@Jaruud - As this game is still Early Access, there wasn't many other guides at the time. Going over his tier list and shooting ideas with him helped inspire this overall guide for all players.
View his guide here: https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3468770922
@Saevaragon - For their testing and additional input on weapons and skills
@.Sen~ - For their testing and additional input on weapons and skills

@Voxiom - His guide inspired me to do a codebook section although this will be a work in progress. His guide contains a comprehensive code sheet for the Power Plant map Control Room. I'm currently working on a section that will include all codebooks for all maps for Classic, Hard, and Nightmare.
View his guide here: https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354076432

• 1 skill is given, not chosen, with your CRC Responder which is why @Jaruud has a responder tier list.
  
• Skill slots open at lvl5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 for a total of 8 skills. There is a lvl50 cap (as of writing this).
  
• Perma-death - If your responder dies, they're gone for good as well as all of your progress with them. While just playing the game, win or lose, you're gaining account XP.
  
• You have 3 skill options to choose from, completely rolled at random.
  
• When leveling your account and unlocking a skill, it falls into the pool of select-able skills
  
• The lvl cap of your account is 100. At 100, all skills and their Expert variant become available in the pool.

Information I wanted to document but was able to find on a wiki. this is just a list of the classes and skills. The tier list will be in the next section.
(UPDATE) a WIP as I figure out what class the new skills belong to

• Army Reservist - Hellfire
  
• Baseball Rookie - Hard Blow, Teddy Bear
  
• Bear Hunter - Penetrating Shot
  
• Bird Hunter - Icarus
  
• Coast guard veteran - Limbo
  
• Courier - Mule
  
• Deer Hunter - Quiet Steps, Averaging
  
• Deputy - Tight Shot
  
• Designated Marksman - Steel Chamber
  
• Detective - Headblown
  
• Engineer - Longer Battery
  
• Football MVP - Adrenaline Rush
  
• Hockey Player - Rush
  
• Lumberjack - Resilience
  
• Marine Veteran - Steady Shot
  
• Martial Arts Master - Heavy Shove
  
• MMA Fighter - Sturdy Body
  
• Nurse - Acquired Immunity
  
• Paramedic - Stayin' Alive
  
• Police Sniper - Eagle Eye
  
• Prepper - Scavenger, or Builder
  
• Prop Master - Grenadier
  
• Quartermaster - Vulture, Deprived
  
• Rescue Specialist - Healing Item Stack
  
• Sheriff - Overkill
  
• Sous chef - Butcher
  
• Spinal Surgeon - Hitman
  
• Swim Captain - Thick Skin
  
• Track Star - Athlete, Doorbreaker

(UPDATE) a WIP as I figure out what class the new skills belong to
Track Star - Athlete
Courier - Mule
MMA Fighter - Sturdy Body
Swim Captain - Thick Skin
Deer Hunter - Quiet Steps

Removing naming convention from @Jaruud's Tier list as I feel an additional chain may be necessary

(UPDATE) a WIP as this is my opinion of their value based off my expertise of the game
Butcher - Easier dismemberment
Acquired Immunity - Resist infection
Mule - More backpack space
Quiet Steps - Quieter movement
Sturdy Body - More defense
Scavenger - Increased ammo from pickups
*Athlete - More stamina
Mohawk - Rifles penetrate more targets
Marathon Runner - Running consumes less stamina
Resident Genes - Using pills fully heals you
Lucky Pathogen - While infected you take less damage
Deprived - Your max carry weight is reduced but you have more HP and stamina

• (UPDATE) Move Butcher from B to S-TIER. With the heavy leg chop nerfs, and I mean HEAVY, as I couldn't chop legs with a kitchen knife despite using 3 charged attacks; Butcher has risen from irrelevancy and now shows its actual purpose.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Marathon Runner - For the same reasons Athlete is in S. While Athlete has the additional utility of fighting for longer, I'm lazy and running longer to get to where I have to go is still wildly valuable to me.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Mohawk - I've found that no matter the difficulty assault rifles are pretty easy to find, even if only in supply cache zones (SCZ) you can visit them at any point in the game, not just the ones the mission chooses. Zombies are slow, lining them up is easy. More penetration is more damage; more damage is quicker and easier kills; quicker kills is less ammo; more ammo equals keeping you alive longer.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Resident Genes - This sounds OP as f%#k. I'm expecting a nerf to at least 1/2 HP heals. Melee play-style is risky. If you're running it, this seems greatly valuable.
  Note: I probably wouldn't run this with Acquired Immunity.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Lucky Pathogen - Sounds great alongside Resident Genes for melee mains. Less damage means tanking more and healing less (meds or pills).
  
• (UPDATE) Added Deprived - I think alone this skill is more valuable than Caravan as if you're running melee you only really need to carry a 1 or 2-handed weapon / 1 medkit / 1 grenade / 1 utility item (radio) / 1 fast handgun (not the magnum) for sticky situations such as getting cornered.
  
• Moving Scavenger from A to S-TIER. Absolutely necessary if you want to discard your melee weapons. Running a gun-only play-style is just too much damn fun.
  
