Playing this game for countless hours, has lead me to research what combination of Perks and Traits works well with others. This has led me to make class architypes. I have tested this thoroughly—with countless deaths while on the road to Canada. All of these classes have advantages and disadvantages. All have gotten through. Either as the sole survivor or everyone making it to the Promised Land. Just be careful, and stay vigilant. Know when to leave, do not let greed get the better of you. Remember no two games of Death Road to Canada are identical, there will be times where the negatives of a situation can outweigh the positive. If I miss anything please comment below. Thank you.



Warren—sole survivor on the road to Canada. In remembrance of: Lisa, David, Shin, Fran, Kyle, Danley, and Chris.

Class Difficulties are on a scale of 1-10

• 10 being the most difficult, 5 Medium, and 1 being easiest.

Team Category



- Leaders often lead the group. Classes that lead the team, and can hold their own. Classes that excel in surviving in the end.



- Buddies are your Secondary Backup. Your support and defense in the group—the classes that flourish in a team.



All of these classes are combatable with familiar faces/Extreme Mode and The Normal Game mode.

Strength

• Dictates melee damage and what you can carry i.e. furniture. Also helps you compensate for recoil for guns. Classes that lack strength cannot use heavier melee weapons effectively, such as the fire axe or metal pipe.

Fitness

• Helps with your endurance on how long you can fight without tiring. This is indicated by seeing your character sweat—alongside your face turning read and breathing heavily. Increases you running speed as well. Also how many hits with a melee weapon you can dish out.

Shooting

• Shows your proficiency with firearms—shown by a red crosshair in combat. When the crosshair locks on, it’s is a critical hit. The better the stat, the more damage you do with guns, and the better your accuracy. Classes with low Shooting, tend to miss.

"I see better from a distance."—Clint Barton

Wits

• Shows how intelligent you are—it also shows creativity when thinking outside of the box. Also helps with your persuasion and diplomacy checks in certain situations. Use with Charming or Irritating traits, and shenanigans will ensue. Telling them to 'COOL IT'.

"And now I've slapped a king! Did my hand fall from my wrist?"--Tyrion, Game of Thrones.

Attitude

• This stat shows how much your character meshes with others, if they get along or not. If this stat is low then they are more likely to conflict with the group due to their toxicity. If it this stat is high then it will lead to high morale, showing their leadership qualities.
  

Composure

• In stressful situations, how will your character react? If low they’ll panic and miss with their weapons, if high they will not panic at all and tend to succeed in diplomacy checks and stealth checks—this is their resolve and if low they will buckle under the pressure and go insane. Also this stat can be lowed depending on the environment they are sent too.

Loyalty

• A fickle stat. This stat will show you how likely what character in your group will betray you in stressful situations (or if your team is trustworthy or not). Alignment factors in too sometimes, good and evil. The game will let you know if the character cares of not.

Morale

• Hope, the drive of your group. If anyone of your team has low morale they will abandon your cause—or worse they will start kicking others out of the team.

Medical

• Indicates how well you can mend wounds. The better the stat it is, the more efficient your character is in restoring others back to full health--thus you use less medkits.

Mechanical

• Helps you fix cars when they break down. Also helps you pass mechanical checks such as: reinforcing survivor strongholds, repairing gas pumps at gas stations, making makeshift weapons, disarming traps, and upgrading your car.

Passive

• This is a placeholder for special status perks like Explorer, Car Nut, Friend of Dog, etc.

The Gunslinger



“Death, but not for you, gunslinger. Never for you. You darkle. You tinct. May I be brutally frank? You go on. The world moves on” ― Stephen King, The Dark Tower

Gun Collector
- +3 Shooting Marksmanship—More likely to get critical shots with guns
- + Start with a Pistol (30 Rounds), Rifle (15 rounds.), and Shotgun (5 rounds)
- Negative: Rather niche, you are good at shooting and killing, but that’s all.

