The Waterfront 5and5 strategy is used for high rounds (and other categories) in solo or co-op runs. This 8 to 13 SPH strategy requires acquiring the Keeper Sword, using it in the entrance zone of the Waterfront district. Blast Furnace and Fire Works is used to recharge the Keeper Sword, with the Apothicon Servant as the your free ticket to escape many downs. A Rocket Shield is built in Waterfront. The entrance and electrical staircase connected must be closed off. A player running an active sword or horde up starts in the middle of the alley, never going past the trap. Perform circles and half circles, either killing with your special weapon, or to horde up for a Blast Furnace shot as far back as the closed door. When your shield is low on health or broken, leave the alley with full horde, using AATs to kill, then running to the crafting table and back to the alley, using an AAT once more as you pass the GobbleGum machine returning. Buy ammo when passing through as well. Use Li'l Arnies and the Civil Protector landing splash damage to kill the Margwas. Push your gum cycle to Alchemical Antithesis as much as possible (which is a required GobbleGum). Get Juggernog, Stamin-Up, Mule Kick, and Double Tap (or Quick Revive). Expect to be fully setup by round 25 to 30, navigating the full map three times over. 

Loadout and Options

Here is the necessary loadout for player(s) when playing. Some options exist for perks and GobbleGums as well.

Perks

Juggernog, Stamin-Up, and Mule Kick are required to have. Double Tap or Quick Revive are your last options. Double Tap increases AAT consistency and faster kills on parasites and elementals. Civil Protector can be used to reset perks if dying in front of him. For example, acquiring Double Tap for a portion, then switching to later on Quick Revive, for safety. 

Weapons

HVK-30 and Kuda are recommended for early to late game. The Apothicon Servant will be crafted. Until you have the wonder weapon, use Haymaker 12 in early game. Li'l Arnies from Mystery Box are essential to the strategy. Apothicon Sword is acquired and upgraded into the Keeper Sword. Bowie Knife is not encouraged, as it can change your weapon order. Track weapon cycle in case of changing perks, and losing Mule Kick.

Blast Furnace (Kuda) and Fire Works (HVK-30) are recommended best options for AATs. Blast Furnace is the most efficient for charging the special weapons, and it is required in every loadout. Fire Works is consistent crowd control and survivability. Dead Wire is another option that focuses more on killing a specific spawn. Thunder Wall can behave like this, but not as quickly, and it is prone to more buggy effects (like creating invisible zombies). Turned has an oversight related to the Keeper Sword, which is frowned upon in competitive play. Refer to Keeper Sword Issues for more information.

GobbleGums

Classics Only: Alchemical Antithesis, In Plain Sight, Arsenal Accelerator, Lucky Crit, and Danger Closest are best recommended options. Alchemical Antithesis is best paired with the Apothicon Servant, especially in moments when you have low ammo. Arsenal Accelerator is useful when Keeper Sword is integral to full recharge constantly. Danger Closest will provide immunity to parasites and elementals. The other GobbleGums behave as intended. Anywhere but Here can be used as another safety option, in case you prefer more.

Megas: Reign Drops, Shopping Free, Kill Joy, Cache Back, and Alchemical Antithesis. This set will ensure more chances for ammo and Insta-Kills. Shopping Free should be used to push cycles to more Alchemical Antithesis uses. In co-op, Temporal Gift is recommended, specifically in place for Alchemical Antithesis for players without the Apothicon Servant.

Restrictions

These are restrictions to the map and game while playing this strategy. This includes strategies ill advised in competitive play.

Barriers Closed

The Junction-Waterfont District Entrance door is required as closed for this strategy. The electrical staircase, powered by the electric box near the Waterfront perk machine, can never be activated by Beast mode. Either of these opened will require at least fast restart (or restart level).

Keeper Sword Issues

You should never use the fast travel portals while the sword is actively flying. This has been known to cause a game ending error.

This is an oversight that is NOT ALLOWED in competitive play. The oversight is recognizable based on it's abuse of the game's AI for enemies. Turned zombies are affected differently by the Keeper Sword. They are immune, and the sword's AI does not understand the zombie's immunity. This is known from activating Turned at a specific time in the Keeper Sword's life while it's killing zombies. The sword's AI can protect you in more immediate threats, like 6-8 zombies around you closing in. This is especially encouraged when the player knifes. With the Turned zombie's AI searching for any zombie, the sword will effectively kill everything around it. Whole special weapon charges can be done with decent timing to make Turned Zombies. Turned is never recommended to be active outside the Pack-a-Punch room on any weapon.