• Asterisk for Athlete. I thought about it, and almost moved it to A-TIER. For a utility stat this may be the best in hindsight. I wouldn't think running for longer is a big deal, but fighting for longer can be the difference between life or death and running for longer can make the difference between an extraction and getting left behind. Go ahead and hold your seat King.

Vulture - Ammo has reduced weight.
Skilled Medic - Heal for more
Thick Skin - More HP
Adrenaline Rush - Infinite stamina at critical HP (25% ???)
Builder - Less weight from utility items
Grenadier - Less weight from throwables
Healing Item Stack - Less weight from healing items
Headblown - Extra headshot damage for handguns
Headhunter - Increased melee headshot damage
*Heavy Shoves - More shove damage
Stay'n Alive - Revive others faster
Steady Hand - Handgun accuracy increased
Caravan - Carry more weight, but HP and stamina are less
Locked On - SMG recoil reduced
Wicked - handguns deals more limb damage
Averaging - Headshots deal less damage but body shots deal more

• (UPDATE) Removing Vulture from S to A-TIER. This is a great skill that works well with Scavenger, however, if you can't get both skills together Vulture doesn't hold up as well on its own other than being a pack rat for the team (which doesn't have to be a bad thing). I have a lvl50 that allowed me to run a gun solo play-style off of just Scavenger alone.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Steady Hand - Not an S-tier skill, but any gun accuracy skill is good and useful as headshots are important. Put this with Headblown and you're a menace!
  
• (UPDATE) Added Locked On - Same reasons as stated above. Not reliable on it's own as it may be harder to find an SMG. However, 9mm is plentiful and an SMG can down zombies in 2 headshots.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Caravan - A great skill, especially for utility / team builds. I don't see the same solo value I see with Deprived which is why they are not the same rank.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Wicked - A great skill as I've said before you can leg chop with guns. However, handgun use / focused builds are niche.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Averaging - Not an S-TIER skill as I don't find value in sacrificing headshot damage, even for more body damage, as it will prolly cost more ammo to hit the body still. Not to mention, it's just bad practice. The ONLY reason this isn't in the dumpster tier is because shotguns are plentiful and you'll get MUCH great value out of this skill because of it. Despite its beast of a shotgun buff I still carry around a sidearm, but headshots are more useless now. This is a skill that gives, and takes away. An S-TIER skill only gives.
  
• Moving Skilled Medic, from S to A-TIER. I'd say a really good skill, not a great skill. More utility and not as great on its own.
  
• Moving Thick Skin from S to A-TIER. More HP is good, but it's no substitute for defense like Sturdy Body.
  
• Asterisk for Heavy Shoves. This skill is being abused, using lamps and while possibly an S-TIER skill, there's no guarantee this won't get patched.
  (UPDATE) Told yall this s@#% was getting nerfed.

Limbo - Last longer when downed
*Hard Blow - Extra stagger for Two-handed weapons
*Teddy Bear - Blunt weapons deal more stability damage, but less direct damage
Rush - Two-handed heavy melee attacks use less stamina
Hitman - One-handed melee attacks consume more stamina, but deal more damage
Eagle Eye - No damage falloff from Heavy Rifles
Steel Chamber - Heavy rifles deal increased damage
Penetrating Shot - Heavy Rifles penetrate more targets
Overkill - Shotguns fire more pellets
Winged - SMG range increased
Guts - You recover stamina faster

• (UPDATE) Removing Butcher from B to S-TIER.
  
• (UPDATE) Asterisk for *Hard Blow - This could actually be an A-TIER skill. Needs lab time.
  
• (UPDATE) Asterisk for *Teddy Bear - I ain't even gonna lie dawg I don't know wtf stability damage is. Confirmed lvl1 skill for the same responder as Hard Blow (Baseball Rookie) so it's possible they're similar, and as Hard Blow may be an A-TIER skill, this could be just as good. Needs time in the lab.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Winged - it's alright considering Locked On exists, but this is a dog skill on its own. I don't know how far the range buff is, but you shouldn't be sniping or fighting in AR range with an SMG anyway.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Guts - Great for melee builds, pretty useless on its own.
  
• Moving Limbo, from A to B-TIER. The extra time is really useful in niche situations where that last second counts, but completely useless if no one else is around. It's a team game, but you may be alone more than you think...

Icarus - Increased shotgun range
Tight Shot - Shotgun pellets have reduced spread
Hellfire - Increased hip-fire accuracy with rifles
Steady Shot - Crouching enhances rifle precision and reduces recoil
Resilience - Reduced damage from environmental sources. (Falling, fire, gas, etc.)
Longer Battery - Longer battery life (x2)
Door Breaker - Kicks deal more damage to doors and barricades
Foreman - Kicks deal damage to zombies

• (UPDATE) Added Door Breaker - Useless, niche skill. I've ran into barricades where this skill would be valuable, but it wasn't crucial to the mission. The only value I can think of that's objective based is the Power Plant map if starting at the Church.
  
