Infection

Description

Infection may be contracted from repeated Zombie or Animal attacks. It has four stages of progression and will kill the infected player if it progresses to the fourth stage. The chance of contracting an Infection becomes more likely the more repeated hits are taken, like any other critical injury. Infection starts at 0.1%. Catching a second instance of Infection while already infected will increase the Infection level by 1%. Being attacked by a Zombie while infected increases Infection by 0.04% per hit, or 0.06% for Ferals. For Hazmat Zombies, this is 0.4% and 0.6%. Being attacked by an Insect Swarm has a flat 20% chance of catching an Infection regardless of critical resistance. Additionally, every attack from an Insect Swarm while infected will increase it by 0.5% with every hit taken.

Infection increases by approximately 0.005% every second (~0.3% per minute) unless treated. Infection is treated with the use of Antibiotics, Herbal Antibiotics, or Jar of Honey. A treated Infection does not cause as much Stamina loss and will decrease the Infection level by 0.007% per second (~0.4% per minute). Stronger medicines last longer and thus cure more of the Infection. Antibiotics reduce Infection by 25%, Herbal Antibiotics by 10%, and Honey by 5%. At lower levels of Infection it is recommended to use the least powerful medicine available that will cure the Infection.

Vitamins prevent new cases of Infection for the duration of their buff, but will not cure or reduce any existing infections.

Stages

Stage 1

0.1%-13.9%

• Mild Infection
  • No adverse effects at this stage.
  • Lasts for 1 hour of real time before progressing to Stage 2 if not treated.
• Treated Mild Infection
  • No adverse effects at this stage.
  • Lasts until medicine wears off or Infection reaches 0% and is cured.

Stage 2

14%-56.9%

• Infection (Buff)
  • -25% Stamina regeneration.
  • Lasts for 3 hours of real time before progressing to Stage 3 if not treated.
• Treated Infection
  • -12.5% Stamina regeneration.
  • Lasts until medicine wears off or Infection drops to Treated Mild Infection.

Stage 3

57%-99.9%

• Severe Infection
  • -35% Stamina regeneration.
  • -1 to all Attributes.
  • Lasts for 3 hours of real time before progressing to Stage 4 if not treated.
• Treated Severe Infection
  • -17% Stamina regeneration.
  • -1 to all Attributes.
  • Lasts until medicine wears off or Infection drops to Treated Infection.

Stage 4

100%

• Instant death, with the message "You have died from an infection."

Treatment

It is possible to treat Infection by using various infection-curing medicines, which slowly lower Infection over time. Multiple cures can be taken in succession to further extend the cure timer.

• Jar of Honey cures 5% of Infection.
• Herbal Antibiotics cures 10% of Infection.
• Antibiotics cures 25% of Infection.

Infection is fully cured at 0%.

Prevention

Infection has a chance of being applied when the player suffers a critical injury. Critical injuries are more common the more hits are taken in a row. Therefore, the best way to avoid Infection is to avoid being cornered by groups of Zombies and dodge hits as much as possible.

Investing one point into The Brawler perk will give you the ability to prevent enemies from infecting anyone. Punching an enemy in the head with bare fists or with one of the knuckle weapons will inflict a debuff that permanently prevents that specific Zombie from inflicting Infection with melee attacks. This does protect players other than the one who punched the enemy. Ranged attacks such as a Cop Zombie's vomit can still carry a chance of infection.

Fortitude Mastery level 2 grants immunity from Infection for 2 real-time hours (2 in-game days) after recovering from Infection.

The Preacher Armor set bonus grants resistance to Infection, with a full Quality 6 set providing immunity.

Notes

• If left untreated, the player will reach Stage 4 Infection and die in about 7 hours of real time, or 7 in-game days.
• It is unclear if Infection is the virus responsible for zombifying humans and animals alike, or if it's an ordinary wound infection.
  • When dying from Infection, players do not become Zombies.
  • Non-Zombie Animals can inflict Infection.
  • Infection cannot be passed from one player to another.
  • Infection cannot be inflicted on any NPCs. For instance, a Bear cannot be infected and turned into a Zombie Bear.
  • Hazmat Zombies increase Infection when already infected 10x more than other Zombies, implying they were heavily exposed before becoming a Zombie.
• Stage 4 inflicts an extremely large amount of damage when it begins, which cannot be survived in ordinary gameplay, and as such is fatal and causes an instant death.
  • Even using the dev item "Tough Guy Shirt", which increases the player's health by 20000, Infection Stage 4 still causes instant death.