State of Decay 3 Is Facing an Uphill Battle With One of the Series' Signature Features

State of Decay 3

By Anthony Bussing

Published Jun 21, 2024

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State of Decay 3

Highlights

After years of waiting, fans finally got a sneak peek at State of Decay 3 during the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase.
Expectations are high for State of Decay 3 to improve and build upon the core gameplay features of its predecessors, though it will be tough to top the standout Survivor Skills mechanic.
The upcoming sequel could focus on allowing survivors to specialize in certain skills, potentially adding depth to gameplay.

Over six years after the release of State of Decay 2, fans of the zombie-slaying franchise were treated to a new reveal for the highly anticipated State of Decay 3. After a long period of no new announcements, State of Decay 3 recently resurfaced at the 2024 Xbox Games Showcase, giving fans a taste of what’s to come through a stylish cinematic trailer.

Specific details and the expected release date for State of Decay 3 are still uncertain for the time being. Although given how far the franchise has come, expectations are at an all-time high for the upcoming sequel to build upon the previous games’ core gameplay features in meaningful and fresh ways. This is especially the case for the State of Decay franchise’s survivor skills, and State of Decay 3 will have its work cut out for it to top the previous game’s iteration of this feature.

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How State of Decay 3 Improves on SoD 2's Graphics and Gameplay

After years of silence State of Decay 3 has risen from the grave, and it promises to push the series' graphics and gameplay to places it's never been.

How State of Decay 3 Can Improve Survivor Skills

The State of Decay franchise has come a long way over the years, especially when considering how all the post-launch updates for State of Decay 2 brought several improvements and to the gameplay alongside new content. So, with an upcoming sequel on the way, State of Decay 3 has a lot to live up to in terms of what it will bring to the franchise.

While State of Decay 3 would be a good time for Undead Labs to pull some tricks out of its sleeve and introduce new, original gameplay features, it would be wise not to leave some of the State of Decay franchise’s signature features behind. Instead, a new sequel would be the perfect opportunity to build upon some of the existing features that the franchise does best, like Survivor Skills, even if State of Decay 3 outdoing its predecessor will be easier said than done.

State of Decay 3 Should Double Down on Survivor Skill Specialization Dynamics

One way that State of Decay 3 could potentially improve upon State of Decay 2’s survivor skills is by doubling down on the specialization mechanics, for example, by allowing survivors to distinctly specialize in certain skills at the tradeoff of having to sacrifice other skills.

The skill specializations in State of Decay already scratch the surface of this, but there’s still some room to take this feature to the next level.

When survivors progress their skills to a certain point in State of Decay 2 they can choose between different specializations for this skill, which provide different stat bonuses and unlock access to exclusive home base upgrades or new abilities.

While it’s possible to create survivors with a ‘jack of all trades’ skillset, most survivors in State of Decay typically fall into one of two categories: the explorers or the residents. Explorers are survivors who have traits and skills that are best suited for combat, looting, and survivability, while the residents, on the other hand, are the survivors who fill a support role by providing passive benefits to the whole community. In most cases, the resident survivors will never need to have high combat proficiency skills since they are more useful when stationed at the player’s home base in State of Decay, instead of in the field.

It would arguably be a natural progression for State of Decay 3 to lean into this common dynamic. Allowing survivors to become highly specialized in community development skills at the cost of compromising on combat skills, or vice versa, could make for a more interesting take on State of Decay’s survivor skill specializations that previous games haven’t yet explored. Ultimately though, despite being a signature feature of the franchise that works incredibly well, State of Decay 3 still has plenty of room to experiment and grow with different iterations of survivor skills, either as mentioned, or in other innovative ways.