Overview[]
The Difficulty Tier is a visual marker that appears on screen as Red Skulls as you approach a Point of Interest and is based on the actual Zombie threat and not necessarily the site hazards within the POI.
Zero Tier[]
No Red skulls appear and only the POI name will show indicating that there is little to no Zombie presence within the structure and is safe to proceed inside with no worries of your wellbeing. These locations are perfect for players at the start of the game, also helpful when you have died and respawned in a random respawn area and need some quick items to potentially help you retrieve your Backpack. Locations like this are typically very small but can sometimes be medium sized.
Tier 1[]
This is the lowest threat Tier and will commonly have a very small presence of Zombies and is perfect so long as you have a basic weapon like a Wooden Club, Stone Spear, or any pipe gun you craft at the start of the game. These Tier 1 locations are usually small and not very complex.
Tier 2[]
Tier 2 is the second easiest tier. Tier 2 POIs are usually slightly larger than tier 1 and, as such, has slightly more zombies and loot.
Tier 3[]
Tier 3 is the medium tier. Tier 3 POIs are fairly diverse in terms of complexity with some being fairly simple, while others are more intricate in their design. They are bigger than most tier 2, and often contain larger groups of zombies.
Tier 5[]
This Tier is the most threatening of the POIs commonly overrun with Radiated Zombies.
Environmental Hazards[]
This group is separate and consists of minor or extreme climate hazards that are found within certain Biomes and appear in the form of Orange Skulls indicating the severity of the climate while inside the structure. These Skulls can often appear alone with the title of the Point of Interest due to the site having no threat of any type of Zombies but otherwise will proceed the Red Skulls in a Tier 1-5 location.
The amount of skulls represent difficulty factor which influences Game Stage as an added multiplier which in turn influences Loot Stage.