~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PLANTS VS. ZOMBIES - ALMANAC FAQ
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FAQ Created by: Smoke_Rulz
Game Created by: PopCap Games (
http://www.popcap.com )
Latest Update: 11/01/10
Current Version: 1.25
See Section 5 for the Update List
===============================================================================
SECTION 0. TABLE OF CONTENTS
===============================================================================
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inside the parentheses ( ) to the right, copy it (Ctrl+C), do a page find
(Ctrl+F), paste the term (Ctrl+V) in the box, and click to search for it.
1. Copyright & Site Listing (sec1copy)
2. Introduction (sec2intro)
3. Plant Information (sec3plant)
- a. Peashooter (sec3pea) - aa. Cactus (sec3cactus)
- b. Sunflower (sec3sun) - bb. Blover (sec3blover)
- c. Cherry Bomb (sec3cherry) - cc. Split Pea (sec3split)
- d. Wall-nut (sec3wall) - dd. Starfruit (sec3star)
- e. Potato Mine (sec3mine) - ee. Pumpkin (sec3pumpkin)
- f. Snow Pea (sec3snow) - ff. Magnet-shroom (sec3magnet)
- g. Chomper (sec3chomp) - gg. Cabbage-pult (sec3cabbage)
- h. Repeater (sec3repea) - hh. Flower Pot (sec3pot)
- i. Puff-shroom (sec3puff) - ii. Kernel-pult (sec3kernel)
- j. Sun-shroom (sec3sunsh) - jj. Coffee Bean (sec3coffee)
- k. Fume-shroom (sec3fume) - kk. Garlic (sec3garlic)
- l. Grave Buster (sec3grave) - ll. Umbrella Leaf (sec3leaf)
- m. Hypno-shroom (sec3hypno) - mm. Marigold (sec3mari)
- n. Scaredy-shroom (sec3scared) - nn. Melon-pult (sec3melon)
- o. Ice-shroom (sec3ice) - oo. Gatling Pea (sec3gatling)
- p. Doom-shroom (sec3doom) - pp. Twin Sunflower (sec3twin)
- q. Lily Pad (sec3lily) - qq. Gloom-shroom (sec3gloom)
- r. Squash (sec3squash) - rr. Cattail (sec3cat)
- s. Threepeater (sec3three) - ss. Winter Melon (sec3winter)
- t. Tangle Kelp (sec3kelp) - tt. Gold Magnet (sec3gold)
- u. Jalapeno (sec3peno) - uu. Spikerock (sec3rock)
- v. Spikeweed (sec3weed) - vv. Cob Cannon (sec3cannon)
- w. Torchwood (sec3torch) - ww. Imitater (sec3tater)
- x. Tall-nut (sec3tall)
- y. Sea-shroom (sec3sea)
- z. Plantern (sec3plantern)
4. Zombie Information (sec4zombie)
- a. Zombie (sec4reg)
- b. Flag Zombie (sec4flag)
- c. Conehead Zombie (sec4cone)
- d. Pole Vaulting Zombie (sec4pole)
- e. Buckethead Zombie (sec4bucket)
- f. Newspaper Zombie (sec4paper)
- g. Screen Door Zombie (sec4door)
- h. Football Zombie (sec4football)
- i. Dancing Zombie (sec4dancing)
- j. Backup Dancer (sec4backup)
- k. Ducky Tube Zombie (sec4ducky)
- l. Snorkel Zombie (sec4snorkel)
- m. Zomboni (sec4zomboni)
- n. Zombie Bobsled Team (sec4bobsled)
- o. Dolphin Rider Zombie (sec4dolphin)
- p. Jack-in-the-Box Zombie (sec4jack)
- q. Balloon Zombie (sec4balloon)
- r. Digger Zombie (sec4digger)
- s. Pogo Zombie (sec4pogo)
- t. Zombie Yeti (sec4yeti)
- u. Bungee Zombie (sec4bungee)
- v. Ladder Zombie (sec4ladder)
- w. Catapult Zombie (sec4pult)
- x. Gargantuar (sec4gargan)
- y. Imp (sec4imp)
- z. Dr. Zomboss (sec4zomboss)
5. Update List (sec5update)
6. Contact Info (sec6contact)
7. Thanks & Credits (sec7thanks)
===============================================================================
SECTION 1. COPYRIGHT & SITE LISTING (sec1copy)
===============================================================================
Copied straight from the GameFAQs.com Help area for the sake of ease:
This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal,
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other
web site or as a part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and a
violation of copyright. All trademarks and copyrights contained in this
document are owned by their respective trademark and copyright holders.
In addition, this FAQ currently can *** ONLY BE SEEN *** on these sites:
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If you see it on any other site, including ones that people generally despise
(such as CheatCC.com), then please notify me, and/or request to the site owners
that the FAQ be removed.
If you would like to host this FAQ publically, then I please request that you
ASK ME PERMISSION first. If I allow you to host it, I ask that you DO NOT EDIT
IT AT ALL and make sure that all due credit IS GIVEN TO ME. If I agree to let
you host it, I will place your site in this section, and keep you up to date by
sending any updates I make to the FAQ.
See the Contact Info section near the end of the FAQ if you'd like to get in
touch with me.
===============================================================================
SECTION 2. INTRODUCTION (sec2intro)
===============================================================================
Hey it's Smokey here again, for my first FAQ that isn't for a Bookworm related
game! But... it's still a PopCap one. Haha. This is Plants vs. Zombies, a great
PC game, but believe it or not, I first played it on my 360. The downloadable
Xbox Live version is just as good if not better than the classic PC game. This
game is pretty much the only reason why Tower Defense games should exist.
I won't be going into specifics about how this game works, and what all of its
game modes are and what not, since this is not a full-on FAQ/Walkthrough. This
FAQ is mainly about the Almanac and its really hilarious sayings. I noticed
that there's no FAQ on the site that shows off the great Almanac sayings of
the Plants, so I decided to make one. Then I figured, why not just include all
of the Zombies as well?
So this is designated as an Almanac FAQ: Showing you exactly what the Almanac
says about everything in the game. I want this to be a simple text reference
for anyone who'd like to see the capabilities of each plant, or if they just
want to copy/paste a funny Almanac paragraph to one of their friends. To be
honest, the humor of this game is one of main reasons why I ended up getting
it. So if this FAQ helps anyone else purchase this game, then I'm all for it,
because I know they'll enjoy it. :)
I'll also be including my own general opinion on the various plants, including
perhaps some extra gameplay tips. Since the Almanac is partially for gameplay
statistics, I might as well help add to the helpfulness. ;) However, if you'd
like something a little more in-depth, check out cyrad1's Plant Guide here on
GameFAQs. It's very juicy and stat-filled, so it should definitely help you
on understanding all the plants for your desired build needs.
Note as well: I have submitted this FAQ under the 360 version of the game, if
only because it's the only version of the game I own, and the one I played
all the way through. I assume the Almanac is exactly the same as the PC
version, but it's possible they changed a thing or two, so I don't want anyone
getting confused.
This FAQ is pretty much one-shot, but I'm not past adding some more little
nuggets to it later if I deem something is worth updating. If anyone out there
feels there's something I REALLY should add to this FAQ, or if you find a
mistake that I made somewhere, feel free to check out Section 6 for info on
how to contact me. If I decide to use your info, I'll be sure to add you to
Section 7 as thanks.
That's a long enough intro. On to the FAQ itself!
===============================================================================
SECTION 3. PLANT INFORMATION (sec3plant)
===============================================================================
Here we start off with all the adorable weapons of destruction you have at your
command. The entries are pretty self-explanitory, but just for FAQs sake, here
is a key on how to read each entry:
COST: Sun you need to plant it RECHARGE: Time until you can plant again
General notes listed in the Almanac are here, if any
OTHER STUFF: Things like "Damage," "Toughness," "Special," etc. will go here
Hilarious flavor text goes here
NOTES: These are little things I have to say about each plant
INFO: This is extra in-depth info I figure needs to be known
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A. PEASHOOTER (sec3pea)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 100 RECHARGE: Fast
Peashooters are your first line of defense. They shoot peas at attacking
zombies.
