Gate of the Dead · player guide
Leaders
Leaders lead your squads on the Road and on map missions. A leader's own strength counts, and so does how many troops they can command, which makes good leaders the key to pushing further down the Road.
The story leaders
Six leaders join free as the camp grows, as part of the story:
- Mara, the forewoman who brought everyone to Riverside Depot. Legendary. With you from the start.
- Dev, a mechanic. Epic. Joins at Headquarters 2.
- Nan, eighty-one and handy with a flamethrower. Epic. Found at the petrol station, Headquarters 2.
- Haines, a sergeant, and the voice on the Radio. Epic. Headquarters 3.
- Kofi, a grenadier. Advanced. Headquarters 4.
- Ollie, twelve years old. Advanced. Headquarters 5.
The Leaders' Hall and keys
The Leaders' Hall opens at Headquarters 7 (chapter 7 asks for it) and comes with 5 Leader Keys and 2 Gold Keys to spend straight away. Each key recruits one leader from a roster of fourteen, drawn at random by tier:
| Key | Basic | Advanced | Epic | Legendary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader Key | 72% | 23% | 4.5% | 0.5% |
| Gold Key | none | 70% | 26% | 4% |
The roster: Tess, Big Rob, Gaz, Coach Lyn and Sal (basic); Priya and her dog Biscuit, Marcus, Wren and Reza (advanced); Sister Agnes, Doc Halvorsen and Jonah (epic); the Ferryman and Ma Brennan (legendary). Each leader is melee, ranged or support.
Where keys come from
- The 5 + 2 you get when the Hall opens.
- Chapter chests: two Leader Keys each from chapter 7, plus a Gold Key from chapter 8.
- Every tenth Road stage.
- The first clear of every fifth level of a map mission.
- Rescue missions, sometimes, and very rarely a boat from the Dock.
- The Trading Post's daily deal, on days it offers one.
Road stages, mission levels and the Dock only pay keys once the Hall is built, so build it as soon as chapter 7 asks.
Tiers, stars and power
A leader's tier sets their base power: legendary leaders are about ten times as strong as basic ones, epic about five times and advanced a little over twice. Drawing a leader you already have isn't wasted: each duplicate adds a quarter of a star, up to five stars, and each full star adds 25% to that leader's power. Story leaders don't gain stars.
Leader levels
All your squad leaders share one level, raised with Field Manuals on the Road screen. Each level makes every leader about 8% stronger and lets each command two more troops (10 plus 2 per level). See The Road for where Field Manuals come from.
Who leads
On the Road, your strongest leaders who are at the camp lead the squads, one per open squad slot. On map missions you choose up to three leaders per squad yourself. A leader out on a mission isn't available for the Road until they're back, so don't send your best leader on a long mission just before a Road push.