Plants vs. Zombies: Tips and Tricks

Plants vs. Zombies is a great strategic game that puts your skills to the test as you protect your home from hordes of zombies. Put away your traditional thoughts of grabbing a gun or bat and instead, get ready to plant some Peashooters and Sunflowers. Before planting these zombie dueling plants, here are some tips and tricks to ensure you and your home survive.

When you first start out there will be some tutorial levels to get you comfortable with the controls and your neighbor Crazy Dave will help you get started. Take time to note some important factors of the game in these beginning levels.

The very first tip and fundamental element of the game to grasp is having a strong "Sun" economy. Suns are what enable you to plant the various other plants in the game and the best way to do this is by planting Sunflowers early and often.

Plants
There are literally dozens of plants that you will encounter in the game as you progress from level to level. Here is an overview of some of the more important ones you will encounter when you start.

Sunflower (50 Suns)- Easily the most important plant in the game. The sunflower plant produces suns and suns are necessary for planting things like the Peashooter or Cherry Bombs. Sunflowers are the most vulnerable of all your plants and need protection to survive.

Hint- Sunflowers produce suns every 20 seconds.

Strategically the best way to do this is line your Sunflower plants down the last row and then build your Sunflower plant numbers from there. Notice how the lawn is formatted into light and dark squares of grass. In turn each plant takes up a square. At the very least, the last two rows should be made up of Sunflower plants to ensure that you are collecting enough Suns to fight off the zombies.

Wall-Nut (50 Suns) – Wall-Nuts are more of a defensive plant, they won't hurt zombies but will slow them down. Wall-Nuts are durable and take a long time for zombies to eat, allowing your other plants like the Peashooter to take out those hungry zombies. Wall-Nuts are also helpful against zombies with the ability to climb over plants.

Tip- Keep in mind that each plant has a different cooling down period. You can't immediately plant the same type of Wall-Nut in another row, there is a small waiting period. Some cool down waits are longer than others. Plants like the Sunflower take a cool down period of five seconds and other plants like the Wall-Nuts have a cool down period of 18 seconds.

Peashooter (100 Suns)- A very valuable addition to your plant arsenal, the Peashooter helps defend your home by shooting peas that stop zombies dead in their tracks. Peashooters are best used directly in front of Sunflowers and will fire on zombies as soon as they step foot in your yard.

Tip- When defending your home a single Peashooter can kill a zombie as long as it is planted with three squares separating the Peashooter from the zombie.

Chomper (150 Suns)- These plants are lean, mean, zombie-eating

machines. In one bite a Chomper will devour a zombie whole. While eating they are vulnerable to other zombies. Chompers take 30 seconds to eat a zombie so plant them strategically!





Zombies
Just like the plants, zombies have multiple characters such as the Newspaper Zombie, Snorkel Zombie, and the Dancing Zombie just to name a few. Certain zombies are more unique than others; here are some tips to keep those zombies at bay.

Conehead Zombie- The Conehead Zombie takes 2x the damage of a normal zombie. Planting a second Peashooter or using the Squash are good options for stoping this zombie.

Tip- An average zombie can take 10 shots from the Peashooter before it dies.

Pole Vaulting Zombie-

This zombie will move more quickly and vault itself over your first plant. When you encounter this zombie, use a Wall-Nut early in its run so that plants like the Peashooter don't get jumped over.

Buckethead Zombie- Don't let the bucket fool you; this zombie is tough to bring down. It can take 5x more damage than a normal zombie. The best strategy is to set up Wall-Nuts to slow it down, use multiple Peashooters, or use the Squash to kill it in one move.








Protect your Sunflowers!
There are various plants, nuts, and even vegetables that will help you in this endeavor. One important thing to remember is that you want to be frugal with your suns. The Potato Mine is a great option as it only costs 25 suns but does an enormous amount of damage to any zombie that crosses its path.

Tip- If a zombie is walking in your lawn with no Sunflower in your last square, instead of planting a Sunflower there and then a Peashooter in front of it, plant a Potato Mine. It will kill the zombie and allow you to still plant a Sunflower in the last row spot.

Tip-When planting the Potato Mine, remember that you need at least three squares of distance for the mine to be ready.

It is also important to remember that these zombies are SLOW! It seems obvious but you must remember to keep your cool and not rush to plant Peashooters or Cherry Bombs and then miss out on Sunflowers.

Always bear in mind the cost of planting an offensive plant like the Peashooter (100 suns) or Cherry Bomb (150 suns). Remember that sometimes planting nuts like the Wall-nuts and Tall-nuts early is a better option to slow down the zombies and rack up as many suns as possible to prepare for another wave of zombies.

Make sure you try out different formations in each row to see which form of defense works best. Planting Wall-Nuts at the front of your row is always a smart decision. Wall-Nuts will slow down zombies, giving you time to plant more Sunflowers or other plants like Peashooters in a row where they're more needed.

Alternating between Peashooters and Snow Peas is another useful strategy. Snow Peas will cause zombies to walk and eat slower. Snow Peas are especially helpful when you come across zombies with protection such as the Buckethead Zombie or fast zombies like the Pole Vaulting Zombie.

Another combination to try is planting a Wall-Nut in front of a Chomper. Chompers will eat most zombies in one bite but are vulnerable while they're eating. Wall-Nuts will protect the Chompers until they are done eating and are ready for another zombie.

Conclusion
With the help of these tips and tricks, you should have what it takes to protect your home and make any zombie that comes on your yard run the other way.