DAMAGE: Normal
How can a single plant grow and shoot so many peas so quickly? Peashooter
says, "Hard work, commitment, and a healthy, well-balanced breakfast of
sunlight and high-fiber carbon dioxide make it all possible."
NOTES: He's a cute little bugger, isn't he? I love using these early on
until I have a lot of sunflowers. Also note that all pea-firing plants
have unlimited range, so the farther back they are, the better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
B. SUNFLOWER (sec3sun)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 50 RECHARGE: Fast
Sunflowers are essential for you to produce extra sun. Try planting as many
as you can!
SUN PRODUCTION: Normal
Sunflower can't resist bouncing to the beat. Which beat is that? Why, the
life-giving jazzy rhythm of the Earth itself, thumbing at a frequency only
Sunflower can hear.
NOTES: She's the cutest little bugger in the game. Absolutely required on
every level, except many nighttime ones, but you can still use her
there anyway. Keep them in the very back, unless you need a column 1
defense.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
C. CHERRY BOMB (sec3cherry)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 150 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Cherry Bombs can blow up all zombies in an area. They have a short fuse so
plant them near zombies.
DAMAGE: Massive
RANGE: All zombies in a medium area
USAGE: Single use, instant
"I wanna explode," says Cherry #1. "No, let's detonate instead!" says his
brother, Cherry #2. After intense consultation they agree to explodonate.
NOTES: I think "medium area" refers to 9-square block of area on and around
where you place the bomb. Very useful, but watch for the recharge
timer.
~~~~~~~~~~~
D. WALL-NUT (sec3wall)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 50 RECHARGE: Slow
Wall-nuts have hard shells which you can use to protect your other plants.
TOUGHNESS: High
"People wonder how I feel about getting constantly chewed on by zombies,"
says Wall-nut. "What they don't realize is that with my limited senses all
I can feel is a kind of tingling, like a relaxing back rub."
NOTES: He's also cute. Everything is cute! He's useful early-on like the
Peashooter, until you're really swimming in Sun power. Then you move on
to his big brother.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E. POTATO MINE (sec3mine)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 25 RECHARGE: Slow
Potato Mines pack a powerful punch, but they need a while to arm themselves.
You should plant them ahead of zombies. They will explode on contact.
DAMAGE: Massive
RANGE: All zombies in a small area
USAGE: Single use, delayed activation
Some folks say Potato Mine is lazy, that he leaves everything to the last
minute. Potato Mine says nothing. He's too busy thinking about his
investment strategy.
NOTES: The low cost and faster recharge time compared to other instant-kills
make him alright, but the priming time really kills it for me. The
absolute best use for him is at the very beginning of a round, while
you are setting up your columns of Sunflowers, and the zombies are
coming at you 1-by-1. A Potato Mine will be primed by the time a zombie
reaches it, and the Mine should finish recharging in time for the 2nd.
After that, though, I find very little use for the mine. Perhaps saving
the back column for them on levels with Diggers?
~~~~~~~~~~~
F. SNOW PEA (sec3snow)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 175 RECHARGE: Fast
Snow Peas shoot frozen peas that damage and slow the enemy.
DAMAGE: Normal, slows zombies
Folks often tell Snow Pea how "cool" he is, or exhort him to "chill out."
They tell him to "stay frosty." Snow Pea just rolls his eyes. He's heard
'em all.
NOTES: I love this little guy in any level where I'm not using Torchwoods.
The slowdown effect is incredibly useful. Note that multiple frozen
peas do not stack, so you only need one column of these guys if you
intend on using them. Put them behind all your more heavily-damaging
plants. Excellent when paired with Spikeweed/Spikerock.
~~~~~~~~~~
G. CHOMPER (sec3chomp)
~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 150 RECHARGE: Fast
Chompers can devour a zombie whole, but they are vulnerable while chewing.
DAMAGE: Massive
RANGE: Very short
SPECIAL: Long delay between chomps
Chomper almost got a gig doing stunts in Hollywood but it fell through when
his agent demanded too much on the front end. Chomper's not resentful,
though. He says it's just part of the business.
NOTES: A fast-charging instant kill plant? You betcha. Unfortunately, it feels
like it takes a solid 2 minutes for it to finish eating, which limits
its usefulness. Its range is actually 2 squares, so it's best to have
one behind a Nut, or a Chomper behind another Chomper. Also, this is one
of my favorite flavor text entries in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~
H. REPEATER (sec3repea)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 200 RECHARGE: Fast
Repeaters fire two peas at a time.
DAMAGE: Normal (for each pea)
FIRING SPEED: 2x
Repeater is fierce. He's from the streets. He doesn't take attitude from
anybody, plant or zombie, and he shoots peas to keep people at a distance.
Secretly, though, Repeater yearns for love.
NOTES: The bread-and-butter plant for just about any big-time build. Columns
of Repeaters behind Torchwoods is the standard way of doing things in
this game. You should definitely experiment with other stuff for the
sake of fun, but you can't go wrong with this guy. Also, one of my
favorite flavor texts in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I. PUFF-SHROOM (sec3puff)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 0 RECHARGE: Fast
Puff-shrooms are cheap, but can only fire a short distance.
DAMAGE: Normal
RANGE: Short
Sleeps during the day
"I only recently became aware of the existence of zombies," says
Puff-shroom. "Like many fungi, I'd just assumed they were fairy tales or
movie monsters. This whole experience has been a huge eye-opener for me."
NOTES: Your first nighttime plant. These are absolutely essential. They're
completely free, so definitely litter the whole battlefield with them
at the start, until you build up sun for better shrooms. I have also
used them as fodder to slow down some zombies. If you're wondering,
their range is 3 squares.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. SUN-SHROOM (sec3sunsh)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 25 RECHARGE: Fast
Sun-shrooms give small sun at first and normal sun later.
SUN PRODUCTION: Low, then normal
Sleeps during the day
Sun-shroom hates sun. He hates it so much that when it builds up in his
system, he spits it out as fast as he can. He just won't abide it. To him,
sun is crass.
NOTES: The nighttime sun plant. You can actually use Sunflowers during the
night stages, but I actually prefer this guy, at least at first. The
little suns (they give 15 Sun) are fine early on because shrooms are
cheap overall, and by the time you've littered the field with Puffs
and Fumes, your Sun-shrooms will be giving you bigger sun. In a long
level like Survival, I'll eventually replace them with Sunflowers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
K. FUME-SHROOM (sec3fume)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 75 RECHARGE: Fast
Fume-shrooms shoot fumes that can pass through screen doors.
DAMAGE: Normal, penetrates screen doors
RANGE: All zombies in the fume cloud
Sleeps during the day
"I was in a dead-end job producing yeast spores for a bakery," says
Fume-shroom. "Then Puff-shroom, bless 'im, told me about this great
opportunity blasting zombies. Now I really feel like I'm making a
difference."
NOTES: The bread-and-butter attacker for night stages. Their range is 4
squares, but they damage EVERY zombie in their cloud, whereas pea
plants hit only zombies in front of groups. Plus they're cheap, so
it's easy to litter the field with them. I do eventually upgrade to
bigger guns in Survival, though. Also, the Almanac doesn't say it,
but their spores ignore ladders as well, not just the doors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
L. GRAVE BUSTER (sec3grave)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 75 RECHARGE: Fast
Plant Grave Busters on graves to remove the graves.
USAGE: Single use, must be planted on graves
SPECIAL: Removes graves
Despite Grave Buster's fearsome appearance, he wants everyone to know that
he loves kittens and spends his off hours volunteering at a local zombie
rehabilitation center. "It's just the right thing to do," he says.
NOTES: Required for nighttime front lawn stages. You gotta kill off those
graves before the final flag. Zombies can still eat him, though, so be
careful when you plant him. Also, I'm not sure what he's supposed to
be based off of. Looks kind of like a tree trunk, I guess?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
M. HYPNO-SHROOM (sec3hypno)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 75 RECHARGE: Slow
When eaten, Hypno-shrooms will make a zombie turn around and fight for you.
