All of the achievement instructions in my guide were written before pc controls were optimized. I apologize for that.

Do note however that there is an excellent guide on steam written by ORYG1N with all of the PC controls displayed on a convenient image.

http://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=181084992&

This section lists the achievements that are gained by playing through the 5 achievement-related storylines in the game.

I highly suggest completing all the other storyline's first before going through with the last 3 missions in the Army storyline.

These storylines are as follows:

• Introduction Storyline
  
• Courthouse Storyline
  
• Wilkerson Storyline
  
• The Grange Storyline
  
• Army Storyline

The Army Storyline's last 3 missions are the final missions in the game. For more information, visit the wiki link below.

http://stateofdecay.wikia.com/wiki/Walkthrough

Now for the achievements...

These 2 achievements are unmissable and are tied to the Introduction Storyline. One is for reaching the first objective and the other is for finding the next playable area.


This achievement is obtained on the final Wilkerson mission. A member of their group will come uninvited to your base and ask for your assistance as a neutral observer in an arms deal. Just follow everything they ask and leave once Job asks you to. After that, the survivors you picked up get killed.

The achievement pops up once you leave the vicinity of the arms deal. Note that it's possible to miss this achievement if you take Lily's advice and refuse to work with the Wilkersons.


This achievement is from the final mission in the Courthouse storyline. It is advised to complete this mission as soon as it appears as there are some factors that can cause it to expire (and render you unable to obtain the achievement until a new playthrough). One example would be that starting the 3rd last mission on the Army storyline will prevent you from completing the last Courthouse mission afterwards.


This achievement is from the final mission of The Grange storyline. Quentin will ask you to look into Becca's history. Once you get the desired information, you will have the option to either tell Quentin about it or tell him to let the past go.

If you say YES, it will take longer to get the achievement. You will have to rescue Quentin at a later date before it unlocks. This makes it easier to possibly miss the achievement.

If you say NO, the quest will end earlier and you will get the achievement. I recommend saying NO for the sake of saving time.


Consider these 2 achievements the point of no return. It Was Just a Police Action is when the Sergeant takes you to the fairgrounds and Survivor is for completing the final mission. Make sure you are well-equipped for both of these missions (medicine, food, guns, ammo) because dying here can result in some inconveniences as far as unlocking the achievement is concerned.

The following achievements are gained for wiping out 5 infestations and 10 zombie herds in one actual day.


The best advice I can give to do these is to let zombie herds roam freely for a while. Infestations happen naturally in undefended areas so having outposts will be counterproductive to getting this achievement.

I manged to gather 3 infestations in one area just by avoiding certain parts of the Church vicinity.



If you find yourself in need of a few more infestations, just survey the area and drive further away from your base. Chances are that some areas will be overrun with zombies already so finding an infestation won't be too bad.

As far as zombie herds go, they spawn much more frequently. It's easy to spot enough zombie herds within an hour or two just by taking long drives in areas without outposts/protection.

The next 2 achievements are for hunting down all of the special zombie types. These can easily be done together through frequent use of a car.


The following special zombie types are:

• Feral (can rip you in half when downed; very agile)
  
• Screamer (can stun you regulary with screams; easy to knock down)
  
• SWAT (armored; nothing special)
  
• Big One (vulnerable after MANY strikes OR after ramming into an object)
  
• Bloated (spreads poison on death)

All of these zombies can be easily killed while on a car except for the Big One/Juggernaut.

When running over a Bloated zombie, get out of the car afterwards to avoid poison damage.

Whenever you hit a Big One with a car, the end that hits it will have its tires blown. Your car also takes significant damage after impact. Prepare to sacrifice a car if you want the vehicle kill achievement.


To get this achievement, you need:

• A propane tank
  
• A gun with ammuntion
  
• Distraction item (ideally firecrackers)

Propane tanks are scattered all over the area and they are usually found attached to some structure.

Once you have found one that has at least 3 zombies in the area, throw firecrackers as close to the propane tank as you can. The zombies will ignore you for the duration of the firecrackers and you are free to shoot out the tank for a quick and easy achievement.



If you don't have distraction items, you can also make noise using a car horn by pressing down on the left analogue stick. The disadvantage with doing this is that it can destroy the car and the zombies won't ignore you.


Hold x (on the 360 controller) to open the door. Line it up against a zombie and accelerate. Think of it as jousting.



Self-explanatory achievement.

Take note that workshops slowly repair cars within a base's parking spot. Running zombies over in reverse also increases the lifespan of your vehicle.


Marcus and any other powerhouse specialist can buy the double kill skill after maxing out powerhouse. Once you have it, press LB+B to counter 2 zombies for a double kill.

This achievement requires you to have a decent supply of construction materials. You simply need to eventually build every type of facility. You do not need them all built at the same base. The achievement will unlock as long as you get to build everything at least once in the same playthrough. Click here for a list of facilities.[stateofdecay.wikia.com]


These 2 achievements are MUCH easier than building all facilities because the only resources you need are influence and time (cooldown). Just keep in mind that you have to fully search a building before you can turn it into an outpost.

Take note that only the Snyder Depot and County Fairgrounds can accommodate 8 outposts.


Early into the game you will be asked to survey the area using a water tower. Completing this activity nets you the achievement.




You are first introduced to diversions when you go to save Lily's brother. Use the firecrackers to unlock the achievement.

Throughout the game you will randomly be given these types of missions. Alternatively, you can use a car horn instead of firecrackers as a more controlled way of getting the achievement. While in a vehicle, press on the left analogue stick to use the horn.


Sometime during the middle of the game one of your community members will get sick (story-driven). As a result they will want you to end their life so that they don't turn. Make sure to use a gun when you do this.



