History VideoGame / ContagionMonochrome

* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: The Colt 1911 and the M1 Garand, both of which are old enough to have been used in World War II.

* GunAccessories: The game has a system where you can attach or detach a number of accessories like sights, suppressors and barrel attachments. Each firearm can take only one of each kind of accessory, some can't take certain accessories at all (e.g. you can't put a suppressor on a shotgun), and others have integrated accessories by default such as the AR-15 and SCAR having a non-removable top rail for mounting holo sights on. The most universally compatible accessory by a long stretch is, [[WhoForgotTheLights thankfully]]], the [[InfiniteFlashlight tactical flashlight]].

* GunAccessories: The game has a system where you can attach or detach a number of accessories like sights, suppressors and flashlights. Each firearm can take only one of each kind of accessory, some can't take certain accessories at all (e.g. you can't put a suppressor on a shotgun), and others have integrated accessories by default such as the AR-15 and SCAR having a non-removable top rail for mounting holo sights on. The most universally compatible accessory is the tactical light by a long stretch.

** In a gameplay sense, the Fire Extinguisher acts as one for melee weapons. Its bashing attack deals more damage than any other non-melee weapon's, and it can be found in the beginning of Roanoke PD. [[OpenSaysMe It's also really good at breaking down doors]].

** Big caliber firearms aren't that useful in general. They trade ammo capacity and firing speed for range and damage, however very few firefights are long-distance ones and ''any'' firearm kills with a headshot, so damage in PVE is meaningless except against Riot Zombies. The Remington 700 in particular gets a niche use in Barlowe Square to clear out the zombies further ahead on a street you have to go through, but that's it. The semi-automatic [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles M1 Garand]] [[TruthInTelevision is very inconvenient to reload from a not-emptied clip]]. The BLR, revolver and Desert Eagle fare a bit better for medium-ranged combat, but even so, the rarity of their ammo types and tiny max reserve make them less than practical.

** Big caliber firearms aren't that useful in general. They trade ammo capacity and firing speed for range and damage, however very few firefights are long-distance ones. The Remington 700 in particular gets a niche use in Barlowe Square to clear out the zombies further ahead on a street you have to go through, but that's it. The semi-automatic [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles M1 Garand]] [[TruthInTelevision is very inconvenient to reload from a not-emptied clip]]. The BLR, revolver and Desert Eagle fare a bit better for medium-ranged combat, but even so, the rarity of their ammo types and tiny max reserve make them less than practical.

** Big caliber firearms aren't that useful in general. They trade ammo capacity and firing speed for range and damage, however very few firefights are long-distance ones. The Remington 700 in particular gets a niche use in Barlowe Square to clear out the zombies further ahead on a street you have to go through, but that's it. The semi-automatic [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles M1 Garand]] [[TruthInTelevision is very inconvenient to reload from a not-emptied clip]] and its iron sights don't have low-light inserts like many other guns (unless you [[GameMod get a custom skin with night sights]]). The BLR, revolver and Desert Eagle fare a bit better for medium-ranged combat, but even so, the rarity of their ammo types and tiny max reserve make them less than practical.

* BoringButPractical: The SIG. It's not the most exciting of guns, but it's accurate, has a generous magazine capacity (15 rounds, the most of any non-automatic), like all guns it can kill zombies with a single headshot, 9mm ammo is plentiful around maps and each box is a guaranteed full reload, and the max capacity is extremely generous at 150. It's also compatible with practically all attachments.
* DeadlyGas: Green gas leaks out of the manhole leading to the first [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer sewer]] section of Montclair. You have to find the evac zone in the park to get a gas mask to proceed through; climbing down into the gas unprotected (or removing the mask while down there) is guaranteed death.

