bladed arms, and their bodies, but run and attack like berserkers. (Image)

References[]

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