Dead Rising: Choppin till you Drop, a Dead Rising beginners guide with some secrets ;)

[bThis Guide does not include any major spoilers for the story and missions. [/b]

Pictures in this guide are either off the Internet or taken by me on my Xbox Series X, I prefer to play on Controller

If you’re a mastermind of this game, this guide may not offer anything new, this is primarily dedicated for returning players or newcomers to this franchise!

I do not know as much about DR2, DROTR OR DR3, DR1 Is the game I played the most in this series, still check the other ones out however!

Remember to have fun! this game is awesome, and you are too.

July 27th; 2024 Guide Posted.

1: Zombies are stupid and slow, but are still dangerous in large swarms, take time picking them off, finding other ways around or just using area clearing weapons like Benches, Sledgehammers, Baseball bats and Shotguns, You will get grabbed otherwise and lose health from being chomped on. Getting caught in a large crowd is dangerous, remember you can run and jump, they are much slower.

2: When entering aiming mode with a firearm or item to throw Frank will be rooted to the spot, use this with caution.

3: Zombies cannot open doors, they also have difficulty climbing over low walls and can’t reach high places that you can such as rafters or advertisement boards.

4: Fall damage is very forgiving, at most you’ll lose one block or take minor damage, however you will be temporarily immobile from the fall and can get attacked!

5: Playing through the game you will notice certain golden PP stickers above a characters head when they perform an animation or action, these rare opportunities are Prime Photo ops to get a lot of PP to help level up Frank, unlocking new abilities, increasing health, speed and more!

6: When using the Camera sometimes a white PP Sticker with a number % will appear at the bottom, throughout the world there are small PP stickers on items, get close to reach 100% and earn a nice 1000pp, its tricky due to inconsistent tracking but try to get Survivors or zombies in the shot to get more PP!

7: Cardboard boxes and garbage bins contain hidden items unique to the area you’re in, you can get food, weapons like Knives, Pistols, Baseball bats and more! Kick them or pick them up and throw at a wall.

8: In a pinch? Benches, Bins and shelves are great improvised weapons, anything that isn’t nailed down can be used as a weapon, Benches and Shelves in particular are great at clearing zombies or knocking them down. The game encourages you to explore and experiment.

9: Food is used to heal you and other Survivors from damage, if you’re needing food, check places where they’d naturally spawn (Restaurants, cafe’s, behind a counter etc). Carry some on you for healing when you need it.

10: Zombies get more aggressive and are faster at responding and getting up during night time, they also sound louder and get distinctive red eyes.

11: Bathrooms and the security room sofa are used to save your game, since the game doesn’t have autosaves it is smart to save when possible, otherwise you may lose hours of progress should you die, check your map to look for Bathrooms.

12: When Otis calls you for scoop information he will get angry at you if you swap an item or get grabbed, try to answer his calls when you’re safe for a moment, otherwise he will repeatedly go “Don’t cut me off like that, its rude! anyway. Here’s what I was saying…

1: Throughout the mall you will discover book stores, Books are essentially power ups with unique effects when they remain in your inventory, they can boost durability of a category of items, cause food to restore more health, unlock hidden abilities etc, always read them. Some particular highlights are;

• Criminal Biography; found in wonderland plaza, 2nd flood, sir book a lot; Boosts durability of all bladed weaponry by 3x

• Survival Book; Found after completing The Hatchet Man scoop, located in the locked door, causes food to restore 100% extra health (Essentially double healing, super useful for obvious reasons)

• Wartime Photography; Entrance Plaza, Everyones luvs books on Day 2 and; Camera book 1; Contemporary Reading, Paradise Plaza. Causes Frank to get 50% more PP from all Photos, stacks with PP stickers and golden Photo Ops.

Books are useful, loads of fun and opens a lot of opportunities, make sure to access status in the pause menu to see what exact items are effected, some aren’t so obvious considering what the Book says it boosts.

2: You will discover Blenders in certain food stores, putting 2 food items like canned food, oil, orange juice, chips etc will crate a Mixed Drink with various effects; Such as Quickstep; Significantly increase movement speed temporarily, Untouchable; Zombies cannot grab you and more. Mixed drinks also restore a lot more health than the average item. Mixed drinks do not effect Fellow Survivors with a boost but they do get healing. Easy to remember Blender locations are; Columbian Roastmasters in Paradise Plaza and the Ice Cream stall in the food court.

