Resourcefulness vs. Stealth vs. Scouting vs. Discipline (which is best!?)

[@GitGudFox]

RIP Metal Gear.

[@mikeemmons1079]

I wish there were 3 of you so you could explain more games to me.

[@GitGudFox]

@@mikeemmons1079 Well, there are always room for more KZbinrs especially if you are willing to teach yourself the skills to set your production apart from your competitors.

[@mikeemmons1079]

@@GitGudFox someday when I have a space big enough that there can be a door between me and either my very rambunctious 7 year old during the day, or my sleeping family and my enormous yap at night. I already have OBS and I have been fiddling with it. as well as... cant think of the editing software atm. its free though so its fine for messing around.once we do get a bigger place I have got plans to embarrass myself most thoroughly online.

[@GitGudFox]

Always remember my ending quote. It has more meaning to it than a gimmicky catch phrase for the channel.

[@C1rkut]

Should probably look at stealth again since the choose your own apocalypse update its much better in higher difficulties

[@michaelgonzales3978]

Definitely got to re-do these. Stealth is one important skill to have now 😁

[@robertlcgarcia123]

Nightmare zone yea definitely

[@jarekgonzalez12]

Stayed in an area too long. 2 hordes, a jug, bloater, and 3 freaks spawn in. I had a classic crossbow I had just found. Went full MGS

[@victor-arnovisagie9356]

no it is not.

[@gorgan4714]

@@victor-arnovisagie9356 lol wrong

[@mravacadoman323]

@@victor-arnovisagie9356 you clearly have a bad community then 🤷‍♂️

[@sorkez6028]

now that there's nightmare mode, stealth is way more useful since sometimes u can't afford fighting

[@GitGudFox]

That's true. It will definitely get a higher rating when I re-evaluate them.

[@GuardianCitadel]

The problem is that it doesn't help you a damn bit when you can't avoid fighting, whether you can afford it or not. Stealth only works when you can keep a fight on your terms, whereas Resourcefulness means being able to tote around enough armory and recovery to deal with multiple problems on a run.

[@pyrorico3279]

@@GitGudFox stealth is a must in NM

[@funnymanatwork]

@@GuardianCitadel but that means more waste, if you gotta haul all that extra gear you're gonna be using it up quicker so that's the offset. One is more active combat focused but more wasteful on resources vs passive and frugal.

[@SamSplintterCell]

@@GuardianCitadel When i get the blood plague, and your character is basically low stamina all the time (that doesn't allow you to fight good) i sure appreciate stealth.

[@dennisjezewski5387]

after exessive d2 grind and playing anthem, i resumed my games collection and "found" this game, what can i say, i got addicted ... and your vids are so much supporting, they let me enjoy the game much more, thanks for that mate. :)

[@GitGudFox]

I'm glad they were helpful. I think it's especially nice since the SoD2 wiki isn't nearly as strong as other game's wiki pages.

[@williambourque926]

Kind of surprised you slagged on Stealth so hard. While I do get your points, I cannot tell you how many times being able to stealth across the map and not fight everything on the way has been a HUGE help for me. The only enemies that seem to "see through" it reliably are Ferals, otherwise you can sneak past everything else that may give you headaches (Juggernauts, hordes, etc.) Personally I think the utility of being unseen and being able to move fast while doing so cannot be understated.

[@williambourque926]

It's especially useful on the Plateau map by the way (the one with the large valley in the middle and the hospital on the hill). Being able to just pop stealth and use it as a shortcut saved a TON of time (and I'm fairly sure they designed the terrain for people to consider using it over driving everywhere).

[@GitGudFox]

@@williambourque926 It's because I've tried them both ways and I wound up just gravitating more towards speeding through things in a car since you can just run everything over. Even if hordes each contained 100 zombies in them, I could still just use firecrackers to distract them and burn all of them with a firebomb or 2, or I could just ignore them altogether and just do my business while they're staring at the firecrackers.

[@yukikodavila4907]

@@GitGudFox Agreed! A whistling mine (same parts cost as firecrackers and a pipe bomb) will allow me to loot at will 80% of the time. I usually finish looting with little to no zombies left to slow my progress after a fast cash grab using scouting. A very efficient way to clear infestations as well.

[@josephbailey2840]

What I love the most about Stealth is sprinting while crouched. I hate crawling slowly

[@GitGudFox]

@@josephbailey2840 Yeah you can't go back once you've tried stealth and marathon.

[@bryancole4022]

Ive been playing SoD 1 since its release and just now getting around to SoD 2. I can't tell you how helpful these videos are, especially since there is a TON of more options and customization! THANK YOU 👏

[@alexi1835]

Love this guide, it's really useful for beginners that just started as they will be able to choose what skill they prefer

[@GitGudFox]

Depending on how you look at it, it's either fortunate or unfortunate that it probably won't matter which wits skill you choose ultimately since they aren't as impactful as some of the other skills.

[@millbrook7384]

I get 2 people with stealth maxed out, even on standard zone. It's just nice to be able to non-stop loot day and night without making noise when speed-searching.

[@DaemonJax]

It is nice for that. I just yolo fast search no matter what anyways.

[@FreneticEfreet]

I’ve got over 500 hours invested in SoD 2 and I found this video SO helpful thanks for your hard work!!!!

[@GitGudFox]

That's more time than I have, but I suppose being pushed to experiment with all the content to make videos allows me to experience a wider range of the game than average.

[@rickygraham2340]

this my be cause stealth has changed since i started playing to when this was made, only started playing a few weeks ago. but i find stealth so needed for the harder diffecnt once u get to dread and higher unless u have the scent block being able to sneak around huge groups and without being dectected is useful, combine with snap u can take out a whole horder without worrying about being attacked. say all that these vids are so usefula nd well made and have really help me get pass the higher levels, currectly trying to beat latral atm

[@GitGudFox]

It might seem that way, but you don't need Stealth to be... sneaky and avoid notice. My channel focuses on Lethal Zone gameplay right now, and I have gone many LZ playthroughs without any deaths including playthroughs with no DLC, boons, or imported characters. I never go out of my way to have Stealth specialized characters.

