These are the views of the authors and are not endorsed or affiliated with HvZ Source or the Humans Vs Zombies organization.
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“Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
This Human Field Manual / Human Strategy Guide / Survival Guide was created to help Human HvZ players increase combat effectiveness on the battlefield.
For beginners we recommend reading at a minimum two sections; this section INTRODUCTION and Section I - VIGILANCE. For Human Leadership such as Fire Team or Squad Leaders, we recommend the entire manual. This is by no means definitive and is a work in progress, a living document.
1. WATER, SNACKS and BACKPACK
One thing we stress to all human players before we make any recommendations on weapons and other gear – carry some water and some snacks with you when you go on missions or participate in day games. Have some kind of backpack or bag to carry this stuff (and your darts, etc).Soldiers need to stay hydrated and can expend and lot of energy (and calories) during extended missions. Water, energy bars/candy bars and snacks can help keep your soldiers at peak combat effectiveness. You don’t want to be forced to cover each other at some drinking fountain during missions – or have sources of water become some zombie ambush location like lions stalking a water hole in a nature documentary. Bring water bottles and use hydration packs. Squad and Fire Team Leaders should carry 1-2 extra water bottles and some additional snacks; granola bars, candy bars, salty snacks. Check on the welfare of your team periodically and toss them some snacks as needed. We aren’t going for stamina here -- the sugar rush and energy just needs to last the duration of a mission or day game.
2. PRIMARY WEAPON
Choose a good primary blaster – your main weapon. There are a wide variety of blasters available, from small pistols to large clip fed blasters. We STRONGLY recommend a clip fed (or high ammo capacity) blaster for a primary weapon. Some players will try to get by with a pistol sized blaster like a Strongarm or Hammershot - and this may work early in the week or early in your game, but as the number of infected grows and confrontations include increasingly larger numbers of zeds, these small pistol blasters become completely inadequate. Even players extremely adept at dual wielding Hammershots find it extremely difficult to operate late in the game without a clip fed primary. Plan on a clip fed primary and possibly clip fed secondary. The investment is well worth it.
The definition of "best primary weapon" is subjective and based on personal opinion, and will change over time as new blasters are introduced; that being said, here are some key points to consider when selecting a Primary Weapon:
1) As of
2015-16, Choose Elite, Zombie Strike or Rebelle blasters over the older N-Strike
(Yellow) series.
These are much better performing in general. Check with your organizers for acceptable blaster types; for example do they allow Rival blasters? Do they allow modded blasters? These are important aspects to consider.
These are much better performing in general. Check with your organizers for acceptable blaster types; for example do they allow Rival blasters? Do they allow modded blasters? These are important aspects to consider.
2) Choose a
reliable blaster that doesn't jam too often.
Again this is subjective, can be based on personal opinion and can vary depending on the specific blaster. We aren't here to argue or debate the strengths or weaknesses of blasters -- Basically just choose one you feel you can rely on and are comfortable with.
Again this is subjective, can be based on personal opinion and can vary depending on the specific blaster. We aren't here to argue or debate the strengths or weaknesses of blasters -- Basically just choose one you feel you can rely on and are comfortable with.
3) Choose a
blaster that is relatively quick and easy to reload.
Most soldiers prefer clip fed blasters over multi-barreled blasters like the Rapid Fire AS-20 or Dart Tag Swarmfire. Again, this is subjective – choose a blaster you know you can reload quickly.
Most soldiers prefer clip fed blasters over multi-barreled blasters like the Rapid Fire AS-20 or Dart Tag Swarmfire. Again, this is subjective – choose a blaster you know you can reload quickly.
4) Practice
with this blaster until it becomes an extension of your body.
This is key and cannot be stressed enough. You should really play around and use your primary every chance you have prior to playing. Know it's flaws and weaknesses, know its strengths. Know when it’s prone to jam and how to clear it quickly. Practice with it until all movements and actions are second nature.
Way too many people don't practice and instead buy some blasters and darts and then simply assume they'll just naturally be an awesome human soldier. You'll die that way. Gear up with all your weapons on slings or however you intend to during the game. Don't wait until mission night to test out your gear. (Don't just put it on and look in the mirror - really get out there and use it) Wear it around for an hour or two and see what is comfortable and what isn't - what works and what doesn't. Become comfortable with the weight - and check efficient access to your weapons and ammo.
Practice using your primary with your friends every chance you get prior to the game -- take turns playing zombie, dodging shots and tagging. Practice reacting in a split second and hitting multiple targets. Shoot at moving targets, practice hitting from different ranges.
Your ultimate goal is to use your primary like you were born with it - know it like the back of your hand.
This is key and cannot be stressed enough. You should really play around and use your primary every chance you have prior to playing. Know it's flaws and weaknesses, know its strengths. Know when it’s prone to jam and how to clear it quickly. Practice with it until all movements and actions are second nature.
