NPCS

Overview
In addition to Allies that can join your Shelter, you'll encounter many different characters over the course of your time in Dead State. While some are simply Named Enemies who are eager to attack, NPCs will be more likely to talk than attack.

NPCs
NPCs are any named characters in the story that cannot be recruited as allies, and do not start out as hostile. Do note that these pages will include some spoilers.


 * Ben Jones
 * Filmore Claude
 * Jefferson Claude
 * Sergeant Forsythe "Orc" Hartz
 * Kathy Wen
 * Marshall Streeter
 * Lieutenant Wes Adair

Factions
There are multiple key factions you'll run into within the world:

Looters
Looters are eager to survive and are likely to open fire, rather than negotiate. Wearing no armor, these opponents are easy to kill in combat and are poorly armed using pistols and submachineguns for guns and weak weapons that will do next to no damage against better equipped opponents.

Coyotes
Once led by Regina, but soon under the command of the ruthless Marshall Streeter, the Coyotes are a dangerous motorcycle gang.

The Coyotes are a step up from Looters in terms of human threats. Mostly gang members with handguns, mac-10 and shotguns for ranged and heavy hammers and knives for melee. Their preference for loud weapons will draw zombies.
 * Lady Coyotes are equipped with leather jackets and 9mm pistols.
 * Coyote Seargents wears helmets and carries a lever action rifle or double barrel shotguns
 * Coyote Brawlers wears helmets and football pads and are Equipped with sledgehammers
 * Coyote Lieutenants wear riding leathersand a motorcycle helmet for maximum protection and carries 357 Revolvers which make initial ecounters difficult.
 * Coyote scouts have high perception but are lightly armed.
 * Coyote Lookouts. Unique to the HQ are the only ones equipped with Ak47s but otherwise unique to the level.

Thugs
Thugs can be encountered at some places or mixed in with other hostiles such as looters or bad cops. A small group has taken control of one side of the Foree Outlet Mall. Thugs seems to differ from Looters in that they have better melee weapons such as Sledgehammers, but lack  ranged weapons or armor  and therefore seem to be positioned slightly above Looters but under Coyotes in terms of danger levels.

Predators
These vicious thugs and murderers are out to get whatever they can and kill whoever gets in their way.

Compared to the Coyotes, the Predators are considerably more threatening in melee vs ranged. While they have hunting rifles for sharpshooters their main threat is their melee units, Butchers carry chainsaws that does a lot of damage, Tanks are fireproof and sport a heavy defense up close with their shields and Trappers carry polearms that gives them range in melee combat.

Police
The Coleman shelter consist of what is left of the surviving police force. Focused on preserving the lives of police members and their family. The resulting riots have provoked an anti civilian policy. The Coleman survivors uses magnums, shotguns, hunting rifles as well as nightsticks for weapons and come equipped with tear gas and riot shields thus making them dangerous adversaries. Some of the police have turned rogue becoming hostile. More can be found on the bad cops page.

Survivalists
Enclaves of survivors who believe they are the last people on earth, they have holed up in a variety of buildings from storefronts to houses. The Survivors are adequately equipped with hunting equipment ranging from bows to lever action hunting rifles and their riflemen carries the first ak47s you will see in the game but possess little in the way military grade weapons such as grenades and smgs or armor.

Texas Sons of Liberty
Otherwise simply known as "the militia," led by Jefferson Claude and his brother Filmore. the Sons of Liberty are both xeno and homophobic survivalists who spits on the government and the Shelter for attracting people they deemed unacceptable to Texas. Functionally similar to Survivalists, they carry bows, crash axes and have several attack dogs assisting them.

U.S. Military
Led by Lieutenant Wes Adair, the military is focused on attempting to restore order. Their loadout is functionally similar to the rogue military.

Rogue Military
Defected groups of ex-soldiers, who became basically gangs of very well armed and agressive looters, determined to do what it takes to survive.

Most of the soldiers you meet will be wearing tactical armor and helmets. The average soldier will carry MS4 rifles combat shotguns and mp5 smgs along with heavy use of grenades to seize the initiative. When engaging Rogue military its advised to bring grenades to even up the odds as well as piercing and ballistic resistant armor. Their armor does not hold up well against melee attacks and bows however.

Mercenaries
Well-armed soldiers who defected from their commanding military officers during the collapse. They have holed up in the hotel as a well organized fighting force.

Various Survivors
Those who are just trying to get by. They consist of neutral survivor enclaves who will not join or trade with you but are not immediately hostile. Killing them will anger certain survivors such as Paul. Specific shelters are the Pleasant Oaks Camp where Ben resides in.

The Undead
Consisting of unlucky victims of the plague. They were first to die at the hands of the zombies and will be a constant threat with or without human opponents. As fights with human survivors ineveitably gets loud as the battle rages. The undead will act as "cleanup" against both sides. Be sure to finish off any downed survivors as often the humans will get overwhelmed.

One note is that zombies do not attack buildings like the Hotel and Old Army Base.

Details

 * You will see less of the unorganized looters over time. You'll meet other groups and find out there's a lot of different ways people have come together and a lot of different methods to keep their group alive.
 * NPC factions with bases are finite. Other unaffiliated scavengers are always out there, but time and your experience will probably make them less threatening.
 * It may be possible to trade with other groups like the militia for dogtags for food and fuel, but most groups see you as a threat or potential rival to resources in the area. Tread with caution.
 * The world isn't static, and some events will happen automatically. You may find a friendly group is wiped out when you go back to see them, or that a group you hate has angered another group and is no longer as strong as they once were.
 * Some survivors will always shoot on sight or flee from you. A good rule of thumb is if they're willing to talk before they shoot, they're "friendly"... at least for now.