USAGE: Single use, on contact
SPECIAL: Makes a zombie fight for you
Sleeps during the day
"Zombies are out friends," asserts Hypno-shroom. "They're badly
misunderstood creatures who play a valuable role in our ecology. We can and
should do more to bring them round to our way of thinking."
NOTES: I almost never used these guys outside of Adventure mode. To me it's
easier to just kill everything. However, if you want to make use of
it, aim to take over Football Zombies, and Dancing Zombies BEFORE
they summon their Backup Dancers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
N. SCAREDY-SHROOM (sec3scared)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 25 RECHARGE: Fast
Scaredy-shrooms are long-ranged shooters that hide when enemies get near
them.
DAMAGE: Normal
SPECIAL: Stops shooting when enemy is close
Sleeps during the day
"Who's there?" whispers Scaredy-shroom, voice barely audible. "Go away. I
don't want to see anybody. Unless it's the man from the circus."
NOTES: Outside of that one conveyor level, I never ever used these things. I
can see the point behind them: Extremely low cost, unlimited range,
backrow fighters. I found it easier to just litter the field with
Fume-shrooms until I had the sun for Snow Peas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O. ICE-SHROOM (sec3ice)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 75 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Ice-shrooms temporarily immobilize all zombies on the screen.
DAMAGE: Very light, immobilizes zombies
RANGE: All zombies on the screen
USAGE: Single use, instant
Sleeps during the day
Ice-shroom frowns, not because he's unhappy or disapproves, but because of
a childhood injury that left his facial nerves paralyzed.
NOTES: This guy is actually really useful, but despite that, I almost never
used him outside of the conveyor levels where he's absolutely needed.
The immobilization effect lasts about 2 seconds, which is more than
enough, trust me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P. DOOM-SHROOM (sec3doom)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 125 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Doom-shrooms destroy everything in a large area and leave a crater that
can't be planted on.
DAMAGE: Massive
RANGE: All zombies in a huge area
USAGE: Single use, instant
SPECIAL: Leaves a crater
Sleeps during the day
"You're lucky I'm on your side," says Doom-shroom. "I could destroy
everything you hold dear. It wouldn't be hard."
NOTES: God he looks so evil~ This is another shroom I basically never used.
His area of effect is quite large (I think it may be 7x7?) so it is
indeed very useful, I just never bothered. The crater is leaves is
not that bad a problem if you don't intend to plant there. Also,
the craters heal eventually.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. LILY PAD (sec3lily)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 25 RECHARGE: Fast
Lily pads let you plant non-aquatic plants on top of them.
SPECIAL: Non-aquatic plants can be planted on top of it.
Must be planted in water
Lily Pad never complains. Lily Pad never wants to know what's going on. Put
a plant on top of Lily Pad, he won't say a thing. Does he have startling
opinions or shocking secrets? Nobody knows. Lily Pad keeps it all inside.
NOTES: Absolutely required for pool levels. I have not much to say about him,
other than I find it annoying to be slapping so many of them down,
haha. Note that zombies will have to eat through them too, so they
can be fodder if necessary.
~~~~~~~~~
R. SQUASH (sec3squash)
~~~~~~~~~
COST: 50 RECHARGE: Slow
Squashes will smash the first zombie that gets close to it.
DAMAGE: Massive
RANGE: Short range, hits all zombies that it lands on
USAGE: Single use
"I'm ready!" yells Squash. "Let's do it! Put me in! There's nobody better!
I'm your guy! C'mon! Whaddya waiting for? I need this!"
NOTES: A low-cost massive-damage plant, and actually really useful, although
chances are you won't be killing more than one zombie with it. It's
perfect in a tight spot, though, and it can even kill things behind
it or on its own square. Also, I love the grunting noise he makes. :D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S. THREEPEATER (sec3three)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 325 RECHARGE: Fast
Threepeaters shoot peas in three lanes.
DAMAGE: Normal (for each pea)
RANGE: Three lanes
Threepeater likes reading, backgammon and long periods of immobility in the
park. Threepeater enjoys going to shows, particularly modern jazz. "I'm
just looking for that special someone," he says. Threepeater's favorite
number is 5.
NOTES: I think most people don't bother with this guy, but I actually think he
can be really fun on levels where I don't feel like using Gatling Peas
and putting up with their recharge time. If you're gonna use him, don't
bother putting any in the very top or very bottom lanes. Use Repeaters
instead. Also, another one of my favorite flavor texts in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T. TANGLE KELP (sec3kelp)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 25 RECHARGE: Slow
Tangle Kelp are aquatic plants that pull the first zombie that nears them
underwater.
DAMAGE: Massive
USAGE: Single use, on contact
Must be planted in water
"I'm totally invisible," Tangle Kelp thinks to himself. "I'll hide here
just below the surface and nobody will see me." His friends tell him they
can see him perfectly well, but he'll never change.
NOTES: Another overall pretty useful plant that I just never used much. The
main problem is that it only kills a single zombie, but it can still
be very useful in a pinch. The pool has much weaker zombies compared
to the land, though, so do what you'd like.
~~~~~~~~~~~
U. JALAPENO (sec3peno)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 125 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Jalapenos destroy an entire land of zombies.
DAMAGE: Massive
RANGE: All zombies in a land
USAGE: Single use, instant
"NNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!!!" Jalapeno says. He's not going to explode, not this
time. But soon. Oh, so soon. It's close. He knows it, he can feel it, his
whole life's been leading up to this moment.
NOTES: I didn't use this guy much, despite being incredibly useful, he's
REALLY the best on certain levels with Zombonis and Gargantuars. You
just gotta watch that recharge timer. Definitely a prime candidate
for an Imitater.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
V. SPIKEWEED (sec3weed)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 100 RECHARGE: Fast
Spikeweeds pop tires and hurt any zombies that step on them.
DAMAGE: Normal
RANGE: All zombies that walk over it
SPECIAL: Can't be eaten by zombies
Hockey is Spikeweed's obsession. He's got box seat season tickets. He keeps
close track of his favorite players. And he consistently cleans up in the
office pool. Just one problem: he's terrified of pucks.
NOTES: Yet another very useful plant I don't use too much. It's definitely
really good for shield-holding zombies if you're not using Magnets.
They ignore the shields and attack the zombie straight away. They
still have to eat away at headgear zombies, however, which is silly.
The BEST use you'll get out of it though is instantly killing Zombonis
and Catapults. The Spikeweed is also destroyed, however, so be sure to
re-plant!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
W. TORCHWOOD (sec3torch)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 175 RECHARGE: Fast
Torchwoods turn peas that pass through them into fireballs that deal twice
as much damage.
SPECIAL: Doubles the damage of peas tht pass through it. Fireballs deal damage
to nearby zombies on impact.
Everybody likes and respects Torchwood. They like him for his integrity,
for his steadfast friendship, for his ability to greatly maximize pea
damage. But Torchwood has a secret: he can't read.
NOTES: One of the best plants in the game. Place them in front of your pea
plants, behind your Nuts, and watch the waves of zombies fall. It's
like poetry in motion. Also the Almanac doesn't say it, but they
also melt frozen peas and turn them into normal peas. So either
don't use Snow Peas, or put them in FRONT of the Torchwoods. Fire
peas will also melt zombies that have been iced over, so it's kind
of funny to see them shift between frozen and unfrozen states
constantly.
~~~~~~~~~~~
X. TALL-NUT (sec3tall)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 125 RECHARGE: Slow
Tall-nuts are heavy-duty wall plants that can't be vaulted over.
TOUGHNESS: Very high
SPECIAL: Can't be vaulted or jumped over.
People wonder if there's a rivalry between Wall-nut and Tall-nut. Tall-nut
laughs a rich, baritone laugh. "How could there be anything between us? We
are brothers. If you knew what Wall-nut has done for me..." Tall-nut's
voice trails off and he smiles knowingly.
