Radiation
General#
Radiation runs from 0 to 100 and shows as the number above your hotbar. At 100 you become a zombie, wherever you happen to be standing and whatever else is going on.
Humans do not really die of damage in Outbreak. They fill up.
Thresholds#
| Level | State | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 49 | Low | Nothing |
| 50 to 74 | Moderate | Nausea for 5 seconds out of every 15 |
| 75 to 89 | Severe | Nausea for 10 seconds out of every 15 |
| 90 to 99 | Critical | Constant nausea plus heavy blindness |
| 100 | Turned | You join the zombies |
You are warned in chat each time you cross a threshold, in both directions, so dropping back below 50 tells you the nausea is over.
Critical is close to unplayable. Heavy blindness at 90 means you cannot see what is chasing you, which is usually how the last ten points get added.
What Raises It#
| Source | Radiation |
|---|---|
| Zombie hit, wearing a full set of leather | +1 |
| Zombie hit, wearing 2 or 3 leather pieces | +2 |
| Zombie hit, wearing 1 piece or none | +3 |
| Normal zombie's Scratch | +5 |
| Hellhound bite | +5 |
| Bomber or Nuker blast | +10 |
| Standing in a Nuker's cloud | +1 per pulse |
| Standing in a Spitter's acid | +2 per pulse |
| Being infected | +1 every second, on its own |
Armor is what controls the per-hit numbers, and the difference between 1 and 3 per hit across a whole round is enormous.
What Lowers It#
| Item | Radiation |
|---|---|
| Radiation Tablet | -30 |
| Syringe | -50 |
| Bandage | -5 |
Tablets are the efficient answer at 50 gold each with a two second cooldown. Two of them pull you back from Critical to Low.
The Gas Mask#
A zombie melee hit against a player wearing the Gas Mask adds no radiation at all, and also makes you immune to Spitter acid, Nuker clouds and Hellhound bites. It is the single strongest item in the game for exactly this reason.
Zombies Can See It#
Zombies see your exact radiation number and a health bar floating over your head. A survivor at 90 is not hiding anything: every zombie on the map knows you are ten points from turning and will prioritise you accordingly.
That cuts the other way too. Keeping your radiation low is not just about survival, it is about not being the most attractive target in the room.
Ranged Radiation#
The Spitter and Nuker do not need to touch you. They pour radiation into an area and wait. Against those two, armor does nothing, and tablets plus leaving the area are the only real counterplay.