• (UPDATE) Added Foreman - Not tested, but even if good damage seems like a useless skill. You get about 2 kicks before choking up a lung. This is terrible bait to get you to fight, you're just asking to get grabbed with no stamina
  
• Moving Icarus, Hellfire, and Steady Shot from B to C-TIER. ...meh...
  
• Moving Tight Shot from B to C-TIER. Overkill can stay at B for the extra damage for shotgun mains. Not this one...
  
• Moving Resilience from B to C-TIER. This type of damage is damn near completely avoidable. Don't be stupid, stupid.
  
• Moving Longer Battery from B to C-TIER. I've used this; the battery life is damn near doubled which is nice, you can practically run an entire game off one charge. Also for those who don't know, the battery life/bar can be seen on the center left when pressing TAB. When it's low, in red, it starts to flicker and you may consider changing the battery at this point like I do. At this point the TAB bar should still show it at 1/4 charge. However, if you've ever had the battery completely die on you, you're flashlight goes completely dead making it almost impossible to see. Some may say adjust the brightness levels of the game/monitor, but some people don't like breaking that immersion (myself included). There's a lot to say about this one so why is it in C-TIER? The simple fact is, most main mission POI (points of interest) locations that have shelves, stores or the locked supply cache, blue electric doors have batteries in them. The TLDR; is that If you're just responsible enough with your usage, it's easy to charge at checkpoints... Don't waste the skill slot on this; we can use something else...

Baseball Rookie
Deer Hunter
Football MVP
Hockey Player
MMA Fighter
Swim Captain
Track Star

Acquired Immunity - If you're gonna live this dangerously, you have to have a backup plan.
Athlete - We're all in baby! You want that stamina!
Rush - This and Athlete. When you're addicted to that crunch of a multi-zombie swing
Sturdy Body - This and Thick Skin together make you a tank
Thick Skin - Read above...
Quiet Steps - Preemptive strike!
Adrenaline Rush - Desperate times call for desperate measures...
Grenadier - Pack some for them BIG, big mobs
Headhunter - Some purple guy once said "you should've aimed for the head!"
Hard Blow - Less respect for the melee flow chart (shove first, whack after)
(UPDATE) Marathon Runner, Deprived, Guts
Resident Genes, and Lucky Pathogen (Use ONLY if you don't use Acquired Immunity)



Coast guard veteran
Courier
Deer Hunter
Detective
Hockey Player
Nurse
Paramedic
Prepper
Prop Master
Quartermaster
Rescue Specialist
Track Star

Acquired Immunity - Lets be honest; you're prolly gonna see this on all of them.
Mule - Obviously top priority
Athlete - When you gotta get to your boys!
Rush - This and Athlete. Carry a two-handed sharp and take out some legs. As a weapon this is all you need. Everything else is utility for the team. Handguns or melee; do NOT do both!
Headblown - Or just some sidearm action
Scavenger and/or Vulture - If melee, go Rush and Athlete, if Headblown, go these two. Do NOT do both!
Quiet Steps - The meek will inherent the Earth.
Grenadier - 1.Pipe bombs - great for saving a downed player, 2.Proximity - Traps!, 3.Grenades
Stayin Alive - Up and at'em!
Skilled Medic - "You're gonna make it!"
Healing Item Stack - I can just "feel" the savings
Builder - Thanks for tuning into CRC 24hr Radio!
Limbo - If I die, y'all die!
(UPDATE) Caravan, [/b][/i] Marathon Runner, Guts
[/b][/i] Resident Genes, and Lucky Pathogen (Use ONLY if you don't use Acquired Immunity)


Courier
Deer Hunter
Designated Marksman
Detective
Martial Arts Master
Prepper
Quartermaster
Sheriff
Track Star

Acquired Immunity - Yeah...
Mule - More guns, more ammo!
Athlete - Create space! More running, more kicks and more shoves.
Sturdy Body - Just in case
Headblown - Boom headshot!
Scavenger and/or Vulture - If you don't have these, why are you even running this!?
Quiet Steps - escapes zombie - Leave me alone dawg! Please! I'm just looking for ammo!
Grenadier - Too many to shoot? No problem!
Overkill - Lots of 12guage here
Steel Chamber - An all rifle boost!
(UPDATE) Mohawk , Locked On, Winged
Wicked, Averaging


Courier
Detective
Hockey Player
Track Star
Football MVP
MMA Fighter
Prop Master
Quartermaster
Swim Captain
Sheriff

Acquired Immunity - Yup...
Mule - Sack full of guns and swords.
Athlete - I can do this all day!
Adrenaline - Melee, gun-play spacing in a pinch
Rush - Let it be something sharp
Sturdy Body - This and Thick Skin... Eh you already know...
Headblown - Jackpot!
Scavenger and/or Vulture - Because this game didn't give your dual guns infinite ammo :'(
Grenadier - When your meter's full, this special attack clears mobs
Overkill - Easy combos with shotty
(UPDATE) Wicked, Guts



Bear Hunter
Deer Hunter
Designated Marksman
Detective
Police Sniper
Prepper
Quartermaster