* WhoForgotTheLights: The majority of indoors environments have no lighting because of blown lamps or power outages. This wouldn't be a problem if the flashlight beam wasn't pencil-thin and short-reached, and if the pocket light's beam actually aligned with the sights of the weapons you'd use it with instead of pointing in a random direction when you actually aim. [[labelnote:*]]To the surprise of nobody, {{Game Mod}}s that enhance the flashlight's beam so it's floodier are quite prevalent; one makes it [[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=274396478&searchtext= a room-wide flooder]].[[/labelnote]] Newer updated that implemented the switchable GunAccessories system make this more bearable, as almost any gun can have a flashlight attached.

* {{Abandonware}}: For a while. Though the game was still up for sale, the community was still active and making mods and at least one of the devs kept an eye out on Steam forum discussions, the game didn't have a significant update from mid-2016 up until Christmas 2019.

* {{Abandonware}}: In a sense. Though the game's still up for sale, the community is still active and making mods and at least one of the devs keeps an eye out on Steam forum discussions, the game hasn't had a significant update since mid-2016. Monochrome shifted their efforts towards developing a sequel of sorts, ''Contagion VR: Outbreak''.
** As of Christmas 2019, the game is getting updated again.

** Rifles aren't that useful in general. They trade ammo capacity and firing speed for range and damage, however very few firefights are long-distance ones. The Remington 700 in particular gets a niche use in Barlowe Square to clear out the zombies further ahead on a street you have to go through, but that's it. The semi-automatic [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles M1 Garand]] [[TruthInTelevision is very inconvenient to reload from a not-emptied clip]] and its iron sights don't have low-light inserts like many other guns (unless you [[GameMod get a custom skin with night sights]]). The BLR fares a bit better for medium-ranged combat, but even so, the rarity of its ammo makes it less than practical. But the worst part is, ''none'' of the rifles totes a [[GunAccessories tactical light]], ''severely'' limiting their use since [[WhoForgotTheLights the game is so dark]].
* BoomHeadshot: A headshot from any weapon will nicely pop a zombie's head (or anyone's head, for that matter), and [[PinkMist make a nice and moist shower of brain and bone pop out the other side]]. This is important, because zombies can otherwise soak a few dozen bullets before dropping, which means you'll run out of ammo after only killing a couple of zombies if you aim for the body. Averted with [[HeavilyArmoredMook Riot Zombies]], who [[KungFuProofMook don't take any extra damage from headshots]]. Downplayed with arrows, they're potent enough to make bodyshot kills viable.
* BoringButPractical: The SIG. It's not the most exciting of guns, but it's accurate, has a generous magazine capacity (15 rounds, the most of any non-automatic), like all guns it can kill zombies with a single headshot, 9mm ammo is plentiful around maps and each box is a guaranteed full reload, plus the max capacity is extremely generous at 150, and you always start off with it.

* GunAccessories: Thanks to the lack of HandsFreeHandlamp, the presence of a proper flashlight attachment means the difference between a "good but situational" gun and an "all-around practical" one.

* HandsFreeHandlamp: Downplayed almost to full aversion. The light sources available are tactical lights on certain firearms, the cell phone (which you can't wield at the same time as a gun or item), and the rare angle-head pocket light. That last one does allow a survivor to have a light while wielding other items, but it takes up one precious inventory slot out of four total, and even then, it's subpar: when you're using it alongside a light-less gun it points awkwardly in a fixed direction that is rarely where you're looking or aiming at and it bobs everywhere when you're moving[[note]]compounded by how narrow the vanilla light beam is[[/note]]; to have it point where you want it, you have to hold it in your hand, and you already have the phone for that[[note]]although it's marginally worse in that the pocket light's beam when handheld is perfectly centered on the screen, while the phone's is offset to the right[[/note]]. The only aspects played straight are that the {{Player Character}}s don't have to move their hands to operate the light in their pocket[[note]]the gunlights, phone light and pocket light (when it's on your hand) all have noticeable viewmodel animations for when you're turning them on and off[[/note]], and the pocket light isn't modeled on the character's pocket when it's being used as such.

* HeavilyArmoredMook: The riot zombie's armor gives it an assload of hit points and total headshot immunity. It takes quite a lot of firepower to bring one down.

