Overview
When you spawn in zombie panic, Do you straight away fire your melee weapons, pistol and ammo away and run towards the nearest AK-47? Or do you always go with the same weapon stating, “Best of the beasts”? Maybe you’ll change your mind and will look towards the future of these weapons.
Pistols
Everyones starting and sometimes backup weaponary, These are usual regarded by alot of players for being weak or unreliable but today we will talk about these weapons, From the wiki. “Pistols are generally considered as backup weapons but some prefer to use them as primary weapons due to their inherent usefulness. Many new players frequently drop everything including their pistol to gain access to more powerful weapons, going so far as to completely drop all their weapons and panic just to get the more powerful weapon first.
Glock 17
The Glock 17 is often the best pistol, next to the Glock 18c due to it’s large 17 round magazine, availability and abundance of ammunition making it a decent defence against Zombies. There is always a chance a player will spawn with this weapon on round start, with an additional 10 rounds in reserve. The Glock 17 is often favoured by many people because of its sleek design and light weight.
Advantages:
Large 17 round magazine
Decent accuracy
Frequently available
Large quantities of ammunition is frequent in most maps
Disadvantages:
Low power per shot
Little knockback per shot
Power: 14 (Per body shot) 42 (Per Headshot)
Glock 18C
It’s a good tactic to shoot very fast, so having a fast trigger finger will make this weapon much more effective. Although, it is important not waste too much ammo or you can be easily overthrown by even a small group of zombies. Headshots are strongly advised, this is a good tactic because it will take far too many bullets to take down a foe if not aiming for the head.
Stock up on as much ammo as you can, if you don’t you will probably find yourself running out of ammo too soon.
Advantages:
Large 17 round magazine
Good accuracy
Frequently Available
Large quantities of ammunition is frequent in most maps
Disadvantages:
Low power per shot
Not much knockback per shot
Power: 14 (Per body shot) 42 (Per headshot)
USP
The USP is a small pistol, much better than the PPK. It is a very efficiant weapon when planning to kill one zombie at a time, with enough accuracy the player can kill a zombie if you unload most of it with headshots.
Advantages:
Decent accuracy
Frequently available
Large quantities of ammunition is frequent in most maps
Sleek Design
Disadvantages:
Smaller magazine compared to Glock series
Low power per shot
Not much knockback per shot
Power: 14 (Per body shot) 42 (Per headshot)
PPK
The PPK is a light weight, semi-automatic handgun often rarely used because of it’s limiting 7 round magazine and used more for its ammunition than actual combat use.The best recommendation is to drop the PPK as soon as another pistol like a Glock or USP becomes available because of the limited 7 round magazine, it may have a quick reload time but this isn’t so much of a help, a player can kill a zombie however with a single magazine of this weapon, providing all shots hit the head. Players that have some skill use the PPK to show off, other’s strip it of available ammo. In rare cases it can function well as a “Backup of a Backup” of sorts, especially for pistol users as if they run out of the two Glocks they were carrying then the PPK is their last resort. One common misconception is that the PPK does more damage than other pistols.
Advantages:
Frequently available
Large quantities of ammunition is frequent in most maps
Lightest weapon in the game
Decent accuracy
Used for spare ammo with N key
Disadvantages:
Small magazine, 7 Bullets
Low power per shot
Not much knockback per shot
Power: 14 (Per body shot) 42 (Per headshot)
Revolver
The revolver is one of the best weapons in the game. It is small enough as to not weigh you down, yet powerful enough to kill up to 6 zombies in one clip. While revolvers are technically pistols, this weapon can not use such ammo. Instead it uses magnum rounds which come in white boxes of 6 rounds each.Aim for the head! The revolver is the only weapon (Besides any shotgun, where if all the pellets hit the head, it will do 90×30 damage, equaling 270 damage, however, you will have to be extremely close for this to happen) so far that can kill any zombie with one headshot. That being said, body shots do 80 damage so if you can’t hit the head, 3 chest shots will work. (Note that a headshot does 240. A carrier will live through one with 10 HP left. Keep that in mind.)Keep track of your ammo. The revolver only has a 6-round cylinder. You don’t want to run out of ammo at an inopportune time. A player can hold up to 46 rounds of Magnum ammo in reserve, so there is ample space for Magnum ammunition, however it is rare to find a map with this much ammo. Being that you can hold a lot of ammo, and that the shots do the most damage, Magnums will be sure to last you a long time if used correctly before you need to look for more ammunition. Don’t be afraid to share. The name of the game is teamwork. Are you a terrible shot to the head? Do you already have a gun you like more? Give the Revolver to someone who can use it. Watch the boxes. Magnum ammo boxes and medkits can look very much alike to a new player. Make sure you aren’t grabbing a medkit and hoping to get magnum ammo.
