Zombie

Zombies are former GATE employees and random civilians from Anteverse 23 who have been overtaken by IS-0102, a symbiotic agent originating in Anteverse 16 known as "The Love Potion". They appear throughout several zones including Cascade Laboratories, the Security Sector parking garage, the Furniture Store, the Hydroplant, and during Assault Events. Zombies function as basic hostile creatures whose presence and behavior shape early- to mid-game combat encounters.

Zombies move very slowly but can detect players through closed doors; they cannot open doors themselves. When a zombie finds a corpse while the player is out of sight, it will crouch and attempt to feed on the corpse. Zombies will attack any valid target within range, including the player. If a zombie latches onto the player it performs a bite attack that inflicts the Strange Virus debuff. Strange Virus is an incurable status that causes severe vomiting and dehydration and ultimately leads to death if not avoided; keeping distance from infected enemies is therefore essential.

Combat-wise, zombies are fragile and slow. A few melee strikes are generally sufficient to kill a standard zombie, and headshots with ranged weapons usually result in instant kills. They compensate for individual weakness by appearing in large numbers; concentrated groups, especially in confined spaces such as the Furniture Store, can become dangerous. Area-effect and chaining weapons are particularly effective: the Lightning Spear clears crowds by chaining lightning between zombies (two chained hits will eliminate a zombie), while the Laser Katana is highly effective due to its combination of range, wide arc, and high damage. Prioritize preventing latch/bite attacks to avoid contracting Strange Virus.

Loot and interactions vary by subtype and location. Harvestable drops include Human Skulls at a 100% rate. Zombies encountered in Cascade Laboratories and the Security Sector parking garage do not drop any items. Some zombies that spawn in the Furniture Store or during Assault Events may appear with cosmetic equipment such as hats or backpacks; killing a zombie while it is wearing one of these items causes the corresponding item to be dropped. Hydroplant Worker zombies are a tougher variant encountered in the Hydroplant: they have increased health values (80 head, 60 torso and limb), their melee attack inflicts an additional 20 damage, and Hydroplant Worker zombies also have unique guaranteed drops in their locale.

Practical points and tactics:

• Keep zombies at range whenever possible to avoid being latched and infected with Strange Virus.
• Use headshots or a few quick melee strikes to dispatch single zombies rapidly.
• Favor area-of-effect or chaining attacks (Lightning Spear) and wide-arc high-damage melee weapons (Laser Katana) when facing groups.
• Expect different loot and drop behaviors depending on location; some zones yield no drops while others provide guaranteed harvests.
• Be cautious when advancing through tight corridors or stores where large numbers can accumulate and overwhelm the player.