Calm Under Fire
- High Composure. ( Will not panic or get angered)
- +1 In Shooting Marksmanship

Stats: +4 Shooting—High Composure

Overview: The Gunslinger, an architype that has stayed tried and true. Testing this in Deadlier Road Mode and Extreme. I must say. That high shooting skill (which will start at 4) will save you in a sticky situation. When you are low on ammo and he comes along. It’s like Christmas in Deadlier Road mode and Extreame. The Gunslinger class is for those whom want to max out shooting on the get go. Even in the apocalypse it’s always good to have an iron on your hip. I went with Gun collector, which when maxed out will give you +3 in shooting. Combined with Clam Under Fire he will gain another +1 in shooting and high composure—which means he will acquire targets faster. So overall with Gun Collector and Calm Under Fire you will get: +4 Shooting.

Class Negatives

• Sucks at melee combat. Compensate for this by boosting in strength and fitness for backup.
  
• Runs out of bullets— is class becomes helpless. Always have a Plan B.
  
• Not good in wits checks

• Skills to Increase: Shooting (early game). Fitness or Medical ( Endgame).
  
• Weapon of Choice: Colt45 Revolver, Cowboy Rifle, Hunting Rifle.
  
  
  “The road and the tale have both been long, would you not say so? The trip has been long and the cost has been high... but no great thing was ever attained easily. A long tale, like a tall Tower, must be built a stone at a time.”
  ― Stephen King, The Dark Tower
  
  
  The Monk
  
  
  
  “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water”- Bruce Lee
  
  Perk: Martial Artist
  - + Expert in Close Quarters Combat. Can easily dispatch Zombies with their firsts.
  - +2 Fitness—Endurance in combat. Less likely to Tire.
  - +1 in Strength- Dictates melee damage and ability to carry heavy objects to throw.
  - Refuses to use Firearms.
  
  Trait: Warrior
  - +2 In Strength
  - +2 In Fitness
  - Negative: Boring Personality: Low Charisma. Horrible in diplomacy Checks
  
  Stats: +4 Fitness—+3 Strength
  
  Overview: When all weapons fail, you use the weapons you are born with. Bare fists to end disputes. The monk does not need guns to prove a point. This class architype was designed to deal with zombies in a quick succession. When playing Deadlier Road and Extreme you will need to fill that niche of close quarters combat. With high starting fitness and strength due to the perks and traits chosen. It was only logical that Martial Arts would be chosen as it is the perk that makes the class possible. While there are other perks that allow hand to hand combat. There is no substitute, the damage can easily dispatch a zombie in two hits. The combination of Martial Arts and Warrior perks will give you +4 Fitness and +3 in Strength. Use your environment to your advantage, hallways and alleyways. But in open spaces this can be the Monk’s bane. So be aware.
  
  Class Negatives
  
  • Runs out of stamina fast. Boost the Fitness stat ASAP. Strength should be boosted as well.
    
  • Cannot Use Firearms.
    
  • Cannot take on hordes in open areas. Use Hallways or alleyways.
    
  • Skills to Increase: Fitness and Strength. (Do not bother with shooting)
    
    The Tank Girl
    
    
    “Listen up, because I'm only telling you this once. I'm not bedtime story lady, so pay attention. The world is screwed now.”—Tank Girl
    
    Perk: Big Bruiser
    - + Stat with a better unarmed attack: Boxing
    - + 3 in strength
    - - Slower Walking speed.
    
    Trait: Berserk
    - + 4 Strength
    - + 4 Fitness
    - + 4 Shooting
    - + Can go over maximum stats.
    - - Dies In one Bite and Low Personality stats.
    
    Stats: +7 Strength—+ 4 Fitness—4+Shooting
    
    Overview: For those whom prefer to rip and tear there is one class for you. If you absolutely must kill everything in the room, except no substitutes. With Big Bruiser and Berserk you essentially have a killing machine, but like everything in this game it does have its drawbacks. You see Berserk gives you a huge stat increase, with the downside being it makes this class a glass cannon. They can dish out the damage but cannot receive it and it is almost essential to have big bruiser for the extra hit point. As you only start with one without it. But Sonny Jim you better be ever vigilant or you are going to be frustrated a lot as you will die a lot. This class makes the game brutally hard.
    
    Class Negatives
    
  • 1 health. So any opportunity that gives more health. Choose that.
    
  • Glass Cannon. Deal Damage, cannot receive any.
    
  • High Risk, High Reward can be a gamble.
    
