CHECK OUT THE LATEST GUIDES
We produce a guide for World War Z Challenge Mode every week. This week, ‘World War Z Protect the King’ is the challenge. Check out past challenges below.
- World War Z Challenge Mode guide for the week of May 8, 2020 – So Many Zombies.
- World War Z Challenge Mode guide for the week of April 29, 2020 – Live Once And Then Explode.
- World War Z Challenge Mode guide for the week of April 22, 2020 – Undying vs Undead.
- World War Z Challenge Mode guide for the week of April 14, 2020 – Nemesis in World War Z.
- World War Z Challenge Mode guide for the week of April 8, 2020 – Weak Medic, Fixer, and Slasher.
- World War Z Challenge Mode guide for the week of January 15, 2020 – Tech Support With No Defences.
This week’s Challenge Mode feels like it should be easy, but it’s so far from it. Firstly, all of your damage is redirected to a single player, chosen at random. Luckily, that player has a lot more health for this mission, but there are no medkits to heal them with to be found anywhere. This week’s Challenge Mode is also all about managing the life of your king, because if they die, the mission fails. See below for a video run through of the mission, then read on for our tips.
Modifiers
- I Feel Your Pain – A random player is chosen to have 100% more health, but all damage taken by other team members is redirected to them. If this player dies, the mission will fail.
- Instadeath – When your health reaches zero, you will die immediately without being incapacitated first.
- Small Pharma – There are no Medkits to be found throughout the mission.
Encounter 1 – Find The Switches
Be prepared for this encounter in World War Z Protect the King
The mission starts out with everyone on the train. From here you’ll be running through some pretty close corridors packed with zombies, eventually leading to a far more open area. Here you’ll need to activate three switches, one after the other. The next switch isn’t revealed until you’ve pulled the one before it, so it’s a game of chase the switch. Prior to entering the open area, hold back and kill all the zombies that you can see, it’ll make life easier later on.
As you look for the switches, you’ll notice that damage doesn’t seem to hurt you. That’s because the king, the random character chosen to have more health, is taking it for you. This is a key component of World War Z Protect the King, because the mission will fail if you all take too much damage and it kills them. Be careful, stay back, and try to take as little damage as possible. If you’re playing a Medic class, use your Stim Pistol on the King player whenever the affect isn’t applied.
Encounter 2 – First Swarm
If you prepare, this first swarm in World War Z Protect the King isn’t too bad
Once you’re through the close corridors, you’re into a train yard. Kill the zombies you can see, and take out those that fall into the area. It’s better to clear them out now, rather than during the coming swarm. Look for some defences in this area, there should be at least one, if not two automated turrets. Point these at the area behind the small building, they can protect your back while you focus on the swarm. When you’re ready, activate the doors and bring on this swarm of zombies.
From here the encounter is simple: kill the zombies before they climb up to get you. It’s quite easy to keep them down, but remember that any damage you take will harm the King. Keep the zombies down, use any heavy weapons you have, and you should get through this encounter fairly quickly.
Encounter 3 – The Gas
The gas will kill you in World War Z Protect the King
This part of the encounter is in a high room with three floors. Gas fills the air on the two floors below you, so you’ll need to activate fans in order to suck it up and make it possible to move around without dying. Before you enter the main area, check the walkways as you enter it, there should be an additional equipment pack that will be a godsend for a Medic in this encounter. The first panel you activate will turn on a fan with no issue. The second one requires a key though. finding this key is quite straightforward. You need to explore the corridors on this level and examine the dead soldiers until you find the key. Work in pairs, and remember to try to keep any damage you take to a minimum. It’s hard at this point, so once you’ve got the key, group up next to the panel and kill all approaching zombies before moving on.
The third fan key is down in the gas on the bottom level. When I say that you should only send one player down, I mean it. Remember that all damage is redirected to your King, and if they die, the mission fails. One player can search a couple of soldiers before they begin to take damage. If they still haven’t found the key, then they can come back up and let another player go down. Rotate like this until you have the key, and then the fan will clear out that gas.
Before leaving the area, stock up on equipment, heal the King if they need it, and get some ammo.
Encounter 4 – The Climb
Get up fast in this encounter in World War Z Protect the King
What goes down must come up, and that includes you. This encounter is fast, but can easily kill you. Zombies will start dropping down from above, and you all need to climb up and around the area to escape. If you’re fast, you should only encounter zombies at the top, but if you’re slow, you’ll probably die. Run fast, get to the top, and get everyone through the hordes as fast as possible. It’s better to punch a hole through the zombies than it is to kill all of them, because that way you can actually escape. Once you have, heal the King and reload, we’re nearly done.
Encounter 5 – Second Swarm
The second swarm is easily the hardest in World War Z Protect the King
This second swarm is in the same area as the first, but all of your defences are gone. Look around for more and quickly place them, because this swarm is going to hit you hard. Once the zombies are piling in, the key is keeping them off of the train. You’ll get a timer telling you how long you have until you fail because of zombies. At that point, look for the hordes, and kill them all as fast as you can.
The biggest mistake my teams made at this point was not thinking about the King. Since we were all killing zombies on the train, we forgot to protect or heal our king, and they died. This is one of those Challenge Modes that’s easy to fail right at the end, and it makes you feel awful because of the effort you put in earlier in the mission. Don’t let that effort go to waste, and protect the King at all costs. With the swarm defeated, you’ve won the mission.
Best Class for the Job
The Medic Class is best for World War Z Protect the King
The best class this week is definitely the Medic. If you have the perks unlocked, then equip Combat Medic and Pickpocket. These perks give you a 50% chance of getting a medkit, and a 100% chance of refilling one equipment charge, by killing 15 zombies in rapid succession. Since you won’t find a single medkit in the mission, having the ability to get one by killing loads of zombies is a blessing, particularly to the King. If you’re graced with being the King for one round, then these perks could help you solo the Challenge Mode this week, too.
Tips
Keep an eye on the health of the King. Nothing is more important. If you fail to stick together as a group, then one of you might be caught by a Bull or Lurker, and that can lead to the King being killed while everyone searches for you. Don’t play the hero, just protect the King and your team.
Verdict
World War Z Protect the King isn’t quite as difficult as previous Challenge Modes, but it’s still quite hard. This is one that even veteran players are struggling to get through, though hardcore players are smashing on their own somehow. This week’s mission is a good one for a group of four friends to get together and play, so if you’ve been waiting for a Challenge Mode that anyone can get into regardless of skill, this is a good one for team efforts.
