Relationships and Friendships guide: how relationships grow and what bonuses they give
How relationships between survivors work, how to level them up fast, what bonuses each level gives and what happens when someone dies.
What changes
Your survivors build relationships with each other little by little: from acquaintances to friends, best friends and partners, or the other way around, until they can't stand each other.
- Chemistry: each pair of characters has their own. Some click right away and others never do.
- Traits: friendly people get along better and difficult ones clash more.
- Base morale: with high morale there are good moments; with low morale, arguments.
- New "Relationships" tab next to Map, Community and Base, with Summary, Relationships (with a ring showing how close the next level is) and History.
How to level up a relationship faster
- Take that person as your follower: with your partner the relationship grows much faster.
- Kill together ferals, juggernauts, hordes, infestations or plague hearts for extra points.
- Talk to them: you can chat, tell a joke or say something romantic. Each person likes different things; if you get it right the relationship improves, and if not, nothing happens.
Bonuses
- Permanent morale traits: Good friend, Best friend and In love.
- Taking someone close as your follower gives both of you more stamina. With a best friend you also get better aim; with your partner, more health and better healing. With a rival the effects are negative.
Questions and known issues
- Can there be same-sex couples? No: in this version couples are only between a man and a woman. If they can't go further, the top level is best friends.
- What happens if someone dies? Their partner is left heartbroken and their best friend in mourning, and morale drops a lot. The deceased stays on the list and their relationship moves to History.
- Two rivals won't make up: that's on purpose, it takes a lot. Take them out together and keep morale high.