While you can still have a ton of fun playing DR2C with randomized perk/trait combos, the Death Road is… well, deadly! And sometimes you just want to hit the road on the best foot possible. Most of my wins have been with groups having at least one of the perks in this list. Choosing the right perk for your playstyle can make the difference between becoming a zombie’s lunch on day three and smelling that sweet Canadian air at the end of your long journey.
As of writing, DR2C is coming out soon with a major update that will add new perks to try out. Even though the beta for the update has already been released, I won’t be including any perks in my list here that have not been released in full. Stay on the lookout for the new perks that are coming out!
#5. Top Seller
A trader camp, where Top Seller really shines!
You can get Top Seller by speaking to the Debutante in the Unlocks section. She can be found inside of the “PERKS & TRAITS” building. Top Seller takes 8 ZP to unlock, making it somewhat difficult to obtain, but in my opinion, it’s so worth the cost.
Especially when it comes to the “Long Winding Road” mode, food is hard to get and hold onto. With this perk, you can get more food from selling, and lose less food to bandits.
This perk isn’t great for short runs of the game, since you have less to loot and fewer weapons to spare. But if you’re like me and find yourself with terrible morale constantly because of food shortages, this perk may be for you.
Why Top Seller is great:
In-game description: “Good salesmanship still has its own niche!”
- You get extra food every time you sell weapons (sometimes a LOT of extra food)
- Your character won’t lose any sanity when those horrible bandits take your food
- Upgrading the perk means bandits ask for less of your food, which could save you several days’ worth of food in some cases
#4. Ultrafit
With Ultrafit, taking out hundreds of zombies with this Log will be a breeze!
Ultrafit is a perk automatically unlocked — nothing extra is required in order to have access to this incredible perk! In order to upgrade it and increase its wonderful benefits, talk to T*L*B in the “PERKS & TRAITS” building in the “Upgrades” section.
When I play Death Road, I tend to prioritize fitness a ton. If you get cornered by a horde of zombies and your entire team is exhausted, the only escape is using explosives, fire-based weapons, or firearms. But encountering huge groups of zombies is common enough that it’s a good idea not to rely only on having these types of weapons for every single mission.
While there are usually one or two chances to increase fitness throughout any given adventure, these chances are few and far between. Ultrafit guarantees that the character who has it will get winded much less quickly. This perk has saved me many times from being eaten.
If you’re a beginner, I cannot recommend upgrading Ultrafit to Level 3 enough.
An extra protip from your ol’ pal Rhianna — the “Warrior” trait is an excellent pairing with Ultrafit, especially if you still find yourself wanting an even higher fitness stat.
Why Ultrafit is great:
In-game description: “All that yoga really paid off!”
- You start with 2 extra food, which is enough to feed your character for one day
- Your “fitness” stat is automatically increased by two points at the beginning of the game with the base perk
- Upgrading the perk increases your fitness stat even further: Level 2 increases your fitness by a total of 3 points whereas Level 3 raises the stat by a whopping 4 total points!
#3. Car Nut
During my most recent Car Nut run, this is the snazzy car that I started with.
Like Ultrafit, Car Nut is a perk that you have at the very beginning. I highly recommend upgrading the perk to Level 3 as soon as possible by speaking to the Debutante in the PERKS & TRAITS building in the Unlocks section.
When your character has the Car Nut perk, you start off with a better vehicle than you would without it. Car Nut, at maximum level, increases your mechanical skill even more than the maxed-out Mechanic perk. Car Nut, I would say, is the most “hidden gem” of the game’s perks, since it is often overlooked.
Entire runs of the game can be easily ruined by a car breaking down. When you are forced to travel on foot, you encounter (ugh) bandits significantly more often, and there are a whole lot more dangers that can come up. You can stub your toe and take non-lethal damage, for example — or there will be a conveniently-placed hole in your carrying bag that causes you to drop a bunch of loot.
While misuse of any car can lead to it breaking down prematurely, it is still incredibly helpful to start off with a car that will last longer on average. Not to mention the increased mechanical stat means that you’ll likely be able to repair the car at least once when it does break down. Give this perk a shot, especially when upgraded!
Why Car Nut is great:
In-game description: “Being a car enthusiast is practically a super-power now!”
- You start your journey off strong with a vehicle that is guaranteed to be better than the standard beginner car
- You gain one extra point in your mechanical skill with the base perk
- With the perk’s upgrades, you gain an extra mechanical skill point with each level added (Level 3 being the maximum, with four total points being added!)
#2. Health Care
With Health Care + Nurturing, sometimes you don’t even need medkits!
Health Care is yet another perk obtained by the Debutante in the PERKS & TRAITS building! It can be upgraded in the same location.
Health Care is a great option for those that have difficulty finding medkits throughout the game. The lower your medical stat on the Death Road, the more medkits it will take for you to heal even one health point. Therefore, a perk that increases both the medical stat itself and gives you more materials to work with is a huge asset.
While a maximum of two medical points being increased by the perk might not seem like a lot, there are, of course, later opportunities on your journey to increase your medical skill. But, since the two points aren’t the highest, I would only recommend Health Care for regular or long playthroughs so that you will have more chances to increase your medical.
Alternatively, you can combo Health Care with the trait “Nurturing” (which increases your medical stat by 2) to guarantee a character is very knowledgeable in the craft of health!
Why Health Care is great:
In-game description: “Jerks get bit by zombies all the time. Better be prepared!”
- You start the game with 4 medkits
- You gain an extra point in your medical stat
- Fully upgraded, you get a total of 7 extra medkits and +2 points in medical
#1. Pyromaniac
Burn, zombies… BURN!!
Pyromaniac can be unlocked and upgraded by speaking to Rambeux in the PERKS & TRAITS building in the Unlocks section of the game.
With this perk, you are able to mass-destruct any horde of zombies in your wake. Not only is this one of the most fun perks to play the game with, it’s also genuinely useful. The blowtorch you have can sometimes feel like it recharges a bit too slowly between rounds, but other than that, I have no complaints with this perk.
Without the Pyromaniac perk, most flame-based weapons are fairly inaccessible because of the risk involved with setting things ablaze. It’s a method of killing zombies that can also get you killed yourself, so the risks are usually much too great to have much enjoyment using these weapons.
If only for the “fun” factor of this incredible perk, I think it’s certainly worth a shot! It’s a great way to get sweet, sweet revenge against the zombies that have killed you time and time again in previous runs.
Why Pyromaniac is great:
In-game description: “Zombies are extremely flammable!”
- Immune to fire and any effects regarding fire
- The blowtorch you start the game with recharges itself between rounds
- By upgrading the perk, you can refill up to 8 charges of the blowtorch between rounds