* InfiniteFlashlight: The cell phone light, the gunlights and the handheld angle-head pocket light will all last forever. That's very fortunate, as the game [[WhoForgotTheLights can get REALLY dark even in daytime maps]] and pacing is slow and ponderous.

* LostInACrowd: A built-in feature for player zombies. With the push of a button, they can switch their controller to the zombie AI, and vice verse. Subverted however, in that they're the ones doing the chasing.

* MarathonLevel: The Montclair map added in the last update takes way over an hour to complete even if you know the exact route.
* MultiMookMelee: The finale of each Escape game involves the player(s) holding out against a ''massive'' horde of zombies, while attempting to accomplish an objective such as activate a generator then waiting for a gate to open or a rescue helicopter to arrive. Provided you have enough ammo and manage to avoid being boxed into a corner and overwhelmed, you ''can'' wipe out a whole horde, but there is just enough breathing room before another shows up to complete a few more objectives, run to get more ammo, or use a health kit.

* QuickMelee: In the form of swinging with the butt of a firearm or a faster but weaker strike with a melee weapon. It's not effective at killing things or breaking doors unless you're holding the fire extinguisher.

** The over-under shotgun completely averts this with a very tight spread. Its high damage and sharp accuracy can allow players to dispatch human enemies and riot zombies with ease within most engagement distances. The downside is you're unlikely to kill more than one zombie at a time.

* ShoutOut: You can't really look at the scoped crossbow without thinking of ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' and Dixon's WeaponOfChoice, can you?

** {{Handguns}}: The SIG and the Colt 1911. Despite both of them being starting weapons, they chamber different ammo (9mm for the SIG, .45 for the 1911). The 1911 does more damage but has half the SIG's ammo capacity, about a third of the reserve capacity, and you find ammo for it less often.
** RevolversAreJustBetter: The Revolver, which is an alternative to the 1911. It shares the same ammunition with the latter, but it carries less shots and lacks a flashlight. However, it has about 3 times the stopping power of the 9mm SIG pistol and can kill a survivor with 2 shots to the chest.
** ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Mossberg, the Remington and the Over & Under. The first and second are your standard pump-action, while the third is a more exotic double-barreled.
** SniperRifle: The Remington, the BLR and the M1 Garand. While the first is your normal run-of-the-mill scoped bolt-action rifle, the second is a lever-action with a detachable magazine, and the Garand is [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles the Garand]]. Only the Remington has a scope, the others have iron sights.

*** Three assault rifles - the AR-15, the AK-74U and the SCAR - are present, taking up roles as the JackOfAllStats of firearms. They boast high firepower, decent recoil, and a healthy magazine size, giving more individual bullets per ammo box than any other weapon. The AR-15 or the SCAR are the weapons to use for any battles at long range or in the dark, as the AK is less accurate and lacks a light. All three are good picks to take down riot zombies quickly.
*** There are also two submachine guns, the [=MP5K=] and its lightless alternative, the [=KG9=]. Both share ammo with the SIG, but due to their higher firing rates and superior ammo capacities, they're more-or-less direct upgrades to it. The [=MP5K=] will outpace the [=KG9=] in range and accuracy, but the [=KG9=]'s rate of fire is a death sentence in close encounters; the two are about an equal trade-off unless you're in a dark area and ''need'' the flashlight, whereupon the [=MP5K=] is the winner.
** Beyond the previous mentioned, there are the several melee weapons, a bow and a crossbow, a [[HealThyself first aid kit]], an angle-head pocket light, the grenade and its placeable alternative, the IED. The baseball bats, sledgehammer, golf club and wrench are usually one-hit kills with a headshot while the machete, knife and fireaxe may require more than one swing. The pocket light is brighter than the standard flashlights, and can be used to give you a light when you're toting a lightless gun like the AK or the BLR[[note]]however the way the beam is pointed (for example, it's tilted down when used with the AK) makes it not as reliable as a gun with a proper light[[/note]].

