Marksman Guide — Deadeye Pierce and First Unlock Route

Why Marksman is the recommended first unlock

Marksman costs 15,000 Credits — 5,000 more than Medic (10,000) but the best first unlock for solo DPS and Credits farming per our tier list. Abilities: Frag Grenade for pack burst, Deadeye for bullet pierce scaling with rifle kill volume, and Sonar Ping for zombie detection before elites reach your lane.

Rooftop Map stairwells turn pierce into multi-kills — line zombies and shoot through the stack. Unlock advice across public guides: redeem Zombies (2,500 Credits), farm with Survivor until 15k, buy Marksman, then run handgun → shotgun (~150) → rifle (~750) every session.

Credit Planner goal unlock_first_class recommends Marksman for solo and farm scenarios. Loadout Builder defaults to Marksman for good reason.

• 15,000 Credits — best solo and farm first unlock.
• Deadeye + rifle = core power spike.
• Sonar Ping — elite warning without teammates.
• Medic 10k if co-op only; Marksman for solo DPS.

Ability usage by wave phase

Early waves (1–15): Frag Grenade when packs clump on stairwell landing before shotgun purchase. Sonar Ping when audio cues are noisy in public lobbies — marks approaching elites.

Mid waves (16–40): Deadeye online with rifle (~750 Credits) — primary damage source. Hold one choke, strafe minimally, fire through lines.

Late waves (41+): Frag Grenade on elite packs breaking through barricades; Sonar Ping before every elite push. Marksman lacks deployables — partner with Tactician (75k) or Medic (10k) in co-op for structure.

Solo ceiling ~45–55 waves without Necromancer (250k) — still excellent for farming.

• Early: Frag for packs, Ping for elite intel.
• Mid: Deadeye rifle line shots on stairs.
• Late: Frag on elite breaches, maintain choke.
• Co-op: pair with Tactician barricade on Rooftop.

Weapon and Credit economy

Never skip shotgun (~150) — Marksman pierce needs kill volume rifle cannot generate if you die wave 8. Rifle (~750) before wave 20 is standard.

In-run Credits after rifle: save for next account unlock toward Tactician (75k) or Necromancer (250k) — do not gamble slot-four shop weapons with unverified costs. Marksman farm runs target 25–40 waves for Credits/min sweet spot.

Three sessions daily in Credit Planner accelerates unlock timeline. Tier Farm A — highest legal farm class for most accounts.

• Shotgun ~150 before first elite.
• Rifle ~750 before wave 20 target.
• Bank account Credits — avoid in-run exotic gambles.
• 25–40 wave farm sessions optimal Credits/min.

Positioning on Rooftop Map

Stand elevated on stairwell with sightline down zombie path — pierce hits maximum bodies. Do not stand in open roof center where elites surround.

Sonar Ping before rotating — Marksman has no Cloak or Bunker escape. In co-op, stay behind Tactician barricade face but within rifle range of spawn.

Auto Skip: only when shotgun and rifle are bought and a Tactician has barricade if present.

• Elevated stairwell sightlines maximize pierce.
• Avoid open roof center — melee elites surround.
• Behind barricade in co-op — still need line of fire.
• Ping before any lane rotation.

When to graduate from Marksman

Keep Marksman forever for farm — even after Necromancer unlock. Buy Tactician (75k) if you anchor co-op structure.

Buy Necromancer (250k) for leaderboard solo scaling. Skip Ninja (25k) and Engineer (20k) if Marksman already covers DPS.

Compare tier list before sidegrades. No scripts for pierce automation — active aim is required and legitimate.

• Keep Marksman for farm after other unlocks.
• Tactician 75k — co-op anchor upgrade.
• Necromancer 250k — leaderboard graduation.
• Skip Ninja — worse value than Marksman.

Marksman transition to Tactician or Necromancer

After mastering Marksman, choose Tactician (75k) if you anchor co-op structure, or bank through Tactician toward Necromancer (250k) if leaderboard solo is the goal. Keep Marksman unlocked forever — tier Farm A means permanent farm role.

Engineer and Ninja are sidegrades that delay 75k/250k. Weapon path knowledge from Marksman sessions transfers directly — rifle timing is identical on every class.

• Co-op anchor → Tactician 75k next.
• Leaderboard → save through to Necromancer 250k.
• Never sell Marksman role — permanent farmer.
• Rifle timing transfers to all classes.

Frag Grenade and Sonar advanced tips

Frag Grenade on stairwell landing catches upward-pathing zombies — throw downhill on Rooftop for maximum pack coverage. Sonar Ping before reloading behind cover prevents elite melee during vulnerable animation.

Deadeye proc timing: burst through line, reposition while zombies climb, burst again — do not stand still in open roof center. These three ability habits separate A-tier Marksman from C-tier Survivor with rifle.

• Frag downhill on stairwell landings.
• Ping before reload behind cover.
• Deadeye burst-reposition-burst rhythm.
• Never static fire on open roof.

Public lobby Marksman etiquette

Do not steal Tactician funnel lanes with random grenades — Frag packs disrupt barricade lines. Sonar Ping elites for the squad even when solo queued.

Vote against early Auto Skip until shotgun funded team-wide if you care about win rate. Marksman pierce through allies is fine — through barricade face is not.

Good etiquette gets you invited to farm squads pushing Medic Tactician Marksman trios toward wave 50 without drama.

• Do not Frag allied barricade lines.
• Ping elites for random squadmates.
• Vote skip responsibly early game.
• Etiquette earns farm squad invites.

FAQ