[@marvelousways4411]

I always play on hard difficulty on State of Decay 2. So stealth is always number one to me.

[@GitGudFox]

As you grow in skill, you will outgrow stealth if you play on Lethal Zone long enough. It may seem like an important skill, but it really isn't. I either skip the skill entirely or choose it on 1-2 characters for looting without search crashes.

[@GitGudFox]

Here's a few examples. The impaler can kill blood ferals instantly in 1 hit simply by them touching the back of the vehicle. 3 blood ferals chasing you can all instantly self-destruct by simply touching the back of the vehicle. You can drive in reverse, and ram zombies with the back of any vehicle without damaging its engine... including juggernauts. When you learn the truly powerful techniques in SoD2, you will find stealth to be a waste of time because you can simply obliterate everything with easily obtained items.

[@marvelousways4411]

@@GitGudFox I just started playing in the beginning of this year because my friend showed me the game and now I'm the best out of all of them. I learned many things from your channel and uses your tactics. Thanks for making theses videos to help new and old players with new tactics and strategies.

[@GitGudFox]

I want to emphasize that it's okay to use stealth, but I want to caution you about overusing it. It's common for people to use stealth so much that they don't learn to play without it. It becomes a sort of crutch that helps initially, but it tends to cripple your growth as a player in the long run when you learn how to master aggressive gameplay.

[@jkabelshow]

Such important information! I honestly didnt take the time to learn this! You gittin Good Fox!!!

[@GitGudFox]

Some of the stuff I didn't know either until I sat down and really took a look at it all.

[@SingerFam42]

Glad I found your channel, I haven't really played any games in nearly 15 years but I got this Xbox awhile back and downloaded sod2, and man I sucked for lack of knowing what to do or look for. But these videos, pretty much all of them have helped me out tremendously. I'll be looking to entering my first nightmare zone soon.

[@GitGudFox]

SoD2 will be a pretty uphill battle if you haven't played for 15 years, but it can be a pretty engrossing game.

[@fatkidwithfudge]

Stealth was naturally my go to when starting out. Trying to get back into the grove of things. Then later runs I stopped giving a fudge, and just quick searched everything. Making all the noise cause I wanted all the trouble. So I passed up stealth altogether. But I have actually gone back to using stealth. Just avoid things altogether if I can at times. The speed sneaking is nice. Plus the -50% search crash must be bugged, because it's pretty much 100% for me. Literally zoom through houses because of it. Scouting is a godsend when I get it though. I have wasted A LOT of time trying to find that one last searchable spot in some areas. Doesn't happen too much, but my god when it does 😤

[@GitGudFox]

Search speeds in SoD2 are a bit long. You searched much faster in SoD1 when you maxed out your wits skill.

[@lostsoul5385]

FatKidWithFudge I’ve noticed that it speeds up time in nightmare zone

[@dragan176]

@@lostsoul5385 Yeah, nightmare zone definitely changed this comment

[@t_c376]

God I kinda hate Scouting I always think the zombies that are on the mini map are after me lol

[@Camcolito]

If you literally zoomed through houses you wouldn't loot anything.

[@hiddendesire3076]

6:22 Been five years, but stealth is amazing. With Plague Territories, you can sneak into a Plague Territory, execute zombies without awakening the heart, sneak into the room with the heart, throw down a roadflare, and a bile bomb (up to dread) or three (Nightmare/Lethal). Blasts apart the heart fast. Cleared most of my second Dread world so far with it.

[@oreroundpvp896]

on Lethal mode i feel like Stealth is absolutely the best Wits specialisation. Normal zombies still cant see that far sure but blood ferals can see you from very far away and are almost always an enemy that should be avoided since melee combat with them will just lead to an insane risk of getting blood plague and using guns without suppressors is a death sentence. Stealth allows you to get the loot you so desperately need without being spotted and chased by ferals, and the added bonus of being able to sprint whilst crouched is a god send on Lethal mode allowing you to quickly cover distance silently whilst also boosting your cardio skill.

[@GitGudFox]

On Lethal Zone, a lot of your stuff is going to be done via trading. You buy and sell from enclaves a lot. There's also very little loot in Lethal Zone meaning the speed looting is a lot less valuable. In addition to that, the smart way to loot in Lethal Zone is just to go to places that don't have many zombies around since there can't be zombies everywhere. I used all of these strategies to great effect in a 0 deaths, 0 boons, no DLC, no pre-order bonuses, fresh start, Lethal Zone series on this same channel, and I did it with incidental use of stealth. It never was an important factor to the series.

[@oreroundpvp896]

Hmm that's interesting, to be fair im by no means an expert on the game. I did a couple playthroughs when the game came out but didn't play again until now and i'm having a lot of fun on lethal mode. After I left my comment I started watching your lethal zone series and yea I can see why stealth isnt actually so necessary. I have just been constantly looting the map then travelling to a new one etc so i can continue progressing. I should definitely be taking advantage of traders more.

[@GitGudFox]

The way I feel about stealth is that it's kind of like a training wheels kind of thing. It's good to help you get going, but as you grow more familiar with the basic strength of stealth unenhanced, you can use it it pretty well and free up a wits skill for something else.

[@BloodyInitiate]

You want resourceful backpackers and disciplined marathoners. Stealth marathoners can be acceptable, and opening doors quietly can be handy. Never had much love for scouting. Resourceful backpackers just have the best inventories of anyone. Double consumable stacks is also half the slots used for those consumables. Discipline lets your marathoner run forever with a heavier load. Their ability to run forever is their best quality imo. Improving it is therefore smart.

