AUDREY'S HOT COMBAT TIPS:

1. **Fear not the zombie in front of you, but the zombie that you have yet to see.** This is an addage I've made up for a couple of my characters to spout, and as dramatic as it sounds, it's the truth! When in combat with zombies, you should always avoid areas which you haven't yet cleared. Try to draw hordes away from unexplored territory and into areas you've already cleared out. A zombie that you know is there and is in front of you should pose little meaningful threat to you. This is so important that it is frequently a better idea to draw as many zombies out with loud noises like horn honking or shouting, and then kill them all, than it is to try and stealth an area. Zombies alerted by loud noises will announce themselves by either coming to you or beginning to bang on doors and windows, making their presence known. Finally, treat any closed door as if it's full of zombies—ready your weapon whenever opening a door in a building you're exploring, and be ready to run away ASAP. Sometimes, just sometimes, a massive horde will silently crowd behind a door, waiting for some unsuspecting prey to open it...

2. **Always remember that you are faster than any zombie.** Walk, don't run... most of the time. When trying to escape zombies, it's best to walk away and preserve endurance for further combat. However, when zombies are getting too close to you, instead of trying to turn around and walk away, you should turn and run away a short distance, then begin walking. Zombies can grab you while you are walking, but will not be able to grab you while you are running; if a zombie gets too close, run a few steps away to a safe distance, and begin walking. Also, you should NEVER sprint (alt key) in combat—there's simply no call for it, and it's more likely to get you killed through endurance loss and tripping than not. Likewise, do not running-vault fences, as you can get hurt that way and you really should not vault a fence at all if you're in a situation where zombies are too close to you to vault it without running.

3. **Windows and fences are both your best friend and worst enemy.** Zombies make themselves vulnerable to instant-kills when plunging over fences or through windows. However, this tactic only works against small numbers of zombies—anything more than a couple turns a fence from a potential tactic into an extreme danger. Zombies will lunge when hitting the ground, and their lunge can knock you over or stagger you long enough for standing zombies to grab and bite you. When in combat with large groups of zombies, or when you don't know where zombies could be coming from, avoid standing near fences and windows at all costs.

4. **Walk and whack.** Large hordes can take a while to clear, but as long as you keep your head on straight, a large amount of zombies should pose minimal threat to you. Usually, your worst enemies are single zombies hiding in places you've yet to see or catching you off-guard while otherwise engaged. Try to fight zombies in wide open areas with plenty of space to move around and run them in circles. Herd hordes into a single-file line; be willing and ready to run between them to try and pull them all together, so that none are coming from unexpected directions, before you start fighting them. Also, manage your endurance; if you get beyond moderate exertion, get out of there. Abuse tall fences by jumping over them mid-combat and then sitting on the ground on the other side, recovering most of your endurance by the time they can reach you.

Finally, **STANDING ON ZOMBIES THAT ARE ON THE FLOOR WILL PREVENT THEM FROM GETTING UP.** This only applies to one, maybe two zombies at a time, but if you're being attacked by a few zombies, and you've knocked a couple on the floor, stand on them to finish killing the rest and then finish them off!

5. **Push!** Pushing is an invaluable tool in combat because it is a much shorter animation than attacking with practically every weapon, and results in longer stuns that allow you to get more distance. A good way to keep a large number of zombies in check is to swing, push, swing, push, swing, push. If more than one zombie is getting close, push, don't swing, and start trying to create more distance. Mixing pushes in with your swings will make killing a large group much safer.

6. **If it sucks... HIT DA BRICKS.** Sometimes, you might just have to run. That sucks! If you are cornered by zombies, then you have a simple last resort—run through them. Don't sprint, run. Chances are, you'll probably die—zombies cannot grab you while you are running, and running through a zombie 'shoulder-checks' and stuns it for quite a while, but there's a good chance you'll trip when running through a large group and they'll set upon you. But there's a chance, in a lethal situation, that simply running straight through the horde will save your life, and if there's no other way out, that chance is worth taking.