3: Leisure Park has a Parking lot with a red car and a Motorcycle at the far north when exiting Paradise Plaza, the west if exiting North Plaza and the east if exiting the food court, the Vehicles immediately kill zombies when run over, have a lot of durability and the red car can also be used to Transport Survivors! there is also a Service tunnel underground loaded with zombies and contains a hidden key to unlock doors to the service tunnel located throughout the mall.

4: Stressed for time? remember only the story Scoops are mandatory if you wish to complete the game, Survivors aren’t mandatory to rescue however should you miss a Story Scoop you are given the option to save and quit and keep Franks current stats or continue playing, this locks you out of the story but allows you to play and focus instead of other scoops if desired.

5: If Frank jumps at a surface that is climbable he will automatically climb, with this you can climb rafters above stores which can let you discover hidden weapons, for e.g; Jump off the railing at Colombian Roast masters to discover a Katana!

6: Not everyone handles the Apocalypse well, some Survivors won’t follow you unless a certain request or scenario is resolved, Gordon for example is beyond terrified and needs sense knocked into him, Rachel requires her supportive friend Julie with you or else she’s too terrified to move for example. On the other hand some people have gone insane and turned Psychopathic, Psychopaths are unique boss fights which offer great rewards such as PP, Survivors to rescue, unique weapons and sometimes keys to areas. If a fight is too hard you’re able to flee and return later, at least until the Scoop ends!

7: Scoops do not last forever and you can only get a limited amount at a time, so having a massive backlog prevents new ones from starting, when the new ones eventually start they will have less time.

8: Skateboards are an inventory item that Frank can use to skate around easily found in Sportrance 2nd floor of paradise plaza, while their durability is atrocious they allow Frank to move about at a much faster speed. There are the books; Entertainment; Bachman’s Bookporium on the first floor of Paradise Plaza which boosts its durability, the Sports book which is located in Contemporary Reading on the ground floor of Paradise Plaza, also boosting the durability and the unique; Skateboarding book; Skateboard found in Sir Book-a-lot in Wonderland Plaza which boosts the durability but also allows frank to perform Tricks. Another good method to move around the mall faster is using Shopping carts, they knock down zombies, deal good damage and let frank move faster, their durability can also be boosted too with the; Travel Book; Everyone Luvs Books; Entrance Plaza.

A near Universal complaint with DR1 is the Survivors themselves, their A.I being called stupid, broken, nonfunctional etc etc. While the A.I has its big issues and flaws there are ways and solutions make that will make escorting them easier, this section is entirely dedicated to that!

• Slower is safer and Faster, rather than run nearby a Horde of Zombies its better to take time to clear them out, remember Survivors can get grabbed as well, leaving them stranded until you help them get the Zombie off them. Also going a different route with less zombies is a good option too! sometimes a slower and longer route is actually much safer and quicker if there are minimal obstacles

• Press Y on controller to order the Survivors to follow you, this also stops them from crying, shouting or covering their hands too. Aim with LT, look at an area and press Y to order Survivors to a location where they will remain waiting for you. Press Y or to call them back to you.

• Most Survivors can be armed with one handed weapons and will defend themselves against Zombies, Two Handed heavy items cannot be equipped by them, Its always a good idea to arm a Survivor with a suitable weapon, even something as simple as a Knife is better than leaving them unarmed!

• Survivors have unique reactions and aggression or lack thereof against Zombies making them really good fighters or poor ones, it largely depends on whether or not they are crying, covering their face or are cowardly, some survivors are calm and very attentive and will stick with you very closely, following you almost perfectly as long as you don’t run them into nearby zombies, Some Survivors are aggressive and are capable fighters. Bill and Wayne for example are best armed with an SMG, Shotgun or Pistol, they are aggressive fighters and can help you clear hordes.

• Survivors must be nearby Frank when exiting an area in order to travel with him, otherwise they will be left behind, their name and health will now remain on the top left of the screen, returning to the area will cause them to attempt to catch up, if you’re pressed for time you can leave an area and return shortly after, bear in mind they will be hurt and need healing. If you take too long they will then either Die or become Lost and disappear.