Way too many people don't practice and instead buy some blasters and darts and then simply assume they'll just naturally be an awesome human soldier. You'll die that way. Gear up with all your weapons on slings or however you intend to during the game. Don't wait until mission night to test out your gear. (Don't just put it on and look in the mirror - really get out there and use it) Wear it around for an hour or two and see what is comfortable and what isn't - what works and what doesn't. Become comfortable with the weight - and check efficient access to your weapons and ammo.
Practice using your primary with your friends every chance you get prior to the game -- take turns playing zombie, dodging shots and tagging. Practice reacting in a split second and hitting multiple targets. Shoot at moving targets, practice hitting from different ranges.
Your ultimate goal is to use your primary like you were born with it - know it like the back of your hand.
3. SECONDARY WEAPON / SIDEARM
A secondary weapon isn't required but highly recommended. Technically speaking a "secondary" is a backup primary weapon, while a pistol size blaster is a "sidearm". Some people prefer a secondary weapon on a sling, while some prefer a backup sidearm like a pistol - others prefer both. We recommend a clip fed blaster similar to a primary as a secondary weapon. Understandably not all players can afford this.
When selecting a secondary or sidearm, same thing as above – all the same points apply, plus a few more. Below are some things to consider when selecting a Secondary Weapon:
1) Your Secondary Should Function as a Primary When Called Upon
There will come a time when you will need to drop your primary when it’s jammed temporarily or your primary may fail completely and be useless for the entire duration of a mission - or - late in the game you won't have time to reload and need to switch to a loaded backup. This is the main purpose of your secondary - to act as a backup primary. This is the reason we don't recommend a pistol sized blaster as a secondary - it simply doesn't have the ammo capacity to take over in a primary role. Late in the game pistols become weapons of last resort.
There will come a time when you will need to drop your primary when it’s jammed temporarily or your primary may fail completely and be useless for the entire duration of a mission - or - late in the game you won't have time to reload and need to switch to a loaded backup. This is the main purpose of your secondary - to act as a backup primary. This is the reason we don't recommend a pistol sized blaster as a secondary - it simply doesn't have the ammo capacity to take over in a primary role. Late in the game pistols become weapons of last resort.
2) Choose a Weapon Type Similar to Your Primary
Select another Elite blaster to match your Elite primary. If using a Rival primary, choose a Rival secondary. This helps immensely with organizing reloads and ammo. You want to minimize fumbling between ammo types during combat.
Select another Elite blaster to match your Elite primary. If using a Rival primary, choose a Rival secondary. This helps immensely with organizing reloads and ammo. You want to minimize fumbling between ammo types during combat.
3) Choose a Secondary that is Easy and Comfortable to Carry
You don’t want a huge bulky secondary that is uncomfortable to carry. Optimally your secondary will be smaller than your primary and relatively light. For example if you have a Rapidstrike primary you might opt for a Stryfe secondary. If you prefer spring power and have a Rampage primary you may opt for a Elite AT secondary.
You don’t want a huge bulky secondary that is uncomfortable to carry. Optimally your secondary will be smaller than your primary and relatively light. For example if you have a Rapidstrike primary you might opt for a Stryfe secondary. If you prefer spring power and have a Rampage primary you may opt for a Elite AT secondary.
4. TERTIARY, QUATERNARY WEAPONS, ETC.
MELEE:
We highly recommend a cheap/generic Foam Melee blade as a weapon of last resort. These are excellent when/if you run out of ammo, and/or when all blasters jam or fail. They are also great when facing a horde rush. You can swing a cheap foam blade at short range targets a lot faster than you can shoot them. (Generic foam blades are also softer on your opponents - fancy rubberized blades can be a lot stiffer and hurt more. Keep this in mind.)
SOCK GRENADES:
Many players use traditional sock grenades to supplement their blaster loadout. These are (usually) readily available in large numbers, highly accurate and have relatively long range. Ball up your clean socks and wrap them in the middle with a rubber band or tape. Remember, the tighter the ball, the better the projectile. Store them in a pouch, cargo pocket or empty Tennis Ball Tubes, AKA "Pro Tubes". Some players are known to carry one sock grenade in their mouth or in their left hand as they grasp their blaster.
PISTOLS/SHOTGUNS/GRENADE LAUNCHERS:
You can also feel free to equip a fourth (quaternary) weapon such as a pistol blaster (sidearm) or specialized weapon like a Thunderblast or Roughcut – just keep in mind the overall weight load and mission fatigue, and if you really need the extra weapons during combat. In general you want your combat loadout to include only essential elements and be as light in total weight as possible.
NOTE ON LOAD-OUTS:
In HvZ, your loadout can change over the duration of a game - so there is no strict definition of what works best at all times. Early on you won't need as much firepower or ammo. Early in the week players might survive with just a pistol blaster and limited ammo. As the week progresses and the number of undead in each confrontation grows, players may find it is easier to switch to a loaded backup than to fumble with clips and reloads. It isn't uncommon in late missions or Last Stand / Final Stand to see players with three or more primary type weapons arrayed on slings. With this wide variation in mind adapt your loadout accordingly -- run light when you can, and run heavy when required.