Acquired Immunity - Mhmm...
Quiet Steps - Never let them know where you are....
Mule - Nothin wrong with extra space
Headblown - Always carry a good sidearm
Scavenger and/or Vulture - It's hard out here for a Winchester pimp
Eagle Eye - because I needed to put this somewhere...
Steel Chamber - 1 shot, 1 kill!
Penetrating Shot - Easy to line up zombies
Athlete - Get where you gotta go
Builder - For distractions
Grenadier - Zombies: rush him! He can't take us all with a single shooter

A firearms focused build I was able to roll. Before the May patch Acquired Immunity was almost 100% roll-able in a build, but with the additional skills I don't always roll it anymore. This is good as, due to its stat, it doesn't mesh well with Resident Genes or Lucky Pathogen at all. Thick Skin keeps me a bit tankier than without it, and if I somehow get infected Lucky Pathogen will do the rest. Although it would be great to roll Mule-Expert, I don't mind getting Mule as a lvl 1 skill. This is why in my BUILDS section I speak about choosing your lvl 1 carefully. I have enough points in the game to re-roll a Responder as many times as I want, but if there's an Expert skill that you want, you can't roll that class; as all lvl 1 skills are the base version.
TLDR: If you ever want a chance at rolling Scavenger-Expert, do NOT select Prepper as a starting class.
Getting Scavenger-Expert was a lucky draw and the deciding factor with Mule to be a gun focused build. With Mule I should be able to carry around 3 rifles worth of weight, with a pistol and a bit extra space for ammo and 1 health item. I was lucky enough to roll 2 shotgun skills at the end, making my weapon of choice quite clear. Honestly with Mule and Scavenger-Expert the only thing missing would be if I got Vulture. Unfortunately, I did roll Shove. This is a useless skill for any build. Complete trash tier.

After I hit lvl 50 I added the 590A1(12guage) shotgun. I usually buy a .45 after my first match as I'm usually able to make it to lvl 20 (4 select-able skills) after my first play-through. I keep the starting magnum and expend all of it's ammo first if needed, as I do plan on tossing it around mid-game when better weapons come along. A few reasons to ALWAYS do this once you have a build:
1. Using the magnum first allows you to save the ammo you want.
2. .45 ammo is plentiful. If you like your starting build after lvl 20, always add a 1911 handgun to your loadout.
3. Tossing the magnum and its ammo (depending on how much) can clear out a lot of space. Nearly a rifles worth (2.00kgs) as .357 ammo is pretty plentiful on the map.

Blunt Class:

• Pipe
  
• Tire Iron
  
• Wrench
  
• Mallet
  
• Claw Hammer
  
• Crowbar

Sharp Class: - Can dismember zombies. Use charged attacks. Much harder after May update

• Kitchen Knife
  
• Cleaver
  
• Machete
  
• Hand Axe

Blunt Class:

• Rebar
  
• T-junction Pipe
  
• Giant Wrench
  
• Baseball Bat - Knocks zombies over easier
  
• Sledgehammer - Knocks zombies over in 1 hit; can kill with 1 charged attack to the head

Sharp Class: - Can dismember zombies. Used to be easier even with swing attacks. Much harder after May update

• Fire Axe - Can 1 shot to the head
  
• Shovel
  
• Tree Trimmer - Best reach; can make a group of crawlers with 1 charged attack

M93A3(9mm)

• Pistol Class - use skills Headblown, Wicked, Steady Hand
  
• Basically a Beretta M9
  
• 2 headshots to kill
  
• Mag size - 15 rounds
  
• Can mod Micro Red Dot and Pistol Silencer

MP5(9mm)

• SMG Class - run with Locked On and Winged
  
• Built-in flashlight
  
• Toggle firing modes
  
• Mag size - 30 rounds
  
• Can mod Rifle Optics and Rifle Suppressor

1911(.45)

• Pistol Class - use skills Headblown, Wicked, Steady Hand
  
• Best pistol in the game IMO - balance of damage, speed, clip size, and ammo found in the field
  
• 1 headshot to kill
  
• Mag size - 8 rounds
  
• Can mod Pistol Silencer

Revolver(.357)

• Pistol Class - use skills Headblown, Wicked, Steady Hand
  
• Free starting pistol (unless custom loadout)
  
• For Revolver Ocelot fanboys
  
• 1 headshot to kill
  
• 6 round chamber
  
• Can't use mods

Rochester(.357)

• Heavy Rifle Class - use skills Steel Chamber, Eagle Eye, Penetrating Shot
  
• Mag size - 5 rounds
  
• Can mod Rifle Optics and Rifle Suppressor

Fierra DB12(12guage)

• Shotgun Class - use skills Overkill, Averaging, Tight Shot
  
• 2-chamber ammo count
  
• Decent range, great penetration - line them up!
  