    
    

The Ranger




“Indeed. I can avoid being seen in the wilderness if I wish, but to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift.”- Aragon, Lord of the Rings

Trait: Fighter
- Now Starts off with a Hatchet
- +2 Shooting
- +2 Strength

Trait:Warrior
- +2 In Strength
- +2 In Fitness
- Negative: Boring Personality

Stats: +4 Strength—+2 Fitness—+2 Shooting
Alternative Perks and Traits: Calm Under Fire/Explorer

Overview: The Ranger fills a role of a survivor. Excelling in Shooting, Fitness, and Strength. While His perks fills this role to the letter. I wanted someone with dexterity in mind, emphasizing a hit and run style. The Ranger is built to have a wide array of martial skills. With Fighter and Warrior traits added up—gives you +4 Strength, +2 in Fitness, and +2 In Shooting. This gives you a lot of options to work with when in harder modes. Face it, with the dangers of the apocalypse, you need someone with adaptability.
Class Negatives

• Boosting the Shooting skill is essential for survival. Build up Fitness/ Strength whenever possible to compensate for sticky situations where you need to fight for your life. Remember the Ranger is made with Survival-at-all-costs.
  
• Sucks in the beginning, as he starts out with a horrible weapon. This is minor until you find a better weapon.
  
• Average stats can be a huge to deterrent to the Ranger class, as he excels in nothing in the beginning. The Ranger is a High Risk-High Reward Character.

• Skills to Increase: Shooting, Medical, and Fitness
  
  “Now you have to live the rest of your life knowing you're going to die someday and disappear forever.”—Wade, Ready Player One. Ernest Cline Novel.
  
  
  The Engineer
  
  
  
  “Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary… that’s what gets you.”
  ― Jeremy Clarkson
  
  Perk: Car Nut
  - + Start with a Nicer Car
  - + 3 in Mechanical
  
  Trait: Inventive
  - + 2 Mechanical
  - + Great Wits
  - Will need Practice to repair more complex Cars.
  
  Stats: +5 Mechanical—High Wits Checks.
  Alternative Perks and Traits: Machanic
  
  Overview: In the zombie apocalypse, car mechanics will be a rare find indeed. The Mechanic fills the niche role of fixing and repairing. With Perks such as Car Nut and Inventive he starts off with a whopping +5 in mechanical. But it must be stated though that all of his stats will be lower due to this specialization, so in combat he will be terrible.This class is overspecialized but then again in harder modes no one will complain when he fixes the car or helps in repair events. With Car Nut, you will start with a better vehicle rather than the default gas guzzler.
  
  Class Negatives
  
• Overspecialized, good at repairing things—horrible in combat scenarios.
  
• Skills to Increase:Mechanical and Fitness
  
  
  The Archeologist
  
  
  
  “You know, people are always telling me how lucky I am. But truth is, everything I touch turns to .....Well you know.”—Nathan Drake, Uncharted Series.
  
  Perk: Explorer
  - + Get One Extra location. Guarantees it to be a looting event.
  - + Rerolling locations costs less gas, usually half.
  
  Trait: Charming
  - + Charms way into free stuff or out sticky situations (High Wits and Charisma)
  - Does not always work.
  
  Stats: One Extra Location—less gas when going to other locations—Charms out of situations.
  
  Alternative Perks and Traits: Paranoid: A good alternative trait to charming if you want information on new recruits or bandit events—Traits and Perks. As you are always on the lookout for dangers.
  
  Overview: To traverse the treacherous lands infested with the undead, one needs to map it out and know the logistics of ones surrounding cities and roads. There is adventure everywhere! Ever since the recent buff, explorer has been useful in almost any situation. Not only it allows you to mulligan a fresh set of options when going to another location, but it also guarantees it to be a looting event. When the game asks you to choose three locations. Explorer puts in one more location for you, and if you want to go to another location it takes less gas. Remember this can be a blessing and a curse as RNG can lead you to a cornucopia of loot or a death trap. Charming helps when you need to get free stuff from vendors or maybe even a discount. When in a crap situation, you might need someone whom can talk themselves out of trouble. This is useful when in a sticky situation. But do not rely on it. This also balances the Archeologist’s low stats—when needed you might want to charm a teacher to up those skills that the Archeologist's lacks. However it is hard to dispute how lucky this class architype is when you need it the most in all modes.
  
  Class Negatives
  
  
  • Low all around stats.
    