[@rufescenteagle7299]

Resourcefulness plus sewing is my favorite

[@GitGudFox]

I haven't tried using a character with sewing so far. I actually haven't used many of the non-building requirement tradeskills much.

[@rufescenteagle7299]

@@GitGudFox you should definitely try it. The ability to hold 8 grenades or 8 painkillers in a single slot is awesome. Plus you get a little extra health

[@jamesharrison2763]

I dont see how scouting is better than resourcefulness. You can carry double meds, double explosives. What else needs to be said?

[@GitGudFox]

It's very simple. Carrying double meds means you plan on getting hurt. Scouting lets you see how you're being surrounded. Once you start using it, you won't get hurt. If you're getting hurt, it's a skill issue. High level SoD is about not getting hurt in the first place. Explosives are useless except for killing plague hearts, and you will customize 1 or 2 specific characters for just this purpose, and you will use bloater gas grenades.

[@wagonpeddler6372]

Always great vids. Thank you. Side note: 7:57 and 11:57, you entered Peddlers BBQ. How was the BBQ? Its me. You can also find "King of the Pit" board games all over SoD2. Hope all is well. Look forward to watching ya next vid.

[@GitGudFox]

I didn't notice those. That footage was actually me rushing to record some all purpose filler footage called "B footage."

[@wagonpeddler6372]

@@GitGudFox next time you are close check out Peddlers BBQ.

[@Deciduoustrees]

I love stealth, especially in the early going-makes looting so much smoother

[@GitGudFox]

It can. I find that it just slows me down especially in the early game when the density of zombies are at their lowest.

[@DrZaius3141]

@@GitGudFox That's kinda funny cause Stealth has three things to speed things up: sprint while stealthed (chase a horde), extremely quick executes ('splode those horde's heads) and safer quick search.

[@calicojack3542]

Are you/have you made remakes of these guides since the Lethal Zone update released? I think it’s necessary because Stealth is definitely a lifesaving skill in lethal zones. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve narrowly snuck my way out of bad situations where I would’ve been spotted without the skill.

[@GitGudFox]

I am not making any future guides for SoD2. SoD2 content will be: streams on Twitch (www.twitch.tv/gitgudfox), uploaded Twitch VODs to my VODs page: (www.youtube.com/@gitgudfoxvods) and short vids on my main KZbin channel, on Tiktok, and on Instagram.

[@SupremeCommanderBaiser]

The fast crouch walk always was and still is my go to ability.

[@GitGudFox]

You can compensate for it with crouch spam. Lets you move fast without needing sprinting in crouch.

[@sebastiennault8466]

the combos i like most is ,1: backpacking , scouting , gunslinger and swordplay 2: Backpacking , ressourcefulness , Endurance and Weapon handling , 3: Marathon , stealth , closecombat , gunslinger , 4: powerhouse , striking , discipline , weapon handling or gunslinger. 5 marathon , discipline , striking or swordplay , weapon handling or gunslinger

[@simonevogel7990]

I always make a couple people with Stealth and Marathon to help with the first week or two of a new group. I don't think Stealth works exactly as intended though, in that you automatically move when you pick the Stealth skill and go into a crouch. It sounds weird, but you cannot stay in the same place when crouched, you always creep forward, even while the map is open. It's not stick drift either, it's like being caught in an animation. It also makes the base movement speed (analog stick fully pressed in a direction) the same as the sprint-crouch (with LB), meaning you move at the full sprint-crouch speed without using any stamina. You can still hold LB, and you can watch stamina drain when you do but you get no increase to speed since the default is higher than I think it's meant to be. I probably did a horrible job explaining, but I can't be the only person to have noticed these issues with Stealth, right?

[@GitGudFox]

It's some kind of glitch. It wasn't working like that in earlier patches.

[@simonevogel7990]

@@GitGudFox Hopefully UL knows about it and will issue a fix soonish. I come and go from SoD2, and after... probably a year away(?) I'm now checking out the DLC since whenever the Revolutionary cosplay zombies were released and I promptly put SoD away for a while. But the Stealth issue where you absolutely cannot stop moving when crouched can actually be fairly deadly if you crouch at the top of a cell tower for example, then open your map and your character will throw themself off while you're not looking. :/ Thanks for the videos and the reply, by the way! I just found this channel since I'm getting a new group of survivors going. Looking forward to seeing the other content here.

[@cattalinakutter6276]

good to note that resourcefulness gives you that +1 inventory slot right away without the need to max it out unlike the backpacking skill

[@GitGudFox]

That's true. I like to pair them up frequently.

[@georgenewman196]

I don’t expect a response considering the release date and such but beings lethal is now a thing I find stealth pretty top tier, Just let’s you move around with ease, would you agree?

[@GitGudFox]

I mainly value Stealth for the quick searches without a search crash. I don't really sneak anywhere. I just drive my car and reverse into any zombies I need to clear, or if it is totally infested, I just go somewhere else. I prefer Resourcefulness and Scouting as my wits skills on Lethal Zone.

[@GitGudFox]

Also, the age of the video doesn't matter. I see comments in the order they're posted across every single video. If you put a comment on my first video right now, I would see it at the top of my comments.

[@flawed1]

I really hope you plan to do a video on how the new difficulties affect skill viability. I’d love to hear your opinion!

[@GitGudFox]

I will, but they won't be out for a while since opinions are only valuable with experience to back them up. I need to clock a lot of time into the new difficulty and tinker with the skills.

[@carterwillis6624]

Discipline + Marathon is one of my favorite skill combos

[@GitGudFox]

What is the synergy between them that you like?

[@ViniciusSilva-qv9qy]

@@GitGudFox probably the light carry infinite run

[@andrewenglert4236]

@@GitGudFox I agree, this is the best setup. I can carry a decent weapon, firearm, heals, throwables , and even a rucksack without using stamina while sprinting.

