(Projectile-based weapons were found by many survivors to be the most effective at dealing with the walking dead. Judging by the multitude of weapons listed in the notebook it would appear that the owner of the notebook would agree with that opinion.)

Pistol – The pistol should always be your fallback weapon; it’s the weakest weapon you’ll carry but you also can’t run out of ammo. Its fifteen shot clip is best utilized by aiming for the head of your target, and my advice is to only use it when your primary weapon either doesn’t have the range or isn’t as good in close quarters. If you happen upon a second pistol I would recommend using both at once as you’ll have double the firing rate and shots before you’ll need to reload.

Pump-action Shotgun – Its firing rate leaves a bit to be desired, but there’s much to be said about the power of a shotgun against the rotten flesh of the infected. One blast will put common infected down, and while you won’t want to be using it against witches or tanks it works plenty well on anything else. Just don’t shoot at something farther than you can spit at or else you’ll just waste shells, and with its reload speed you’ll want to make each of its eight shots count against a horde.

Automatic Shotgun – This is the ultimate in close-quarters defense, combining the power of a shotgun with a very nice firing rate. It’s just a bit more powerful than a regular shotgun, but obviously capable of devastating anything short of a tank thanks to its ten shot capacity. Just never fire that last shot, as then the shotgun will need to be re-cocked after loading more shells in and that can take precious time.

SMG – Equal parts spray and pray. Its individual bullets aren’t much stronger than a pistol but what it lacks in punch it makes up for in sending a sheer wall of lead out. It is best used against a group of targets at close to medium range, but its biggest drawbacks are that it burns through its fifty shot clip pretty quick and it just isn’t accurate enough to be used at much farther a distance than a shotgun.

Assault Rifle – This bread and butter weapon is great against the infected if you are lucky enough to stumble upon one. It has the power to kill a common infected in only a couple of shots, one to the head, and while crouched you can put just about its entire fifty shot clip into a tank at sixty yards without a miss. It handles well in close quarters, and though it isn’t the best weapon for any one situation it is the greatest love of a survivor looking a capable weapon for any location or threat.

Hunting Rifle – If you need to be surgically precise at long range, this is your scalpel. Though I’ve found it to be a poor close quarters weapon overall it does have its high points, unless you don’t enjoy the idea of one bullet plowing its way front to back of a horde and dropping five of the infected dead as it goes. With a fifteen shot clip it packs a lot of power before a reload, but to make the most of that power it does require a calm mind and steady hands to make every shot count.

Pipe Bomb – Some beautiful human being found out that the infected flock to a beeping object with a cute flashing light on it. The problem for them is that anymore it’s normally attached to a live pipe bomb ready to detonate. When thrown it attracts all nearby infected to it like flies, bunching them all up before turning the whole lot of them into a fine red mist. The pipe bomb is a great tool to get you away from a horde of the infected; just throw the device in one direction, move towards the other, and try not to smack the infected on the arse as they run to their doom.

Molotov – Crude but effective, Molotovs ignite an area for a short time and engulf anything that passes through it. On the plus side this means it is an easy way to take down advancing infected or to cover your back. Unfortunately this also means it can do the same for your group, and no amount of fire can stop a hunter from leaping down from above. Use these in bottlenecks for great effect; just don’t expect to pass through the area yourself until the flames have died down.

Explosive Canisters – Though carrying a propane tank, gas can, or hydrogen tank is a pain and leaves you defenseless short of swinging it like a club, there’s no denying the certain punk appeal of rolling one of these out for a welcoming party. Propane tanks instantly explode like a pipe bomb when shot, while gas cans split open and engulf an area in flame for a while. Hydrogen tanks are sort of a time bomb; once shot they hiss like crazy for a while before blowing up. They’re worth the effort if you ask me, especially if you scatter them around as fun little piñatas waiting to be popped in an area where you know you will need to hold out for a while.