Here are a bunch of useful hints, tips and tricks for the Breakdown, the latest State of Decay DLC. Thanks to Havoc and X for these tips.

• Early game tip - Once I move into a base, I immediately begin a neighboring enclave's mission (especially clearing infestations), and use them as back up while I first set up my other outposts and gather materials. Also, since I'm on a mission Lily won't be giving me new missions (like: we've run into a problem and need you to find______". This allows me to fully set up my base right away. - Havoc
• Build lots of suppressors - They are very useful in Breakdown because you will get overrun quickly if you fire an unsuppressed weapon, since 30 or more zeds will close in on your location instantly. This includes ferals and big uns.
• Influence is really hard to gain/keep in higher levels. Don't call for as many scavengers; take the time to just go get all the materials you find.
• Load up weapons and guns - Your inventory will be full by around level 4. Load up weapons and guns you'll never use and drop them in a friendly enclaves locker.
• Search houses near enclaves and grab everything to put in their locker. It may be tedious, but the influence will really help in the long run.
• Food outpost - Always make sure you leave one outpost with food, that way if you run short on snacks, you have a safe place to find at least 3-4. 
• Ninja trait - Give a couple of your survivors the ninja trait. Being able to speed search quietly is really helpful, especially in later levels when a loud noise brings 30 zeds.

• Outposts are important - When you first start out, try to build a few outposts around your main base. That way if hordes attack, you will be protected with traps.

  Also, the RV gives you 2 outposts. Use them to help immediately secure the base you want to move into (as hordes will start attacking your base right when you move in). Place the outposts on each side of your base for maximum protection from roaming hordes.

• If your traps aren't ready and a horde is on the way to your base, you can use a car to lure the horde away by honking and driving the away from your base, or into traps that not on cooldown. This way, you give your traps time to reload. Once the horde attacks again, it will be destroyed.

  (Note: If you can't establish an outpost for some reason, keep in mind you need to clear out all rucksacks from a building before you can make it into an outpost. So if you're holding one, drop it on the ground first, and pick up the one in the container, then you will be able to establish an outpost.)

  Also, try to clear out a building of all the items you want located in all the containers before establishing an outpost or you will lose those items.

• Difficulty Level and Advancement - Breakdown is designed to progress in difficulty with each level, so be careful not to advance too many levels until you are ready or you may get overwhelmed with the difficulty. When you use the RV, you can bring 6 survivors of your choice with you (+ Lily). When you are ready to leave, go into the menu and select who will be going with you.

  (There will be a toggle button to select whether the survivor is "On RV" or not. Once you see "On RV" over their name, they will go with you to the next level. Then you can hit the button to load the RV and move to the next level. The items in your storage locker carry over, but base supplies will not. So you get some of your resources but not the full amount.

• Influence when you advance - Always try to load up your characters with guns and other items before advancing so you have some influence by dropping them into the storage lockets when you're dropped into the new game.
• More fuel - Before leaving in the RV, make sure you have less than 5 fuel. I've found that if I have a bunch of fuel, then I'll start the next level with 0 fuel. But if I have fewer than 5, I'll retain that amount. 
• Edged Specialization - No survivor I plan on keeping ever gets the blunt weapon specialization. Any nimble characters I have, if any, can have edged weapons, but everyone else (even those without powerhouse) get heavy weapons. I do this for two reasons:

  1) Blunt weapons are the worst of the melee bunch. Edged & heavy weapons both at least have a sweeping attack that kills multiple zombies in one blow, but blunt weapons don't have this. They can knock a bunch down right away, but you still have to kill them (which means using more stamina), and

  2) it makes managing my storage locker easier. Blunt weapons are what fill up my locker the quickest, so if I just don't need blunt weapons, then there's no problem. Blunt weapons go to enclaves or survivors I don't plan on taking. 

• Moods -  Pay attention to your survivors' moods. If someone is depressed, or panicked, etc., switch to them and do a couple easy tasks: bring in some resources, or survey the area, or do a zed hunt, etc. 1-2 easy tasks will improve their mood, which means less fighting at home and less likely to run away. - X
• Build a ton of whistling box mines. They will help so much in later levels. Steel pipe bombs make it really easy to clear infestations too. Also, I like to have my medical lab cranking out potent stimulants, as I use them like crazy (and the ones you find typically don't last long). - Havoc
• Food supply - Once I set up a base, I try to gather a good supply of food so that when I log back in I'll have 6 snacks. I typically always max it out, just so I don't have to worry about it again. Then I start hunting for medicine and ammo. - X
• Other Useful Tips
• When starting out in Breakdown, try to get a powerhouse character, with a large backpack, and one skill they are good at (preferably cooking, construction, or medicine.) This can be very helpful later on, but can take some time as you would have to start a new game a bunch of times until you got a character with these stats.
• When going out on a character, make sure you take at least 3 pills and 3 snacks with you, as well as a melee weapon. This is essential for surviving while exploring. If you have a large backpack or don't mind using some more space, I would also bring some molotovs / flame fougasses, and a weapon with one clip of ammo.

  Having a molotov on you can be very useful for taking out large groups of zombies, such as infestations or hordes. Also, try to have a suppressor for your guns if you bring one. One shot without a silencer and you will lure many zombies around your area. Using a weapon without a suppressor should be a last resort, if you are surrounded and can't run away.

• If your character doesn't start with a large backpack, a good place to look for one is at the top right of the map (the area where you start when you play the story mode of State of Decay.) There are six tents in that area, at least one should have a large backpack inside the tent. Just be careful in this area, since you can't drive there, so you will have to walk to get the backpack. Since there is no quick escape with a vehicle, a feral could easily catch you off guard.
• Another starting out tip is try to get fuel right after you join your first community. This way, once you get an outpost running, you can set up traps to fight against hordes right away.
• After rescuing a survivor and taking them back to their enclave, check out their supply locker and use some of your influence to grab some items you may need.
• When you first start out, the most useful thing you can do is find some survivors to join your group. The reason is because once your character gets tired, you will want to switch out to another one, otherwise, your stamina will deplete, and you won't be able to recover it.
• Also check out the 100 useful State of Decay hints and tips page for more general tips for the game.
• Thanks again to Havoc and X for these tips. If you have any hints, tips or tricks for the State of Decay Breakdown DLC, please post them in the comments below. Thanks for your contributions and for visiting the site.
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