* UniversalAmmo: Averted for most guns, but played straight in that the Colt .45 pistol and .357 Magnum revolver both share the same type of ammo. The Devs have stated this is for practical reasons; they didn't want to code an entirely separate ammo type just for a single gun. They later said they would reconsider after firearm enthusiasts continued to make it an issue, but never got around to it.
* WhoForgotTheLights: The majority of indoors environments have no lighting because of blown lamps or power outages. This wouldn't be a problem if the flashlight beam wasn't pencil-thin and short-reached, and if the pocket light's beam actually aligned with the sights of the weapons you'd use it with instead of pointing in a random direction when you actually aim. [[labelnote:*]]To the surprise of nobody, {{Game Mod}}s that enhance the flashlight's beam so it's floodier are quite prevalent; one makes it [[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=274396478&searchtext= a room-wide flooder]].[[/labelnote]]
* ZombieInfectee: Unless it's turned off before a match, if you get grappled[=/=]bitten by a player-controlled zombie (or a regular mook zombie in higher difficulties), you run a high chance of becoming infected. If you do get infected, you will die and respawn as a zombie after a couple minutes. There is no way to cure the infection; healing items were rumored to be able to do this, but that is inaccurate. If it happens in single player, you might as well quit and restart the map unless you're within meters of the final objective.

* NintendoHard: While ''Contagion'' is itself already pretty difficult, Extreme difficulty jacks it up even higher. Zombies can kill in less than 5 hits, infection is more or less guaranteed from a single strike, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and doors can be destroyed in less than 3 seconds]]. The scarcity of ammunition only exists to reinforce that status. Run into a [[EliteMook player zombie]], [[ItCanThink however]]...

* RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain: A headshot with any gun or a charged melee weapon strike will kill any zombie, or player for that matter. It's impractical to kill zombies with anything other than headshots, because they can otherwise soak a very large amount of damage before dying[[labelnote:+]]''one single zombie'' can take about 31 shots to the chest from the SIG SAUER before dropping dead; that's practically a full horde that you could have killed with well-aimed headshots[[/labelnote]]. The sole exception is the arrow-based weapons, that can kill a zombie in three body shots.

** The Mossberg has a wide spread and each pellet does pathetic damage, making it terrible for killing other players. However, since a single pellet to the head will kill zombies, its capable of taking down small herds of zombies with one blast.
** The over-under shotgun completely averts this with a very tight spread. Its high damage and sharp accuracy can allow players to dispatch human enemies with ease within most engagement distances. The downside is you're unlikely to kill more than one zombie at a time.

** Rifles aren't that useful in general. They trade ammo capacity and firing speed for range and damage, however very few firefights are long-distance ones. The Remington 700 in particular gets a niche use in Barlowe Square to clear out the zombies further ahead on a street you have to go through, but that's it. The semi-automatic [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles M1 Garand]] [[TruthInTelevision is very inconvenient to reload from a not-emptied clip]] and its iron sights don't have low-light inserts like many other guns (unless you [[GameMod get a custom skin with night sights]])). The BLR fares a bit better for medium-ranged combat, but even so, the rarity of its ammo makes it less than practical. But the worst part is, ''none'' of the rifles totes a [[GunAccessories tactical light]], ''severely'' limiting their use since [[WhoForgotTheLights the game is so dark]].

** Melee weapons. They cost no ammo to use and a properly aimed charged attack will kill most things in a single hit. On the downside, using one eats a large amount of stamina, and only some like the baseball bats or the sledgehammer can kill reliably.

Developed by Monochrome LLC, Contagion is a zombie-themed Indie FirstPersonShooter running on the Source engine. A [[SpiritualSuccessor spiritual successor]] to the ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' mod ''VideoGame/ZombiePanic'', it was originally a Kickstarter game. It hit its goal in October 13th, 2013 and was released as a Steam Early Access game on the 25th of the same month. The game entered full release on April 11th, 2014.

