Any zombie attack can infect you — not just the grab minigame. Treat every bite as a timer that starts immediately.
Enemy families
| Enemy | What you need to know |
|---|---|
| Walker | The standard zombie. Slow in open space, dangerous in numbers and in choke points. |
| Runner | Fast and aggressive, with a pounce. The priority target in most fights. |
| Prime Zombie | Blood-soaked and recently fed. Stronger than a Walker; can take more punishment. |
| Prime Runner | The fast variant of the Prime family. Handle it like a Runner you can't out-trade. |
| Army Reserve | Military zombies. Heavier presence with more health, often in objective areas. |
Special individuals can howl to summon nearby zombies, and some zombies release toxic gas when they die — standing in the gas raises infection risk. There are no zombie "classes" beyond these families confirmed in official materials.
Armored tiers: Police and Military (community-documented)
Beyond the five official families, 1.0 players document two armored tiers:
- Police Officer — a helmeted tier above the standard Walker; the helmet changes how headshots behave.
- Military — the toughest tier seen so far: body armor plus helmet. A kick may need two or three hits to put one down, so use crossfire in objective zones or simply go around them — you don't get experience for kills.
Combat rules that save runs
- You do not get XP for kills — knock zombies down and keep moving when the objective allows.
- Knocked-down zombies that still make noise are not dead and will get back up.
- Zeds can climb onto cars in 1.0, so treat vehicles as a short reprieve, not a safe spot.
- When a horde builds up, a grenade or a jukebox distraction is cheaper than fighting through it.
- Two players holding shove and kick can keep a small horde pinned indefinitely.
How to fight each family
- Walkers: melee them. One light-weapon headshot with a Crowbar-class weapon handles them cheaply; don't spend rifle ammo on a lone walker.
- Runners: the priority target. They close distance fast and pounce — swap to a gun or shove-timing, and always have an escape line when one appears mid-loot.
- Prime Zombies: take more hits and hit harder. Stagger them with heavy melee or a shotgun, and be ready for more arriving behind them.
- Prime Runners: treat as a Runner you can't out-trade. Two players focusing it beats one player dueling it.
- Army Reserves: heavy, often in objective zones. Clear them with crossfire before starting a long objective animation.
- Howlers / gas: if something howls, break line of sight and reposition — you're about to be flanked. Never stand in released toxic gas while looting.
Infection: the two stages
Infection, added officially in the 0.2.1 update, plays out in two stages:
- Incubation — a short window where you're infected but showing no symptoms.
- Onset — symptoms appear (coughing, HUD warnings). From here you're racing the timer: find a treatment or turn.
If you turn, your Responder becomes a zombie that can attack your own squad. In 0.3.1, infection risk was expanded so every zombie attack carries a chance to infect, not just the grab minigame.
Treatments
- Phalanx Pills — reset the infection timer without curing it. Pills work even in late stages, but the choice is risky: using them poorly just buys time.
- Gene Therapy — found on the map; fully cures the infection.
Extracting while infected: official 1.0 notes don't clearly document the outcome, so we don't claim one. Verify in the current build before staking a high-level Responder on it.
Enemy and infection questions
What zombie types are in No More Room in Hell 2?
Walkers (slow, standard), Runners (fast, pounce), Prime Zombies (bloody, recently fed, stronger), Prime Runners, and Army Reserves (military zombies). Special individuals can howl to summon others and release toxic gas when they die.
How does infection work?
Infection has an incubation stage followed by onset, when symptoms show. Once infected you're racing the timer: find a treatment or you turn into a zombie — and your corpse will attack your squad.
How do I cure infection?
Two treatments: Phalanx Pills reset the infection timer without curing it (using them late is risky), and Gene Therapy, found on the map, fully cures it.
Can infection spread between players?
Not directly — it's per-Responder. But a turned teammate becomes an enemy that can infect others.
What happens if I extract while infected?
Official notes don't clearly document the outcome in 1.0. Treat extraction while infected as an open question and verify in the current build before gambling a high-level Responder.
Can I save a downed teammate?
Yes — downed Responders can be revived, and professions like Paramedic speed that up. A dead dead Responder (permadeath) is permanent.
Sources: Official Infection Update notes, Fandom wiki — Responder/infection, PlayStation Store description. No More Room in Hell 2 content and assets remain the property of Torn Banner Studios.