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Survival Tips & Tricks For The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Trial Mode

Survival Tips & Tricks For The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Trial Mode

Update: This was originally published for the original DLC release on PC VR, but has been republished today to coincide with the Quest release of the DLC late last week.

Original: Looking for The Walking Dead tips for The Trial? We’ve got all the tricks you’ll need to survive The Trial, direct from developer Skydance Interactive.

The Trial is essentially Saints & Sinners’ answer to a Horde Mode, pitting players against waves of zombies as they fight for survival and earn better gear. As we discovered in our launch livestream last week, though, it can also be brutally difficult. To help you out, Skydance itself offered us a few tips and tricks.

The Trial Kills Bonuses

To build up points in The Trial, you’ll need to earn different types of kills. Shooting your way through the hordes might be enough to survive a few waves, but if you really want to make a mark you’ll need to utilize all of Saints & Sinners’ combat mechanics from melee and firearms to archery. Skydance was kind enough to outline every type of kill you can earn in the mode, which we’ve listed below.

Standard Kills

Melee (get a melee kill), Thrown Weapon (get a throwing weapon kill), Bow & Arrow (get a kill with archery), Kill (standard gun or bludgeon kill), Explosion (kill with explosive damage)

Special Kills

Decapitation (cut a head off with something sharp), Long Range Bow & Arrow (archery kill at long range), Headshot (a headshot kill at mid-range), Long Range Headset (a headshot kill at long-range), Dismemberment (chop off an arm), Multi-Kill (multiple enemies killed with one explosive)

Don’t forget to kill consistently to build up streaks, too; they’re essential for getting better scores.

General The Walking Dead Meatgrinder Tips

Of course, if you want to survive The Trial, stylish kills will only be half the battle. You’ll also need to brush up on your survival skills and learn the ins and outs of the three maps. Below, Skydance offers some direct tips on staying alive for as long as possible.

Stamina And Durability

  • Conserve weapon durability and stamina by throwing your weapon
  • Conserve both by getting weapons that can decapitate easily

Crowd Control

  • Grab Walker heads to push back into other walkers to give yourself space. Use explosives when they are grouped together
  • Manage your stamina well with crowd control and weapon variety

Weapons Tips

  • Weapons like Katanas and bows can take you a long way
  • Beretta has the fastest reload and higher ammo clip size
  • Rifles can penetrate helmets with their shots

Hanging Walkers

  • Kill Hanging Walkers to have them drop powerful boosters. They are hidden around the level when each wave begins
  • Melee Boost provides infinite stamina and durability for the duration of the consumable (60 seconds)
  • Firearm boost gives you infinite ammo and durability for 60 seconds

Score Multipliers:

  • Sometimes Walkers will spawn with a glowing ring around their feet. Kill these walkers to drop a zone around the location. When standing inside of it, you receive double points for all kills.

General Tips

  • You can find craftable recipes in the world so exploring is good
  • You can also find helpful items like ammo, food/drinks and boosts from Hanging Walkers
  • There are handy propane tanks around the level you can use to get explosive kills and multi-kills
  • Exploring the level is beneficial for items and findable recipes, but time it well so that you can make it back to the crafting tables in time to prep for the next wave

The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners’ Trial Mode is available now on PC VR, PSVR, and Quest. These tips were originally published in July 2020, but we republished it in 2021 for all the new Quest players going through The Trial.

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