[@potatobutroasted4308]

Marathon + Discipline match pretty well together. Sometimes you can even run stamina free with a rucksack.

[@aaftiyoDkcdicurak]

Originally I had to make an ultralight load out for a cancer survivor with half a stamina bar. Realizing how discipline affects marathon means I'm able to equip them with more than 8 pounds of weaponry.

[@LuisGarcia-oy5fd]

My go to is marathon disc swordplay gunp i find it to fit my playstyle perfectly and i love demolishing hordes with my swords, the only hordes i have to watch out for is plague zombie hordes rn cuz im on nightmare but that isnt really an issue

[@GitGudFox]

I'm more of a backpacking resourcefulness kind of guy.

[@TheFedeGamer99]

6:20 you know when you have great benefit? When you have a juggernaut around and you have a echo-1 wraith or echo-2 mamba swords so you can silently kill a juggy and you are less detectable very useful with powerhouse though

[@miketovey7815]

I noticed when my ninja maxed out on stealthwas being over run by 20 odd zombies (dread mode) she climbed onto a car and all the zombies stopped chasing. It gave me time to recover and take them out with a cross bow and then close combat when they'd been thinned out enough. The other thing is I've taken out whole hordes of Zombies without being seen. Stealth is a really handy talent. It's good to escape regroup and start your attack again.

[@lostsoul5385]

Stackable consumables are so much help especially when assautling blood plague

[@GitGudFox]

Yeah, that's why I like resourcefulness a lot.

[@-Wisdom-]

Ye, my go to plague heart trooper has resourcefulness and has extra pockets for 7 instead of 6 with marathon pro

[@marcusmorris960]

I've had stealth and with two of my team and it's definitely been invaluable

[@GitGudFox]

That means you're still newer to the game. The value of stealth goes down as the player's familiarity with the game goes up. I, for example, play regularly on Lethal Zone without deaths, and I seldom choose Stealth.

[@Pravlord]

@@GitGudFox what do you think about the importance of stealth in the update 33?

[@derekthehalfabee7942]

Stealth is amazing as an escape tool. Run away to nearest wall and jump over to break LOS, then stealth-sprint behind something. Stealth sprint is also useful for taking out infections as you can quickly reposition without drawing aggro so you can find and takeout all the screamers quickly. And is also the best looting skill. Sure, scouting sees all the containers, but stealth can fast-search them without making noise, like ever.

[@LoneWolf-kw3ol]

I like resourcefulness for long term looting, as it doubles your space for consumables and is super useful for combat-focused characters as well. 6 grenades per slot makes taking out 3-4 plague hearts in one trip a breeze Stealth is better for short term burst looting, where you maximize the 50% reduction to crashing and dont carry anything, even a weapon, so you can capitalize on the "sneak away fast" aspect. Those are my two favorite; im blunt focused and have so many parts durability increases arent worrysome, and energy drinks make stamina gains pretty moot.

[@ghifariwalihamdani4821]

U right those are my favorite too, and I accidentally choose scouting for my 3 characters which is in nighmare mode

[@Dbf1339]

The extra stamina in in discipline is nice, stealth though can be great when playing higher difficulty because sometimes fighting everything around isn’t an option

[@GitGudFox]

There are other ways to get the stamina without committing to Discipline. You can build a shooting range. The allied enclaves you get can also provide 25 stamina per jogging buddies bonus.

[@atomicrc5189]

You know I wish I had scouting because my friend and I went into a building thinking only 2 z’s when 40-70 were hiding in a corner :/

[@GitGudFox]

There are many benefits to it. It lets you see where the zombies of an infestation are. Lets you know what direction zombies are attacking from if a screamer goes off. If you are running through buildings to escape zombies, it lets you know how they are pursuing you.

[@atomicrc5189]

Yea :/

[@BenignAndaHalf]

Overall I gotta go with resourcefulness, but stealth is very useful on Nightmare.

[@GitGudFox]

I enjoy resourcefulness quite a bit. It's competitive with Scouting. Not sure what I'd pick over Scouting and Resourcefulness if the 2 had to compete with one another.

[@masterbrute5302]

If you mix stealth with powerhorse and close-quarters combat you get a pretty good character that can instantly kill ferals

[@GitGudFox]

You just need powerhouse for that. A single dropkick will stun the feral, and it can be executed regardless of other skill sets.

[@masterbrute5302]

@@GitGudFox I like to use stealth so that you can sneak up on it when you drop kick it getting to Sprint while crouched

[@ThornOfHearts]

Update for nightmare!

[@GitGudFox]

It'll be some time before I'm qualified to give an opinion on it.

[@Degiac22]

Awesome work! Thanks for breaking it down. I didn’t really know which skills were the best.

[@GitGudFox]

The wits skills are a bit subtle. It's difficult to genuinely say which one is best, but hopefully the video gave you ideas on how you could use them best for your playstyle.

[@Degiac22]

Git Gud Fox absolutely. Great breakdown. Definitely the best informational videos out there. Good work, you’re the man!

[@GitGudFox]

@@Degiac22 I'm glad I'm on the right track. I try to blend a bit of "get to the point" in a timely manner while still having a personality.

[@joaquinalekzandertagon7037]

@@GitGudFox ll P

[@joedavis6377]

Resource/Scouting are my go too's. Great research.... Someone posted below that it should be a link on the download or disc to your vlogs for the new player....Hell, make it any player. You bring out stuff that I'm oblivious to. You alone have changed my whole outlook. I still have red dead sitting around waiting to be played.......

[@GitGudFox]

I often don't play mainstream games. I find them to be... I guess too mundane. I originally was going to pass over SoD1 thinking it was some ordinary zombie game. It was only a personal recommendation from a friend that got me to try it.