NOTES: Pretty much essential on all but the most hardcore of Gloom-shroom
builds. You can start with Wall-nuts, and then upgrade to these. Also
a must-have for any level with pogos, vaulters, or dolphins. I love
me some Tall-nuts. :D
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Y. SEA-SHROOM (sec3sea)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 0 RECHARGE: Slow
Sea-shrooms are aquatic plants that shoot short ranged spores.
DAMAGE: Normal
RANGE: Short
Must be planted in water
Sleeps during the day
Sea-shroom has never seen the sea. It's in his name, he's heard loads about
it, but he's just never found the time. One day, though, it'll go down.
NOTES: The aquatic version of the Puff-shroom. Free, short ranged, and good
for fodder. Only difference is the slow charge time. I definitely
toss a few of these in the pool before I lay down some better plants
on some Lily Pads.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Z. PLANTERN (sec3plantern)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 25 RECHARGE: Slow
Planterns light up an area, letting you see through fog.
RANGE: One lane
SPECIAL: Lets you see through fog
Plantern defies science. He just does. Other plants eat light and excrete
oxygen; Plantern eats darkness and excretes light. Plantern's cagey about
how he does it. "I'm not gonna say 'sorcery,' I wouldn't use the term
'dark forces,' I just... I think I've said enough."
NOTES: Very good for fog levels, but whether you'll want to use them or not is
up to you. You'd definitely have to keep them protected with nuts and
pumpkins, but if you're going for a specialized build, there may not be
any room for it, in which case you just use the Blover. Also, despite
what the Almanac says, the Plantern's range appears to be 3 lanes. You
can plant exactly two of them: Lane 2/Column 6 & Lane 5/Column 6, and
you'll be free of fog the entire level, if they stay alive.
~~~~~~~~~~
AA. CACTUS (sec3cactus)
~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 125 RECHARGE: Fast
Cactuses shoot spikes that can hit bother ground and air targets.
DAMAGE: Normal
RANGE: Ground and air
She's prickly, sure, but Cactus's spikes belie a spongy heart filled with
love and goodwill. She just wants to hug and be hugged. Most folks can't
hang with that, but Cactus doesn't mind. She's been seeing an armadillo
for a while and it really seems to be working out.
NOTES: I barely ever used this one. It's alright when Balloon Zombies are
introduced, but after you get the Blover, there's no point in ever
using a cactus again. Noteworthy though in that it's one of only a
few female plants.
~~~~~~~~~~
BB. BLOVER (sec3blover)
~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 100 RECHARGE: Fast
Blovers blow away all balloon zombies and fog.
USAGE: Single use, instant
SPECIAL: Blows away all balloon zombies
When Blover was five, he got a shiny new birthday cake. Blover made his
wish, huffed and puffed, but was able to extinguish only 60% of the
candles. Instead of giving up, though, he's used that early defeat as a
catalyst to push himself harder ever since.
NOTES: Almost required for fog levels, definitely required if there's Balloon
Zombies. There's other options for dealing with balloons, but I simply
love an instant use, fast recharge, relatively cheap Blover. Plus, he
is super cute.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CC. SPLIT PEA (sec3split)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 125 RECHARGE: Fast
Split Peas shoot peas forward and backwards.
DAMAGE: Normal
RANGE: Forward and backwards
FIRING SPEED: 1x forward, 2x backwards
"Yeah, I'm a Gemini," says Split Pea. "I know, big surprise. But having two
heads-- or really, one head with a large head-like growth on the back--
pays off big in my line of work."
NOTES: A Peashooter with a Repeater sticking out the back of its head. What a
cute little monstrocity. Unfortunately, I disagree with the flavor
text. I've pretty much never used him at all. His main usage appears
to be against Digger Zombies, but there's better options in case those
guys come up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DD. STARFRUIT (sec3star)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 125 RECHARGE: Fast
Starfruits shoot stars in 5 directions.
DAMAGE: Normal
RANGE: 5 directions
"Aw, man," says Starfruit. "I went to the dentist the other day and he said
I have four cavities. I've got-- count it-- ONE tooth! Four cavities in one
tooth? How does this happen?"
NOTES: Another plant I have absolutely never used. It shoots in five places,
sure, but none of them are really "forward." It's funny and useful
in that one scary conveyor level when you absolutely litter the place
with them, but otherwise, I can't find a use for the cute guy. :(
~~~~~~~~~~~
EE. PUMPKIN (sec3pumpkin)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 125 RECHARGE: Slow
Pumpkins protect plants that are within their shells.
TOUGHNESS: High
SPECIAL: Can be planted over another plant
Pumpkin hasn't heard from his cousin Renfield lately. Apparently Renfield's
a big star, some kind of... what was it... sports hero? Peggle Master?
Pumpkin doesn't get it. He just does his job.
NOTES: An essential plant on any level that's gonna get really long or really
nasty. I love planting these around Tall-nuts as well as the first few
rows of my attackers, in the case of Pole Vaulters or submerged
zombies in the pool. It's also my prime candidate for an Imitater. You
just can't go wrong with Pumpkin. Got a great flavor text, too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FF. MAGNET-SHROOM (sec3magnet)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 100 RECHARGE: Fast
Magnet-shrooms remove helmets and other metal objects from zombies.
RANGE: Nearby zombies
SPECIAL: Removes metal objects from zombies
Sleeps during the day
Magnetism is a powerful force. Very powerful. Sometimes it scares
Magnet-shroom a little. He's not sure if he can handle that kind of
responsibility.
NOTES: Another of the best plants in the game, and the top candidate for a
Coffee Bean. The amount of tough zombies this thing makes completely
irrelevant is just ridiculous. Their range is a couple squares, and
they do take a little while to get rid of their metal prizes once
they've pilfered, so the more you have, the better. One column should
do the trick.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GG. CABBAGE-PULT (sec3cabbage)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 100 RECHARGE: Fast
Cabbage-pults hurl cabbages at the enemy.
DAMAGE: Normal
RANGE: Lobbed
Cabbage-pult is okay with launching cabbages at zombies. It's what he's
paid for, after all, and he's good at it. He just doesn't understand how
the zombies get up on the roof in the first place.
NOTES: The first & most basic catapult, for the roof levels. There's a little
bit of confusion with this one, as I'll explain below. In terms of
catapult-ness, this one is alright, I guess, but I prefer the other
ones. I'll use this one early on if I want the extra damage, before I
have a lot of sun to work with.
INFO: The catapults here might be a little confusing when looking over all
the plants in the Almanac. The damage of the Cabbage-pult is listed as
"normal," which is the same as a Peashooter. However, Cabbages actually
do more damage than peas; Peas are basically 1 unit of damage, while
cabbages are 2. However, catapults fire only once every 2 seconds, so the
two plants both do the same damage over the same time. This will easily
cause some confusion, but let's just say that 2 damage is "normal" for
catapult plants. Also, one awesome thing to remember for ALL catapults:
They attack right onto the heads of zombies, so they ignore shields like
Screen Doors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HH. FLOWER POT (sec3pot)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 25 RECHARGE: Fast
Flower Pots let you plant on the roof.
SPECIAL: Allows you to play on the roof
"I'm a pot for planting. Yet I'm also a plant. HAS YOUR MIND EXPLODED YET?"
NOTES: Absolutely required for the roof stages. That's about it. I damn well
hate those stages because of all the damn Flower Pot micromanagement
I have to do, but that's what makes them challenging, haha. Also, the
shortest Plant flavor text in the game!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
II. KERNEL-PULT (sec3kernel)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 100 RECHARGE: Fast
Kernel-pults fling corn kernels and butter at zombies.
DAMAGE: Light (kernal), normal (butter)
RANGE: Lobbed
SPECIAL: Butter immobilizes zombies
Kernel-pult is the eldest of the Pult brothers. Of the three of them,
Kernel is the only one who consistently remembers the others' birthdays.
He bugs them about it a little, too.
