Zombie Exodus Safe Haven (ZESH) Guides

General
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(Updated! 5-15-24 See below and the bottom)

Hey all,

I have posted a perfect game guide. Many of my decisions can be adapted to other roles so it is not limited to any background. JIMD has approved what I provided. It is mostly spoiler free!

It IS editable, (I have copies on my PC) so that WE as a community can improve it. If you change it please leave a change log note at the bottom for me (date/initials/change summary/explanation).

I’d like people to add their experiences with other builds/Backgrounds/romances to this guide as separate pages below the original. If you do so, I’ll change it to a guide of its own (it’s own google document) and save the link at the top as an option for someone who wants a similar guide for a different build. If you do so, please try to adapt your background/romance to the decisions in the guide to maximize everything that you can. Example: teenager/bank Robber/con artist starts and story additions that meld into and utilize the choices I used to maximize the story. Even flipping it to being evil would be fine as a SEPARATE guide addition.

This one plays as a honorable, humane, mostly honest, mostly calculated, strong leader. You can swap out the ranged skill for melee or hand to hand if you wish with no issues, however you may need to tinker with the attributes.

It collects everyone you can with high opinion/morale/allegiance and maximizes the gathering of supplies/equipment/information/story. I also have a skill/attribute calculator, a sample calculator, and the info on survivor stats. I also have a list of weapons and clothing and their effects. I have found these things combined with stat checks from the code to make building characters much easier and less soul crushing than constantly restarting and rebuilding.

I am a beta tester for part 3 but have NOT included or knowingly prepared for anything in part 3. Things will likely adapt to new releases but here it is.

Please share your thoughts or questions on it here or pm! Also Jim’s Facebook group for ZESH is always kicking and usually much quicker and lively with posts and comments including from the author and his team!

ZESH comms

Guide (Updated for Editing)

Google Sheet Calculator (Updated for Editing)
To those that have used my guide:

Have you tried the beta for chapters 8 and 9? (Makes you more informed on suggestions)

Are you a patreon supporter of Jim’s? (Makes you more informed on suggestions)

What would you like to see changed in the guide?

Do you agree that the decisions in the guide are optimal overall?

Do you understand and use the Google sheets calculators for character building or research samples?

What would you like to be added or taken away to the guide?

How willing are you to help build the future versions of the guide?

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Let me know about what? The additions I asked for?

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I have updated for 2.2. We have one item left to write as as a pathway for the guide and that’s the pharmacy (waiting on update due to bugs) and gas station (completed) instead of the melee training and training of the group in Chapter 7.

Edit: now that we have it easy with all specimen collecting, we also have to figure out the best order to collect specimens to maximize research. Once we have an updated list of how much each sample gives us for 1st through 3rd or 4th specimens, we can compare the numbers with say avoiding all brainstem samples until the living zombie at the camp during the scouting mission and then doing the second and third brainstem samples after that.

The reason is there is a .15 bonus for living samples and it’s really only effective if it’s a first time sample, but We’ll have to run the numbers and compare that gain to any losses we take from each consecutive sample.

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For building a SurvNet Server, you marked down that I need a Heavy Battery. In the crafting menu, it states that I need a Solar Panel or 4 Normal Batteries. It states that on the newest version of Zombie Exodus Safe Haven on the Choice of Games app. Can you update your guide for this change?

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Just try this game thank you for this guide

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Yep Jim definitely changed that up on me.

The guide is open source so you can make the change where you think best. I would still craft or scavenge heavy batteries where mentioned because they are a quick instant way to recharge things and also make a good relationship boost when charging Someone’s iPod.

Thanks for the heads up though!

Edit: plus a heavy battery if scavenged is worth 4 batteries plus water and electrical parts. If built it costs more to make than anything with 4 batteries so you have to find a balance in order to have batteries available elsewhere.

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No problem, I hope it was easy to follow! If not let me know or do what you can to make it better. It’s open source!

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Maybe if something need to improve is the guide need to explain how many we need to take the item that being written in the guide.

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This might be a little too much, but can you add an estimate of the stats for certain actions.
Ex: When raiding thelmas, how much persuasion was needed to get everything for $1000(since I’ve only been able to get things for $1500).
Or
When getting the specimens for the virus research. How much medicine is needed for the different specimens.(I’ve sometimes needed med to be in the 70’s to get the brain fluid)

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@Bahamuht
Sure I can add stat checks at some point. Most likely after Jim updates the game to fix a bunch of bugs (because then I’ll be interested again). Until then you can check the code yourself, I listed the link to the code in the guide. If your up to it add in what you want to the guide! It’s open source so you can edit it too!

As to the zombie samples use the zombie calculator in the excel sheet I also list at the top of the guide. Science is the primary stat for collection, medical reduces difficulty, and success chance varies per those stats, stress and zombie difficulty. I listed a short explanation in it but if you need more look at the code for zombie specimen collection in the events file.

If you follow my stats build you shouldn’t need to worry about anything and get it be able to do anything and pretty much everything. The only variances are if you focus on melee or hand to hand combat and make crazy driver moves.

@Zen1
I list essential items to take and how many, and leave the rest up to you based on your future goals and choices. It’s no fun if you only play the game how I play it!

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Ah so that’s why it’s not listed. I thought you forget about it hehe

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Can I play ZE:SH if I didn’t read the first one?? I think I did read something about the two games are different (story, MC, etc). It seems like this book is way better than the first one and there will be a direct sequel to this game (Safe Haven).

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Yes you can play Safe Haven if you haven’t played the first one. It’s in a completely different location and takes place in the same universe but is not a sequel. Also where did you hear that there will be a a sequel to Safe Haven? If you’re talking about Zombie exodus: Deadzone that’s not a sequel it’s just another story that takes place in the same universe, only thing different is that it takes place 5 years after the initial outbreak as opposed to Safe haven which is right at the beginning. Or are you talking about the parts in Safe haven that are still being worked on?

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Thanks for the quick response.

When I was searching in the forums, probably I did misread the posts :sweat_smile:

Anyway, thanks for answering my question :blush:

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So is anyone know and can tell me how to get threesome in the game?.

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Romance Jill or Gina. Get close to both of them. Once u set up a tent, one of them should come, and the other will soon follow.

I got this eventhough I was just romancing Jill and didn’t flirt with Gina. I guess having her approval high enough is sufficient.

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If I play using all stats and skill point boost (from loading ZE save file and buying additionals), is it possible to BOTH research the virus AND play the hacker route (surv net)? Or is it still better to focus on one route?

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You can definitely do both, they both need high intelligence. And since you are out scavenging alot for survnet parts it’s easy to get specimen samples. Though this will leave you with very little time to craft or build defenses or to recruit on day 2.
But I did manage to get everyone recruited , read all the files and contact Deter, placed the survnet, and get something like 8 specimens. Its easier to do both in chapter 2.

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Yep totally doable. My guide will wake you through it.

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The trick to the time management for crafting is to craft at the end of the day and either not sleep or get very little sleep and you balance the sleep with taking advantage of snacks coffee candy soda, smoke and drink alcohol.

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