[@GuardianCitadel]

The most common thing I see is a choice between Stealth and Resourcefulness. Between the two, Resourcefulness is far more useful, since SOD2 seems to spend a lot of it's time throwing you into crazy direct confrontation situations rather than letting you kick back and loot on your own time. When you've got three infestations, a survivor-in-trouble, and a food shortage, Stealth isn't going to help you at all toting around all the ammo, firecrackers, and molotovs you're going to need to deal with it. That steather is going to be limping home and in bad shape when the surprise bloater hits the truck and his juggernaught and feral buddy chase your ass all the way back to your base. I'm still surprised I survived that.

[@GitGudFox]

Stealth becomes much more valuable in nightmare zone, but that is why I will re-analyze them eventually.

[@katurnasa]

Question: wouldn't higher difficulty level better utilize Stealth specialization?

[@GitGudFox]

They do, but I have played Nightmare Zone extensively without Stealth as well, so it is considerably more valuable but still not what I'd consider the best skill.

[@katurnasa]

@@GitGudFox Understood! Imma "Filthy Casual" at best, but a completionist of sorts. If I do something I'd like to be thorough. So I rely on those with experience to help translate and level out any confusion. Actually, your videos have been a boon to me, greatly. I have been considering lately going over them to find a proper "build" to have a smooth running base.

[@GitGudFox]

The videos are doing what I was hoping they'd do. I have a tendency to binge watch guides on other video games I play, like Warframe, so I decided to try and replicate a series of binge watchable episodes covering the details of the game. I get a lot of comments of people just going through the whole series in 1 swoop. So, I'm glad they're of value to you!

[@DaemonJax]

I'd say resourcefulness is at least as good as discipline because you can carry way more snacks with resourcefulness AND you get +1 inventory (for the snacks slot)... + you get better crossbow recovery (which is noticeable on the repeater). Discipline just gives better stamina and that's it... mostly... it does give -25% durability loss on melee weapons, but that's not really THAT big of a deal. I think the weakest is marathon tbh.

[@GitGudFox]

If I were to re-review them based on my evolving playstyle (lethal didn't exist at the time). I kind of don't have a strong opinion about wits. The skills in general only have a handful of strong ones. - Resourcefulness is likely the best since it gives you a much better chance to recover arrows, and you can stretch a handful of arrows out for a while if your shots count. - Scouting is my 2nd preferred one as on Lethal enemies can come from a wide variety of directions and the early warning on the radar is nice especially when it's warning you about a feral. You could also just run the drone for radar but the other skills aren't that great to begin with so I don't mind it for convenience. - Stealth is fine for beginner / intermediate gameplay but advanced players will grow past it. You can do very well with the base level of stealth, and I really think it's mainly useful for speed looting. - Discipline stinks. It makes you a little bit better in melee but you should be more than good enough in melee without it. It basically enhanced something you are already sufficiently good at but not to the point that it makes you OP.

[@ninersnerd5123]

I would be interested in your opinion of stealth now that there is a nightmare mode

[@GitGudFox]

I made a discussion video about stealth in the Nightmare Zone: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZXUf4t8hMaljdk

[@denker032047146]

crossbows are KING :) just love how it is almost unlimited ammo. Have one stack with you and then just go to town on everything. Even nice on the harder diffs since its a stealth weapon. Amazing to take out annoying screamer packs with. Or maybe it just fits my playstyle better than most other weapons. That is why i like resourcefullness.

[@GitGudFox]

I like crossbows a lot.

[@BenignAndaHalf]

To each their own, but the only way I’ll ever handicap myself with a crossbow is if I’m specifically limiting myself. My buddy and I are playing dread with only crossbows and mini blades, fun as hell but hard as shit. We plan to up it to nightmare eventually.

[@decay2291]

When lvl skills is it random what you get max star skill and get 2 options or do u have use certain thing get what option skill you get.

[@ghifariwalihamdani4821]

Idk, I still dont get it. I literally want Stealth but it only appear the others. I think it's random tho

[@Zolfried]

from what i understand, the crash chance thing, makes fast search never crash at 7 stealth... i find my stealth char able to just sneak run up to a building, enter any door, not worried if theyre locked or not.. and just fast search everything and be out of there in a jiffy... it pairs badly with marathon because while you can sneak sprint forever.. marathon mismatch with the fast searching you get. i like it coupled with powerhouse or backpacking more.. just sneak up to a zombie and grab and kill them, the difference between coming from behind or up front is so miniscule it barely matters. Scouting vs Stealth is depending on if you use striking or CQC imo.. stealth lets you pick your battles easier, and when you enter a house, scouting lets you see all the containers, no need to search.. but stealth gets to fast search all those containers without worry of crash... i find stealth goes through buildings alot faster then scouting.. that said, scouting is pretty nice when you want to clear hordes or infestations.

[@theinsfrijonds]

Most of my characters have resourcefulness. I could see myself investing in scouting though but then I'd have less room to hold what I get. Still it's easy enough to establish Outpost and Bank

[@GitGudFox]

Resourcefulness is a pretty strong skill. Even in Nightmare Zone, I like to have at least 1 or 2 people with it for demolition missions.

[@bankait_rex1860]

I use this combo, Acrob/stealth/swordplay specially now after the cluster f 6.0 with stealth you can just move super fast and at least be able to ignore zombies and not get attack every second from a mile away and acro is nice to get out of sticky situations plus swordplay killer combo nice video bro.

[@GitGudFox]

I'm always in too much of a rush to be silent. Gotta scramble around to get video footage.

[@waldo2543]

out of curiosity, is the sight range just an constant passive whether you are stealthing or not? I mean I don't think ive ever been spotted while stealthing until I make noise with none stealth characters so....

[@GitGudFox]

They can see you if you walk close enough in front of them.

