How to start battles in Graveyard Keeper 2, build Defence Power, equip zombie squads, use pikes and bows, and prepare Barracks defenses.
Updated · version 1.006
Quick answer
For most battles, go to the relevant guard post on Sloth day, equip armor and a sword, and meet the required Defence Power. A bow is excellent once the fight begins, but it does not replace the sword for the pre-battle check.
Zombie squad members also need equipment: give them armor and either a pike or bow. Zombies do not use swords. If a zombie falls during combat, you do not permanently lose the original worker.
Combat is one of the major new systems in Graveyard Keeper 2.
The story introduces the Barracks and battles as you restore the town's defenses. You prepare squads, hire mercenaries, build defensive structures and launch fights from guard posts.
Battles take place on separate battlefields rather than the normal world map.
During a battle:
The game checks several conditions before letting you enter.
Even if you intend to use a bow for the entire battle, a sword must be on your toolbar.
A bow does not satisfy this requirement.
The Keeper must also be wearing armor.
Without both sword and armor, the game explicitly treats you as unprepared.
After the first story battle, most regular battles can only be started on Sloth day.
The first battle is an exception, which can make the calendar requirement easy to miss.
If the guard post is refusing to continue, check the weekly schedule first.
See Days of the Week in Graveyard Keeper 2.
The pre-battle window shows the required Defence Power.
Your total comes from:
If the number is too low, the battle cannot begin.
Defence Power is not the Keeper's personal damage stat.
It represents the overall strength of your Barracks setup and selected army.
Defensive structures contribute while they exist in the Barracks. Before the battle itself, you then place available barricades and towers on the battlefield.
Think of the system as two stages:
build enough military infrastructure to qualify;
deploy that infrastructure intelligently when the battle loads.
You need an open squad slot in the Barracks.
Additional slots are unlocked through combat progression and special battle rewards.
Once you have one:
carry a zombie to the Barracks;
place it in the squad slot;
equip armor on the zombie;
give it a valid combat weapon;
select the squad for the battle.
This is one of the easiest mistakes to make.
Zombies do not use swords.
Their squad weapons are:
Do not forge a pile of extra swords expecting to hand them to your army.
The sword is primarily the Keeper's required melee weapon and battle-entry item.
Yes.
A worker needs proper combat equipment to function as a squad member.
Better weapon and armor tiers also increase squad strength, which contributes to Defence Power.
When a later battle suddenly asks for much more power, upgrading existing squad gear may be more efficient than trying to solve everything with extra barricades.
No.
The battle uses a combat representation of your zombie. If it falls during the fight, you do not lose the original worker forever.
That means you can actually use developed zombies without risking an entire progression investment on one difficult wave.
Zombie talent trees include combat-focused perks.
They can improve things such as:
Remember that each zombie owns its own tech points and talents.
Update 1.006 specifically fixed zombies failing to earn red tech points in fights. If you played before that patch and saw no progression, update the game before assuming your zombie is broken.
For the broader worker system, see How Zombies Work.
Mercenaries are extremely useful early.
They:
The first payment is manageable, but the price rises after wins.
They are best understood as a bridge into the combat system rather than necessarily the permanent end-game army.
As more squad slots open and your own zombies improve, you can rely less on paid fighters.
Defensive structures are built in the Barracks and then deployed on battlefields.
The main families are:
A straightforward wall that delays enemies.
Less durable, but melee enemies damage themselves while attacking it.
Designed around maximum durability.
Automatically damages enemies from range.
A strong defense usually mixes delay and damage rather than filling every slot with the same structure.
A sword is required to enter most battles, but the bow is extremely strong once combat starts.
Its advantages include:
If you can carry both, use the sword for the entry requirement and close-range emergencies, and the bow for wave control.
You do not necessarily need to personally kill every zombie.
Battlefield control and flags matter.
Useful habits:
do not stay at your spawn point for the entire fight;
capture flags when the lane is safe;
use barricades to delay dense waves;
shoot dangerous targets from range;
do not burn all stamina immediately;
keep your own base from being overwhelmed.
Once the victory conditions are met, remaining enemies do not all need to be individually hunted down.
If the story and available battle locations allow it, yes. Sloth day is not simply a one-battle token.
Before the day arrives, it is useful to:
A defeat does not delete your army or remove your permanent equipment.
You can regroup and try again.
Consumables you already used may of course be gone, but the core infrastructure and zombie workers remain.
You still need an equipped sword and armor. The bow cannot replace the sword in the start check.
Check that the squad slot is unlocked and that the zombie has armor plus a valid weapon.
No. Zombie squads use pikes and bows.
They unlock through battle progression and special rewards.
A developed zombie is genuinely useful in combat, and falling in battle does not permanently destroy the original worker.
Automation
A complete guide to zombie workers: why a zombie stands idle, how tools and Mastery work, what Supplier Stations do, how zombie talents grow, and how zombie farming works.
Automation
How to unlock the Resurrection Lab, prepare a valid corpse, choose a Zombie Collar, use Reanimation Liquid, and raise multiple zombies on Envy day.
Getting started
The full Graveyard Keeper 2 weekly schedule: sermons, battles, Resurrection, Town Orders, trader resets and corpse delivery days.
Alchemy
Where to unlock and build the Distillation Cube in Graveyard Keeper 2, how to make Melted Fat and Alcohol, and which Anatomy Mastery requirements apply.