• Can't use mods

590A1(12guage)

• Shotgun Class - use skills Overkill, Averaging, Tight Shot
  
• Assault Shotgun - 8 round ammo count
  
• Can mod Rifle Optics and Rail Attachment - Flashlight

X12 Super Shotgun(12guage)

• Shotgun Class - use skills Overkill, Averaging, Tight Shot
  
• Semi-auto adjacent (very slight delay)
  
• Assault Shotgun - 6 round ammo count
  
• Attachments - WIP

Winchester(.308)

• Heavy Rifle Class - use skills Steel Chamber, Eagle Eye, Penetrating Shot
  
• Mag size - 6 rounds
  
• Only rifle that uses .308 (as of writing this)
  
• Can mod Rifle Optics and Rifle Suppressor - use long range scope if you can find one

M7A1(6.8x51mm)

• Rifle Class - use skills Mohawk, Hellfire, Steady Shot
  
• Mag size - 20+1 rounds
  
• Only rifle that uses 6.8x51mm (as of writing this)
  
• Can mod Rifle Optics, Rail Flashlight and Rifle Suppressor

MC-15(5.56 NATO)

• Rifle Class - use skills Mohawk, Hellfire, Steady Shot
  
• Mag size - 30+1 rounds
  
• Can mod Rifle Optics, Rail Flashlight and Rifle Suppressor

Gruber Mini Ranch Rifle(5.56 NATO)

• Heavy Rifle Class - use skills Steel Chamber, Eagle Eye, Penetrating Shot
  
• Semi-automatic - 10 round ammo count
  
• Attachments - WIP

(UPDATE) a WIP as this is my opinion of their value based off my expertise of the game

Barricade Stack - 10 stacks of wood as of May'25 update
Deployable Radio - Makes noise, draws enemies
Ammo Crate - Ammo crate full of ammo (randomized)
Ranger Boots - Passive: Quiet Steps
Adrenaline Shot - Passive: Athlete
Body Armor - Passive: Sturdy Body
Satchel - Increases storage
Mass Casualty Kit - Medkit crate (1 Medkit, 4 bandages, 2 pills)
Revive Syringe - Self-revive
Experimental Gene Therapy - Cures infection, has a cooldown, needs used twice
Pipe Bomb - Makes noise to draw enemies before exploding

• Barricade Stack - Plentiful and great early game item, although their value falls off late game due to weight being used elsewhere. Use early game at the first objective to barricade yourself. Once you complete your first or second SCZ you should have some decent gear.
  
• Deployable Radio - Best utility item in the game. Use to lure zombies away from objective area.
  
• Ammo Crate - I mean, it's giant box of ammo....
  
• Ranger Boots - Because Quiet Steps is an S-TIER skill.
  
• Adrenaline Shot - Because Athlete is an S-TIER skill.
  
• Body Armor - - Because Sturdy Body is an S-TIER skill.
  
• Satchel - Extra space is never bad
  
• Mass Casualty Kit - I mean, it's giant box of meds....
  
• Revive Syringe - Your get-out-of-jail-free card
  
• Experimental Gene Therapy - Cures infection, if it happens
  
• Pipe Bomb - Best grenade in the game. Use other grenades for crowds and use these to save downed players. Do NOT die saving a player.

Nailer - Barricade almost instantly. May'25 update buffed them even more
Bandages - Heals for a decent amount of HP
Medkit - Fully heals you
Pills - Slows infection
Proximity IED - A prox trap IED
M67 Hand Grenade - Standard hand-grenade

• Nailer - Great item but not necessary, barricades almost instantly, use if found early game, discard mid/late game when no longer needed.
  
• Bandages - Standard med item, carry one, play safe and you won't need them
  
• Medkit - Standard med item, carry one, play safe and you won't need them
  
• Pills - Standard med item, carry one, play safe and you won't need them
  
• Proximity IED - Good for traps, or creating a perimeter so you can do objectives safely
  
• M67 Hand Grenade - Standard grenade, doesn't lure enemies, aim well

Deployable Worklight - A portable, deployable light source
Batteries - Recharge your flashlight

• Deployable Worklight - Was being exploited with Heavy Shove but got patched
  
• Batteries - Very useful almost B-TIER item, but not necessary, press TAB to see your flashlight bar, at 0% is complete darkness, be responsible with usage and they won't be a priority, batteries can be found easily on store shelves, 100% in every SCZ, charge once at every checkpoint and you'll be fine.

• The basic zombie. Not much on their own but a threat in groups.
  
• When in close enough proximity they will attempt a running axe handle attack. Watch how they raise their arms
  
• When performing an axe handle attack the zombies typically have super armor and can't be interrupted if in melee even if your strike hits first.
  The meta flow chart of melee combat is to shove a zombie first, it will put them in a stun animation, allowing you to get free damage off.
  
• Also zombies in close proximity will raise their hands shoulder height in an attempt to grab you. This will prompt a struggle animation that's easily broken if you mash the F key. There are a few caveats to this situation:
  1. If you're swarmed, you WILL take free damage from other zombies while breaking the grab animation.
  2. If you have no stamina at all and a zombie grabs you it will trigger an arm bite animation instead of a break. This results in 100% infection!

• Prime Zombies are stronger variants of Walkers. The have glowing red eyes and are covered in blood having recently fed.
  