** Roanaoke PD has some that zombies can pass through as shortcuts.

** The grenade and IED are certainly awesome to use, but beyond killing riot zombies or very large hordes like in Roanoke P.D.'s lockup, they take up an inventory slot, can only be used once, and their large SplashDamage tends to end up hurting other players and even the one who deployed the explosive.
** In the [=PvE=] game modes (Escape and Extraction), weapons that sacrifice ammo capacity, rate of fire, or the flashlight attachment for increased damage, such as the Colt .45, the .357 magnum, and all of the rifles. This is because you'll only be fighting zombies, and against them headshots (the only effective shot placement) are always a OneHitKill regardless of the gun used.
** Rifles aren't that useful in general. They trade ammo capacity and firing speed for range and damage, however very few firefights are long-distance ones. The Remington 700 in particular gets a niche use in Barlowe Square to clear out the zombies further ahead on a street you have to go through, but that's it. And finally, the semi-automatic [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles M1 Garand]] [[TruthInTelevision is very inconvenient to reload from a not-emptied clip]] and its iron sights don't have low-light inserts like many other guns (unless you [[GameMod get a custom skin with night sights]])). The BLR fares a bit better for medium-ranged combat, but even so, the rarity of its ammo makes it less than practical. But the worst part is, ''none'' of the rifles totes a [[GunAccessories tactical light]], ''severely'' limiting their use.
* BoomHeadshot: A headshot from any weapon will nicely pop a zombie's head (or anyone's head, for that matter). This is important, because zombies can otherwise soak a few dozen rounds before dropping, which means you'll run out of ammo after only killing a couple of zombies if you aim for the body. Averted with [[HeavilyArmoredMook Riot Zombies]], who [[KungFuProofMook don't take any extra damage from headshots]].

* DeadlyGas: Green gas is leaking out of the manhole leading to the first [[AbsurdlySpaciousSewer sewer]] section of Montclair. You have to find the evac zone in the park to get a gas mask to proceed through; climbing down into the gas unprotected is guaranteed death.

* AbsurdlySpaciousSewer: Montclair has not one, but two sewer sections. The first one was being used as a survivor shelter and leaks DeadlyGas, forcing the players to deviate to look for a gas mask. The second one, for some strange reason, links to the basement of a high-class manor.

* TheStraightAndArrowPath: Later updates introduced a crossbow and a compound bow, DifficultButAwesome weapons that trade off slow fire rate, relatively difficult aiming with a learning curve, and low total ammo capacity in favor of being almost completely silent[[note]]zombies will head towards the point where they hear the arrow impact, be it a rotten noggin or a map surface, but the weapon itself is totally silent[[/note]], very powerful[[note]]capable of downing a normal zombie in three bodyshots and a riot in ten[[/note]], and having reusable ammo, as you can recycle used arrows with no ill effects.

* WhoForgotTheLights: The majority of indoors environments have no lighting because of blown lamps or power outages. This wouldn't be a problem if the flashlight beam wasn't pencil-thin and short-reached, and if the pocket light's beam actually aligned with the sights of the weapons you'd use it with instead of pointing almost straight down or to the side when you actually aim. [[labelnote:*]]To the surprise of nobody, {{Game Mod}}s that enhance the flashlight's beam so it's floodier are quite prevalent.[[/labelnote]]
* ZombieInfectee: Unless it's turned off before a match, if you get grappled[=/=]bitten by a player-controlled zombie (or a regular mook zombie in higher difficulties), you run a high chance of becoming infected. If you do get infected, you will die and respawn as a zombie after a couple minutes. There is no way to cure the infection; healing items were rumored to be able to do this, but that is inaccurate. If it happens in single player, you might as well quit and restart the map.

* Depending on how the map is generated for Biotec, you may need to drop down a short vent shaft to bypass a security lockdown.

** Riot[=/=]SWAT zombies. They're extremely resistant to damage, soaking up bullets like a large sponge soaks up water (it takes at least a full mag of assault rifle fire or 7 shotgun blasts to kill them, and headshots don't do any extra damage to them).

