How to Survive Zombie Defence

Zombie Defence is a Tower Defence[en.wikipedia.org] game mode for Civ VI. It comes with the Portugal Pack (DLC) from the New Frontier Pass.

It introduces Zombies as an aggressive type of barbarian.

To counter these there are new defensive improvements you can build. (Which can be used against any land invasion not just Zombies). Notably the trap and barricade.

This is a guide to survive the Zombie apocalypse.

When you see a Zombie, run!

Zombies will go after the nearest (military) unit. So unless you want to bait them, move your units away. They will attract Zombies.

Walls are your city's first line of defence against Zombies. Tech Masonry ASAP. Rush a wall.

Increase city strength[civilization.fandom.com] by building the strongest melee/anti-cav or naval unit.
Also build the strongest ranged unit to increase your city ranged attacks.

Beeline Steel [civilization.fandom.com]to get automatic city defences.

Tip: Renaissance admiral Yi Sun-Sin grants an early ironclad on retirement. This instantly boosts all your cities' strength.

Most certainly in your capital, make sure you prioritise building a holy site or a campus ASAP.

You will then be able to use the special projects to convert Zombies within your city limits...but it's a little tricky and you only take control of Zombies for a certain number of turns.

So be certain to use those clocked Zombies offensively, like moving them to an allied city and setting them free!

Any units that die increase chances of Zombie spawn. So avoid dying.

Zombie kills spawn more Zombies. So especially don't get killed by Zombies! (Unless you wish for a Zombie spawn - like on your enemies doorsteps).

Zombies don't pillage improvements or districts. They don't block a city from working tiles like regular barbs do. Nor will they attack civilian units like workers and settlers, again unlike normal barbs.

So prioritise killing regular barbs.

Once you have done that, you may send out workers into Zombie swarms to build barricades and traps.

Rid yourself of Zombie swarms with the campus and holy site districts special projects - Dark Signal and Turn Undead.

If zombies swarm early game, I suggest unlocking Moksha, the governor, first. His promotion Laying On Of Hands heals all units in his city in one turn.

Aim to get this first promotion quickly, either with culture or by building the government plaza.

This is by far the most important step.

Fortify by building barricades and traps. Roman forts, Pas, Alcazars and Great Walls.

Later build advanced traps and modernised barricades, with Military Engineers.

Notably these Zombie Defence mode improvements can be made outside your territory! (So you don't have to waste your valuable land).

But make haste. Build defences before zombies swarm.

Originally posted by Johnny Cash from "The Ring of Fire":

I fell into a burning ring of fire
I went down, down, down
And the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns
The ring of fire

In Apocalypse mode, if you settle swathes of forest (or jungle) you can use a Soothsayer to create a disaster in the forest and burn zombies to death.
Rewilding (i.e. planting forest) helps.

Once you have dug in and/or rewilded you may "kite" zombies into burning forests and/or towards your barricades and traps.

Fast moving units like cavalry are best for this.
Also units with extra visibility.

e.g: Vietnam's Voi Chiến and Canada's Mountie both are excellent examples for kiting. Also zombies.

Here, using Ireland as a zombie drop zone to nuke them, on Europe map.

Fight fire with fire.

The apostle with the Heathen Conversion promotion will allow you to convert Zombies. You can also use the hero Hunahpu & Xbalanque ("the twins").

Use your Zombies to defend against attacking Zombies. The attackers will never be any stronger than your units. Ever.

And later you can strengthen your Zombies by forming corps and armies.

But remember - Zombies will swarm if you use your Zombies to kill barbarian Zombies. That spawn another barbarian Zombie instantly.

Zombies only ever spawn on land, so focus on naval warfare.
You can never lose naval units to Zombies, so you won't be contributing to the Zombie spawn.

Also land assaults are much harder with the numerous defensive structures available in the Zombie Defence mode, so you are better off making naval (and aerial) offensives.

As Zombies can only attack from land, settle coastal cities and islands.

The isolation will provide protection from Zombie swarms.

Any traders that pass over land will be plundered by Zombies. So take a page from Portugal and trade over sea.

(Or play as Portugal, cos they are designed almost to trade perfectly in Zombie Defence mode).

Zombie Outbreak is a new spy mission that will spawn Zombies in a foreign city.

Be careful not to use the Zombie Outbreak mission on cities close to your borders. Otherwise they end up swarming your cities instead.

China, Rome, The Maori, Portugal, Byzantium, Gaul, Vietnam and Phoenicia.

Naval civs like Japan, England, The Ottoman, Brazil, Indonesia, the Netherlands and Spain may also fare well with Zombies.

Try defensive civs like The Maya and Georgia as well.

Unifier Qin, Varangian Hardrada.