If you have any other weapon, finish the carrier after a headshot, unless you only have a melee weapon. Shooting the carrier after a headshot leaves them with 10 health left, so the next shot from anything will drop them dead.
Advantages:
Second most strongest pistol in the game.
One shot will kill almost all zombie types.
Light weight
High accuracy
Nice design
Disadvantages:
Uses Magnum ammo instead
Slow-ish reload
Does not frequently spawn
Can not kill carrier (unless damaged) in one hit (Headshot)
Ammo is hard to find on some maps.
Moving onto the shotguns!
Shotguns
Shotguns are generally considered defensive weapons due to their slow fire rate, short range, and their heavy ammuntion. Shotguns are incredibly powerful at close range, a point blank shot will cause serious damage to normal zombies and can often score a kill with only one shot to the head at close range. Shotguns are notably less effective at longer distances, as the spread of the pellets leads to the survivor being less likely to hit a zombie, as they pellets may have strayed too far from the intended target. Shotguns use Shotgun Shells which come in packs of 8 shells.
Winchester
The Winchester is a long barrelled hunting shotgun. Unlike most shotguns, the Winchester has no pump action and can be fired as fast as the wielder can press their fire button. It’s also a good weapons for scoring head-shots with. Unfortunately, its capacity is a mere 2 shells and the reload process is quite slow. However, even with its downsides it is still an incredibly effective weapon if used correctly. Due to the long reload time of the Winchester, its best to switch to a pistol or melee weapon after getting two shots off on one zombie to finish it off. Keeping the cross hairs on the upper chest will increase chances of a head-shot while maintaining pellet count. Firing both barrels (mouse 2 by default) is almost guaranteed on regular zombies, but the weilder should be cautious as they will need to reload before continuing to fire at other zombies. The Winchester can act like a Magnum. If one aims for the head successfully, a damage multiplier is added. With its accuracy it is possible to kill a zombie in one headshot, although, it may take two.
Advantages:
Decent Accuracy
Fired as fast as you click
Right click fires both shells
Quite frequient
No pump action
Highest power
Disadvantages:
Slow reload
Two shells
Quite heavy
Power: 90 (Per Bodyshot) 270 (Per Headshot)
Remington
The Remington takes about 2-3 direct hits to kill a regular zombie. This shotgun isn’t much different from the Super Shorty, save for its larger capacity, but the weight is the only real difference between the two. It’s easier to kill zombies with this weapon rather than the Super Shorty counterpart.
Advantages:
Highest capacity of all shotguns, 6 shells
Quite frequient
Highest Power
Easier to kill with than the Super Shorty
Disadvantages:
Slow reload
Pump action
Quite heavy
Power: 90 (Per bodyshot) 270 (Per headshot)
Super Shorty
The Super Shorty is an effective weapon against zombies, killing them in 2-3 shots, but it’s weak when fighting multiple zombies. Because of a three-round capacity, the only way to dispatch multiple zombies would be by scoring point-blank headshots on each, which would still only kill a maximum of three (one for each shell), but the wielder will very likely be killed if trying to do so.
While fighting with this weapon it is advised to stay moving. The Super Shorty is best for when a survivor is in the safety of a group because of the immense damage it does so that the other survivors can finish off the wounded and remaining zombies. This weapon is commonly referred to by players as the “Super ♥♥♥♥♥♥”, due to it’s small capacity and slow reload time. Though, if the wielder taps the Reload button, they can quickly reload like with the 870 Remmington.