[@bakedpotato7201]

With resourcefulness maxed u can carry 4 med kits in 1 slot so that extra 3 consumable stack is good

[@ghifariwalihamdani4821]

And when its maximum, u can carry 6 capacity in 1 slot

[@ScottishBelly1986]

With the new difficulty modes about to be released, Do you think that stealth will become viable?

[@GitGudFox]

It has a good chance to. It's going to mainly depend on how manageable packs of ferals, hordes of armored zombies etc. are. If it's just a matter of practice and adaptation until you can just rampage about on foot, then stealth won't gain as much value, but if it winds up being really inconvenient to fight your way through everything, then stealth is going to become a top pick.

[@whycantibejohnyoung]

Git Gud Fox Now that the update is out, I think Stealth rocks in the harder zones. Noise from melee combat tends to draw massive crowds, and I love zipping around quietly, especially in Nightmare.

[@niahcyan5]

I don’t really loot at all. Scouting has to be the second lest useful skill behind acrobatics for me. I was honestly shocked by your rankings. I guess we all have different playing styles and each skill can be important depending on how you play. I would say the game is balanced when it comes to skill choices.

[@GitGudFox]

It has more to do with the wits skills being very subtle and less impactful than other skills. By that, I mean if they took away every one of the wits advanced skills and left you with the base +35% search speed bonus of basic wits, you wouldn't really notice any real difference in gameplay.

[@niahcyan5]

Git Gud Fox I notice because I don’t loot all that often so a chunk of the game would go missing for me. Disciplined gives stamina and durability which is primarily what I base my builds around. I use the kitchen and nutrition to boost that stat even further. Stealth is also a staple in my playing style with quick and easy execution kills and I use it to farm plague heart samples. When I use a character that lacks the wits skills I use for specific tasks I can feel it. Resourcefulness would be a lot more useful for my bolt recovery than stealth but stealth is more beneficial to my style of play. Fighting and wits are what matter the most to me as far as skills go.

[@GitGudFox]

@@niahcyan5 Yes, I understand why you would be surprised by my list now. It's because I don't value combat capability in SoD2, so I rank skills that improve combat capability lower than utility skills.

[@niahcyan5]

Git Gud Fox by the way I love your videos. I listen to them while at work just about everyday and you’re by far my favorite person covering this game. Keep the content coming.

[@GitGudFox]

@@niahcyan5 And I enjoy that you had a counter experience to mine. I often get worried that people aren't telling me the truth when I don't encounter any resistance in my videos. I never hide my biases in reviewing things because I find the best way to learn is to learn from multiple biased people rather than learning from 1 person that takes the safe "unbiased" stance on things. The school of big guns vs. the school of small guns was the first lesson I learned in the value of biased teachings being superior to unbiased teachings. It had to do with the question of whether or not 1 big gun that does... say 4 damage is better than 2 small guns that do 2 damage each. You could listen to someone who takes the balanced and unbiased approach, but what really causes you to learn is when an expert of "big gun theory" gives his strongest possible argument for why big guns are better then compared it to an expert in "small guns theory" who also gave his strongest argument to the superiority of small guns. That is how I learn at least.

[@unclesam3245]

Well now stealth is for nightmare mode

[@GitGudFox]

That's true. I'll have to re-evaluate it.

[@InMemoWeTrust]

In nightmare mode the stealth sound like a dream come true, I never use stealth in the game, like you say in all the difficulty is unesesary but in nightmare mode its basically every loot, plage heart or infestation you need it...

[@QueenCallisto]

Little did Fox know about the future difficulty levels for the use of scouting. :D

[@oneyoungdaniel]

Now stealth is super valuable with nightmare, so glad I have mostly stealth charters now lol

[@GitGudFox]

Also lucky that Stealth was one of the options too.

[@bdavidgreenwell8298]

I have a thought about the 70 percent weight bonus. For those characters who have a low weight limit, will this help reduce the stamina penalty?

[@judahbonds5951]

Yes

[@jaredlerdal7385]

Good video man. These could prolly be flipped in Nightmare mode. Keep up the good work

[@GitGudFox]

In NZ, I would say they're all good except acrobatics. Resourcefulness is really good in NZ. Scouting is really good in NZ, and Stealth is also really goo in NZ. Acrobatics is the only one that isn't that good.

[@korbyn1112]

What is the best way to collect ammo rucksacks without having to call in the radio?

[@ghifariwalihamdani4821]

Set an outpost, i think...

[@RawvTalent]

CQC, Discipline & Marathon are a fantastic combo.

[@GitGudFox]

I prefer backpacking and resourcefulness, but that combination is good for fast moving players.

[@RawvTalent]

@@GitGudFox I agree, thats typically my go to skills. But on dread zone and nighmare having infinite stamina with proper inventory management is a dream.

[@Dadbod007]

You should make a new bunch of comparisons for nightmare mode. I bet your top faves will be different.

[@GitGudFox]

There are a ton of videos to make. It's hard to pick which one.

[@seandavchrsn]

Git Good content! Cheers, Fox. I am funneling? All new players to your channel. Thanks for saving me time!

[@GitGudFox]

The guides are there for you guys, so I'm glad they're helpful.

[@jasonholt1776]

Marathon + Discipline is a great combo.

[@GitGudFox]

For stacking the stamina bonuses?

[@APPARATVS]

Marathon + Discipline is great for running and gunning. With the increased light carying capacity, you can pretty much run around while gaining stamina and shoot what yiu need to. Rince and repeat.

[@kage-fm]

1. you are like the ESPN post-game analysis of state of decay 2. i would love to see a dedicated video about how these skills interact, i.e. character builds

[@Snowville84]

hey Fox! thanks for this video mate. Another question: Doesn't the fertilizer bag boost the garden anymore? I have a lvl 3 garden plus a hydroponics. The fertilizer still boosts the food production of the hydropnics. But installed at the garden the yield stays the same +3 food/day.

