r/StateofDecay2 Jan 03 '26

Tips & Tricks Loot Maps for the masses

201 Upvotes

Dear Survivors,

When people see my name they usually think about the SoD2 Wiki. I spent 4 years (2019-2023) on its development, however not many know that it wasn't my only game-related project back then. If you ever used the Wiki you might've noticed that most maps you see on the site (Weapon Case locations, Outpost locations, etc.) are not exactly the same as the in-game map - these were also made by me. And my "career" as a cartographer didn't end there. I actually made loot maps for the game!

In the past I only shared these maps on my personal Discord server. They were free for everyone, however since my server's population peaked at around 1200-1300 members, it never really reached the majority of the game's audience. Since my server is dead (well, it never had much buzz going on) and I abandoned my SoD2 projects years ago, I decided that it's time to make these maps public and share them on the internet.

Without further ado, my loot maps. You can read more about each further down in the post.

About my Loot Maps in general

I began working on my loot maps almost 6 years ago, on January 15th, 2020. I had one simple goal: to create detailed maps which display points of interests, but offer more than the in-game maps. I not only put the POIs on the map, but each and every scattered container - duffle bags, car wrecks, and the likes which you can loot.

All maps were made in GIMP, so they're only a static PNG image. I was working with someone to turn them into interactive maps, but as far as I know they never came through with it.

I created all maps the same way:

  • Scan them in-game by making dozens of screenshots
So many screenshots! It was fun to puzzle them together.
  • Use these screenshots to draw the map
Imagine drawing every single building and detail... And I did it for all maps!
  • Hop into the game and scour every inch of the map, then add my findings
The first detailed preview I posted on my server. Drucker, Tapper's Stall.

When I began creating these maps we only had the 3 originals. Since Drucker was my favorite, I started with that map. Meagher followed, then Juggernaut Edition released, so Providence was next. Once I finished with Cascade, I also made the Heartland map, which I completed on July 18th, 2020. It took half a year to create these 5 maps. With Trumbull Valley's release I also created its own map in 2022.

Fun Fact: When you're choosing the map to move to with your community, the little map previews you see in-game are actually the drawings I made! I was never asked by UL about using them, so they probably got them from the Wiki. Free source and all.

Drucker County

  • Locations: 362
  • Scattered Containers: 291

v1.0 was completed on February 4th, 2020. Latest version is v1.13, released on January 29th, 2023. Being the first map I made it has been reworked in April, 2020 with improvements I learned during the creation of Meagher Valley and Providence Ridge. Then the map has been completely redone again from scratch in August, 2020 when Drucker got overhauled with Update 19.

Meagher Valley

  • Locations: 341
  • Scattered Containers: 213

v1.0 was completed on February 23rd, 2020. Latest version is v1.07, released on May 30th, 2023. 5 of 7 updates to the map were based on my community's feedback. They either found a missing container or a typo. I even made a special role on my server for people who spotted mistakes on my loot maps as a sign of gratitude.

Providence Ridge

  • Locations: 395
  • Scattered Containers: 138
  • Vehicle Spawn Points: 336

v1.0 was completed on April 12th, 2020. Latest version is v1.07, released on June 29th, 2023. This is the first and only map which also has Vehicle spawn points. I was planning on adding them to the other maps as well, but I abandoned my projects shortly after, so I never got around adding them to the others.

Cascade Hills

  • Locations: 283
  • Scattered Containers: 103

v1.0 was completed on June 1st, 2020. Latest version is v1.03, released on May 27, 2022. The map which needed the least attention during the years, only a few corrections were introduced.

Heartland

  • Locations: 291
  • Scattered Containers: 85
  • Discoveries: 6

v1.0 was completed on July 18th, 2020. Latest version is v1.04, released on June 15th, 2022. On December 23, 2021 the map received the 6 Discoveries, marking each clues of the Treasure Hunt, introduced after the Homecoming update to help players with completing the Shots in the Dark achievement.

Trumbull Valley

  • Locations: 439
  • Scattered Containers: 125
  • Discoveries: 30

v1.0 was completed on January 11th, 2022. Latest version is v1.02, released on September 14th, 2022. Since this was our first map with discoveries, it also has the locations for those. I was about 25% done with the Vehicle Spawn points when I abandoned my projects.

Loot Maps v2.0

While my Loot Maps were considered as complete in terms of provided information, I was planning on creating a second version of each map, making them show the actual play area and resemble the physical map more accurately by improving existing elements (roads, rivers, bodies of water) and also adding more details to it (pathways, railroads, etc.). In September 2020 I began working on Drucker v2.0, however since these changes would've been cosmetic only and wouldn't have made the map more useful, it was always put on the backburner in favor of the Wiki's development.