Advantages:
Fastest reload of all shotguns
Lightest shotgun
Highest Power
Frequient
Disadvantages:
Pump action
Low capacity, 3 shells.
Power: 90 (Per bodyshot) 270 (Per headshot)
Lets move onto the Automatics!
Automatics
Automatics are usually the main weapon most players seek, as they have a very high fire rate, resutling in high amounts of damage to be dealt very quickly. They are the most versatile weapon types, boasting high capacities, fast fire rate, and high damage which makes them viable weapons for almost all defensive and offensive situations. However, players must take heed and be wary of their ammunition, as automatics quickly deplete ammuntion despite having the largest supply of reserve ammunition that can be carried on a per person basis (142 rounds if no other ammo types are being carried). Zombie players are often dismayed when facing a team of survivors with several rifles, since one survivor with a rifle can easily kill several zombies with only one magazine.
MP5
The MP5 is the lowest tier machine gun in Zombie Panic: Source. It has a 30 round magazine like all other rifles, yet it deals the lowest amount of damage, even with its high fire rate. However, the MP5 is also the most accurate of all the machine guns and can be quite effective when in the hands of a skilled user. If another machine gun such as an M4 or an AK-47 is available, it is recommended to unload this weapon for its ammo and use either of the newer guns.
Advantages:
High capacity, 30 shells
Frequient
Most accurate automatic
Highest fire rate
Disadvantages:
Low tier
Heavy recoil
Low amount of damage
Slow-ish reload
Heavy
Power: 16 (Per bodyshot) 48 (Per headshot)
M4
Advantages:
Best balanced rifle
High accuracy
Good power
Little recoil
High capacity, 30 shells
Fast fire rate
Disadvantages:
Slow-ish reload
Not as accurate as MP5
Less firepower than AK-47
Heavy
Power: 17 (Per bodyshot) 51 (Per headshot)
AK-47(74)
The AK-47 is the most powerful of all the machine guns found in Zombie Panic: Source, dealing 21 points of damage per bullet (63 for a headshot). When using this weapon it is advised to save as much ammo as possible by firing short, controlled bursts at targets. The biggest drawback to the AK is that it has the highest recoil, and it is not very accurate to begin with. After 5-8 fired shots, the wielder will find their crosshairs quite far from where they were originally intended to be. Statistically, the AK-47 has the highest weight of any weapon in the game so far.
Advantages:
Highest Power Rifle
Fast fire rate
High capacity, 30 shells
Disadvantages:
Slow-ish reload
Least accurate rifle
Heaviest weapon in game
Heavy recoil
Power: 21 (Per bodyshot) 63 (Per headshot)
Moving on to the projectiles!
Projectiles/Explosives
Grenade
The HE (An acronym for High Explosive) Grenade appears in ZPS maps and its model appears as a green-grey cylinder with two yellow bands near the top and bottom of the can, along with a normal pin and spoon detonation system with an approximate 5 second timer. Grenades can be stored in stacks of 3 (much like the barricade hammers) and are very useful for damaging or killing groups of zombies clustered together, or to weaken zombies on the other side of a barricade as an Indirect method of fire. The grenade will always kill any zombie if it is thrown directly under their feet, but has to be “cooked” before thrown as so zombies won’t simply walk over it as it explodes behind them. A grenade that is simply thrown will almost never kill a zombie unless it is in the approximate path the zombie will take. A grenade has a five second timer before detonation. Grenades can be thrown with mouse 1 (by default), and tossed a short distance with mouse 2 (by default). The timer on the grenade starts immediately after you press the mouse button to pull the pin on the grenade. To cook a grenade, simply hold the mouse button down with a grenade selected. You character will stay in the “pre-throw” animation until you release the mouse button. This is extremely useful to kill enemies as it requires much less prediction on where the zombie will be in the next few seconds, and gives zombies little to no time to react. However, make sure you count the number of seconds while holding mouse 1, as you might end up over cooking the grenade and killing yourself. Grenades follow a ballistic trajectory, so make sure you lead your throws for far away targets and compensate for barricades you might be trying to throw the grenade out of. Landing the grenade inside your barricaded house can result in not only you killing yourself, but the destruction of your teammate’s barricades as well. Grenades have a large damage radius, but a rather small killing radius. It is usually best to aim a grenade at a zombie as best you can, and if it only damages him, finish him off with a weaker weapon, such as a pistol or melee weapon
