Microsoft's zombie survival game State of Decay 2 has finally hit store shelves, giving players their own chance to survive in the zombie apocalypse. Dropped into a world ravished by infection, there's a lot to manage between combat, resource management, and base operations. Weapons are a major component of this, forming your line of defense against ravenous hordes.

With deep mechanics for obtaining, maintaining and upgrading your armaments, you'll need to stay on top of them to survive. Here's what you should know about State of Decay 2's weapons and their associated systems.

State of Decay 2 beginner's guide: Exploration, base building, and survival

Choosing weapons in State of Decay 2

Like its predecessor, weapons are a valuable commodity in State of Decay 2. It's not the case of picking up a machine gun and going zombie slaying – you'll need to work for weapons and maintain them with limited resources.

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State of Decay 2's sandbox contains a variety of choices, including melee weapons, pistols, rifles, shotguns and more. These can be found on the game's maps or crafted with collected supplies. Alongside weapons themselves, the correct ammunition type must be scavenged or crafted.

Multiple variants of the weapons can also be found or crafted in State of Decay 2. Different alternatives of the same weapon can bear varying statistic rolls, altering how they behave.

Each of the game's firearms is rated by seven attributes – power, accuracy, control, max durability, fire rate, range, and quietness. These statistics determine a weapon's capabilities, as well as additional traits such as long-term durability and how loud they fire. Melee weapons are ranked similarly, by impact, dismember, lethality, speed, max durability, knockdown, quietness and ease of use.

Upgrading weapons in State of Decay 2

After obtaining weapons, modifications can be applied to upgrade performance beyond their original state. However, unlike many popular shooters with weapon customization, your options are limited.

Magazines, sights, and grips are all tied exclusively to weapon variants and can't be attached and detached on the fly. While the AK-47, "Raider's AK-47" and "Prepper's AK-47" are similar, their fixed modifications create different handling.

Many of State of Decay 2's weapons also support muzzle attachments, which are the only modification that can be freely switched. If a weapon supports these, attachments like suppressors, flash hiders, and compensators can be equipped. Weapons deteriorate over time though muzzle attachments don't break like the first game.

Weapon crafting, repairs and more in State of Decay 2

The weapons you own are key to success, but your base plays a major role in arming survivors too. As a part of the game's base building mechanics, several facilities aid in the creation and repair of equipment.

Workshops are an essential installation for any base, providing a location for weapons repair and salvage for parts. Explosives can also be crafted here, including throwable bombs, incendiaries, placed charges, and decoys.

Forges expand your base's capabilities with metalwork, helping in the creation of new melee weapons. These facilities can also be used to convert raw materials into parts or break down existing parts.

Armories allow for the creation of different ammunition types from raw parts. Military-grade explosives can also be created with these, unlocking access to some of the game's top-tier equipment.

Finally, shooting ranges have also been confirmed for State of Decay 2. Once constructed, the shooting skills of your survivors can be improved by training on the range.

Updated May 20, 2018: Updated following the launch of State of Decay 2.

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