Highlights
- Acrobatics in State of Decay 2 fell short, but State of Decay 3 has the chance to turn it into a valuable skill.
- State of Decay 3 could rework Acrobatics to make survivors more mobile and better equipped for the post-apocalyptic world.
- Players could climb ladders and vault over barriers more quickly, helping greatly in certain scenarios.
Acrobatics is one of State of Decay 2's most lackluster skills, but State of Decay 3 could turn it into something immensely useful. Acrobatics sounds like a skill that would be naturally useful in a post-apocalyptic setting. After all, agility would be paramount in traversing terrain and dodging attacks. However, State of Decay 2's take on the skill failed to impress. With State of Decay 3 having the opportunity to build on the last game, the Acrobatics skill represents a particular opportunity. With a few tweaks, Acrobatics could go from an undesirable ability to a strong contender.
While community members with excellent traits in State of Decay 2 are always welcome, good skills are likewise a solid boon for survivors who have them. In particular, the Cardio skill is one that players will almost always get a lot of use out of. Higher cardio leads to higher stamina, which will let survivors run, fight, and generally do almost anything for longer periods of time. Even better, Cardio is easy to level up by simply running and climbing. At maximum level, Cardio can evolve into one of four new skills that can potentially be chosen by the player. These skills include:
- Acrobatics
- Backpacking
- Marathon
- Powerhouse
State of Decay 3: 3 Features The Game Needs to 'Exhume' From Other Survival Games
Zombie-survival crafting series State of Decay is receiving a third entry, and there's some features from other titles it can look to for improvement.
State of Decay 3 Can Make Acrobatics A Highly Useful Talent
State of Decay 2's Acrobatics Skill Sounds Great in Theory
As players battle to grow their base in State of Decay 2, they will need their survivors in the best shape they can be. In theory, Acrobatics would be a perfect skill for such an occasion. In addition to additional stamina growth, Acrobatics lowers the stamina cost for dodging and climbing, reduces fall damage, and unlocks two new abilities in the form of the dodge roll and flying strike. These traits all sound like solid advantages for helping the survivor survive in the world of State of Decay 2. Unfortunately, most of them fall short, especially compared to other Cardio specializations.
Acrobatics Has Few Solid Advantages in State of Decay 2
The lowered stamina costs for dodging and climbing are legitimately good. However, common sense in State of Decay 2 shows how weak the rest of Acrobatics' kit is. Reduced fall damage is helpful, but players will rarely fall enough for that to matter. The dodge roll can throw off the timing of players used to the regular dodge. Most painfully, the flying strike doesn't make the player any better at combat. Compared to Marathon's fatigue resistance and longer sprints, Powerhouse's combat upgrades, and Backpacking's carry weight boost, Acrobatics doesn't offer anything particularly impressive. That makes it a skill that's easy to pass on.
State of Decay 3 Can Give Acrobatics a Meaningful Rework
Out of all the game's skills, Acrobatics is most in need of a boost in power. For State of Decay 3 to be even better, it will take a lot of upgrades, and that includes underperforming skills. Acrobatics already had something good with its reduced stamina usage, so that could be built off of. For example, a character with Acrobatics could be able to vault walls and fences faster than other characters. Likewise, a speed boost for climbing ladders could also be fitting. A survivor with Acrobatics could be reworked into one of the most mobile people in State of Decay 3.
As it stands, Acrobatics is barely usable in State of Decay 2, but the idea shouldn't be abandoned. To give players more chances to survive State of Decay 3's world, they will need strong skills that give their survivors a much-appreciated upgrade. Cardio is an all-around important skill, and its specialization should be able to pick up where it left off. As it stands, Acrobatics fails to meet the bar as an upgrade. However, come State of Decay 3, it could be reworked into a skill well worth taking for players.
State of Decay 3
State of Decay 3 is an upcoming game from Xbox Game Studios that was unveiled at the Xbox Games Showcase in 2020. The game will be released day one on Game Pass.
Little has been revealed about the game since its announcement, with no gameplay details or release date available at the time of writing.