• Baseball bats, Katanas, Sledgehammers, SMG’s, Shotguns and even Lead Pipes are great weapons to arm your Survivors, they deal high damage, got good range and can attack multiple zombies, The aggressive or calm Survivors are especially effective when armed with a Shotgun, most of these are Male but there are some females who can use Shotguns. These ones will clear hordes when standing still with relative ease.

• Survivors cannot attack while running, they must come to a complete stop first, if you need their assistance in clearing a small group of zeds, stop a small distance away, then let them go to town.

• Some Survivors refuse to fight, you can hold hands with these timid individuals to make transporting them a little easier, however some injured survivors need to be carried, while carrying or holding hands both Frank and the Survivor cannot be grabbed, making them very easy to escort.

• Small hallways, doorways and tight corners will unfortunately cause the A.I to often get stuck, remember, slower is safer and faster, if you’re pressed for time you can leave them behind and return shortly, just remember to give them healing items!

• Survivors can actually fight Psychopaths with you, however they cannot land a killing blow and are greatly vulnerable of dying to the Psychopath, its fun to have them fight with you but definitely risky

• Some Family members or best friends may be tethered to their significant other and the Survivor will instead follow their friend or family member rather than Frank, as a result they may stay and help them should they get grabbed or attacked, keep an eye on them!

• Survivors are quite tolerant of friendly fire and usually take minimal damage, however be warned, pointing firearms at them for too long or attacking them too much will cause them to Defect and refuse to follow you, Killing Survivors will often cause the others in your party to defect or break down crying. Shotguns and Sniper rifles deal lethal head shot damage, be careful!

• If a Survivor is trapped by a Horde of zombies they will be stunlocked due to being grabbed and Zombies scratching them requiring you to rescue them. If their health reaches 0 they will then get eaten alive and return as a Unique Zombie, now being marked as Undead!

• Survivors most infamously get stuck the most on the Rooftop ledge to the air duct, this happens more if there are 3 or more of them, walking into them or smacking them will cause them to get stunned or angrily scold you while the others will hopefully climb up. Thank goodness the upcoming remake is adding stairs…

Hopefully this section offers assistance for escorting these Individuals, I won’t lie, yes they are at times janky and stupid, but be more patient, slower and you will achieve better results, making them less frustrating and ensure you get more PP to get those useful Level Ups and the funny Achievements.

This Section will delve into unique secrets to earn bonus PP, unique items and or noteworthy things to remember.

• The Food Court has 2 ovens to warm frying pans on in Chris fine foods and Thats a spicy meatball! both give 2000 pp which = 4000pp overall, easy PP stickers on the store signs, wine which is a fantastic healing item and also Microwaves to cook pizza and steak and a Blender in the ice cream store. Mix 1 yogurt + ice pop, then 1 yogurt with the remaining milks or just do 2 milks to get easy Quick steps. On top of that there are Display Plates in Chris’s fine foods, destroy them with a gun or throw plates at them, each one destroyed gives 1000 pp, destroy them all for a bonus 10K PP. Jump onto the sign for Chris Fine Foods to get a nice SMG.

• Al Fresca Plaza has a Gymnasium, destroy all the punching bags for 2k pp each and 10k bonus, run on all the treadmills to earn even more PP! if the bags are too difficult to destroy considering your level grab a Sledgehammer or Chainsaw from the tool shop in front of the Gym. There is also a fountain near the entrance to the Entrance Plaza doors in Al Fresca, the Fountain contains an SMG, there is also a Cafe which has 3x milk, allowing you to make 1 quickstep and retain a powerful healing item, also a stove to earn 2K PP by heating a frying pan.

• Trees in Leisure Park with a rock under it will have a hidden item in the Branches, throw the rock or another item to knock it down.

• Doing the Knee drop or wall kick from a high vantage point will result in Frank taking 0 damage from the fall.

• To Obtain Queens a lot quicker, go to Colombian Roastmasters on the 2nd floor of Paradise Plaza and repeatedly mix 2 orange juices in the Blender to get a lot of Nectar beverages. Nectar causes Queens to spawn nearby and makes Zombies with a Queen to spawn more frequently.

