First 'State of Decay 2' content update adds stealthy crossbows

If you thought State of Decay 2 was getting a bit stale even with a little DLC, relief is at hand. Undead Labs has released its expected free Zedhunter update, and it promises some significant changes to the gameplay in addition to extra missions -- and one might seem familiar. Most notably, it now includes crossbows. You can pull off your best Daryl-from-The-Walking-Dead impression and pick off zombies without drawing attention, wasting ammo (it's recoverable) or putting up with the occasional jam. You'll find three swords and three knives in case that crossbow isn't enough.

You can also play with your stats in multiple ways. To start, you can re-spec skills. So long as you've reached 7 stars in a core skill, you can remove a specialization to choose another, albeit at the cost of much slower experience gains for that skill. For much faster (if temporary) improvements, there are also new "plague consumables" like a Zedrenaline boost to health and stamina. There are also new quirks like hygiene (it's harder to tip over into a full-fledged infection) and recycling (a regular stream of community parts).

There are more additions coming in the long run, such as a new difficulty level and an opportunity to "return to Trumbull Valley" in 2019. Undead Labs wants to keep the game fresh, in other words, and it doesn't insist on charging gamers for the privilege.