Flag Ritual Max Ammos

This is a repeatable Easter Egg step that is NOT ALLOWED in competitive play. If the player progresses one more step after completing the Keeper Sword, the "Flag Defense" step of the major Easter Egg, players can receive more Max Ammos than intended. This method can give 20 or more Max Ammos at the player's discretion. It is recommended to never activate the book in Junction's ritual room.

Arch-Ovum Upgrade Process

This is a glitch that is NOT ALLOWED in competitive play. The Arch-Ovum must be completed in four rounds minimum. A player could complete the upgrade process in three or less rounds.

Routing

This is setting up the game consistently for this strategy. Rounds can differ as you progress through the set up, so they are not included in this page (currently).

Junction's Gate Worm

What character you play will change steps later on. Check for the desired drop (Max Ammo, Double Points, Insta-Kill) in the locked room. Stay in the first room until the end of round 3 at least. Grab a fumigator from one of three locations. Use Beast mode to activate any power boxes between rounds. You must at least activate the crane (and Stamin-Up) in Junction. Jumping on the truck, and not activating the electrical staircase in the first room. Complete the ritual in Nero's landing and end the current round.

Canal's Gate Worm

Check which perk is present in Canals. If you are playing Canal's Mystery Box, complete a round at the box location. If you're playing Footlight's Mystery Box, work on activating the sewer's electric box, opening the fast travel portal, opening a chained up box, activating Ruby Rabbit's electrical staircase, collecting a ritual part, a shield part, a fuse, and moving the train to Canals. Be mindful of wanting to grab the perk machine (if it's not Speed Cola), it is recommended to get before leaving. Complete the ritual and end the current round. There will be a Margwa after this ritual. Take the Margwa Heart part for the Apothicon Servant (if you have not encountered a Margwa already).

Footlight's Gate Worm

Ride the train from Canals to Footlight. Make note of the symbols shown in each district while riding the train. A reference is provided of each symbol; also, the symbols can be simplified to a respective number. There can never be duplicates. Move the to Footlight perk machine when ready, grabbing a fuse and shield part nearby (and use the box location if it's available). Activate the perk machine, if needed. Work on knocking over the ritual part's box, activating the electrical staircase, opening the chained up box, opening the fast travel portal, activating the Burlesque's door, and collecting a ritual part. Complete the ritual and end the current round.

If you're past the second ambush round (round 9 or 10), watch for any parasites or elementals that can drop Xenomatter for the Apothicon Servant.

Waterfront's Gate Worm

Ride the train to the Waterfront district. Make note of the Waterfront district's symbol while riding the train. Leave the station to the left on the Waterfront rooftops, grabbing the fuse, shield part, opening chained up box, knocking over the ritual part's box, opening the fast travel portal, and opening the Boxing Gym building. (This may take 2 Beast mode uses.) Activate the perk machine, if needed. Build the Rocket Shield behind the Boxing Gym, and complete the ritual. If you have killed 100 zombies with Li'l Arnies, you can get the first accessory needed for the Upgrade process, which is the bow tie on a shelf here. End the round. There will be a Margwa after this ritual.

Leave for the portal in Waterfront, and start working on acquiring the Apothicon Sword. When arriving, place the fuses in the fuse box for the Civil Protector. Zap the symbols acquired from riding the train, opening the chained up box, then powering Mule Kick, the door connecting to Junction, and Stamin-Up (if missed earlier). Complete the first soul box with the Apothicon statue, then go to activate Pack-a-Punch. Elementals will be permanently active for the game. A Margwa will spawn after Shadowman's dialogue is finished (or disappeared).

Acquiring Keeper Sword

Work on moving to Apothicon statues around the map. It is recommended to do Canals, then fast travel to Footlight, then fast travel to Waterfront and backtrack near the train station. While moving around, keep in mind of any perks needed still, pods that have reached a stage of purple-like glow to them, looking for the Margwa Tentacle, Li'l Arnie upgrade accessory in the Ruby Rabbit, and any weapons you need still (factoring in Mule Kick). Once you have completed each statue, go back to the Rift and get the Apothicon Sword.

From here, your character will depend on which ritual you must return to. Interact with the respective ritual table and start upgrading the Arch-Ovum. Over the next four rounds, start going to specific ritual circles in each district and killing Margwas that spawn, especially if Civil Protector switches are nearby. Keep in mind to get any Li'l Arnie accessories missing (Ruby Rabbit, Nero's landing, or Boxing Gym), completing the Li'l Arnies upgrade process by throwing one at the Burlesque ritual table, and building the Apothicon Servant at Canals or Footlight buildable table. Once all four are complete, return to the character specific ritual room, and acquire the Keeper Sword. Return to the Pack-a-Punch for any needed upgrades. Use the Waterfront portal in the Rift and begin camping rounds indefinitely at the alley near the Kuda (in Waterfront).