• They're stronger making them do slightly more damage and more risk of infection.

• The strongest zombies. They deal the most damage and carry the greatest risk of infection.
  
• In Nightmare they can chunk you for 1/3 to 1/2 HP even with Sturdy Body.
  
• All dead and infected players come back as Runners.

• I guess they're called Shamblers, I call them Screamers.
  
• They can't be missed in the field. They're very frail and boney with straggly hair. They also always have a green infectious cloud around them.
  
• When spotting a player they will make an attempt to scream. If they're not killed beforehand their screams will draw all nearby Walkers down on you. This includes Prime Zombies.
  
• With every successful scream a Runner also spawns.
  
• When killed the noxious gas lingers. This can increase infection if the player walks through it. Other Walkers may also gain the gas, increasing their threat level.

• A hard hat Walker. It takes a few hits to remove the hard hat and even with stronger guns it blocks a couple head shots.
  
• Take out their legs. Guns can also dismember zombies.

• A Walker in fire fighter gear. This includes a hard hat but also a gas canister on the back.
• This deals explosion damage to to nearby zombies in an area when blown, but it's weaker than you would think.
  
• It takes a few hits to remove the hard hat and even with stronger guns it blocks a couple head shots.
  
• Take out their legs. Guns can also dismember zombies.

• A Walker in riot gear. One of the first responders to fall to the horde during the outbreak.
  
• These are the strongest Walkers in the game as they carry armor, helmet and shield.
  
• When engaged in melee use sharp melee weapons to dismember its legs.
  
• If using blunt melee use your mouse to swing opposite of it's shield.
  
• It takes a few hits to remove the helmet and even with stronger guns it blocks a couple head shots.
  
• Take out their legs. Guns can also dismember zombies.
  
• If you try to avoid hitting their shield, kicking a zombie will down it just like any other, creating space.

• Used to stagger zombies.
  
• Uses a moderate amount of stamina.
  
• You can maybe stagger 3 to 4 times before running on empty.
  
• Not great for barricades and even windows on occasion; use Kick
  
• Shove zombies during their attack to cancel their animation and damage, even if it looks like the attack went through.
  
• Your best friend for melee combat; it's very hard to be the aggressor as zombies typically have super armor during their attack phases. It's only safe to attack during their stagger.

• Used to knock down zombies to create space.
  
• The best tool in the game; encounters unwinnable without it.
  
• Kick drains a heavy amount of stamina; about 2 kicks to empty
  
• Can break windows with a no stamina Kick.
  
• Can break barricades and locked doors, but not a combination of both. If you're outside and the barricade is on the inside, you're not getting through.
  
• Same as Shove must use on zombies during their attack to cancel their animation and damage, even if it looks like the attack went through.

• If you stop sprinting at 1/4 stamina (yellow) you will not be able to spring until the meter builds again.
  
• Try jumping and climbing on everything you can, even slopes and railings. There's a lot you can climb over.
  
• Jump out of windows for a quick escape. None are too high up, that I've taken fall damage, even in Pottsville.
  
• Can jump on vehicles for reprieve; high ground is best; zombies can climb and can climb on any vehicle minus Van, and Humvee class vehicles.
  
• Can jump and Kick; while I don't personally use this I hear jumping is good for evading hits.
  
• Jump/Crouch to access tricky areas where you need to keep you head low

• A huge combat mechanic; remove hands to disable attacks.
  
• Remove legs to make crawlers; these are the best zombies to deal with and create mobs of these as once a limit is reached the game will no longer spawn more zombies. Crawlers can de-spawn when out of focus, causing the game to spawn regular zombies again.
  Must space your attacks correctly as letting a zombie position too closely will result in a swing at the body; even if trying to hit the legs. If going for the legs, crouching is best for limiting this mistake.

• If a player is grabbed it will start a QTE animation; this can be someone lengthy when caught in the worst of situations.
  
• The grab can be broken rather easily by mashing the F key during the QTE.
  
• Zombies can surround you and get free hits and damage off on you during grab animations; being surrounded is basically a death sentence.
  
• If you have no stamina and you are grabbed, there will be no QTE; an animation triggers where the zombie will then bite the players arm instead.
  
• Bites during a grapple result in almost a 100% chance of infection, however, I have debunked this on one of my lvl50s with Acquired Immunity. This is why it's an S-TIER skill.

• Use the map to check for POIs on the map that are shaded darker than the rest.
  
• Use your compass often; do not lose track of the objectives and those in between.
  
• The red markers are your overall objective and the yellow markers, when in range, are the objectives needed to complete your goal.
  
• The yellow markers can be bugged within the red where they're no longer visible until you leave the objective zone and reset.

• Fall damage triggers at a lower height than you think, however, the more immediate, the lower the damage.
  
• Most electrical hazards are due to power in the space; look for breakers.
  
• Most gas hazards can be eliminated in the field if you can find the appropriate valve.

