Alien Swarm Reactive Drop – Infection Guide and Tips

A new game mode called Infection was added to the game on December 1st, 2023. This means you can now play Infection on any server.

In this game mode, there are two teams: the Human Team and the Zombie Team. The Human Team wins by staying alive against the zombies until the time runs out. Por outro lado, the Zombie Team wins by infecting all humans before the time runs out.

Agora, let’s take a closer look at the mechanics of this game mode as we explore the details in this guide.

How to Enable this Game Mode

For Infection to start, there should already be an active Deathmatch game in the lobby. The Lobby Leader plays a crucial role in initiating Infection. They need to open the map tab and activate Infection through the Challenges option.

Once the conditions are set, the game begins right away when at least two players are ready. The script will attempt to automatically switch the ruleset to Team Deathmatch, but if it doesn’t happen promptly, you might need to do it manually. Infection mode relies on Team Deathmatch rules, so it’s essential to ensure the correct ruleset for a smooth gaming experience.

The Zombies

The Zombie Team emerges victorious by infecting all humans before time runs out. Agora, let’s delve into the details of their capabilities.

Saúde: Zombies wield a health pool that is 20 times their regular marine counterparts. Por exemplo, Sarge, normally with 140 base HP, now boasts a maximum health of 2800, while Wildcat, with a base of 1600, reaches a maximum of 3200 as a zombie. Prime Zombies, even more formidable, have a max HP of 40 times their base, so Wildcat as a Prime Zombie hits 3200 HP máximo.

Ataques: Zombies deploy three types of attacks. Primeiramente, they use chainsaws attached to their limbs to immediately infect and transform humans into fellow zombies. Em segundo lugar, they employ physical melee attacks that cause damage instead of infection. This attack can instantly kill humans without Last Stand activated. Em terceiro lugar, zombies possess special hand grenades that regenerate over time. While these grenades don’t inflict lethal damage, they create knockbacks, disrupting human positions effectively.

Prime Zombies: Prime Zombies, an enhanced variant, boast a larger health pool than normal zombies. Adicionalmente, they possess a shield that swiftly regenerates after a short period of not taking damage. This shield is equivalent to 10% of their own health. Por exemplo, Wildcat’s shield has a max HP of 320. The shield absorbs excessive damage, ensuring survival even after taking a hit that would break the shield. Prime Zombies’ grenades also regenerate at an accelerated rate compared to normal zombies.

No início de cada rodada, one or two players (if the lobby is large enough) become Prime Zombies. They act as the source of infection and the only way for new zombies to spawn.

Grenade Jump: Zumbis’ special hand grenades not only launch humans but also propel the grenade thrower (cannot launch fellow zombies). Esta habilidade, known as grenade-jumping, adds an effective tool to the zombies’ arsenal.

The Humans

The Human Team secures victory by outlasting the zombies until the designated time elapses. Let’s explore the details of their abilities and strategies.

Saúde: Humans wield a health pool that is 10 times that of their standard marines. While this might not seem significant against various threats, it provides resilience against damage sources other than zombies’ infection and melee attacks, making humans less fragile.

Ataques: Humanos’ offensive capabilities manifest in creating knockbacks against zombies. The force of these knockbacks directly corresponds to the damage dealt, serving as the primary method of human self-defense.

Marine Stats: Marine stats play a crucial role, particularly in health. Bonuses from marine stats can result in significant differences in health points. Notavelmente, all marines share the same speed in this game mode, rendering speed bonuses, like Wildcat’s, irrelevant. An exception lies in Medics’ exclusive skills, although their healing weapons are currently inaccessible. Plans are in place to address this.

Last Stand Mode: When the lobby boasts more than 4 active players, Last Stand mode becomes available to the last surviving humans. Activated via the melee key prompt, Last Stand mode strips humans of their weapons (excluding offhand equipment) and equips them with a chainsaw. Humans in this mode are immune to infection.

Além disso, activating Last Stand provides a bonus maximum health scaling with the number of existing zombies in the match. Esse, in conjunction with the impact of marines’ health bonus skill, means humans become sturdier when facing more zombies.

The Chainsaws: Chainsaws wield significantly greater damage in this game mode, boasting enough DPS to dispatch any zombie rapidly, although not sufficient for a one-hit kill on full-health zombies. While not exclusive to Last Stand mode, utilizing chainsaws becomes safer in this mode as humans are immune to infection during Last Stand.

About Official DM Maps

Let’s take a look at the edited maps influenced by the Infection game mode.

DM Desert (Edited by Infection): Originally balanced, but there’s a concern that it might be too compact for larger lobbies under the influence of Infection.

DM Deima Surface Bridge (Edited by Infection): This map, initially spacious with ample potential, undergoes changes under the Infection influence. No entanto, its complexity might pose challenges for players unfamiliar with the map.

DM Residential: This map is deemed unsuitable for Infection gameplay due to limited space, making it not recommended for this game mode.

DM Test Lab: A straightforward map with no significant environmental advantages for holdouts. This simplicity places a high demand on strong cooperation among humans for survival in the Infection game mode.

Scoring

Let’s break down how the scoring system operates, even though it doesn’t directly affect the gameplay.

• A kill grants a point to the player, following the conventional scoring mechanism.
• An infection scores a point for the zombie, reflecting their successful transformation of a human.
• Humans who successfully survive a round earn points, with the number of points awarded contingent on the count of existing zombies in that round.