  • Purely luck based.
  Skills to increase: Depends on situation. Shooting or Fitness. Maybe strength if needed. Or go for Medical. It’s all on you.
  
  
  The Gunter
  
  
  
  "Playing old videogames never failed to clear my mind and set me at ease. There, inside the game's two-dimensional universe, life was simple"—Wade Watts, Ready Player One.
  
  Perk: Gungineer
  - + 2 Shooting
  - +2 Mechanical
  
  Trait: Irritating
  - + Tell people to ‘ COOL IT’
  - Can anger pretty much everyone.
  
  Stats: +2 Shooting—+ 2 Mechanical—Telling people to ‘Cool it’
  Alternative Perks and Traits: Martial Artist/Ultrafit
  
  Overview: This is an odd class to begin with. But this class archetype is hard to pin down, not to mention pair with in terms of perks. Due to the uniqueness of the perk irritating, it is a complete roll of the dice. So I feel I have to talk about it in some detail here. I sometimes go with Mechanic or Ultrafit to give this class some meaning—Heck even athlete could go far as well. Or if you feel risky go with Martial Artist. But for me I went with Gungineer. Having a mix of Shooting and Mechanical skills could save you in a pinch such as Deadlier Road and Extreme.
  
  Irritating Explained
  
  "COOL IT"—Infamous last words.
  
  
• Irritating can be a boon in situations. For example, the camping scenario where you can tell the survivors to: 'cool it' and you get a lot of food as a result. More often than not you can tell the bandits the same thing, when you are stopped by them. However; like before with mixed results as it will end in then focusing on the person whom said 'cool it' in the first place. Or they leave dumbfounded. However you can also insult shopkeepers too. Making then straight up exile you. So it's more down to pick and choose here. As it seems irritating can be a hidden gem based on your play style. Love it or hate it.
  
  Class Negatives
  
• When low morale sets in, Irritating will start to implode your own team. This perk is a ticking time bomb. So pay attention to your morale.

Jack-of-All Trades



"Because you’re an idiot. No, no, no, don’t be like that, practically everyone is."—Sherlock

Perk:Surgeon
- + Starts off with a Surgical Cleaver
- + 2 in Medical
- +2 in Shooting Marksmanship

Trait: Civilized
- +Super High Loyalty and Personality Stats
- 3 Points in mechanical and medical skills
- Significant morale Penalty

Stats: +5 Medical—+2 Shooting—+2 Mechanical—High Loyalty—High wits—Good personality.

Overview: For those whom want all out utility character, then this class fits the bill. The perks are aimed more for a medic aesthetic, while at the same time, being able in other fields such as mechanics and shooting. This class type is aimed for those whom cannot decide what to specialize in. A jack-of-all trades, however an archetype that does become spread too thin. Being good at everything but kind of overspecialized in one field as a strength. With high wits, this class easily can make a bad situation in your favor. When times get tough, their good personality can help increase morale. Also Jack-of-All’s never betray you.

Class Negatives

• High maintenance Class.
  
• Evened out to the point of becoming a master of none. However the Medical skill comes in handy.
  
  What you should focus on
  Skills to Increase: Shooting and Fitness to compensate for combat deficiency.
  
  The Enforcer
  
  
  
  “If trouble comes when you least expect it then maybe the thing to do is to always expect it.”
  ― Cormac McCarthy, The Road
  
  Trait: Big Bruiser
  - + 3 Strength + Start with Boxing, Unarmed Arrack
  - + 1 Armor (This is added to your health)
  - Slower Walking Speed.
  
  Trait: Resilient Type
  - +1 Armor
  - Bad Wits rolls.
  
  Stats: +3 Strength—+2 Armor
  
  Overview: The Enforcer, is what you expect: he's a tank. Hard hitting and heavily armored—but slow. With Big Bruiser and Resilient type; this class is pure strength and resilience. Unique only to this archetype is armor. Over the heart you'll see a grey overlay that counts as extra points of health. Think of it like free hit points. This class excels in the thick of combat without fear of damage.
  
  Class Negatives
  
  • Vary Slow
    
  • Must be careful not to be caught out of place.
    
  • Low stats all around. Excluding Strength.
    
    
  • Skills to Increase: Fitness and Strength.