• POI: Point of interest, mission areas; darkened legends/icons on the map
  
• SCZ: Supply cache zone. Found at main POIs; these are the blue doors

• Understand how to read the map. The faded icons that look like POIs are just player spawn points. There may be very little to no supplies at these locations.
  
  
• Each map has much replay-value due to mission variety and locations visited. Not all POIs and locations are always visited before extraction.
  
  
• Mission related or not, SCZs can be found at these POIs, however, they always require power to be restored to access.
  
  
• Even if it's not part of the mission to visit all POIs require power restoration. This is done by various methods, but the most common is finding the fuse and flipping the breaker.
  
  
• As you level up it may be worth adding the .45 to your starting loadout. It's cheap enough in points and .45 ammo is plentiful on maps without the guarantee you'll find the pistol in the wild.
  
  
• Through much experience there are scavenging tricks and and bugs I've come across I don't think many people know about, including veterans:
  1. You can unload ammo from any gun in the wild by holding the U key. You can also actively unload your weapon in hand. When unloading found guns I suggest using a melee weapon or a 2 handed gun with flashlight active to prevent emptying your own gun. Basically don't have a gun in hand when trying to unload a weapon.
  2. You can quickly and actively swap weapons in the wild by holding the E key. This cuts down the time of emptying your pack to make space.
  3. There is a bug that occurs when you're low on space; there's a chance you wont pick up ammo that's found, even if you do have the space for it. The only thing I've found that works is throwing your weapon down, grabbing the ammo and picking your weapon back up.
  
  
• You can shoot basic padlocks to get through chain fences quickly.
  
  
• The giant military chest can actually be opened but you have to find the padlock below it.
  
  
• Turn off alarm systems in homes and stores at the console (ARMED in red). The noise will never go away and attract zombies so long as it's never DISARMED.
  
  
• This game is pretty heavy on movement. Try jumping on whatever you see to familiarize yourself with the parkour mechanics
  
  
• Jump on vans and military humvees for temporary reprieve. This is a safe spot to heal and catch your breath.
  
  
• Never make the mistake of using pills when in danger. It's a long animation that you'll have to cancel to free yourself from an attack or it outright just makes you vulnerable to attack if you can't break it.
  
  
• Zombies can climb cars and pickup trucks. This won't save you.
  
  
• Watch zombies in close proximity, as they will raise their hands shoulder height in an attempt to grab you. In this pose they will briskly lunge at you. This will prompt a struggle animation that's easily broken if you mash the F key. There are a few caveats to this situation:
  1. If you're swarmed, you WILL take free damage from other zombies while breaking the grab animation.
  2. If you have no stamina at all and a zombie grabs you it will trigger an arm bite animation instead of a break. This results in nearly 100% infection! (Update: I've broken this chance with Acquired Immunity)
  
  
• If a player is infected and turns, or is killed in the field, they will become a zombie:
  1. After a short time they will spawn as a powerful Runner.
  2. They keep all of their belongings and can be killed and looted. Do this in a relatively safe location so you're not surrounded. Also the zombies won't let you loot the corpse even if you ask them nicely.
  3. Player zombies are identified by a zombie head icon over a teal colored background.
  
  
• Each map has about 2-3 variations of objectives before extraction can be made. An example of this is Lewiston which will end either by boat or by train. The Power Plant has 3 variants:
  1. Fixing and repairing the plant via valves, condensers, etc...
  2. Keeping power alive while to plant initiates a lockdown procedure. This requires you to input many activation codes into the control center console.
  3. To fix and repair all 3 stackers at the plant before lockdown can be initiated.
  
  
• With time, comes experience, but learn these maps and objectives. If you're lost, or looting and not where you need to be towards the end of the game, extraction WILL leave you behind and it will count as the death of your character. Make sure you're always where you need to be!
  
  
• UNCONFIRMED - Holding onto your loot is credited towards your score at the end of the game. Many players dump their loot before extraction. While this is not confirmed as of writing this, there's no benefit to dropping your loot, but there is benefit to keeping it; on the off-chance this is true. KEEP. YOUR. LOOT.

• When entering The Bar, there is an electrified perimeter. The associated junction boxes need to be destroyed before proceeding. While this is easy enough to figure out, it's not always clear how many hits it takes to kill the power as the box has many damaged animations. The box takes about 4 swings of a melee weapon to short circuit.
  
• The destroying the breakers is pretty buggy; even as of writing this in May patch update. The panels still have odd hit attacks do not always register for some reason. A reliable combo that works nearly 100% of the time is LEFT SWING > RIGHT SWING > CHARGE SWING > RIGHT SWING
  
• The Church has all its locations barricaded. The easier entrance is breaking the basement barricade. Outside look for stairs leading down.
  
• The toughest SCZs are any with valve closures as it takes time and you're defenseless in the process. There's also quite a few, as some have roughly 6 valves to close. This includes Train Station, Sluice Gate, and Sawmill.
  
• The gas can for the generator at Gas Station can be surprisingly tough to find. Make sure you check the outside shed in the immediate vicinity (next to a camp site; look for tents).
  
