Zombies
/zombies
Zombies: how to get them, reanimate them and put them to work
Your first two workers, reanimation on Envy, collars and red skulls, tools, and the zombie limit.
Zombies are the Keeper's free labour. They work stations and furnaces, run the factory's conveyor lines, supply other workers and fight in the Town's battles. You get your first ones from the Plague Doctor, and most of the rest are corpses you bring back yourself - on Envy, in the Resurrection Lab.
- Envy
- Resurrection day
- 3
- Zombie collars
- 56
- Zombie perks
- 5
- Masteries a zombie can learn
Zombies can craft items that you queue up at workbenches and furnaces. They can only follow recipes that match their talent level. Increase a zombie's talent by giving it better tools or by unlocking new talent points. Unlock talents using the Tech Points that zombies earn while crafting. If a zombie stands idle at a station, hand it the right tool before anything else.
From corpse to worker
- 1
Get your first zombies from Albert
Bring Dream Dust to the Plague Doctor in Sweet Dreams. The zombie tutorial that follows gives you your first two workers. Dream Dust is an alchemy powder, also sold by the Alchemist.
- 2
Prepare a corpse with red skulls
For zombies, more red skulls and fewer white skulls is better. Each red skull on the corpse becomes one perk slot on the zombie. Remove organs at the autopsy table or embalm the body to change its skulls.
- 3
Load the Resurrection Table
Place a corpse on the table with Reanimation Liquid, Faith, and a Zombie Collar. The collar must fit the corpse: a Bronze collar takes up to 5 red skulls, a Golden one up to 10, a Steel one any number.
- 4
Throw the switch on Envy
During Envy the room is powered. Use the Resurrection Device to bring zombies back to life. Miss it and the next chance is a week later.
- 5
Give it a job and a tool
Zombie suppliers deliver needed items to workstation zombies, and load items onto workbenches for auto-crafting. For zombies to operate automatically, build a Zombie Supply Station in the area, and assign a Zombie Supplier to the station.
Collars, tools, limits and squads
A collar caps how many red skulls the corpse on the table may have. The Jeweler sells all three, and the Jewelry Table makes them from an ingot, a Blue Crystal from the Goddess of Nature and Faith.
Bronze Zombie Collar
Corpses with up to 5 red skulls -Jewelry Table: 1 Bronze Ingot, 1 Blue Crystal and 3 Faith - worth 1 silver
Golden Zombie Collar
Corpses with up to 10 red skulls -Jewelry Table: 1 Golden ingot, 1 Blue Crystal and 5 Faith - worth 10 silver
Steel Zombie Collar
Corpses with any number of red skulls -Jewelry Table: 1 Steel Ingot, 1 Blue Crystal and 10 Faith - worth 90 silver
Reanimation Liquid is the other consumable: Gunter and Alchemist sell it (worth 7 silver), or brew it from 1 Alcohol and 1 Catalyst.
A zombie has the same five masteries you do. Its level decides which recipes it may follow, and a tool in its hands raises the matching mastery. Zombies also earn their own tech points while they craft, which unlock their talents and perks.
Building tools raise the Building mastery of whoever holds them, you or a zombie.
Rusty Axe
+1 Building - worth 10 bronze
Rusty Pickaxe
+1 Building - worth 10 bronze
Bronze Axe
+2 Building - worth 1 silver 50 bronze
Bronze Pickaxe
+2 Building - worth 1 silver 50 bronze
Iron Axe
+4 Building - worth 10 silver
Iron Pickaxe
+4 Building - worth 10 silver
Steel Axe
+6 Building - worth 1 gold 20 silver
Steel Pickaxe
+6 Building - worth 1 gold 20 silver
Smithing tools raise the Smithing mastery of whoever holds them, you or a zombie.
Rusty Hammer
+1 Smithing - worth 10 bronze
Bronze tools
+1 Smithing - worth 1 silver 50 bronze
Bronze Hammer
+2 Smithing - worth 1 silver 75 bronze
Iron tools
+2 Smithing - worth 20 silver
Iron Hammer
+4 Smithing - worth 15 silver
Steel tools
+4 Smithing - worth 2 gold 50 silver
Steel Hammer
+6 Smithing - worth 1 gold 20 silver
Farming tools raise the Farming mastery of whoever holds them, you or a zombie.