[@GitGudFox]

It should still boost it. I don't see why it wouldn't unless there is some kind of bug, double check to make sure you're matching fertilizer to food and not medicine; otherwise, it could be some kind of bug.

[@Snowville84]

@@GitGudFox checked it several time. I am producing food on my farm. Strange thing then...

[@GitGudFox]

@@Snowville84 I always use the composters for my bonuses, so I haven't used the fertilizer or the insecticide in a while.

[@Snowville84]

@@GitGudFox good idea with the compost bin. I try this one later.

[@bjlee2011]

WHAT!!! 576 subs? Man this channel deserves waaay more!! I love all your videos they r so helpful

[@GitGudFox]

They come in time, 1 video at a time.

[@APPARATVS]

Stealth gives zero chance of a search crash when maxed. It's pretty efficient if you want to quickly search without drawing attention. The ability to quickly dispatch Zed without needing to use ammo is a major plus. At the end of the day, it just depends on playstyle.

[@GitGudFox]

I think it would matter more if ammo were scarce. Resources are abundantly available in the game, so you're basically saving ammo but spending more time doing something a crossbow or a silenced rifle could do faster. Even in the early game, when you don't have as many resources, the game's population of zombies is also much, much thinner meaning you'd still be faster to just chop them up with a sword.

[@paulhostetter5557]

How many times can you reset one skill?

[@GitGudFox]

I don't think there's a limit.

[@paulhostetter5557]

Oh awesome, I can’t make up my mind

[@daaouss]

Stealth + Close Combat + Marathon I just take a knife and go. You can easily clear infestations, hordes, even plague hearts are easy just with a knife. Stealth for quick melee kills with knife, close combat for executing enemies in front and marathon to replenish a stamina after kills by running. (No need for a car, melee weapon, pr firearm and ammo).

[@GitGudFox]

Good in standard zone, a bit overkill I would say as you could perform this faster by just driving in and burning it all and driving away. Potentially dangerous in Nightmare Zone as a run in with the triple ferals can be deadly.

[@daaouss]

@@GitGudFox yea then there is glock or any other lightweight gun with gunslinging aim snap ability. you can easily 3 shot 3 feralls. And since marathon gives you free running stamina no need to worry about cost of aim snap.

[@GitGudFox]

Not always, gunslinging has trouble if they're really close to you, and they can kill you in 1 tackle from full health unless your character is pretty healthy.

[@dirtybeargaming3109]

I noticed during the video you were alone how often do you go out like that especially fighting large groups of enemies?

[@GitGudFox]

Alone is my default method of play even on Lethal Zone. I will hire other enclaves for 100 influence to follow me because you can use them as a mobile trader, but I seldom bring my own community members to follow me.

[@abominablesnowman64]

Stealth and powerhouse might be a fun combo if it works how I'm thinking it will

[@GitGudFox]

If your plan involves throwing zombies into one another, powerhouse can help.

[@abominablesnowman64]

@@GitGudFox Wanted to grab an enemy from the front with powerhouse and quick stealth kill them with stealth. Unfortunately, I'm at max characters and dont want to exile or get rid of any. Considering it says quick stealth kill you probably cant do it if they see you. The regular kill where you get them in the neck takes too long and thought it would be great to combo powerhouse and stealth for that reason. (edit) I'm so slow, I dont know why I didnt think of just making a new community and testing it like that.

[@GitGudFox]

You should be able to grab people and quick execute them with close combat and powerhouse.

[@Frxmez]

Right now Im on dread zone, but I plan on changing it to nightmare soon. My favorite survivor does not have much stamina or health but he has gunslinging and the ability to execute from the front so that’s why I like playing him, which specialists ability should I get Discpline or Stealth?

[@GitGudFox]

You can get more health and stamina by building a gym and a shooting range. Get a a medicine guy and upgrade to level 3 infirmary. Level 3 primary care will get you another 50 health.

[@GitGudFox]

I prefer stealth over discipline. Discipline is really only good for specific builds like a marathon/discipline build.

[@Kamokot]

Would love to see a new version of this factoring in the higher difficulties... I'm also, eh, somewhat certain that stealth stacks with scentblock (detection range reduction interaction?). Ferals are the only ones that can see you with scentblock on, and it seems to reduce the range at which they detect you. In any case, despite it's age it's still a helpful video with a lot of good points.

[@soulfly3438]

i wish there was a better way to carry more. i bring a car a second person and i still run out of space way to quick.

[@rotony1]

How to use that finisher from the front?

[@ghifariwalihamdani4821]

Which finisher?

[@rotony1]

@@ghifariwalihamdani4821 is from powerhouse from catdio

[@benspooner7396]

Personally I think stealth is the best because I just don’t like wasting ammo when I could sneak around and take them out. Also I have been able to take out a horde of around 8 with stealth and none detected me.

[@GitGudFox]

You either spend bullets or you spend time. I'd rather spend bullets than spend time.

[@niklaslindholm4774]

What if one of the characters only have 1-6 stars and you can’t get a specialization can you upgrade it some other way or are you just screwed with that character?

[@GitGudFox]

No, if a character has less than the 7-star maximum, then they have a penalty preventing them from leveling up all the way.

[@niklaslindholm4774]

@@GitGudFox thought they had some sort of penalty but I wasn’t sure so thanks for confirming

[@GitGudFox]

Read their character traits. They should have a trait explaining it. They might have a trait like "murders plants" which causes them to have knowledge of gardening but limited to 3-stars.

[@niklaslindholm4774]

@@GitGudFox yeah one of my characters had like 5 stars in cardio and 3 in fighting or something like they because the had the indoor person trait

[@valruhn9213]

I've been looking forward to this 😀

[@GitGudFox]

The wits skills? I can't remember if someone requested it or not. We're admittedly starting to scrape the bottom of the SoD2 barrel though.

