Gate of the Dead · player guide
Defending the gate
The nights are the action half of the game. The dead come down the road in waves; you put defenders on the posts behind the wall, upgrade them with the scrap they earn, and use abilities when a crowd gets too close. Keep the gate standing to the end of the last wave and the night is yours.
The night ladder
Nights are numbered: night 1, night 2 and on up, each a little harder than the last. The Gate tab always shows the next one, and All nights lets you replay any night you've already held. Nights come in stretches of twelve, each set somewhere new as the horde pushes in: Riverside Depot, Motorway Services, the Shopping Centre, St Jude's Hospital, the Stadium and the Harbour, then back to Riverside as the seasons turn.
Within each stretch, the fourth night is foggy, the eighth has that stretch's twist (runners, bloaters, armour and so on) and the twelfth brings a boss. A night costs 10 energy if you hold it and a quarter of that if you don't.
The briefing
Before each night you see what's new on the road, pick two abilities to bring, and can add up to two power-ups for that night only. Then press Hold the Gate.
Defenders
Drag a defender card onto a post (or tap the card, then the post). Each one costs scrap, which you earn by putting zombies down; it only exists for that night and is separate from your Scrap Metal. New defenders join as you climb the ladder:
| Defender | Opens | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Rifle | Night 1 | Steady shots at mid range. The backbone early on. |
| Shotgun | Night 3 | Hits three at once, close in. Good against crawlers. |
| Turret | Night 6 | Very fast, light rounds. |
| Sniper | Night 13 | Long range, goes for the biggest target and shoots through armour. |
| Flamer | Night 19 | Burns everything near the wall. |
| Grenadier | Night 25 | Explosive rounds for groups. |
| Engineer | Night 31 | Doesn't shoot; repairs the gate all night. |
| Mortar | Night 37 | Shells the far end of the road. |
Tap a defender on the wall to upgrade it. Each has two tracks, damage and speed, with three steps on each. These upgrades last only for the night. You can also sell a defender back for part of what you paid, which is useful for swapping a Rifle out for something better once you can afford it.
The wall crew: upgrades that last
At the Watch House you can upgrade each defender type for good, so it starts every night stronger. A defender can go one level past the Watch House's level, up to 10. The Radio does the same for abilities, up to level 5. Both cost Scrap Metal and steel.
Abilities
You bring two abilities into each night. Tap the button, then the road (some don't need aiming). Each one recharges after use.
- Grenade (night 1): a blast where you tap.
- Airstrike (night 5): bombs the whole road. Slow to recharge.
- Molotov (night 16): fire that burns for six seconds.
- Flare (night 28): everything slows for five seconds.
- Mines (night 40): three mines on the road.
Power-ups
Bought with Scrap Metal before a night, or won from daily crates and streaks. Up to two a night.
- Sandbags: +30% gate strength tonight.
- Supply Drop: +150 scrap to start the night.
- Hot Rounds: +25% damage tonight.
- Extra Post: a sixth post on the wall tonight.
The Outer Wall
From chapter 18 the camp can build a second wall further out, in four sections. In story and crisis nights it stands across the road in front of the gate: the dead stop there and have to break it first, and its bar sits above the gate's. When it falls they carry on to the gate. It's rebuilt free after every night. It doesn't count in the Daily Siege, Bad Night or Holdout, so those stay the same for everyone on the leaderboards.
Last Stand
Once a night, if the gate falls, you can bring it back at 40% with a blast that clears the road. It costs Scrap Metal: less with a bigger First-aid Tent, and from First-aid Tent level 5 your first Last Stand each day is free.
Stars and rewards
Stars are about how much gate is left at the end: three stars for 90% or more, two for 60% or more, one for anything less. A held night pays Scrap Metal (more for more stars), plus timber and steel for the camp, and usually a new survivor. Replays pay half the Scrap Metal, so going back for three stars is worth it but isn't a farm. After a held night you can choose to watch an ad to double that night's Scrap Metal.
What comes down the road
The game shows a short note before the first night each new type appears. In brief:
- Walkers: slow and plentiful.
- Runners: fast and fragile. They reach the gate before you notice.
- Riot gear: helmets soak up rifle rounds. Snipers and blasts go straight through.
- Brutes: slow, huge, hit the gate like a truck. Hit them early.
- Crawlers: low to the ground. Single shots miss them a lot; shotguns and blasts don't.
- Bloaters: burst when they die, hurting what's around them, including the gate if they get that far.
- Spitters: stop short and spit at the gate. Everything but the Flamer can reach them.
- Screamers: while one is alive, everything else moves faster. Kill it first.
- Hazmat suits: fireproof and armoured. Snipers, mortars and blasts get through.
The bosses at the end of each stretch include the Butcher, a pack of three Brutes, the Mother, the Surgeon, the Tank and, at the Harbour, the Hive.
Controls
There are 2x speed and pause buttons beside the field. On a computer you can also use the keyboard: number keys pick a defender, Q and E fire your abilities, F changes speed, P pauses, M turns the sound off and Esc cancels.
Tips for the nights
- Spend scrap as it comes in. Scrap left over at the end of a night is wasted.
- Fill the posts first, then upgrade. A second cheap defender usually beats one upgrade early in a night.
- Save the grenade for clumps near the gate, not the first walker you see.
- Keep a Sniper for nights with brutes, riot gear or a boss.
- If you keep losing the same night, upgrade the Gate or the wall crew, or bring Sandbags, rather than throwing energy at it.