Rusty Shovel
+1 Farming - worth 10 bronze
Basic Rod
+1 Farming - worth 20 bronze
Bronze Shovel
+2 Farming - worth 1 silver 60 bronze
Amateur Rod
+2 Farming - worth 1 silver
Iron Shovel
+4 Farming - worth 17 silver 50 bronze
Advanced Rod
+4 Farming - worth 5 silver
Steel Shovel
+6 Farming - worth 1 gold 45 silver
Pro Rod
+6 Farming - worth 1 gold
Master Rod
+8 Farming
Book writing tools raise the Book writing mastery of whoever holds them, you or a zombie.
Anatomy tools raise the Anatomy mastery of whoever holds them, you or a zombie.
There's a limit to how many zombies you can have. To create more zombies, use the PR Machine. Exceeding the zombie limit will give you a debuff until the limit is met.
- Excessive zombies
- You have too many zombies, and it's creeping people out. Your sermons are less effective.
- Raise the limit
- Place Newspapers and Charged Hypno Devices on the PR Machine every Gluttony to increase the limit for the week.
What each PR Machine program adds to the zombie limit, for how long, and what it takes.
| Limit | Lasts | Load | Needs at least |
|---|---|---|---|
| +10 | 1 week | 2 Charged hypno-device | PR Machine I |
| +20 | 2 weeks | 10 Newspaper (any grade) and 3 Charged hypno-device | PR Machine II |
| +30 | 3 weeks | 20 Newspaper (silver or gold) and 5 Charged hypno-device | PR Machine III |
| +50 | 4 weeks | 100 Newspaper (silver or gold) | PR Machine IV |
| +80 | 5 weeks | 100 Newspaper (gold) | PR Machine V |
Upgrading the PR Machine unlocks the longer programs.
| Upgrade | Materials |
|---|---|
| Upgrade PR Machine I | 10 Oiled Plank and 8 Iron Detail |
| Upgrade PR Machine II | 6 Wooden beam and 8 Advanced Detail |
| Upgrade PR Machine III | 6 Wooden Joint and 8 Steel Detail |
| Upgrade PR Machine IV | 10 Carved Wood and 8 Engineering Details |
Factory workstations need zombies to work, and must be linked by conveyor belts. Factory power limits your Factory's capacity. Operate more Carousels to increase it.
The Zombie Stone Quarry, Zombie Marble Quarry, Zombie Miner and Lumberjack stand produce Stone, Marble, Iron Ore and Logs with no ingredients at all - a steady supply once they are staffed.
To unlock a Squad Slot, talk to Battle Ram in the Barracks. To form a squad, bring zombies to the Barracks and put them in a Squad Slot. Zombies only fight if equipped with armor and a pike or bow. The better your zombies' equipment, the higher the squad power.
Zombies have 56 perks of their own. Every red skull the zombie was raised with opens one perk slot, and the Tech Points it earns at work buy them.
Zombie questions
Why is my zombie not working?
Three usual causes. Its mastery is too low for the recipe you queued - give it a better tool for that mastery. Nobody brings it materials - build a Zombie Supply Station in the area and assign a supplier. Or, in the factory, its station is not linked to the others by conveyor belts.
How do I get more zombies?
Raise them yourself on Envy from corpses you prepare, and keep your zombie limit ahead of your count: once you are over it, the Excessive zombies debuff makes every sermon pay less Faith and fewer coins. Load the PR Machine on Gluttony to raise the limit.
Which corpse makes the best zombie?
The one with the most red skulls and the fewest white ones - the opposite of what you want in a grave. Each red skull is one more perk slot. Check that your collar covers the corpse's red skulls before Envy.
What is the Personal Zombie Zone quest asking for?
Albert wants a zombie raised from a corpse with 8 red skulls. The quest hands you two Golden collars and two Reanimation Liquids for it - a Bronze collar stops at 5 red skulls, so it would not do.
Keep reading
Beginner's guide
Your first week: what to unlock first, where points come from, and the habits that save you days.
The six-day week
Gluttony to Wrath: which event happens on which day, and what to prepare the day before.
Graveyard quality
How skulls and laurels score a grave, every headstone and decoration, and what the score pays.
Energy and insanity
What drains you, what restores you, and every food and drink ranked by what it gives.
Money and trading
Coins, trader purses, town orders on Pride, happiness caps and the ways to earn.
Tech points
Red, green and blue points: what the tree costs, and the fastest ways to earn each colour.
FAQ
Straight answers to the questions new Keepers ask most.
Pre-order bonus
Where to find the Sauna and the platform outfit, and what they do.