High Rounds

The High Round Strategy has several key pieces to ensure consistent gameplay. Learning the specific way of running the horde is essential, but other pieces are integral to preventing dangerous scenarios or last resort options.

Progressing Low Rounds

Once you begin camping, you can focus on using Apothicon Servant to speed up rounds. This can lead to charging the sword and finish most rounds with one use. Even with two drops a round, some set ups can be fairly fast when advancing rounds. Rounds with strong drops like a Max Ammo or Insta-Kill will speed up rounds. Refer to "Drop Cycle" for more information on maintaining drops.

Being comfortable in this space is crucial. Knowing the spawn zones can keep SPH lower and less zombies spawning out. In the middle of the Chain Trap is the line between the entrance zone and the GobbleGum machine and Mystery Box zone. Stay behind the Chain Trap as much as possible.

Parasites can spawn all around you, so some main lanes to keep in mind are towards the door, the path leading down, and above towards the bridge. They are easy to kill and quick fuel for special weapon recharge. Laser Sight can be helpful to take parasites out. Elementals (meatballs) spawn in the entrance zone and zone below near the Mystery Box, and they will immediately seek out the player to detonate. They can be shut down much like parasites.

Entering High Rounds

Start each round and horde up in the center of the alley, giving a clear sight of the left window and the drop out window down the alley by Kuda. Watch for opportunities while moving to kill parasites (above, behind, or in front) or elementals coming from Kuda. Your options are to use the Apothicon Servant in front of the trap, activate the Keeper Sword, or horde up to kill with Blast Furnace.

The Apothicon Servant is used in front of the trap to hit the most zombies possible when the black hole detonates. This typically yields a 24 zombie horde, minimum. Two shots can chain for Keeper Sword uses. Apothicon Servant with Alchemical Antithesis (or spare ammo when presented with a Max Ammo) can be used from here as well, shooting the ground in front of he Kuda and the window to the left. When using this weapon, it is best to press your reload bind right after shooting to speed up reloading.

When using a Keeper Sword, focus on running a circle and half-circle in front of the trap. The sword's AI will seek out zombies near you, especially in close proximity. The sword is most successful killing the left window and zombies running up from around the corner. While zombies from the drop out window get hit too, it is recommended to kill with AATs at this window. The delay of zombies climbing out gives a strong opportunity to hit large groups, and it can save the sword time on killing other zombies around you.

Hording up in the alley space. Start with circling four or less zombies, then half circles pushing back towards the closed door as the horde gets bigger. Once you cannot run past the left window, move the horde as far back to the closed door as possible, then run past the horde by the Beast mode pedestal. Look for an opportunity between zombies to get and make a big circle around any zombies. Go as far as the trap. If you are pushed past this, leave the alley or use the Apothicon Servant to recover. If you do not get trapped, use Blast Furnace close to the center of the horde as possible. Use Fire Works to refresh any lingering zombies. Rinse and repeat.

This is the mix of methods to kill zombies as you play through the rounds. you can use Apothicon Servant more in the lower rounds when Power Ups are more predictable and gum cycling is strong. This cycle will continue to ramp up until round 140 to 150, roughly, as ammo will be more exclusively for survival.

Players can experience pain points like getting pushed back to the door often, taking too long to horde up, or missing AAT activations throughout the game. AATs should be consistent while using the Keeper Sword, Blast Furnace on the drop out window, and Fire Works to clear the other zombies coming. Even in hording up for charging the special weapon, once you feel at least 20 or more zombies are ready to kill, watch for timings to get the right radius.

Gum Cycle

As you progress through rounds, hit the GobbleGum machine between rounds to progress your gum cycle. You have to get every gum in your pack before receiving any gum in the pack again. Every pack is five, so every five hits of the machine will be a new cycle. This cycle is randomized based on those five GobbleGums, but you can track what five you receive, especially to know when a cycle is complete. In this strategy, your goal is to get as many Alchemical Antithesis as possible. Keep in mind any other purple GobbleGums in your pack, like in Classics Only, you have only two, or Megas has four (based on what this page recommended).

A second hit of the machine in a single round will become much more expensive, being over a million points past round 100. Periodically, you can use points to built up. For the sake of argument, every time a player hits 2 million points, a second hit could be considered to push your cycle along. Perform this at your own discretion of cycling, like something you want has already been acquired in the current cycle.