[@zom-b-bunny2565]

First two would be my choice idk maybe I’m wrong

[@truegamer2819]

in my opinion, i dont think stealth is a bad skill, i love it, cause im pretty hard to detect by zombies and i love to sprint and move fast, so i rather do that while crouching, cause its better and alot harder to be detected by zombies

[@GitGudFox]

Its value tends to shift with skill level. Lots of high skill player just crash loot everything and run away from unnecessary fights. I've tried it both ways. I only use stealth for the ability to quick loot without crashing.

[@romad6963]

Was this before or after the release of Nightmare Zone?

[@GitGudFox]

Before, I still wouldn't really change the ratings though. I still primarily use Resourcefulness in Lethal Zone and rarely use stealth and discipline.

[@ScreamingEggroll]

Discipline combined with backpacking or marathon means never run out of stamina

[@Camcolito]

I regard being able to see zombies on the minimap as a pretty big deal so scouting looks good.

[@GitGudFox]

Well, at the end of the day, you can beat the game without any skills. Some of them just help you do it faster. Some people play the game without cars or play the game with only 1 survivor. SoD2 isn't a very difficult game overall.

[@Camcolito]

@@GitGudFox Yup that's true, it's a pity it's not as moddable like Xenonauts (or maybe it is but nobody has done it). You could have things like X Division to bring the difficulty and hence strategy to another level, because the base game has potential.

[@adama486]

I would say stealth is better for nightmare mode

[@GitGudFox]

It's a lot more useful in nightmare zone, but you can just crouch spam around if you need to sneak without the Stealth skill.

[@johnhostetter438]

Hey Fox, I love your videos. The quality of them is top notch. I've been thinking about this video now that I'm playing nightmare difficulty, and I was wondering if your opinion on some of these wits skills (such as Stealth) has changed since? I have a character that is somehow able to pick from all four of these skills in my nightmare community. I was considering giving them Stealth

[@GitGudFox]

The only wits skill I'm not too keen on is discipline. The other 3 skills are very good. Resourcefulness makes crossbows even more powerful with the bolt recovery improvement. Scouting helps a ton letting you see where the zombies are. It's especially good with infestations since you can detect if they're inside or outside building. It lets you see earlier if the zombies are beginning to surround you etc. Stealth is a good choice if you aren't sure which to pick. It basically gives you more room for error when sneaking around. It also lets you unlock locked doors which can be handy. Lets you search things faster too with the crash search crash resistance.

[@johnhostetter438]

@@GitGudFox thanks for the reply Fox! I'm going to give my initial community Stealth and Scout. I just accidentally walked into a feral zombie horde at night so maybe this will help lol

[@GitGudFox]

It will as long as you are in stealth before they find you. The best way to fight off ferals is with the pyrolauncher from the independence DLC.

[@resoody2]

Another great video.

[@GitGudFox]

Thanks, I actually procrastinated a lot on this video. It could have been done 2 days ago.

[@MegaLol2xd]

imo dyscipline is best but for "hardcore" mode stealh is must have.

[@GitGudFox]

Stealth is mainly good for fast looting. The default strength of stealth is surprisingly strong. It's why I rarely use it even 170 episodes into my Nightmare Zone series.

[@gurugamingkiwi]

I don't use the mini map myself.

[@robertmoncrief1479]

Good video. I've been checking your vidz out since I've started playing SOD2. 👍

[@GitGudFox]

How long ago did you start playing?

[@robertmoncrief1479]

@@GitGudFox in December

[@meloy96]

Scout is lovely in nightmare since zombie don't show up on maps

[@GitGudFox]

It also gives you a headsup on zombie spawn ins.

[@ncamon]

I take stealth whenever it pops up. I find it more efficient to stealth kill zombies as it reduces the the cost of killing them with durability, ammo, or healing items. I also don't play with others, so I find it easier to stealth my way to cars I want to bring home.

[@Svengar]

Awesome video that clearly showed each specialization. I think when difficulty is increased (which should come out soon) the stealth skill will become more valuable, particularly if zombies do more damage and they are more numerous which will provide incentive to avoid them. In YOSE you could easily rain hell down upon yourself if you didn't try to be a little bit sneaky. Given where the game is currently, Stealth hasn't really been one that I pick as I prefer either Resourcefulness or Discipline. Because cars can't carry around anywhere near the amount of stuff as the old YOSE days (health, snacks etc) it becomes much handier to carry more consumable items so you don't have to run off to home base or an outpost to stock up all the time. Scouting seems okay too and will also likely become more valuable with increased difficulty settings...I'm just not sure how helpful it would be to know you are totally surrounded by zombies but have no way of getting around them ;-)

[@scottsurvival6960]

Stealth at 7 stars reduces the likelihood of a search crash to 0%. I've never had a crash, after hundreds of searches with it maxed out.

[@GitGudFox]

I think it's just poor wording on UL's part in the ability description.

[@Kazaam818]

Nevermind I see the comments this video was posted awhile ago 😂barely getting into the game sorry

[@GitGudFox]

Many of these guides predate Nightmare Zone.

[@BenignAndaHalf]

Everything he said still applies, you just gotta make the right choices depending on the difficulty.

[@owendiaram3870]

"Stealth isn't that useful" *Cries in lethal mode*

[@GitGudFox]

I don't really even use it in Lethal Zone. If I have it, I have, but it's not a skill I go out of my way to select.

[@owendiaram3870]

@@GitGudFox we clearly play lethal mode drastically differently

[@GitGudFox]

I produce good results too. 3 of my 4 Lethal Zone playthroughs, for unlocking the legacies, had no deaths, and the death I did have was because I record during the game's day and leave the game to run at night, and someone died while I was not paying attention. Stealth is an issue of familiarity with the game. Once you're familiar enough with the game, you can play without stealth and get great results allowing you to free up that Wits skill slot for something really strong like Resourcefulness.