Finding the Shady Merchant

Quick reference

Look behind the wagon at merchant stops. Under the 1.0 rules he has a 50% chance to be there, and from day four a one-day route includes him once per run. Buy special items only when their drawbacks fit your loadout.

• Shady Merchant
• Special items
• Vampire unlock
• Risk

Merchant-stop chance

50% behind the wagon under the 1.0 appearance rule.

Guaranteed route

From day four, a one-day route includes him once per run; this is not a visit every later day.

Other appearances

Additional random appearances remain possible.

Ripped-Out Eye

Adds critical chance to marked weapons while sharply reducing their range.

Uranium

Marked hits may cause a nuke or mutate the struck zombie into a titan.

What to do

1. Search behind the wagon rather than checking only the visible merchant shop.
2. Read the later route information before spending another day searching elsewhere.
3. Keep a weapon out of Ripped-Out Eye's selector if reduced range would make it unsafe.
4. Treat Uranium's titan outcome as part of the purchase when dangerous single enemies already cause trouble.
5. Check the Shady Merchant while pursuing Vampire, and keep the return route to the bus clear.

Useful equipment and guides

VampireA bat-swarm character associated with this merchant.Character unlocksChoose an unlock objective before spending resources on an encounter.Fuel and extractionAvoid extending a merchant search at the expense of reaching the bus.

Merchant locations

Version 1.0 gives Shady Merchant a 50% chance to wait behind the wagon at merchant stops. From day four, a one-day route is guaranteed to include him once per run. Additional random appearances can still happen.

Look behind the wagon as well as at the visible shop. Check the later route’s information before spending another day searching elsewhere. The guarantee does not mean a visit every day after day four.

Ripped-Out Eye and Uranium

Ripped-Out Eye adds critical chance to marked weapons while sharply reducing range. Compare that change with how the gun keeps enemies away. Move an unwanted recipient outside the selector if the penalty would make it difficult to use.

Uranium can trigger a nuke on marked hits, but may turn the struck zombie into a titan. If dangerous single enemies already cause trouble, the extra damage opportunity comes with a relevant risk.

Vampire unlock

Buy Syringe, arrange its marks over an eligible weapon and trigger life steal to unlock Vampire. The item halves maximum HP, so keep a working attack and a clear retreat before accepting the trade.