* HarderThanHard: Extreme difficulty. You die in 2 hits and friendly fire is on by default. Similar to ''Left 4 Dead'', jumping into a server on this setting with pubbies is a good way to get shot in the back within the first few seconds of gameplay.

** The IED, a StickyBomb made from a cell phone and a block of explosives.
** In a gameplay sense, the Fire Extinguisher acts as one for melee weapons. Its bashing attack deals more damage than any other non-melee weapon's, and it can be found in the beginning of Roanoke PD. [[MundaneUtility Oh, and it's also really good at breaking doors]].
* InfiniteFlashlight: The cell phone light, the gunlights and the handheld angle head that you can set in your pocket, all will last forever. That's very fortunate, as the game [[WhoForgotTheLights can get REALLY dark even in daytime maps]] and pacing is slow and ponderous.

* ArtificialBrilliance: Zombies reach to noise and will home in from well across the map towards the sound of gunfire.

** Executions are this. Sure, they're a guaranteed kill, but getting locked into a 3rd-person view animation unable to move isn't very practical when you're next to a zombie mob. There are no circumstances whatsoever where an execution is better than a charged attack.

** In the [=PvE=] game modes (Escape and Extraction), weapons that sacrifice ammo capacity, rate of fire, or the flashlight attachment for increased damage, such as the Colt .45, the .357 magnum, or the rifles. This is because you'll only be fighting zombies, and against them headshots (the only effective shot placement) are always a OneHitKill regardless of the gun used.

* AirVentPassageway: Roanaoke PD has some. Zombies can pass through them as shortcuts.

* UniversalAmmo: Averted for most guns, but played straight in that the Colt .45 pistol and .357 Magnum revolver both share the same type of ammo. The Devs have stated this is for practical reasons; they didn't want to code an entirely separate ammo type just for a single gun. However, they later said they would reconsider after firearm enthusiasts continued to make it an issue.

* ZombieInfectee: Unless it's turned off before a match, if you get grappled[=/=]bitten by a player-controlled zombie (or a regular mook zombie in higher difficulties), you run a high chance of becoming infected. If you do get infected, you will die and respawn as a zombie after a couple minutes. There is no way to cure the infection; healing items were rumored to be able to do this, but that is inaccurate.

** HandsFreeHandlamp: Downplayed almost to full aversion. The light sources available are tactical lights on certain firearms, the cell phone (which you can't wield at the same time as a gun or item), and the rare angle-head pocket light. That last one does allow a survivor to have a light while wielding other items, but it takes up one precious inventory slot out of four total, and even then, it's subpar: when you're using it alongside a light-less gun it points awkwardly in a fixed direction that is rarely where you're looking or aiming at and it bobs everywhere when you're moving[[note]]compounded by how narrow the vanilla light beam is[[/note]]; to have it point where you want it, you have to hold it in your hand, and you already have the phone for that[[note]]although it's marginally worse in that the pocket light's beam when handheld is perfectly centered on the screen, while the phone's is offset to the right[[/note]]. The only aspects played straight are that the {{Player Character}}s don't have to move their hands to operate the light in their pocket[[note]]the gunlights, phone light and pocket light (when it's on your hand) all have noticeable viewmodel animations for when you're turning them on and off[[/note]], and the pocket light isn't modeled on the character's pocket when it's being used as such.

* GunAccessories: The presence of a flashlight attachment means the difference between a "good but situational" weapon and an "all-around practical" one.

The game is overall slower and more methodical than other games in the genre (most notably ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' or ''Call of Duty'''s ''VideoGame/NaziZombies''). Zombies are generally of the traditional slow, shambling Romero type (although they can individually vary in speed to a noticeable degree), and ammo is fairly limited, especially if it's being shared between 4 or 8 players. You can survive a decent number of hits, but healing items are also ''extremely'' rare; usually there is only 1 or 2 in the entire map, so you're generally limited to the health you start the level with. The overall pacing and atmosphere is comparable to a first-person version of the early ''ResidentEvil'' games, if they only had zombies and no special mutants.

