Death Road to Canada is a randomly generated action RPG in which the player is tasked with surviving the journey from Florida to the safety of Canada during a zombie apocalypse. Supplies like gas and food need to be conserved, and party members need to be managed with care to succeed. With most elements in this game randomized, it can be a wacky ride and hard to know what choices to make, though there are some tips and tricks every player should know that may make the road a bit less daunting.

While on the Death Road to Canada players may randomly come across other survivors that may or may not be helpful, some could even hinder progress by lying about their stats or starting a brawl among the group. The option to leave them at the side of the road is always there, but adding useful members to the party is often necessary. Instead of risking supplies and morale picking up strangers on the side of the road, players should create their own custom characters before beginning their journey. This makes them discoverable playable characters while out on the road, they may also be found at trader camps and will join the party for free.

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Making custom characters isn't an exact science, as there are many perks and traits to choose from that have multiple effects. A character's traits affect their personality stats and perks affect their stats and starting equipment. Players will initially have access to 16 traits and 14 perks, and with so many options that can work well together, what will work for each player will depend largely on their strategy for getting through the hordes and collecting supplies. Picking a fighter-type character and a supportive complementary character is a great place to start when designing your party.

Custom Character Combinations To Consider In Death Road To Canada

Death Road To Canada Zombies Trapped Character

Creating a character that is 'Calm Under Fire' and a 'Gun Collector' will give +2 in shooting and a starter pistol with bullets. A supportive role could use 'Nurturing' and the 'Healthcare' perk to start with 4 medical supplies and +3 in medical with an increase in the stability of their morale. A 'Paranoid' character with the 'Martial Artist' perk will refuse to use certain weapons but starts with an effective unarmed attack and +1 in both strength and fitness, they may also identify unknown traits in new recruits. For a tank-style build consider a 'Warrior' with the 'Athlete' perk; they will have a boring personality, but start with a randomized sport weapon and gain +3 in both fitness and strength.

Another type of member players can add to their party is dogs. Dogs only need to eat one food per day instead of the two food people will need, they deal decent unarmed damage with their claws, and can bark to attract zombies. Dogs do have one less hit point than humans, but they also boast a much higher dexterity than a human meaning they move much faster and it can be really difficult for zombies to catch them. There are other recruitable pets in Death Road to Canada but dogs will provide a unique benefit. They can continue trekking on towards Canada without any human party members by becoming a Super Dog, which happens automatically upon the death of the last human character. It's important to note dogs can only carry one item at a time, so when looting the player may have to make some difficult decisions. Super Dogs will stand on their hind legs to use weapons, but this causes them to move more slowly.

Another trick involves the wit and attitude stat every character has in Death Road to Canada. When these two stats are low enough the option to say, 'COOL IT' or 'SAY IT, DON'T SPRAY IT' may be available during events. Saying this will almost always give negative results, ranging in severity from lost supplies to death. The group has a hidden counter to track these interactions, and once the 'Cool It' choice is used three times in one game the option to say 'COOL IT!!!' or 'SAY IT, DON'T SPRAY IT!!!' with three exclamation marks can appear. Using this option will always result in a positive outcome for the entire party, with the benefits depending on the encounter. Once used, the counter will reset to allow the player the opportunity to use the function again. Filling the counter at trading camps is the safest way to gain the benefits without getting too many drawbacks, as the worst outcome is being forced to leave. Characters given the 'Irritating' or 'BESERK!' traits will be able to use these dialogue options immediately.

More Tips For Surviving Death Road To Canada

Image from the game Death Road to Canada featuring the player character fighting hordes of zombies

While traveling the choice to stop at a trading post will pop up from time to time, and it is always wise to stop. Free loot is sometimes available, usually some spare ammo or an unopened toilet. The traders can also be helpful depending on the party's needs and which have randomly spawned. Some traders may even give gifts to the group if they're low on food. Players can use spare weapons gathered to sell for food or other goods the party needs. This becomes especially important towards the end of the road, the last chance the player will have to stock up on supplies before the final stretch to Canada is at a trading post. If possible players should buy better weapons, restock ammo, recruit additional firepower, and top off medical supplies.

When looting any of the available areas, always make sure to keep an eye on the time. The later it gets in the day, the more zombies will gather and the more aggressive they'll become. Night officially starts at 9:00 PM, staying out looting after 10:00 PM can get the player caught in a horde. If looting at night becomes necessary for survival, don't forget to bring a flashlight.

A final important tip, give everyone in the group a gun. Melee weapons cause fatigue, how much fatigue depends on the weapon used and the character's fitness stat. Having a gun as a second option will provide them protection even when they're too tired to keep smacking zombies around. This is especially helpful during sieges where the hordes of zombies will be densely packed and aggressive. During looting events, players will have the option to let spare party members rest safely in the car instead of coming along, this will help to conserve ammo for when firepower is truly needed.

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Death Road to Canada is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Switch, and Xbox One.