NOTES: One of the best plants in the game, I'd say. The kernels have damage
equal to peas, but the butter is equal to cabbages, and causes a two
second immobilization. The butter comes out seemingly at complete
random, but it will prove to be essential in the roof levels, trust
me. The more of these there are, the more butter will be flung!
INFO: As noted above with the Cabbage-pult, there's some possible confusion
with this plant. The damage is listed as "light," but that's because the
kernels do 1 damage, in comparison to the 2 damage done by cabbages and
butter, while still having the 2-second firing time. So... Peashooter
and Kernels do the same damage, yet one is "normal" and one is "light."
Again, the Almanac is taking the firing rate into account, as well as
the cabbages, so 1 damage is "light" for catapults.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JJ. COFFEE BEAN (sec3coffee)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 75 RECHARGE: Fast
Use Coffee Beans to wake up sleeping mushrooms.
USAGE: Single use, instant
SPECIAL: Can be planted over another plant, wakes up mushrooms
"Hey, guys, hey!" says Coffee Bean. "Hey! What's up? Who's that? Hey! Didja
see that thing? What thing? Whoa! Lions!" Yep, Coffee Bean sure does get
excited.
NOTES: Here's what you need to use in order to use those damn sleeping shrooms
during the day levels. Unfortunately, there's very little worth using
these on. The whole point of shrooms is to be cheap for the nighttime
stages. In my opinion, the only targets for these are Magnet, Gloom,
Fume, and Ice. Everything else, don't even bother.
~~~~~~~~~~
KK. GARLIC (sec3garlic)
~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 50 RECHARGE: Fast
Garlic diverts zombies into other lanes.
USAGE: On contact
SPECIAL: Diverts zombies into other lanes
Lane-diversion isn't just Garlic's profession. It's his passion. He carries
an advanced Doctorate in Redirection from the Brussels University. He'll
talk all day about lane vectors and repulse arrays. He even pushes things
into alternate avenues at home. Somehow his wife puts up with it.
NOTES: This is a really awesome plant if you're going for a strategy that
uses him. You can use an entire lane for non-attacking plants, and
put a Garlic at the front. Unless it's a pool level, the lane the
zombies move to is random, so watch for that. Also gotta make sure
to replace the Garlics if they take too much damage. Also, another
of my favorite flavor texts in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LL. UMBRELLA LEAF (sec3leaf)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 100 RECHARGE: Fast
Umbrella Leaves protect nearby plants from bungees and catapults.
SPECIAL: Protects adjacent plants from bungees and catapults
"SPROING!" says Umbrella Leaf. "Didja like that? I can do it again.
SPROING! Woo! That's me popping up to protect stuff around me. Yeah. Just
like that. EXACTLY like that. Believe it."
NOTES: A required plant on the Roof levels in Adventure, and possibly in
Survival. Bungee Zombies are an absolute nuisance. They protect a 3x3
area around them, so there's a few spots you can place them im the
level and be completely protected. I also make sure to Pumpkin any in
the front.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
MM. MARIGOLD (sec3mari)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 50 RECHARGE: Slow
Marigolds give you silver and gold coins.
SPECIAL: Gives coins
Marigold spends a lot of time deciding whether to spit out a silver coin or
a gold one. She thinks about it, weighs the angles. She does solid research
and keeps up with current publications. That's how winners stay ahead.
NOTES: Completely useless in normal play, but very good for money farming when
you have the Last Stand minigame unlocked. I've stumbled upon several
good strategies for using Last Stand to get easy money. I've also used
some in the easy Survival levels before I had Last Stand. Also, she's
adorable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NN. MELON-PULT (sec3melon)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 300 RECHARGE: Fast
Melon-pults do heavy damage to groups of zombies.
DAMAGE: Heavy
RANGE: Lobbed
SPECIAL: Melons damage nearby enemies on impact.
There's no false modesty with Melon-pult. "Sun-for-damage, I deliver the
biggest punch on the lawn," he says. "I'm not bragging. Run the numbers.
You'll see."
NOTES: The big baddy of the pults. Very expensive, though. I tend to only use
Kernel-pults, unless the level is going to be long enough and I'll be
swimming in sun. If that happens, you better be using the Winter
Melons as well. In case it's not obvious, the melons do splash damage
on top of direct hit damage. What ISN'T said though is that the splash
damage is only half the direct hit damage, but that's to be expected.
INFO: Since I went into specifics on the Cabbage and Kernel catapults, I guess
I could do some more here. Melons fire once every 2 seconds just like the
other two. The difference is the damage: Melons are 4 damage on direct
hit, and the splash damage (in the 3x3 area around the direct hit) is 2
damage. Other zombies in the same square might take splash damage
instead of direct hit, but I'm not sure. Still, it's pretty awesome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
OO. GATLING PEA (sec3gatling)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 250 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Gatling Peas shoot four peas at a time.
DAMAGE: Normal (for each pea)
FIRING SPEED: 4x
Must be planted on Repeaters
Gatling Pea's parents were concerned when he announced his intention to
join the military. "But honey, it's so dangerous!" they said in unison.
Gatling Pea refused to budge. "Life is dangerous," he replied, eyes
glinting with steely conviction.
NOTES: The first of the upgrade plants! Overall, upgrade plants are pretty
hit-or-miss, but Gatling Peas are very good fun if you're using
a Repeater-Torchwood build and have a ton of Sun to throw around.
The 4 PPS (peas-per-second) is just awesome, and very little can
withstand it. Just gotta watch the price, is all. Also, this is
probably by absolute favorite flavor text in the game. It's just
beautiful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PP. TWIN SUNFLOWER (sec3twin)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 150 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Twin Sunflowers give twice as much sun as a normal sunflower.
SUN PRODUCTION: Double
Must be planted on Sunflowers
It was a crazed night of forbidden science that brought Twin Sunflower into
existence. Thunder crashed overhead, strange lights flickered, even the
very roaring wind seemed to hiss its angry denial. But to no avail. Twin
Sunflower was alive, ALIVE!
NOTES: I think a lot of people may ignore this one, but I love it. If I can
plant one, I'm planting it. You may not need to upgrade EVERY one of
your Sunflowers with it, unless the level is quite long, but with
enough of these guys out, your Sun count is gonna be mesmerizing. If
you don't necessarily need a "mesmerizing" sun count, then notice: One
column of Twinflowers will give you the same sun production as two
columns of regular Sunflowers. That leaves an extra column for offense!
Also, of course, one of the best flavor texts in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
QQ. GLOOM-SHROOM (sec3gloom)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 150 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Gloom-shrooms release heavy fumes in an area around themselves.
Must be planted on Fume-shrooms
"I've always enjoyed releasing heavy fumes," says Gloom-shroom. "I know a
lot of people aren't cool with that. They say it's rude or that it smells
bad. All I can say is, would you rather have your brain eaten by zombies?"
NOTES: One of the best plants in the game. A Gloom-shroom + Garlic funnel
strategy is one of the strongest setups in just about any level in the
game that you could possibly use it on. The Almanac is a little empty
with this one, though. I think its cloud does "normal" damage, but it
shoots 4 times per second (or per 2 seconds?) in the 3x3 area around it,
and on its own square. Also, it sleeps during the day, but it will be
awake if you Coffee Beam the Fume first. I'm not sure if it ignores
Screen Doors and Ladders like the Fume, however. Doesn't seem like it.
~~~~~~~~~~~
RR. CATTAIL (sec3cat)
~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 225 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Cattails can attack any lane and shoot down balloon zombies too.
Must be planted on Lily Pads
"Woof!" says Cattail. "Woof woof woof! Doest his confuse you? Do you expect
me to say 'Meow' like a cat just because the word 'cat' is in my name and I
also look like a cat? That's not how things work around here. I refuse to
be pigeonholed."