Drop Cycle

Power Ups from zombies are limited to two a round on Shadows of Evil. The cycle consists of Max Ammo, Double Points, Insta-Kill, Nuke, Carpenter if five or more barriers are open, Fire Sales if triggered, and Death Machines if triggered. Fire Sales are avoided by not moving the Mystery Box. Death Machines are avoided by not buying Quick Revive (initially) in solo. In co-op, Death Machines for the same reason. Carpenters can be avoided by having four or less barriers open on the map at once. One board on a window will change their status to boarded. Once camping in Waterfont, and a Carpenter has been picked up, you can avoid them for long stretches, depending on if you despawn or kill zombies while running past the Kuda. Two windows are required to be boarded in the area if Carpenters return. Examples are two windows at the train station or in front of the fast travel portal.

You can track Power Ups based on the active list of drops. Depending on what are available, every drop must appear before they can appear once again. This can differ from four drops (in ideal scenarios), or five drops (if Carpenters or Death Machines are active). Drops can be left behind, and they still count towards the drop cycle. Margwa drops do not count towards the drop cycle.

Reacquiring a Shield

When you need a new shield, gather a horde and leave towards the Kuda with the horde. You can either walk the horde to the crafting table in Waterfront, or kill zombies at two points between running to the table. Just before leaving, kill a large group with an AAT (depending if you need special weapon charge). Run to the crafting table and get any ammo you need for the HVK. Return to the alley by the Kuda, killing a horde with another AAT as you turn your back to the GobbleGum machine. Buy ammo for the Kuda as well, if needed.

Pods

Pods are able to give some niche rewards if the player wants to check them in tight situations. You can mainly seek out Power Ups from the pods, but use each drop at your discretion, and the space you are in when using them. Two pods are in the Waterfront district that can be harvested comfortably.

Margwa Rounds

Margwas can spawn every five to six rounds, including ambush rounds. When seeing a Margwa, move immediately to the Civil Protector switch behind the GobbleGum machine. Throw a Li'l Arnie towards the fast travel portal alley, but only past the box location in front of you. Wait for the Margwa to be at least halfway down the Kuda stairway. Activate Civil Protector. You can stay nad check the Power Up or return to the alley and check it with Beast mode (at the cost of using the pedestal for safety). Civil Protector can pick up the Power Up as well, occasionally.

Ambush Rounds

Ambush rounds consist of parasites and elementals, appearing every five to nine rounds than the last. These rounds are trivial, and any Li'l Arnies or Civil Protector can ensure nothing will surprise you.

Low Ammo Rounds

When Apothicon Servant ammo is lower than desired, be prepared to run more Blast Furnace hordes. Practicing and watching for openings in the horde are essential to more consistent full hordes. 50 kills are needed between special weapon charges. 24 zombies from a Blast Furnace use can be inconsistent, so keep in mind Fire Works triggering counts a kill. Parasites and elementals can count as kills as well. Finding a way to kill at least four to eight enemies with these other ways can get you to using the Keeper Sword sooner (And in two full hordes consistently).

Co-op Differences

More players can mean more opportunities for AATs and sword uses outside of the Apothicon Servant player. Players should sit in the corner by the closed door, being careful to never open the door by accident. The Apothicon Servant should keep this in mind and ration ammo for emergencies more often. Depending on AATs, safety should be ensured with enough killing.

Statistics

Throughout the game, the player's economy can be predicted and used to speed up the game, as well as tracking average round times and seconds per horde (SPH). 

SPH

This strategy consists of 8 to 13 SPH on average, using Blast Furnace and Fire Works. SPH of Apothicon Servant only or AATs only, mixed in with Keeper Sword. SPH of Apothicon Servant with Alchemical Antithesis. SPH with a shield run one to three a round.

Variations of this strategy can switch Fire Works out for the other AATs.

SPH of other AATs (2 options) only, mixed in with Keeper Sword. SPH with a shield run one to three a round. SPH of Turned oversight used.

Points Economy

Points are a positive earn throughout the game. Early rounds should be manageable for points, seeing positive points past your first Pack-a-Punch. Once camping, you only need points for purchasing ammo every so often. Points should be used on the GobbleGum machine to push gum cycles. Points are limited to over 4 million, and there is no harm in using points when having a minimum of 2 million.

Strategy History

The Waterfront District entrance Strategy was created by 5and5. It was first used before the Apothicon Servant was patched to not be upgraded. While the Keeper Sword was not originally planned to be used in this strategy, it would show its capabilities in surviving high rounds without an upgraded Apothicon Servant.