There are a ton of ways to perish in State of Decay 2, but one of the most horrific is by contracting the Blood Plague. Carried by special plague zombies, this infection can quickly get out of hand and lead to the death of afflicted survivors. While you can administer an antidote, one of the best ways to ensure the eradication of these ghouls is by destroying Plague Hearts. Like Infestations, Plague Hearts are areas with an overly high activity of plague zombies.
In order to clear the area, you will need to manually destroy the Plague Heart which is quite a tricky task. As you damage this heart more plague zombies will be called, so it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Here are a few tips for quickly destroying Plague Hearts without losing your survivor to the horde.
Pick the Right Gear
Taking on a Plague Heart can be a daunting task, even for State of Decay veterans. The location is rarely open, forcing you to sometimes fight in narrow corridors or small rooms. It also doesn’t help that the Plague Heart has a ton of health and will take some time to destroy. Because of this, it’s vital that you bring the right supplies to ensure success.
Here’s a quick checklist of items you should absolutely bring with you.
- 3 Stamina Restoring Items
- Bandages
- Painkillers
- Explosives or Firebombs
- 1 Pistol + Ammo
- 1 Shotgun/Rifle + Ammo
- Spare Melee Weapon
When going after a Plague Heart outfit your character with extra supplies to survive the fight. Do not run with a minimal amount of items as if you are going out to scavenge. Plan for your weapon to break mid-combat or a Juggernaut to stumble along during the chaos. Extra medical supplies are also recommended, especially bandages since bleeding wounds can be fatal if untreated in a fight.
Clear Your Workspace
Fighting a Plague Heart is messy and often very loud, so save yourself some headaches and clear the area first. While you can always count on some plague zombies roaming around the infected area, make sure to check other buildings too. If there is an Infestation or a horde nearby – deal with them first. If you do end up using a gun this will attract everyone around you, including those not called by the Plague Heart.
Take the extra time and slowly kill every zombie in the vicinity before you engage the Plague Heart. If this is not possible then consider bringing extra explosives and park your car close so you can quickly escape. Limiting the number of ghouls is one of the most important steps to surviving a Plague Heart encounter.
Bring a Friend
Whether you are playing online or alone, taking down a Plague Heart is much easier if you bring someone with you. While there is always a risk that someone will become infected, there is typically enough Plague Samples to make an antidote at the end of the encounter anyway. After a certain amount of damage is done to a Plague Heart it will release a shockwave that summons more infected to your position.
This is where having an extra person comes in handy as they can draw the aggro from infected zombies. When this happens you should have enough time to keep wailing on the Plague Heart until it’s destroyed. However, if your companion does need help, try to take the fight outside so you have more space to work with. Doing this also makes lining up a clean headshot far easier, especially if they are running at you in a swarm.
Use Fire and Explosives
One of the most effective ways of taking down a Plague Heart is by using explosives or fire. Even though State of Decay 2 doesn’t show the health of this being, bombs do cause significant damage. Try to always place the bomb right behind or next to the heart to ensure the full blast hits the organ. Make sure to use your explosives at the start of the encounter so you don’t mess up when the horde of zombies arrive.
As for firebombs, we found they are more useful for clearing out the hordes of infected that come knocking on your door. These can quickly kill entire groups of zombies and don’t cause a ton of noise in the process. If you do plan on using these, try to lure enemies into a confined space so they cannot escape the flames. Just make sure not to get yourself trapped in the process.
Don’t be Afraid to Use a Truck
This tip is more situational, but if you have the room sometimes just running al the enemies over with a truck is the best option. Almost any zombie can be instantly killed by just driving over them and plague zombies are no exception. So whenever the heart calls in reinforcements just run outside, get in your truck, and run their undead butts over. This can get a little complicated if you’re playing solo and the heart is in the middle of a large structure.
We recommend this tactic only if you have a player controlled ally, as it’s perhaps the quickest way to clear out all the dead. Just make sure to have a Toolkit handy to repair the car after all the damage is done. As for what vehicle to bring, make sure to bring a truck since most of State of Decay 2’s muscle cars are pretty weak.