NOTES: I've almost never used this adorable pile of kitty. I think its damage
is just "normal," and sure it can attack every lane, but I'm just fine
with the stuff I have in the lanes. It is definitely amazing for those
Balloon Zombies though, since they will prioritize popping balloons
instead of anything else. Otherwise, they'll attack whatever zombie is
closest, including ones BEHIND the Cattails. Use these on long Survival
levels to deal with Balloons (especially on Endless), otherwise, I see
little point. But hey, one of the best flavor texts in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SS. WINTER MELON (sec3winter)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 200 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Winter Melons do heavy damage and slow groups of zombies.
DAMAGE: Very heavy*
RANGE: Lobbed
FIRING SPEED: 1/2x*
SPECIAL: Melons damage and freeze nearby enemies on impact
Must be planted on Melon-pults
Winter Melons tries to calm his nerves. He hears the zombies approach. Will
he make it? Will anyone make it?
* = See the INFO below
NOTES: If you're gonna be using Melon-pults, then definitely bring this one
along. You may not need to upgrade EVERY Melon you have, but you might
as well if you have the sun and the time. They're the same as normal
Melon-pults (see below), but their damage (including splash!) causes
the same slowdown effect as Snow Peas! These are absolutely devastating
when enough of them are used. Tons of damage, mass slowdown, and all
the normal advantages of catapults. I love 'em.
INFO: Here it is... The most flawed Almanac entry in the game. While the other
catapults were basically being compared to the Cabbage-pult (2 damage is
"normal", no mention of firing rate), this plant is actually being
compared to the Peashooter plant. Hence, "very heavy" is used as the
damage, and firing speed is actually mentioned as being "1/2x." If you
compare this to Melon-pult, it makes it seem like the Winter Melon does
more damage, but fires even slower. This is not the case: Winter Melon
has the exact same damage (4 direct, 2 splash) and firing rate (1 shot
every 2 seconds) as the normal Melon-pult. For whatever reason, this
Almanac entry is compared to the Peashooter rather than the Cabbage-pult.
So... Don't get confused! I guess. Haha.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TT. GOLD MAGNET (sec3gold)</pre><pre id="faqspan-2">
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 50 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Gold Magnets collect coins and diamonds for you.
Must be planted on Magnet-shrooms
"How did I end up here?" asks Gold Magnet. "I was on the fast track--
corner office, full benefits, stock options. I was gonna be Vice President
Midwestern Operations. Now I'm here, on this lawn, in serious danger of
being eaten to death. Ooh! A coin!"
NOTES: Completely useless in normal play. These are meant to be used in those
Marigold Last Stand builds I mentioned before. In that case, they're
very useful. Though it should be noted that their range is limited,
and their coin-collecting movement appears to be a little random. So
move your cursor around and get coins with it. Also, you won't need
a Coffee Bean to wake up your Magnet-shroom OR the Gold Magnet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UU. SPIKEROCK (sec3rock)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 125 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Spikerocks pop multiple tires and damage zombies that walk over it.
Must be planted on Spikeweeds
Spikerock just got back from a trip to Europe. He had a great time, met
some wonderful people, really broadened his horizons. He never knew they
made museums so big, or put so many paintings in them. That was a big
surprise for him.
NOTES: If you're gonna be using Spikeweeds, you should probably bring this
guy along. I think it does more damage, still cannot be eaten, and
it will go through multiple Zombonis and Catapults without being
destroyed immediately like the Spikeweeds. Not many zombies can
withstand all your attacking plants after they've walked over a few
Spikeweeds/rocks. Plus Zombonis are horrifying. In addition, this
is easily the best non-sequiter flavor text in the game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
VV. COB CANNON (sec3cannon)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COST: 500 RECHARGE: Very Slow
Press (A) on the Cob Cannon to launch deadly cobs of corn.
Must be planted on 2 side-by-side Kernel-pults
What's the deal with Cob Cannon, anyway? He went to Harvard. He practices
law in a prestigious New York firm. He can explode whole areas of zombies
with a single corn-launch. All this is common knowledge. But deep inside,
what really makes him tick?
NOTES: Now this is some awesome stuff. I've used this just to mess around,
otherwise having a couple of these in the water during Survival:
Endless is absolutely necessary to win. It takes a lot of effort to
get out (700 sun total), but being able to fire giant corn cobs that
do "Massive" damage in a 3x3 range anywhere you want to fire them on
the screen? Awesome. They do have to take some time before they arm
themselves with a new cob, however, so you gotta watch that. Also,
they can be eaten just as fast as any other plant, despite their
large size. What's up with that? And you can't even Pumpkin them to
avoid that. Lame.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
WW. IMITATER (sec3tater)
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Imitaters let you use two of the same plant during a level!
"I remember the Zombie Wars back in '76," says Imitater in a rapsy,
old-man's voice. "Back then, we didn't have all these fancy peashooters and
jalapenos. All we had was guts. Guts and a spoon."
NOTES: I think I've seen people ignore this guy altogether, but he can be
really REALLY useful if he's imitating the right plant. Imitater is an
exact replica of whatever plant you pick to imitate, including Cost,
Recharge, and all the general Notes. Two things to note, though: One,
it takes Imitater a few seconds to transform, so don't let it get
eaten. And two, it cannot copy Upgrade plants. My favorite targets for
Imitater are Pumpkin, Tall-nut, Jalapeno, Sun-shroom, and Cherry Bomb.
===============================================================================
SECTION 4. ZOMBIE INFORMATION (sec4zombie)
===============================================================================
And now we have the (somewhat) adorable weapons of destruction that are trying
to eat all of your everything! There's not nearly as many of these guys as
there are plants, so that's good for my fingers. As before, here's a little
key for reading the entries:
General notes listed in the Almanac are here, if any
OTHER STUFF: Things like "Toughness" and "Speed" are here
Hilarious flavor text goes here
NOTES: These are little things I have to say about each zombie
EXTRA: This is extra stuff I feel I should mention about a given zombie
~~~~~~~~~
A. ZOMBIE (sec4reg)
~~~~~~~~~
Regular Garden-variety Zombie
TOUGHNESS: Low
This zombie loves brains. Can't eat enough. Brains, brains, brains, day in
and night out. Old and stinky brains? Rotten brains? Brains clearly past
their prime? Doesn't matter. Regular zombie wants 'em.
NOTES: Thank goodness for you and your super low health. :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
B. FLAG ZOMBIE (sec4flag)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Flag Zombie marks the arrival of a huge pile or "wave" of zombies.
TOUGHNESS: Low
Make no mistake, Flag Zombie loves brains. But somewhere down the line he
also picked up a fascination with flags. Maybe it's because the flags always
have brains on them. Hard to say.
NOTES: This one is simply the first one to die at each huge wave. Mwahaha.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
C. CONEHEAD ZOMBIE (sec4cone)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His traffic cone headpiece makes him twice as tough as normal zombies.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
Conehead Zombie shuffled mindlessly forward like every other zombie. But
something made him stop, made him pick up a traffic cone and stick it on his
head. Oh yeah. He likes to party.
NOTES: The very first zombie in the game that will annoy you if you don't have
a suitable attack force yet. Also one of the funnier flavor texts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
D. POLE VAULTING ZOMBIE (sec4pole)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pole Vaulting Zombie vaults with a pole.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPEED: Fast, then normal (after jump)
SPECIAL: Jumps the first plant he runs into
Some zombies take it further, aspire more, push themselves beyond the
normal into greatness. That's Pole Vaulting Zombie right there. That is so
him.
NOTES: This guy is gonna piss you off if you don't have Tall-nuts up yet.
If you do, then he's hardly a threat. He's annoying in Wall-nut Bowling,
though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E. BUCKETHEAD ZOMBIE (sec4bucket)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His bucket hat makes him extremely resistant to damage.
TOUGHNESS: High
WEAKNESS: Magnet-shroom
Buckethead Zombie always wore a bucket. Part of it was to assert his
uniqueness in an uncaring world. Mostly he just forgot it was there in the
first place.
NOTES: I almost always use Magnet-shrooms if a level is long enough, because
of these guys, but also some other zombies that are coming up soon.
Man I love Magnet-shrooms.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
F. NEWSPAPER ZOMBIE (sec4paper)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His newspaper provides limited defense.