If you don't get the oppotunity to do this via the story's scenario, another chance will pop up when one of your non-canon community members get sick. A 'Mercy Shot' quest can trigger (the same type that happens in the story) and shooting any sick member will also count towards the achievement.


There is a story mission that gives you the chance to recruit an enclave's leader to your group. If for some reason you are not able to do this, you will have to earn the trust of any neighbors you encounter. Once you have earned their trust, an option to recruit them should become available. Keep in mind that these neighbors can die off if the area is overrun or lacking in defenses.


First off, remember that MISSING people don't count. You will have to rescue them first if you want them in the equation. If you don't want to lose people, build more outposts and improve living conditions (energy/health/relations/etc).

There are a few ways to recruit more people. One is through convincing enclaves to join by earning their trust. You can also use the radio to offer shelter to survivors. In the event that an enclave dies off, there is a chance that one of their members may survive and join you.


This is easily done by opening up the skill window (RB while in character details) and purchasing a skill.

You can purchase a skill once you meet the requirements to do so. Sometimes it's a certain level of Powerhouse/Fighting/etc and sometimes you have to max it out.

In Marcus' case it was to max out powerhouse and purchase the special skill 'Double Kill'.

This can be combined with the 'Double Dead' achievement for 2 quick achievements.




Eventually you will want to relocate your base of operations. The story quests occurr all over the 4 areas of the map so you will want to relocate once most of the Church area quests are done. I recommend the Snyder Depot base since it can hold 8 outposts, 4 cars, and a decent amount of facilities.


Badass is self-explanatory. You'll easily get while actively completing Lily's tasks (save allies, protect your base, etc) and going for other achievements.

Earning 500 fame will come naturally if you are going for all achievements. Fame is gained when you complete story (not side) missions. Fame is also gained when your character levels up in his stats and his weapon specialization. Having multiple characters with high statistics (from training them personally) will help a lot in gaining 500 fame.


You get cardio experience whenever you hold LB to sprint. It's a straightforward achievement that you can get early if you tone down on vehicle usage for short distances. Additionally, you can use certain meds and food to boost and regenerate stamina.

I strongly recommend doing these next 2 achievements on a different playthrough.


To unlock Ya Always Were An A-Hole Gorman, simply have an explosive type item in your inventory (grenade/firebomb/petrol bomb). Equip it using the left and/or right button on the DPAD. Once you go down, keep pressing RB to ensure that the explosive goes off. See the video below for clarification.


Torn Apart is achieved by dying a regular death (or by dying to a feral zombie). Just travel alone and get yourself mobbed by several zombies. You will eventually get torn apart and unlock the achievement.

Image captured from AStats. Visit their group page for more information: http://sp.zhabite.com/groups/AStats

(achievement descriptions)


(use Ctrl+F to search)

The following list goes from level 1 to 6 (not counting The Rescuer).


Level 1 - The Sacrifice - See Ya Always Were An A-Hole Gorman achievement for more info.


Level 2 - The Dead Man - Special Infected spawn ratio (special:normal zombies) increase the higher your breakdown level. If you're not having luck with bloater spawns then try again on a higher difficulty.


Level 3 - The Judge - Zombie executions can only be performed on downed state (keenling, laying down, against a wall) zombies.


Level 4 - The Survivor - Self-explanatory. Remember that dropping rucksacks will leave a marker on the map.


Level 5 - The Mercenary - Juggernauts also become more frequent on higher breakdown levels. Check out the wiki page for the Juggernaut[stateofdecay.wikia.com] for general advice on killing one. Some of the comments on that page are quite useful.


Level 5 - The Ninja - Stealth kills are performed by sneaking up on zombies by crouching and using brush to conceal yourself. You have to be out of their line of sight for this to work. The Ninja specialization helps a ton when trying for stealth kills.


Level 6 - The Scientist - Self-explanatory. Gained for reaching level 6.


The Rescuer - Gained for unlocking all heroes. Here is a full list[stateofdecay.wikia.com] brought to you by the wiki.

---

For those of you trying to get 'The Rescuer', here are some of the more problematic heroes to unlock (either from bugs or other factors):

• The Scholar - This can be problematic due to a bug preventing the research of chemical incendiaries related to a medical lab and a munitions shop while at the Snyder Trucking Warehouse. I got past this by doing my research on the next breakdown level while residing in the Savini Residence.
  
• The Killer - It can be a bit tough to get this since you'll have to play terribly in order to get to a mercy shot mission. I suggest depleting medical resources and not having any medical professionals around. Standing in rotter gas also helps infect a survivor with sickness. Once you find a gravely-ill survivor who is away from home, have them check in to go home and then Lily will USUALLY give a mercy shot mission. Check out this VERY USEFUL wiki discussion thread[stateofdecay.wikia.com] for other user testimonies on how to obtain this challenge hero.
  
• The Phoenix - I've read posts from a few months ago mentioning that outposts worked towards this challenge but I tested it recently and found that they didn't count. Just do it the regular way with chemical incendiaries. EDIT: I've been told that outposts work now!
  
• The Gardener - It seems that this challenge is still partially bugged. So far I've only managed to have the first set of crops count towards the challenge. After that I destroyed my gardens and rebuilt them. Several people have suggested just leaving the game for a lot longer after building the garden so the first set of crops counted (after a real day or two) count over 10. You'll have an easier time understanding the problems related to this challenge if you read this thread[forums.undeadlabs.com].

It can be tough completing several of these breakdown challenges and achievements especially if you are a returning SoD player who has lost their edge. I suggest reading up on just Axiom's Breakdown Survival guide to prepare yourself for the DLC!

http://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=203472028

http://sp.zhabite.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=266646074