Moodles

Moodles are the small status icons that show how a survivor feels. They cover hunger, thirst, tiredness, panic, pain, sickness, cold, heat and much more. The game's guide sums them up simply: green is good, red is bad. Reading the moodles correctly keeps a survivor alive long enough to learn everything else.

All Character Categories

Mechanics

Each moodle has up to four levels, and each level has its own name. Hungry runs from Peckish to Hungry, Very Hungry and Starving to Death. Hovering over a moodle shows a short tooltip. Peckish reads "Could do with a bite to eat." Starving to Death reads "Just a crumb, a berry, a cockroach, anything..."

Most moodles are warnings. They appear before the real danger, so there is time to act. A few are good news. Satiated, Well Fed, Stuffed and Full to Bursting show a full stomach, with the tooltip "Gnawing hunger entirely absent. For now."

Needs

Hungry and Thirsty are the basic needs. Thirst runs from Slightly Thirsty to Thirsty, Parched and Dying of Thirst. Parched reads "Feeling faint and dizzy." Clean water fixes it. Tainted water from rivers or rain must be boiled or treated with purification tablets first.

Tired runs from Drowsy to Tired, Very Tired and Ridiculously Tired. The last level reads "So weak and tired. Desperately, inhumanly tired." Sleep in a bed fixes it. The game refuses sleep when the character is not tired enough, in too much pain or too panicked. Sleeping Pills help with sleep when anxious or in pain.

Endurance drops with running, fighting and heavy work. It runs from Out of Breath to High Exertion, Excessive Exertion and Exhausted. Out of Breath reads "Hard to run or swing a weapon." Its tooltip also suggests a rest in a comfy chair. Exhausted reads "Can barely move or swing a weapon." Rest before a fight, never during one.

Health

Injured shows overall health, from A Little Hurt to Critical Injuries. Bleeding runs from Minor Bleeding to Massive Blood Loss, and its first tooltip reads "Bandage required." The last level reads "Death from blood loss imminent." Pain runs from Minor Pain to Agony. Painkillers carry the tooltip "Reduce feelings of pain."

Sick runs from Queasy to Nauseous, Sick and Fever. It can come from bad food, poison, corpses or the Knox Virus. The Fever tooltip reads "Increasing danger of becoming rat food." The common cold is its own moodle. It runs from Runny Nose to The Sniffles, Head Cold and Nasty Cold. Its sneezes and coughs make noise. Toilet Paper held in hand mutes them.

Noxious Smell runs from Bad Smell to Deadly Fumes. Too many corpses in one area cause sickness, and the guide advises burying or burning them. A Generator run indoors also fills the air with fumes that damage the character.

Mind

Panic runs from Nervous to Alarmed, Frightened and Terrified. It rises at the sight of zombies. Beta Blockers have the tooltip "Reduces panic." The Brave trait resists it, and Desensitized is "Far less prone to panic."

Stress runs from Tense to Agitated, Stressed Out and At Breaking Point. Agitated reads "Racing heart. Confused thoughts." Cigarettes and reading lower stress. A smoker grows unhappy without tobacco.

Bored runs from Getting Bored to Extremely Bored. Its first tooltip suggests finding something to do or some entertainment. Unhappy runs from Sad to Weepy, Miserable and Hopeless. Books, comics, TV and good food help. Antidepressants have the tooltip "Reduces unhappiness over sustained periods."

Drunk runs from Tipsy to Inebriated, Plastered and a cruder final level. Its second level reads "Had one too many. Co-ordination slightly impaired."

Temperature and Weather

Clothing keeps body temperature steady. Hyperthermia runs from Unpleasantly Hot to Overheated, Sunstruck and Hyperthermia, and its first tooltip suggests wearing less clothing. Hypothermia runs from Chilly to Cold, Freezing and Hypothermia. Windchill runs from Slight Windchill to Horrific Windchill and makes cold weather feel colder.

Wet runs from Moist to Wet, Soaking and Drenched. Its first tooltip reads "Slightly damp from rain, sweat, or something else..." At the Soaking and Drenched levels, the tooltips warn of catching a cold. A towel dries the character off.

Load and Movement

Heavy Load runs from Weighed Down to Overloaded, Very Overloaded and Extremely Overloaded. The first tooltip reads "Carrying a little too much." At the top levels, the load starts to hurt the character. Bags with weight reduction, a higher Strength and fewer items fix it.

Restricted Movement shows when heavy clothing, bulky bags or large items stop sprinting. Uncomfortable runs from A Little Uncomfortable to Extremely Uncomfortable. Two final moodles end a run. Deceased marks a death, and its tooltip warns of a "High risk of becoming rat food." Zombified marks a death from the Knox Virus, with a "Sudden attraction to gunshots, house alarms, and human flesh."

Notes

• Hunger and weight are separate. Calories change body weight, not the Hungry moodle.
• Vitamins provide a burst of energy and reduce fatigue.
• Angry is still in the game files, from Irritated to Furious.

All Moodles