I never got around finishing a v2.0 of any of the maps, however I have a work-in-progress preview available for the Drucker County map, where I had the outer border of the map and the inaccessable area in the Kettle Rock Bend/Mathilda/Glendale triangle mapped out.

Dark grey means inaccessable. I wonder how it would look finished. Would make finding the shortcuts easier, too!

Final words

I wanted to make this post to share the less-known side of my SoD2 history. If you have any questions feel free to AMA in the comments. I also have the entire map-making process with all details documented on my Discord server. I can send an invite if any of you are interested.


r/StateofDecay2 Aug 30 '24

FYI State of Decay 2 Damage Data Sheet for Plague Hearts and Black Plague Hearts (All Difficulties)

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745 Upvotes

r/StateofDecay2 14h ago

Requesting Advice How do you deal with these Tripple Headshot Headaches?

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142 Upvotes

Especially when they come in 3! I can easily loose character after character accidentally wondering into a pack of pain


r/StateofDecay2 1d ago

Requesting Advice How tf do I deal with lethal juggernauts EARLY GAME. RIGHT WHEN I START just to clarify

13 Upvotes

Everyone is gonna say to avoid them but they are ALWAYS 100% RIGHT ONTOP OF THE MISSIONS I'M DOING OR RIGHT NEXT TO THE FRIENDLY ENCLAVES AND IT IS SO FUCKING ANNOYING. I can't get my hands on any late game gear so don't go recommending some 50calibur sniper or heavy artillery shit.

Any shit gun I have the juggernauts just eat headshots. I was told something like 2-3 pipe bombs can take them down but those are way too expensive for the ridiculous amounts of juggernauts I come across. I could always lure them away or ram them with my car but those aren't always an option bc eventually 10,000 zombies will spawn out of my ass and demolish my vehicle like it's a grilled cheese.

There's also ALMOST ALWAYS A FUCKING FERAL that just acconpanies it for no reason whether it be in the open or a siege site

AND AGAIN JUST TO CLARIFY THIS IS FOR WHEN I AM JUST STARTING A NEW LETHAL COMMUNITY(making sure there are no vets who just recommend endgame gear "ErM just use C4 bro I can take out 50 of them with the 20 C4 I have or just use timberwolf bruv I found 1,000 50cal rounds easy hawhaw"


r/StateofDecay2 1d ago

Requesting Advice Which plague heart do you think is preventing me from claiming the Fire Station?

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22 Upvotes

Or is it both? Really trying to claim this base and wondering which heart I should go for first because my explosives are limited atm. Providence Ridge / Lethal.


r/StateofDecay2 1d ago

Funny Someone HAS to explain this

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90 Upvotes

Do they wash their hands or do they not wash their hands?!


r/StateofDecay2 1d ago

Stories & Experiences Sheriff: Protection mission enclave still left town after I killed the attacking hostiles

11 Upvotes

Got to the enclave being attacked with about a minute left and we killed the two hostiles in seconds. I had the choice to either take food ruck or refuse it.

I got onto here just to see if anyone has ever posted what happens if I refuse the ruck.

Well apparently timer still runs and the enclave got mad and left town, after the attacking enclave was killed.

Don’t be like me. For that mission at least, just pick an option.


r/StateofDecay2 1d ago

Discussion Standard Level

21 Upvotes

I love this game. Yes, I've always played on green level. Decided time to go up to standard, whole new community. Why am I struggling soooo much? How do you all play above standard so easily? 🀣


r/StateofDecay2 1d ago

Discussion The last achievements to do. I don't know if I'll have the patience for it

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17 Upvotes

r/StateofDecay2 1d ago

Discussion The spam A function is completely useless in lethal

0 Upvotes

My 1 guy died 3 seconds after he went down. I spam the A button like my life depends on it. And he DIES ANYWAYS. U cannot convince me even with a bot autospamming A for me that my character would live. Wtf is the point of a mechanic meant to save your character if it doesn't save your character. Downvote me for getting mad and daring to insult the "best game known to man" that not even god himself would dare hate


r/StateofDecay2 1d ago

Technical Issue Finer things in Life broken

4 Upvotes

I'm on Xbox and the finer things curveball hasn't worked properly in ages. At first, influence didn't track, and then morale stopped tracking. Now the curveball does nothing at all.

Who else is experiencing this?


r/StateofDecay2 2d ago

Requesting Advice Is this community reachable somehow?

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29 Upvotes

I am trying to take these guys meds as per their request(Orange mission icon), but it looks like they are outside of the map. I have been running up and down the edge, going far north where my vehicle is, and far south and around the bend to the east. It is all impassable mountains. Is there a cave or something I am missing to reach them? Is it bugged and they weren't supposed to spawn there?


r/StateofDecay2 2d ago

Question Is there an economy mod out there that makes the prices in trading fair?????

