Part of the Events Series:
- Events Hub: Plan regular activities.
- Chief Gear and Talents: Use the upgrade materials you earn.
Quick Answer
Plague Zones are active cooperative PvE, with daily participation and weekly reward progression. Join an alliance strike team, clear the blocking infected tiles, complete the bosses' Explorer challenges, then defeat the Zone Menaces and final Zone Matriarch with troop attacks.
In the classic format, the first attack starts a 30-minute clearing window. Gather the team before triggering it. The weekly reward component does not make the activity passive.
Overview
A zone contains ordinary infected tiles and stronger targets. Its level, size and the team's result affect the rewards. Higher-level zones become available as a state develops; an absent level is not necessarily a problem with your account.
The daily routine should leave enough time for an actual clear. Opening the reward panel once a week is not a substitute for participating.
Start a Strike Team
Search the Wilderness for a suitable Plague Zone. Open its information panel and inspect the targets, team limits, recommendations, rewards and remaining map lifetime. Then launch a strike team or join an existing alliance team.
The team leader can invite members and share the team in alliance chat. Confirm who will handle Explorer fights and who can finish the troop battles. A player capable of beating the ordinary tiles may still struggle with a boss's separate challenge.
Avoid starting near the zone's disappearance time. There are two different clocks to consider: how long that map zone remains available and the attack countdown once your team begins.
Clear the Required Path
| Stage | Action | If progress is blocked |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary tiles | Clear the mobs that block access to a boss | Tap the boss to identify highlighted blocking tiles |
| Zone Menace access | Clear required adjacent tiles | Side-adjacent tiles matter; do not assume diagonal contact is enough |
| Explorer challenge | Defeat the boss with the hero squad | Improve or change the Explorer lineup before committing more troop attacks |
| Troop battle | Solo or rally the exposed Menace | Use a rally if the solo march cannot reliably win |
| Zone Matriarch | Satisfy preceding requirements, explore and defeat the final target | Check for a surviving Menace or uncleared blocking tile |
Do not clear every tile automatically. A route that opens the required bosses can save stamina compared with clearing unrelated corners. The goal is a completed zone, not a fully emptied map at any cost.
The Explorer and troop stages use different combat systems. A hero's active Explorer skill does not describe its troop battle performance. See the Explorer Trail guide for squad combat and troop formations for marches.
Manage Stamina and Wounded Troops
Plague Zone attacks can create wounded troops. Check Hospital capacity, especially if the same session also includes PvP or difficult fiends. The rewards from a harder zone need to justify the additional stamina and recovery cost.
Travis is useful where his infected-related stamina reduction applies. Check the cost preview with the intended march before sending it; do not assume a saving from a different mode carries over unchanged.
A practical division of work is to let members clear different necessary tiles while the strongest available squad handles a difficult Explorer stage. Announce targets so two people do not spend effort on an already-covered tile. Do not leave the only member capable of finishing the final fight unaware of the timer.
Rewards: Separate the Four Questions
- What did this attack drop? Ordinary mobs and bosses have their own rewards.
- Did the zone complete? The final result is different from earning some attack rewards and timing out.
- What daily reward did the clear qualify for? Inspect the daily crate and its delivery or claim timing.
- Did this improve the weekly result? A repeat clear may still provide materials without improving the best rating.
Higher-zone rewards can include Advanced Alloy for chief gear, while exact fragment pools and quantities vary. Preview the crate instead of assuming every zone guarantees a particular legendary hero fragment.
Choose a Sustainable Difficulty
Keep a small record of zone level, number of bosses, completion result, stamina spent and wounded troops. Compare two reliably completed runs before raising difficulty again.
F2P: prioritize regular clears that yield usable materials without exhausting stamina needed for intel and fiends. One completed appropriate zone is a better starting plan than repeated failures at the highest visible level.
Spenders: a stronger march can help the team clear more efficiently, but extra stamina purchases do not fix missing Explorer progression or a badly coordinated route. Solve the actual bottleneck first.
Common Mistakes
- Calling Plague Zones passive weekly content.
- Starting the first attack while the team is still assembling.
- Clearing unnecessary tiles and running out of stamina before the Matriarch.
- Confusing the Explorer challenge with the later troop attack.
- Raising difficulty without checking wounds and completion consistency.
FAQ
Can I complete a Plague Zone alone? A sufficiently strong player can clear one through a strike team, but must cover the full stamina, Explorer and troop requirements. Alliance help reduces that burden.
Why can I not attack the Matriarch? Check its blocking tiles, preceding Menaces and required Explorer challenge. Tap the target to see the remaining conditions.
Do I need to clear every infected tile? No. Clear the tiles required to unlock and defeat the bosses. Unnecessary attacks can waste stamina.
Are Plague Zone rewards daily or weekly? Both daily and weekly rewards exist alongside attack and completion rewards. Inspect each reward panel separately.
Key Takeaways
- Assemble an active strike team before starting the countdown.
- Clear the necessary route and distinguish Explorer from troop combat.
- Track completed clears, wounds and stamina together.
- Check daily and weekly reward progress separately.