At a glance
- Read the counters
Check loaded shots, spare cartridges, lives, and zombies remaining before choosing a target.
- Create a shot
Move into space, face the intended group, and fire when the targets share the cone.
- Choose the next resource
After firing, decide whether another shot, a cartridge pickup, a reload, or an open exit best protects the hunt.
Count loaded shots and spare cartridges separately
The loaded-shot counter tells you how many times you can fire now. The cartridge counter tells you how many complete reloads you have collected. A cartridge is a separate resource: picking one up gives you a reload to use, while pressing RELOAD consumes it and replaces the magazine with five shots.
Read both counters before approaching an active group. Two loaded shots and one spare cartridge give you a different choice from two loaded shots and no spare. With the cartridge, you can refill immediately if the situation calls for it. Without one, those two shots must create a useful opening or finish the targets you choose.
Use the first level to learn the five-shot limit
Level one contains one zombie and no floor cartridge. Its eligible tier needs one valid hit. You therefore have five loaded shots for one target, but misses still spend ammunition. Move until the hunter faces the zombie, get it within the firing cone, and use a deliberate press.
A clean first kill leaves four shots. Leaving through an open corridor after that kill adds 200 clear-bonus points and one life, taking the first-level total to 210 points and two lives. This small example teaches the whole trade: an accurate shot can buy both progress and a better starting position for the next decision.
Let one shot reach several zombies
The shotgun fires into a 45-degree cone in the hunter's current facing direction. Every living zombie inside that cone and within range takes one hit. Two one-hit zombies caught together therefore cost one shot to remove, while firing separately costs two. There is no fixed target cap on a shot.
Build that opportunity by watching how an awakened group follows your movement. Reposition while there is room, then turn toward the group before firing. A zombie behind you will not be hit by a forward-facing shot. If the group spreads around you, use a shot to clear an immediate route instead of waiting for every target to line up.
Budget for tougher zombies
Tiers one and two need one valid hit, tiers three and four need two, and tier five needs three. These tiers enter the possible mix as the matching level is reached. A later arena can contain a mixture, so counting zombies alone does not tell you how many hits the group needs.
Suppose two tier-three zombies are both inside the cone for two shots. Those two shots can finish both targets. If you hit each separately, you spend four shots for the same two kills. Watch the remaining-health bars on damaged tougher zombies, and avoid spending a third shot on a target that another well-placed shot has already finished.
Keep a useful choice for the last shot
An empty FIRE press does not reload the gun. Before spending your fifth shot, know whether you have a spare cartridge, a reachable floor pickup, or an open corridor. Later levels can contain zero, one, or two floor cartridges. Kills do not drop ammunition, so a remaining zombie is never a guaranteed refill.
With one shot left and a three-hit zombie still untouched, an early exit may preserve the hunt better than an attack you cannot finish. If a cartridge is already spare, a reload can make that fight possible. Reassess the actual counters each time; the right decision changes when a shot hits several targets or a safer route opens.
More questions
Can one shot damage more than five zombies?
Yes. Five is the magazine capacity, not the number of targets a shot can hit. Every living zombie inside the firing cone and within range takes one hit from that shot.
Do tougher zombies use up extra ammunition automatically?
Each FIRE press still uses exactly one loaded shot. Tougher zombies need additional valid hits to die, so you decide whether to spend those shots, catch them in a group, or leave through an open corridor.