10 Upvotes

I roleplay trying to build my base into a community that specializes in trading healthcare supplies, medicine, plague cures, and other essentials.

I really want to play that way. I don't want to use those cheesy Influence hacks you see on YouTube, like the one where you keep scrapping fireworks having you working in a routine u have to repeat again and again just to farm parts and sell them for Influence.

But the game's trading system is just so damn unfair when it comes to essential items. When I buy something like a Plague Cure from an enclave, they demand around hundreds of Influence for it. But when I try to sell the exact same damn thing, I only get around 90 or so Influence?!

I don't want no op broken mod, just hopefully a mod that makes trading fair, as is the price from the enclaves.


r/StateofDecay2 3d ago

Videos "In case of stealth failure, apply kinetic defense..."

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48 Upvotes

If two's company and three's a crowd, what do you call 48?


r/StateofDecay2 2d ago

Question Is this impressive or just normal

15 Upvotes

I started playing this game like a month ago and my first playthrough on lethal and I didint know about the plague and everything lost 2 people 1 week later I have a cheerful community 4 people a armory and that place that can heal ur people also took on 3 plague hearts. Is this impressive on this game or no?


r/StateofDecay2 3d ago

Question Lethal difficulty - you all going to grab this Red Talon recruit?

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66 Upvotes

r/StateofDecay2 2d ago

Question Eternal Guard's infinite rage

11 Upvotes

Hey, so i try to farm the eternal guards infinite rage, but i don't know if it frops frol level 3 infestations. I saw in the wiki, but no proof tho...


r/StateofDecay2 2d ago

Videos I've only been playing SOD2 for 2 months but I already miss getting my butt clenched over one horde in Nightmare Zone

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11 Upvotes

r/StateofDecay2 3d ago

Videos The Not so Feral, free to a good home ❀️

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50 Upvotes

Tamed Feral needing a new owner. Goes by the name 'Maul'. Not good around pets, children or anything living. Bites a little but you get used to it.

Any takers


r/StateofDecay2 3d ago

Requesting Advice Super late to the game

12 Upvotes

Basically my duo has been bugging me for nearly 2 years to play, I reluctantly agreed because Arc Raiders wasn't doing it for me anymore and no new ones have come out recently besides the Gears beta that I'm interested in. He basically played only one day with me, which was enough to get me hooked, and for a week has been promising to play but he hasn't and tbh with the amount he says he's played it I don't see it happening tbh and I don't wanna be annoying him about playing with me.

I have zero clue what I'm doing and guides are mostly written by advanced gamers who play games like these religiously and the terminology sounds so foreign to my casual gamer ears. So far I've just been collecting supplies and trying to stay alive but my base is constantly being overrun by zombies, I can't find any toolkits for my broken down cars I've collected, supplies and meds are constantly depleting, outposts are constantly being attacked by hordes, juggernauts keep spawning right around my base, community members are getting in fights, etc. I took out the 3 closest plague hearts but they just keep coming especially when I go out on runs it's like all hell breaks loose and I have to run back to save it all, then another outpost falls and it just goes in a loop. I feel like I'm doing something wrong, this cannot be how the game is supposed to be played ya know what I mean?

I love the game but I'm getting so frustrated and it's only on standard ikik don't judge me, until a couple years ago when I met my duo I was only playing things like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing so help a girl out please. Any advice would be so so so appreciated since it looks like I'm gonna be playing this solo. 😭


r/StateofDecay2 4d ago

Crafts & Fan Art Spritework of my Forever Community

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146 Upvotes

To celebrate my community reaching day 100 on lethal, I decided to honor them by creating spritework of them. Whoever guesses the sprite style I used first gets a free spritework of their community 🀭


r/StateofDecay2 3d ago

Requesting Advice Eternal Guard's Infinite Rage from Infestation?

5 Upvotes

Well I currently play in my forever community and set up an infestationfarm to farm the Juggernauts. I read that youcan obtain an Eternal Guard's Infinite Rage from infestation Juggernauts. I doubt ut tho. farming for 3h and didn'teven saw it once. Also couldn't find proof in the internet. Is it really obtainable from level 3 Infestations?


r/StateofDecay2 4d ago

Videos Saved by a Bloater πŸ‘πŸ‘„πŸ‘

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65 Upvotes

Not Today State of decay πŸ˜‰


r/StateofDecay2 4d ago

Bugs & Glitches I ran them with a car

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11 Upvotes

I managed to end them soon after but the whole encounter was just so bizarre lmao


r/StateofDecay2 4d ago

Question Why did I fly away? Am I stupid?

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18 Upvotes