** Executions are this. Sure, they're a guaranteed kill, but getting locked into a 3rd-person view animation unable to move isn't very practical when you're next to a zombie mob.
** The grenade and IED are certainly awesome to use, but beyond killing Riot zombies, they take up an inventory slot, they can only be used once, and their high damage area tends to end up hurting other players.
** In the PVE game modes (Escape and Extraction), weapons that sacrifice ammo capacity, rate of fire, or the flashlight attachment for increased damage, such as the Colt .45, the .357 magnum, or the rifles. This is because you'll only be fighting zombies, and against them headshots (the only effective shot placement) are always a OneHitKill regardless of the gun used.
** Rifles aren't that useful in general. They trade ammo capacity and firing speed for range and damage, however very few firefights are long-distance ones. The Remington 700 in particular gets a niche use in Barlowe Square to clear out the zombies further ahead on a street you have to go through, but that's it. And finally, the semi-automatic [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles M1 Garand]] [[TruthInTelevision is very inconvenient to reload from a not-emptied clip]] and its iron sights don't have low-light inserts like many other guns. The BLR fares a bit better for medium-ranged combat, but even so, the rarity of its ammo makes it less than practical. But the worst part is, ''none'' of the rifles totes a [[GunAccessories tactical light]], severely limiting their use.
* BoomHeadshot: A headshot from any weapon will nicely pop a zombie's head (or anyone's head, for that matter). This is important, because zombies can otherwise soak a few dozen rounds before dropping, which means you'd run out of ammo after only killing a couple of zombies if you only aimed for the torso. Averted with [[HeavilyArmoredMook Riot Zombies]], who [[KungFuProofMook don't take any extra damage from headshots]].
* BoringButPractical: The SIG. It's not the most exciting of guns, but it's accurate, has a generous magazine capacity (15 rounds, the most of any non-automatic), 9mm ammo is plentiful and each box is a guaranteed full reload, it can kill zombies with a single headshot, and you always start off with it.

** As mentioned before, the grenade. The weapon possesses a large explosive radius, deals a huge amount of damage to anything within it, and has an awkward throwing arc (it flies straight). Usually, a poorly-aimed toss ends up hurting allies and killing the throwing player. In Hunted however, there are no allies to be careful of. Suddenly, it becomes a surprise weapon fully capable of clearing out entire streets, hallways, and passages. The one-use nature of it removes the need to find ammo for it, and its straight throwing arc allows it to be thrown both in and out of openings. The large damage area ensures that anyone nearby will be hit, making it effective as a suicide weapon, a means to flush out campers, or a method to finishing off runners.
** [[TheStraightAndArrowPath The compound bow and the crossbow]]. Once you learn how to aim them and score headshots consistently at different distances, the power[[note]]downing a zombie in three bodyshots is nothing to laugh at[[/note]], quietness, and re-usability of the arrows, plus the zombies' tendency to congregate where their last buddy got killed[[note]]they only register the noise of the arrow impacting something, not the bow being fired[[/note]], make clearing out great stretches of the map an almost trivial task; it helps that a single ammo pickup (a compact quiver) gives you max ammunition. They only really fall short in the finales, where there are zombies, which know exactly where you are, coming in large numbers, a situation where stealth is useless and the slow operation and small ammo pool make them, especially the scoped crossbow, impractical.
* EliteMooks[=/=]EliteZombie: Riot[=/=]SWAT zombies. They're extremely resistant to damage, soaking up bullets like a large sponge soaks up water (it takes at least a full mag of assault rifle fire or 7 shotgun blasts to kill them, and headshots don't do any extra damage to them). Player zombies probably count as well due to their special moves and the significantly increased threat they pose.
** StoneWall: Like other zombies, Riot Police zombies are actually pretty slow when compared to survivors. They deal the same amount of damage as other AI-controlled zombies, and they're just as stupid.
** LightningBruiser: In the Panic game-types, players are put in the shoes of a slightly weaker Riot zombie. With the ability to sprint, strafe and actively pursue players, however, they become a much larger threat.