• Not all variations of this map require you to release the lockdown for the entrance gates. However, if done, all entry gates on the map open up, allowing you to gain access from anywhere you are. If you're lost, on your way to the main plant, it's in the center of the map; hug the fences, you'll eventually get to an area or road in front of the lockdown gate; which should now be open.
  
• One of the ending variations has you keeping the plant power alive while the lockdown procedure initializes. Do not be fooled by the objective task of "keeping the power going". There will be an audible noise when a new process needs started. You will need to get to the control room and initialize the correct process on the monitor console. The code book will be opposite of the console. There are many startup codes to choose from. You must use the startup code displayed on the console. For the process to continue and finish, power must be kept going by at least 1 generator. There is a generator on each corner of the plant for a total of 4.

• Each neighborhood has a house with a dead CRC member. Look for the body, downstairs or upstairs and collect their tools, then restore the power to the block.
  
• In the Community Center gym, when entering (the stage is to your right, bleachers to your left), the far right corner of the gym has stacks of boxes with a pallet jack. The handle can be jumped on by crouch-jumping, then the boxes can be climbed. You will be completely safe from the zombies until the time runs out and you can move onto the next phase. For coordinated teams, this is where they like to share supplies and drop unneeded ammo for others.
  (UPDATE) Not sure if this has been patched since May, but the sound system now loses power as a direct answer to the exploit.
  
• When you gain access to downtown search the accessible stores to increase your chances of survival. You will reach the limit of accessible stores between the Community Center, and the lockdown gate that gains access to the CRC research area. These stores are Hardware Store, Pharmacy, and a Gun Store.
  
• The Hardware Store and Pharmacy are the same layout as Lewiston but the Gun Store is unique on this map. Once power is restored you'll be able to access the gun locker with the proper code. The codebook is in the admin office in the back.
  
• When passing the lockdown gate or construction site to the CRC research site, all of those stores and locations are just item drops relating to collecting the necessary research to extract (data drives, water samples, scientist body etc...).
  
• The level difficulty peaks after the Community Center as the streets are more linear, and narrow. The stores are also dangerous as they can be quite claustrophobic and can become swiftly overrun.
  
• In the stores you'll need to maximize your evasion patterns by herding mobs to an area opposite of your exit and hurdling over display cases.

• DISCLAIMER! In my opinion, Lewiston is currently the most difficult map in the game. Many of these reasons are stated above for Pottsville, as the difficulty spikes during the mid-late game. The entirety of the map is linear and narrow streets filled with enemies and all stores and locations can quickly become overrun. Again, this is for all locations, not just the stores. The Church, Catacombs, Library, and Food Storage can VERY quickly turn deadly, with the exception of Food Storage, as it's the bigger of all the locations you can stay relatively safe while on the move, but trying to complete the objectives within can be a challenge at times.
  
• The Sporting Goods Store is the only store with a gun locker. If you can get there safely, this is a good starting point before venturing out to complete the mission objectives.
  
• If you need supplies follow the corresponding logic when deciding to loot stores:
  1. The Hardware Store carries a mix of supplies. A very reliable source for melee weapons.
  2. The Sporting Goods Store is the best place to get firearms and attachments.
  3. The Pharmacy is the best store to find healing items and pills. You can often find self revives here and Sporting Goods, from my experience.
  4. The Library has many weapon boxes on location, 5 off the top of my head. 2 can be found by the stairs, 1 is located next to the 2 boxes but in between bookshelves. 1 is by the bathrooms at the rear exit. 1 is upstairs 2nd fl. Additionally, aside from looting certain locations outside such as trash areas, curbs and the sides of buildings and stores; the Library is hands down the biggest single location for Supply Points to level your character.
  
• The gas in the Hardware Store blocks the blue cache door, even when power is restored. There are 2 valves that need to be turned to shut off the gas.
  1. One is at the front of the store behind the front counter. There's a turn-able valve along the wall. This disables the gas in the center of the store where the shelves are collapsed.
  2. Above those shelves towards the ceiling, straight up is the 2nd valve. This turns off the gas at the blue door.
  
• When starting the boat or train, parts need to be found. Boat parts for the assembly to create the water pump for the boat. For train extraction, the tracks need to be repaired. Do not over estimate how far you may need to look for these parts. They won't spawn out of the vicinity of the combat zone, but sometimes you do have to go a bit out of your way to find them. For the train escape, that could mean the left side train yard past the tents. And for the boat escape it could mean the cargo freight area by the harbor.

@Jaruud - As this game is still Early Access, there wasn't many other guides at the time. Going over his tier list and shooting ideas with him helped inspire this overall guide for all players.
View his guide here: https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3468770922
@Saevaragon - For their testing and additional input on weapons and skills
@.Sen~ - For their testing and additional input on weapons and skills

@Voxiom - His guide inspired me to do a codebook section although this will be a work in progress. His guide contains a comprehensive code sheet for the Power Plant map Control Room. I'm currently working on a section that will include all codebooks for all maps for Classic, Hard, and Nightmare.
View his guide here: https://psteamcommunity.yuanyoumao.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3354076432