TOUGHNESS: Low
NEWSPAPER TOUGHNESS: Low
SPEED: Normal, then fast (after losing newspaper)
Newspaper Zombie was *this* close to finishing his sudoku puzzle. No wonder
he's freaking out.
NOTES: I'm not sure, but I think flaming peas might kill off his newspaper in
one shot. Also, he's barely a threat, since after his newspaper is
destroyed, he stands there for a second, exposing him to damage before
he can really start running toward you. He may be a nuisance in the
Wall-nut Bowling game, though.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
G. SCREEN DOOR ZOMBIE (sec4door)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
His screen door is an effective shield.
TOUGHNESS: Low
SCREEN DOOR TOUGHNESS: High
WEAKNESS: Fume-shroom and Magnet-shroom
He got his screen door from the last inexpertly defended home he visited,
after he ATE THE HOMEOWNER'S BRAINS.
NOTES: These guys are very annoying when they march at the front of a line,
since it'll take a while to punch through that screen door. Unless
you have Magnet-shrooms, of course. Fume-shrooms also make him
irrelevant on nighttime levels. It's worth noting that Snow Peas will
not affect him until that door is gone. Catapults and Spikeweeds/rocks
will also completely ignore his shield.
EXTRA: There's a zombie that's not mentioned in the Almanac: the Trash Can
Zombie. He's basically exactly like a Screen Door zombie; no headgear
and holding a shield that blocks attacks. Hence, it has all the same
weaknesses as the Screen Door zombie, except possibly the Fume-shroom.
I figured this was the best place to mention him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
H. FOOTBALL ZOMBIE (sec4football)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Football Zombie makes the big plays.
TOUGHNESS: Very High
SPEED: Fast
WEAKNESS: Magnet-shroom
Football Zombie gives 110 percent whenever he's on the field. He's a team
player who delivers both offensively and defensively. He has no idea what a
football is.
NOTES: Thank goodness for that Magnet-shroom weakness, cause these guys are
one annoying zombie without it. Enough firepower can take these guys
out without the magnets, but expect to take some chewings. Also, another
one of the funnier flavor texts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I. DANCING ZOMBIE (sec4dancing)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Any resemblance between Dancing Zombie and persons living or dead is purely
coincidental.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPECIAL: Summons back-up dancers
Dancing Zombie's latest album, "GrarrBRAINSarblarbl," is already rocketing
up the undead charts.
NOTES: The only thing I find really annoying about these guys is that the
Backup Dancers can appear slightly past your defenses if you have them
set up far enough forward. Otherwise, they're not too bad. Bonus points
if you can get him under the effects of a Hypno-shroom before he
summons his backups. All 5 of them will be under your control! Also I
think the intro text is a little lame now that the Dancing Zombie no
longer looks like Michael Jackson. :(
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
J. BACKUP DANCER (sec4backup)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These zombies appear in sets of four whenever Dancing Zombie rocks out.
TOUGHNESS: Low
Backup Dancer Zombie spent six years perfecting his art at the Chewliard
Performing Arts School in Zombie New York City.
NOTES: Not much to say about these guys, other than to watch for the one that
may appear slightly inside your defenses.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
K. DUCKY TUBE ZOMBIE (sec4ducky)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The ducky tube allows this zombie to float on water.
TOUGHNESS: Low
Only appears in the pool
It takes a certain kind of zombie to be a Ducky Tuber. Not every zombie can
handle it. Some crack. They can't take it. They walk away and give up on
brains forever.
NOTES: The Almanac doesn't say so, but these guys can also appear in Conehead
and Buckethead variety, which will obviously give them a different
Toughness rating. Even more annoying are the ones that appear out of
the pool a few squares from the normal zombie entry point. Also, might
be the funniest of all zombie flavor texts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
L. SNORKEL ZOMBIE (sec4snorkel)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Snorkel Zombies can swim underwater.
TOUGHNESS: Low
SPECIAL: Submerges to avoid attacks
Only appears in the pool
Zombies don't breathe. They don't need air. So why does Snorkel Zombie need
a snorkel to swim underwater? Answer: peer pressure.
NOTES: Gotta have some sort of Nut in the water just for these guys. They will
avoid attacks unless they're eating, otherwise they're as weak as the
weakest zombies.
~~~~~~~~~~
M. ZOMBONI (sec4zomboni)
~~~~~~~~~~
The Zomboni applies ice, steam, and pressure to your plants.
TOUGHNESS: High
SPECIAL: Crushes plants, leaves an ice trail
Not to be mistaken for a Zamboni® brand ice resurfacing machine. Zamboni®
and the image of the ice-resurfacing machine are registered trademarks of
Frank J. Zamboni & Co., Inc., and "Zomboni" is used with permission. For
all your non-zombie-related ice resurfacing needs, visit www.zamboni.com!
NOTES: Spikeweeds are absolutely required if you're dealing with these guys.
Unless they appear on the roof, which is one of the meanest things
this game has done to me. Spikerocks and various Massive damage plants
are also useful, especially Jalapenos to melt those pesky ice trails.
Also the longest and perhaps silliest flavor text in the game.
EXTRA: This guy actually had a different flavor text in the PC version of the
game at one point. I have no idea why it was changed, because it's
actually funnier than the existing one. I'll put it down here:
Often mistaken for a zombie driving an ice machine, the Zomboni is a
totally different life-form more closely related to a space ogre than
a zombie.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
N. ZOMBIE BOBSLED TEAM (sec4bobsled)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
These zombies appear in teams of four.
TOUGHNESS: Low (each zombie)
BOBSLED TOUGHNESS: Low
SPECIAL: Only appears on ice
Zombie Bobsled Team worked hard to get where they are. They live together,
eat brains together and train together to become a cohesive zombie unit.
NOTES: These guys are actually incredibly rare. I honestly can't remember
seeing them much outside of the Bobsled Bonanza minigame, where they
are VERY dangerous. As long as you don't have a really long ice trail
on a level where they appear, they're not much of a threat.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
O. DOLPHIN RIDER ZOMBIE (sec4dolphin)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dolphin Rider Zombies use dolphins to exploit weaknesses in your pool
defense.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPEED: Fast, then slow (after jump)
SPECIAL: Jumps over the first plant he runs into
Only appears in the pool.
The dolphin is also a zombie.
NOTES: The water versions of Pole Vaulter Zombies. And likewise, Tall-nuts
will make them irrelevant. What IS relevant though is the shortest
flavor text in the game!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
P. JACK-IN-THE-BOX ZOMBIE (sec4jack)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This zombie carries an explosive surprise.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPEED: Fast
SPECIAL: Jack-in-the-Box explodes
WEAKNESS: Magnet-shroom
This zombie shivers, not because he's cold but because he's crazy.
NOTES: This guy would be an absolute pain to deal with if it weren't for the
shining beacon of hope known as the Magnet-shroom. Otherwise, he can
explode in... I think a 3x3 area, completely wrecking any sort of
defense you have in 3 lanes. The explosion is completely random, so
hopefully you can kill him or Magnet-shroom his weapon before he nukes
anything you have set up. Possibly your most feared enemy in Survival:
Endless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. BALLOON ZOMBIE (sec4balloon)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Balloon Zombie floats above the fray, immune to most attacks.
TOUGHNESS: Low
SPECIAL: Flying
WEAKNESS: Cactus and Blover
Balloon Zombie really lucked out. The balloon thing really works and none of
the other zombies have picked up on it.
NOTES: This guy is made completely irrelevant just by Blovers. Catcus and
Cattail also work very well, but I find it to be far simplier to just
plant a Blover and send a whole horde of them flying. Do NOT forget any
of those 3 if you notice that Balloon Zombies are in the level.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
R. DIGGER ZOMBIE (sec4digger)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This zombie digs to bypass your defenses.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPEED: Fast, then slow
SPECIAL: Tunnels underground and appears on the left side of the lawn
WEAKNESS: Split Pea and Magnet-shroom
Digger Zombie spends three days a week getting his excavation permits in
order.
