tips for Survival for your first dystopia rising event

There’s no right or wrong way to build your character or spend your XP during the event, and there’s no wrong way to play your character. The true “zen” of Dystopia Rising is to simply choose the abilities and skills you think will be fun, and to participate in the activities you enjoy. Remember, you can choose to re-write your character at any time during your first three events, so if you find out you didn’t enjoy that Skill during the game, you can simply choose a different one later!

HOW TO SUCCEED

But let’s talk about a few things to consider to make your first character more enjoyable:

  • Think about how you will survive combat. We didn’t say WIN combat but SURVIVE. The surest way to survive a zombie attack is to simply run away. If the player portraying that zombie doesn’t see you because you are actually hidden in real life, you are pretty safe. And, if you’ve built up some skill with a boffer weapon and shield, you can survive some fights if you are smart and pick your targets well. Even if you don’t want to fight with boffers, you’ll eventually find yourself surrounded by zombies.

  • Think about how your character can be useful. Skills in Dystopia Rising can give you some useful ways to interact with the game and other characters. What is your character known for? What can they DO? Are they a doctor, or a farmer, or a caravan guard? Are they curious about the Grave Mind, or do you know some neat combat tricks in pinch that can come in handy? Try to pick some skills that can interact with another player! It’s very difficult for one character to do everything so folks will always be interested in someone with a useful talent.

  • Think about your character will interact with the economy. Dystopia Rising has a vibrant in-game economy and having a plan for how you will barter and trade your way to success is a great start. Think about ways you can get involved in producing Resources like Scrap and Herb for other characters, or how you can perform a service like healing or repairs using your Skills. But, even if your character isn’t interested in being fabulously wealthy in game, you’ll still need a few Brass, our local Currency, to buy food, tasty drinks, or pay for services in game.

  • What makes your character unique or cool? One of the best things about Dystopia Rising is the friends you meet, the memories you make, and the experiences you get to enjoy. How can you make your character stand out in the crowd in Bravado? Do you have a neat roleplay around your use of a Skill, like farming or healing? Do you have a connection to another character in the game? Are you looking to join one of the many in-character groups in game, or get involved in the politics? Do you have a really cool costume or boffer weapon you made? Show off what makes your character special and unique!

How to survive

Dystopia Rising is a “survival horror” game. But there’s a few easy tips to survive in game, no matter what goes bump in the night.

  • There is safety in numbers. Don’t walk alone at night and bring a buddy. A lot of monsters in the game are very good at catching you off guard and vulnerable if you are alone. Stick with friends or stay in the main public locations when you can. The main “social centers” are the Depot and the General Store. But keep your eyes open. Even in a normally busy building you can suddenly find yourself alone.

  • Run away! Fights can quickly turn against you if you are outnumbered. If the threat can’t catch you, it can’t kill you. Don’t stick around if there are more zombies than survivors. You don’t have to be the fastest survivor, just faster than the slowest survivor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with a bit of starter equipment, but your first goal in game should be to acquire a few critical items like Armor or an Injectable. Injectables are notable because they are one of few healing items that can be used while in Bleed Out. This means if you get caught alone on the lake path, you can heal yourself quickly and run for safety. Armor is also a big help for a new player as it can easily DOUBLE the amount of Body you effectively have for only a few scrap.

  • Don’t go to bed too early, if you can. The cabins and buildings on Camp Bluebonnet Shores are fair game for monster attacks at most hours of the night, but as soon as the last NPC shift ends it gets a bit safer. Even the new player cabin isn’t safe before 2:00 am or so. That’s not to say that there won’t be monsters out past that time, but there won’t be hordes of the undead if there’s no NPCs to play them. The other “mostly” safe time is during the Siesta, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. This is a great time to catch a nap, get some food, or attend a player-led event.

  • Pay attention in a fight. The more elaborate costume on an NPC, likely the more dangerous they are. Don’t be a hero and try to avoid the attention of the Big Bad. Pay attention to what attacks the monsters use on other characters so you know what enemies to watch out for. Don’t be afraid to ask for help in a fight, or be afraid to run for help if you are overwhelmed. Better to get away than to get caught in a corner by a horde of zombies.

  • Remember to eat and drink when you can. It’s a long weekend, so pace yourself. When you are tired and distracted, you’ll make mistakes or miss things. Make sure you are drinking water, and not just energy drinks and coffee. Make sure you get a chance to eat food, or to leave the site to get food nearby in Belton. Don’t be afraid to take a break. If you are too tired, hungry, or thirsty, you can be more dangerous to yourself in REAL LIFE than any zombie ever could be! The zombies will wait — take care of yourself!

hOW TO GET INVOLVED

Lastly, here’s some tips for engaging with other players during the event:

  • Learn more about the setting in game. We’ve put a LOT of lore on our website, but there’s way more to learn. The best way to make a connection with another character is to simply ask questions. Who is that NPC over there in the glowing blue mask? What is that deer looking thing in the shadows? Who the heck are the RRC and why is Felicity Redfield important? Exactly what is the Grave Tax? The best way to find out is to experience the lore in game for yourself!

    • Check out what your character might know before you enter the game in our DR:TX Lore Introduction! This is most of the starting information you might know when you arrive on the Oxline in Bravado.

  • Ask characters about themselves — People love to tell you stories! The easiest way to make friends in game is to ask questions about their characters. Who are they and what does that symbol on their jacket mean? How did they meet their friends? When did they first come to Bravado? What do they think about the ethical concerns on Crystal Candy?

    • Get on our Discord and make some connections before you arrive at the game! Our players love to help new players with questions in Texas!

  • Get involved! Take risks, and “do the dumb!” We know that you are survivor and you wouldn’t necessarily follow that strange character into the darkness but playing it safe can be boring. YOU get to play your character how you choose, but sometimes it’s way more interesting to do the silly, dangerous things. Death isn’t the end in Dystopia Rising, so even if the experience is deadly, you’ll still be able to learn new things and experience new cool scenes with the Grave Mind. When that farmer comes into town looking for help, volunteer! When you see a group of people arguing, go see what’s going on. If folks are trading Blueprints and items in the Depot, go pay attention and ask some questions about what items are useful.

    • Here’s some great advice on Steering, a type of roleplay behavior where you change how your character would act to help out the scene or story.

    • One of our lead STs, Heather, has written a great article about Chasing Plot that has some great advice for getting involved.