• The Hammer throw and Lift up can actually be used on Survivors, its a funny way to escort them and also clear zombies at the same time, you can also hilariously disembowel them or face slam them for minimal damage.

WELCOME TO THE EXPLOITS, BE WARNED THESE CAN SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE THE GAME AND MAKE IT TOO EASY OR TRIVIALISE SECTIONS OF IT, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. WARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNEDWARNED

warned.

• The Mighty Mannequin Torso; By entering the warehouse through the rooftop elevator infront of you are 2 Mannequins, destroy them with a kick or throwing them at a wall and pick up the Mannequin torsos, they are considered a Heavy weapon yet swing very fast, they have a wide range and can even hit zombies or survivors behind Frank, the Torso deals very high damage even on low levels, Zombies will either be killed or knocked down. Exiting the warehouse and re entering causes them to respawn. Despite the Survivors getting mad at you if you arm them with a Mannequin torso they themselves also deal very high damage, have wide range too and can swing it fast, making it arguably one of the best weapons to arm them with and a Definite power weapon for Frank. They also got high durability and can be boosted with The Interior Design book in Paradise Plaza; Bachmans Bookporium and the Lifestyle magazine; The Sinister Read; Entrance Plaza. The Mannequin Legs are also good weapons too. Definitely an OP Weapon!

• Unlimited Untouchables; Want to never get grabbed by a Zombie again? go to Colombian Roast masters; 2nd floor of Paradise Plaza, put an orange juice and a pie into the Blender to get an untouchable which lasts a short time, break the pie display cabinet and keep putting 1 pie and 1 orange juice in the Blender to get infinite Untouchables.
  • Unlimited Chainguns; Want a powerful, 200 round machine gun? a weapon that kills zombies instantly, does great at clearing them and can make killing Psychos easier? When the Convicts are active wait for them to get stuck in a tree and snipe the gunner, go to the car, grab the turret and exit the area, the convicts will fully respawn, allowing you to repeatedly get infinite Chainguns when needed, however they can’t be put in your Inventory.

• Defeat the Convicts and Cletus much easier; These two Psychopaths are definitely a real pain in the as$ for a newer player, especially Cletus who prevents access to the gun shop, however as soon as you start the Scoop; Backup for Brad immediately run to North Plaza and to the Gun Store if done fast enough Cletus won’t have spawned, Grab both sniper rifles, go and complete backup for Brad, easily done with your sniper rifle, use a Sledgehammer or Chainsaw from the Al Fresca Plaza Store; Mchandy’s Hardware to clear zombies and complete the cases as necessary, Make sure to be in either Paradise Plaza or North Plaza before exiting to Leisure Park when the Convicts spawn, that way you are far away from them and can wait for them to get stuck on a tree, snipe the gunner, driver then Passenger, run and grab the Chaingun on the Back and go back to the gun shop, exit the store after Cletus’ Cutscene, clear the outside of Zombies and wait for Cletus to patrol his shop, then turn the corner and spray the Chaingun at him, he will die very quickly. Enjoy!

• Beefed up Small Chainsaw; The Most OP strategy that essentially makes the game stupid easy, removes any and all challenge and desire to use other weapons. This is essentially a hidden cheat code; Kill Adam in the day 1 scoop; Out of Control, grab his small chainsaw, activate the terminal to stop the ride, grab the 2nd small chainsaw and obtain the;
  • Criminal Biography Book; Sir Book-a-lot, Wonderland Plaza.
  
  • Construction; Bachman’s Bookporium, Paradise Plaza
  
  • Entertainment; Bachman’s Bookporium, Paradise Plaza.

  

What you’re left with is a melee weapon that swings fast, kills multiple zombies in 1 hit, does stupid high damage against Psychopaths and lasts for 2,160 HITS and if one breaks? just go back to the rollercoaster in Wonderland Plaza and grab another one. This is one of the most disgustingly Overpowered exploits in this game and the series in General.

Thanks for taking time to read this guide for Dead Rising 1! I hope it contained useful information for you whether you’re a newcomer to the series or a returning Player. Go out there and have fun, chop till you drop!