* LogicalWeakness: The Riot zombie is completely clothed in bulletproof armor from head to toe. What's the easiest way to deal with him? [[StuffBlowingUp With explosives of course]]. Also, the armor also doesn't seem to protect them at all from melee weapons. [[FridgeBrilliance In real life, tactical armor works decent against bullets, but isn't so hot against blunt force trauma]].

* MultiMookMelee: The finale of each Escape game involves the player(s) holding out against a ''massive'' horde of zombies, while attempting to accomplish an objective such as activate a generator then waiting for a gate to open or a rescue helicopter to arrive. The horde may seem infinite, but it actually ''is'' possible to kill them all provided you have enough ammo and manage to avoid being boxed into a corner and overwhelmed.
* NintendoHard: While Contagion itself is already pretty difficult, Extreme difficulty jacks it up even higher. Zombies can kill in less than 5 hits, infection is more-or-less guaranteed from a single strike, [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking and doors can be destroyed in less than 3 seconds]]. The scarcity of ammunition only exists to reinforce that status. Run into a [[EliteMook player zombie]], [[ItCanThink however]]...

* RemovingTheHeadOrDestroyingTheBrain: A headshot with any gun or charged melee weapon will kill any zombie or player for that matter. It's impractical to kill zombies with anything other than headshots, because they can otherwise soak a very large amount of damage before dying[[labelnote:+]]a ''single'' zombie can take about 31 shots to the chest from the SIG SAUER before dropping dead. That's practically a full horde that you could have killed with well-aimed headshots[[/labelnote]]. The sole exception is the arrow-based weapons, that can kill a zombie in three body shots.

* ShoutOut: You can't really look at the crossbow weapon without thinking of ''Series/TheWalkingDead''.

** {{Handguns}}: The SIG and the Colt 1911. Despite both of them being starting weapons, they chamber different ammo. The 1911 does more damage but has half the ammo capacity and you find ammo for it less often.

** ShotgunsAreJustBetter: The Mossberg, the Remington and the Over & Under. The first and second are your standard pump-action shotgun, while the third is a more exotic double-barreled shotgun.
** SniperRifle: The Remington, the BLR and the M1 Garand. While the first is your normal run-of-the-mill scoped bolt-action rifle, the second is a lever-action with a detachable magazine, and the Garand is [[CoolGuns/BattleRifles the Garand]]. Only the Remington has a scope, the others only have iron sights.

*** Three assault rifles - the AR-15, the AK-74U and the SCAR - are present, taking up roles as the JackOfAllStats of firearms. They boast high firepower, decent recoil, and a healthy magazine size, giving more individual bullets per ammo box than any other weapon. The AR-15 or the SCAR are the weapons to use for any battles at long range or in the dark, as the AK is less accurate and lacks a light.
*** There are also two submachine guns, the [=MP5K=] and its lightless alternative, the [=KG9=]. Both share ammo with the SIG, but due to their higher firing rates and superior ammo capacities, they're more-or-less direct upgrades to it. The [=MP5K=] will outpace the [=KG9=] in range and accuracy, but the [=KG9=]'s rate of fire is a death sentence in close encounters; unless you're in a dark area and ''need'' the flashlight, the two are about an equal trade-off.
** Beyond the previous mentioned, there are the several melee weapons, a bow and a crossbow, a healing item, an angle-head pocket light, the grenade, and its alternative, the IED. The baseball bats, sledgehammer, golf club and wrench are usually one-hit kills with a headshot while the machete, kabar knife and fireaxe may require more than one swing. The pocket light is brighter than the standard flashlights, and can be used to give you a light when you're toting a lightless gun like the AK or the BLR.

* ShortRangeShotgun: Zig-Zagged:

** The Over-Under shotgun completely averts this with a very tight spread. It's high damage and sharp accuracy can allow players to dispatch human enemies with ease within most engagement distances. The downside is you're unlikely to kill more than one zombie at a time.