NOTES: Another zombie made irrelevant by Magnet-shrooms. Which is very nice,
because otherwise this guy is trouble. He tunnels to the back of your
lawn, gets dizzy, and then starts eating your plants from the left
to the right. If you don't have Magnets or can't use them, then saving
the back row for Squashes or Potato Mines is a nice idea, or Pumpkin
your Sunflowers and plant some Split Peas.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
S. POGO ZOMBIE (sec4pogo)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pogo Zombie hops to bypass your defenses.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPECIAL: Hops over plants
WEAKNESS: Magnet-shroom
Sproing! Sproing! Sproing! That's the sound of a powerful and effective
zombie doing what he does best.
NOTES: Despite what the Almanac says, I don't find him very effective at all.
He is destroyed not only by Magnet-shrooms, but Tall-nuts as well! So
if you aren't using Magnets, the Tall-nuts you very likely are using
are all you need to ruin his day. If you don't have either, then you
may be in trouble.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T. ZOMBIE YETI (sec4yeti)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A rare and curious creature.
TOUGHNESS: High
SPECIAL: Runs away after a short while
Little is known about the Zombie Yeti other than his name, birth date,
social security number, educational history, past work experience and
sandwich preference (roast beef and swiss).
NOTES: An incredibly rare find indeed. You only start seeing him on your 2nd
run through Adventure, and even then you probably won't. I actually
first saw him on the thunderstorm conveyor level, and I killed him,
too! I saw him again on the Heavy Weapon game at the very end, but he
got away. :( Also, excellent flavor text.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U. BUNGEE ZOMBIE (sec4bungee)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bungee Zombie attacks from above.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPECIAL: Descends from the sky and steals a plant
Bungee Zombie loves to take risks. After all, what's the point of being
dead if you don't live a little?
NOTES: These zombies might just anger you more than any other non-giant ones.
In Roof levels, they drop down to leave some zombies in the middle of
the level, but if they actually show up on the enemy list, then you're
in trouble because of that damn plant stealing thing. Thankfully, a few
Umbrella Leaves in the right spots will render them harmless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
V. LADDER ZOMBIE (sec4ladder)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ladder Zombie climbs over obstacles.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
LADDER TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPEED: Fast, then slow (after placing ladder)
WEAKNESS: Fume-shroom and Magnet-shroom
He picked up the ladder for $8.99.
NOTES: Another day, another zombie made irrelevant by the Magnet-shroom. And
if there is any zombie you want to have the Magnet-shroom ready for,
it's this one. Just one ladder means that any and all zombies in that
lane can climb right over your Tall-nuts. Not good. Magnet-shrooms can
also pick up placed ladders, I believe, and stuff like Cherry Bombs
can dislodge them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
W. CATAPULT ZOMBIE (sec4pult)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Catapult Zombie operates heavy machinery.
TOUGHNESS: Medium
SPECIAL: Lobs basketballs at your plants
Of all the things Catapult Zombie could launch with his catapult,
basketballs seemed like the best and most obvious choice.
NOTES: Spikeweeds & Spikerocks make him useless, much like Zombonis. However,
he first appears on the Roof. In which case, Umbrella Leaves make him
useless! If you don't have either of those, then your Sunflowers in the
back are gonna take a beating. Use Pumpkins on them, in that case.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
X. GARGANTUAR (sec4gargan)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gargantuar is a gigantic zombie.
TOUGHNESS: Extremely high
When Gargantuar walks, the earth trembles. When he moans, other zombies
fall silent. He is the zombie other zombies dream they could be. But he
still can't find a girlfriend.
NOTES: And here he is, the most annoying zombie in the entire game! It takes
TWO plants that deal "Massive" damage to take this guy out, or just a
ton of normal fire from whatever else you have. He does not eat any of
your plants, but rather smashes them for instant kills. Spikerocks are
the exception: it will actually take several hits to get past them.
Make sure you have plenty of instants to deal with this guy. Also for
hilarity's sake, sometimes the Gargantuar will be wielding another
zombie instead of a telephone pole.
EXTRA: In Survival: Endless, there's another version of the Gargantuar, called
the Giga-Gargantuar. This version has red eyes, and takes __FOUR__
sources of "Massive" damage to take down. That's just ridiculous!
~~~~~~
Y. IMP (sec4imp)
~~~~~~
Imps are tiny zombies hurled by Gargantuar deep into your defenses.
TOUGHNESS: Low
Imp may be small, but he's wiry. He's proficient in zombie judo, zombie
karate and zombie bare-knuckle brawling. He also plays the melodica.
NOTES: As if Gargantuar wasn't bad enough on his own, he's gotta hurl this
thing at you when he loses half his health. This guy may be weak, but I
guarantee he'll eat at least one plant before he dies. And if there's
nothing to attack him, you're gonna lose a lawnmower. Definitely
Pumpkin everything in your middle-back rows to prevent the death of
your plants. I'd also recommend Jalapeno. Gargantuar hits 50% health,
throws this guy, Jalapeno kills them both. Awesome.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Z. DR. ZOMBOSS (sec4zomboss)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dr. Zomboss rules them all.
TOUGHNESS: Extreme (in Zombot shell)
Edgar George Zomboss achieved his Doctorate in Thanatology in only two
years. Quickly mastering thanatological technology, he built his fearsome
Zombot and set about establishing absolute dominance of his local
subdivision.
NOTES: Behold! The final boss of the game! This guy is no joke, and one heck
of an intense fight, and yet, pretty fun. Just make sure to quickly
replace everything he destroys or steals. I think he looks wicked
cool, too.
===============================================================================
SECTION 5. UPDATE LIST (sec5update)
===============================================================================
11/01/10 - VERSION 1.25
I decided to go back through the FAQ and update the info on several plants and
zombies to be more helpful, and also correct any errors I might have left in
the text. Here is a full list of everything that got at least some kind of
notable revision:
Potato Mine (change)
Spikeweed (more info)
Cabbage-pult (change & new info)
Kernel-pult (new info)
Coffee Bean (change)
Melon-pult (new info)
Twin Sunflower (more info)
Gloom-shroom (change)
Cattail (more info)
Winter Melon (change & new info)
Cob Cannon (change)
Screen Door Zombie (new info)
Jack-in-the-Box Zombie (change)
Gargantuar (new info)
Imp (more info)
Various minor changes all over the FAQ
~~~
10/19/10 - VERSION 1.05
Quick update here. I added the original flavor text for the Zomboni, courtesy
of a friend of mine. Also, a few text errors here and there I spotted.
~~~
10/18/10 - VERSION 1.00
The first... and most likely final update to the FAQ! It is what it is. If I
feel the need to add or update anything, possibly based off of things sent to
me, then I shall. Until then, enjoy the hilarity.
===============================================================================
SECTION 6. CONTACT INFO (sec6contact)
===============================================================================
If you'd like to get in touch with me, to ask a question or to submit/correct
something to/in the FAQ, that'd be great. My e-mail is the following, with the
normal signs (@ and .) removed to keep away spam bots:
SmokeRulz ~at~ gmail ~dot~ com
Please provide a clear subject header, such as "Plants vs. Zombies FAQ," so I
know what you're e-mailing me about. E-mails with a weird or no subject will
likely not be read.
I have instant messenger names as well, but I will not give them out here. If
you *really* feel like you need to speak to me over one, simply ask for it over
e-mail. I use AIM, YIM, and MSN via the Trillian multi-messenger program.
===============================================================================
SECTION 7. THANKS & CREDITS (sec7thanks)
===============================================================================
Thanks to PopCap Games, for creating such a neat, fun, and addicting game. And
for releasing such a cool version on the 360!
Thanks to CJayC and the GameFAQs.com crew for hosting this FAQ, and for just
having such a neat and helpful site.
Thanks to my friend Luke for pointing out the Zomboni's original flavor text.
And thank YOU, for reading. :)
===============================================================================
-=*=- END OF FAQ -=*=-
Copyright ©2010 Joshua Cobb, aka Smoke_Rulz
