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Welcome to Dead Grid, a tactical turn-based strategy game where you lead a squad of elite mercenaries against relentless zombie hordes in a post-apocalyptic world. The game blends squad-based tactics, resource management, and long-term progression with card-based combat mechanics.

Introduction to Dead Grid

Dead Grid challenges players to make every decision count, from recruiting the right survivors to managing your deck and resources as the undead close in. The game features an 80s retro vibe and offers hundreds of upgradable items.

Understanding Your Mercenaries

Your squad consists of mercenaries recruited from 4 distinct character classes, each with unique personalities and voice acting. There are 60 unlockable combat skills available, and experimentation is encouraged through unlimited respecs.

Classes: While specific classes like Leader, Commando, Tactician, and Enforcer are mentioned, a guide notes that Leaders might be the weakest class, while Commandos and Tacticians are often considered essential. Commandos are good for damage and can manage guns, while Tacticians are crucial for applying burns and managing noise. Enforcers with shields can be excellent tanks.

Skills and Leveling: Skills are class-based, not merc-based. Leveling up lower-level mercenaries more quickly grants additional skill points. For example, leveling two Commandos will grant 10 skill points instead of 5. Skills are a driving factor in the game, so more skills mean more power.

Combat Essentials

Combat in Dead Grid is turn-based and card-driven, featuring a dynamic 3D environment.

Action Points (AP): Your current hand of cards shows blue pips representing Action Points. You start with 1 AP and gain 1 per turn. On the very first turn, if you have a second merc, you gain a special card that grants 2 more action points. Items can be dragged to your backpack for their AP cost, and any item left in hand at the end of a mission segment goes into an overflow deck for the next combat.

Aggro and Turn Order: The order of attacks is crucial. Have your tanky mercenaries strike last to ensure your squishier mercs are not the primary targets. The last hit dealt, including gunshots, determines who takes aggro.

Noise Management: Ranged weapons use ammo and can increase noise, which may attract more enemies. Melee weapons, conversely, reduce noise. In the early game, it's generally a bad idea to use noisy weaponry as you can quickly become overwhelmed.

Dealing with Enemies: Fire and blinds are important. Fire can cause an enemy to be blinded, and blind enemies often miss, making them ignorable. For high-health enemies, % based damage from fire or spike traps is effective. Fire damage can also stack.

Corpse Removal: If a dead enemy is blocking an AoE skill or item, you can use an 'attack' on the corpse to remove it from combat, though this consumes a merc's turn.

Weapons, Gear, and Upgrades

Dead Grid features over 500 upgradable weapons and gadgets, ranging from melee to various guns and explosives.

Weapon Types:

* Melee Weapons: Come in Sharp and Blunt types. Sharp weapons can cripple undead, reducing their damage output, while Blunt weapons can stun them, causing them to skip a turn. Both have 1H and 2H variants. Shields offer damage mitigation. * Ranged Weapons: Use ammo and can hit multiple targets. Types include Pistols, SMGs, Assault and Sniper Rifles, Shotguns, Bows, and Crossbows. Ranged weapons do not break.

Weapon Power: Sharp weaponry is considered very powerful, with Sashimi being noted as particularly strong due to its duration-free cripple effect. Generally, a later stage weapon (e.g., a Sledge) will always be stronger than an early game counterpart (e.g., a Plank) of the same rarity and level. Don't get fixated on a weapon's color; stronger is better.

Accessories and Consumables: Accessory items provide passive offensive or defensive benefits and can be upgraded. Consumable items can boost mercs in combat or be sold for supplies to buy more weapons.

Upgrading and Loot: Item levels scale with your main merc's level. Item upgrading depends on the higher level of the two items, with no damage loss. Checkpoints in missions can unlock stronger weapon types in the trader.

Progression and Resource Management

Experience and Skills: Repeat early missions to gain more levels and skills. XP boosting items like food (which grants +1 XP for 2-4 turns, with further food increasing duration) are highly effective.

Assignments: Do not ignore assignments, as they can provide significant damage boosts in the early game.

Recruiting Mercs: The support character

Guide

Quick Summary