KNOW THE RULES. SURVIVE THE NIGHT.

THE SURVIVOR’S
FIELD GUIDE.

How the outbreak works, how to keep your villagers alive, and what it takes to win.

IN DEVELOPMENT

This guide describes the planned game mode. Mechanics and balance values are provisional and may change through development and play-testing.

01 / BEFORE THE OUTBREAK

Getting started

Zombie Nights adds a hostile zombie faction to a normal Age of Empires IV match. You still build an economy, advance through the ages, and compete with other players. The outbreak threatens everyone.

Coming soon

Age of Empires IV is required. A download and installation instructions will be added when a playable release is available.

Your first priorities

Use the opening minutes. Gather resources, scout, and prepare your defenses before the first night.
Keep a ranged defense. Melee combat risks infection, and garrisoning villagers only buys time.
Protect the economy after dawn. Check remote resources for wandering zombies and listen for a coughing villager.
Choose your upgrades carefully. Villager weapons lock in at the age you research them. The cure comes much later.

02 / THE MATCH CLOCK

Day & night

5:00
A normal opening
The first outbreak begins at this point in the match, announced by an on-screen message: “A virus has broken out…”
≤ 3:00
Fast at night
Each player receives a zombie wave. Night ends when every player has cleared their assigned zombies, or the night’s maximum duration is reached.
5:00
A full day to recover
Survivors slow down but stay on the map and can still infect. Rebuild, move carefully, and prepare for the next night’s larger wave.

The proposed cycle is a night followed by a full day. New nights do not start on a fixed five-minute clock. The night cap is expected to be tuned within a two-to-three-minute range; this preview uses three minutes.

03 / A THIRD FACTION

Understand the horde

No allies: Zombies are hostile to everyone. Each night spawns an equal number per player, with each group directed at its own target player.
Growing waves: Every night brings more zombies. A hard cap limits the total horde; exact wave sizes are still to be balanced.
Kill or turn: The planned attack outcome is a 50% chance that the target dies and a 50% chance that it turns. Villagers and soldiers can both become zombies, regardless of whose side they were on.
Tough units make tough zombies: A turned unit inherits its former HP. A health cap is under consideration, so do not assume heavy infantry will be safe to sacrifice.
Garrisons draw attention: Zombies target the weakest building containing garrisoned units. If it falls, those occupants face death or infection. A tower may be attacked before a stronger Town Center.

Use daylight carefully

Ranged units are the best counter. Slow daytime zombies can also be led toward a rival’s village—for example, by a horseman. The same danger follows your own villagers to distant mines.

04 / LISTEN FOR THE COUGH

An infected villager

After Night 1, a random villager may begin coughing. A subtle visual cue helps you find them. During a short incubation period, the villager remains under your control. Once they turn, you lose control and they attack nearby villagers and soldiers.

While you still control the villager, your options are:

Isolate them. Keep them away from other units, perhaps working a remote mine. This reduces exposure; it does not cure them.
Eliminate them. Use your army before the infection spreads.
Send them to a rival. Walk them toward an enemy village before they turn.
Cure them. If you have reached Age IV and met the cure requirements, heal them.

Spreading is intended to happen mainly after a villager turns. The incubation length and exact visual cue are still being developed.

05 / TOWN CENTER RESEARCH

Villager Weapons

All civilizations use the same villager design in this mode. Every villager starts with a knife that does very little damage to zombies. Research Villager Weapons at the Town Center to arm them.

The age you research it determines the weapon, permanently. Research in Age II and your villagers keep bows even after you advance to Age IV. Skipping the research leaves them with weak knives.

Proposed weapon choices and research cost
Research age	Weapon	Each resource*
None	Weak knife	—
Age I	Effective knife	200
Age II	Bow	400
Age III	Crossbow	800
Age IV	Hand cannon	1,600

*Pay the shown amount in food, wood, gold, and stone. These are illustrative costs, currently doubling each age, and will be tuned through play-testing.

Armed villagers can fight zombies. They are still civilians and will lose to a real army.

Try the weapon research preview

06 / MONASTERY RESEARCH

The cure

Reach Age IV, research the Cure upgrade, and secure at least one relic. The cure works on infected villagers and zombies. Healed zombies become your villagers.

Priest mode

Move a priest close to a group to heal up to 5 infected villagers or zombies per use. A cooldown limits repeated healing.

Monastery mode

Place relics in the Monastery. Lead infected units or zombies into the healing circle, then activate Heal. Each relic supports up to 15 healed per use; more relics also increase the radius.

For example, three relics support up to 45 healed per use. Monastery healing also has a cooldown. Exact cooldowns and radius values have not been finalized.

Timing is part of the strategy

Luring slow daytime survivors into a healing circle is different from handling a fast night horde. A successful cure can turn a dangerous wave into a growing workforce.

Explore the cure preview

07 / KEEP SOMEONE ALIVE

Winning & overtime

Standard victory

Defeat the enemy through the usual Age of Empires IV victory conditions.

Survival victory

If your enemy loses all their villagers and you still have villagers, you win. It is possible to win without fighting the enemy’s army yourself.

Team overtime

In 2v2, 3v3, and 4v4, the winning team keeps its victory. Winning teammates then continue against zombie waves to see who outlasts the others. Overtime decides bragging rights within the winning team; it does not take away the team’s win.

08 / CONTACT BYTE RANCH

Help & support

Have a question about the rules, feedback on the design, or an issue to report? Reach out to Byte Ranch.

[email protected]

When reporting an issue

Include your game and mod versions, the match type and map, what happened, what you expected, and the steps that caused it. A screenshot or replay can help if one is available. For a website problem, include your browser and device.

The mod is coming soon. Downloads, installation steps, and troubleshooting for a released build will be added here as they become available.