Advantages:
Second highest power in exposives
Can easily kill groups of zombies
Can be stored up to three
Disadvantages:
Can hurt teammates and yourself
Can bounce off walls, chairs etc and go back to you
Held too long can kill yourself
Power: Incredibly high
IED
The I.E.D (An Acryonym for Improvised Explosive Device) is an extremely powerful explosive device that can be found in many levels in Zombie Panic: Source. The IED appears mainly comprised of appoximately a pound of C4 high explosive wired to two duracell batteries. This appears inconsistent with its detonation method, the use of a cellphone to call the IED, which triggers a curcit in the phone that has been wired to the detonator.IEDs are often used by survivors to kill a large number of zombies in a single area, often placed near the threshold of barricades to detonate in case the zombies break through. IED’s are sometimes used as an area denial for zombies, to discourage them from entering the blast radius of the IED. Some players in a pinch will place the IED inside the barricaded room and sacrifice themselves if the zombies break in and become overwhelming, thus leaving any other survivors the task of rebuilding the barricade or waiting out the last few minutes. Zombies will usually attempt to swipe away the IED with their claws to push it somewhere hard to reach, where it won’t do much harm to zombies, it is crucial that any zombie attempting to misplace a survivor’s IED is neutralized. The IED sports a blinking red light in the center of it to indicate that it’s armed. IEDs can also be planted to flat surfaces on the map, such as walls, doors, ceilings, etc. A good tactic for taking down multiple zombies would be to plant it on the ceiling above the doorway if possible, and detonate it as they enter, catching them by surprise as opposed to allowing them to spot the IED beforehand.The IED takes up one slot in a Surivor’s inventory, and has a maximum stack of one (1). To use the IED, Primary fire (Mouse Button 1 by default) to toss the IED on the ground a short distance. Be aware that the IED in this state may be moved by explosions, props, and other zombies may push it out of the way. Your player will automatically take out their cellphone after throwing it. You can then press Secondary fire (Mouse Button 2 by default) to detonate the IED. An alternate method of placing the IED is to walk up to a wall, the ceiling, or floor and hold Secondary fire to plant it on the wall. Be aware, that this method of placement takes significanty longer than throwing the IED, although the IED in this state will be unmovable. An IED can only be planted on the world map, as opposed to doors or props that are openable or pushable. An IED can be retrieved by its owner by simply walking up to it and pressing the Use key (E by default). If no open inventory space is available, the IED stays disarmed and as a physics prop on the ground. You can then re-deploy it anywhere else you choose. If a player attempts to retrieve an IED that is not theirs, and the owner of it is still alive, they will get the message “That IED is not your property! Try again later when nobody is looking.” Other players may take the IED only if the original owner is dead. You can switch to another weapon once you deploy your IED, and press J (by default) to draw the phone and detonate it later. Make sure you stay at least 10 meters/40 feet from the IED, as it can do damage anywhere closer than that. IEDs will kill the careless!The IED has a one second delay between pressing the detonation button and the actual detonation of the bomb. Unlike grenades, IEDs are not a reliable way to safely dispatch a group of zombies following a survivor, as the blast radius will often kill the survivor as well (anything within approximately 40 feet of an IED will be damaged upon detonation). IEDs should be used for defensive purposes instead, such as defending an objective or anticipating an ambush from a group of several zombies.
Advantages:
Highest power in explosives
Can be activated whenever
Can be picked up again
Can be used as a trap
Disadvantages:
One second delay
Must be watched at all times or else zombies will get past!
Can kill the careless
Power: Extraordinarly high
Weapon Hoarders
Grabbing multiple weapons and ammo is considered hogging, and is highly frowned upon. A hogger or “hoarder” is often easily found, as it easy easy to spot the slowest moving human (however, they could be simply fatigued). If they are often changing weapons and one can see that they have multiple rifles, shotguns or too much ammo, they are considered a hoarder.
