Survive Zombie Arena Martial Artist Class & Slingshot Guide

Survive Zombie Arena just got a new update, and this one gives us two things that immediately sound worth checking out: a new Martial Artist class and a new Slingshot weapon.

Now, the Slingshot is especially interesting because it’s a Slot 2 weapon, yet according to the developers, it’s supposed to be one of the most powerful options in that category. I’ll admit, seeing a slingshot sitting next to actual guns doesn’t exactly scream “massive zombie damage,” but once you look at its upgraded damage, things start making a lot more sense.

The Martial Artist is a different story. It costs a pretty hefty 350,000 Credits and comes with three abilities, including a clone and a defensive aura. Some of those abilities are genuinely useful, while one of them left me wondering whether my Credits would have been better spent elsewhere.

So, before you dump your Credits into either of these new additions, here’s how the Slingshot and Martial Artist actually perform.

The Slingshot is a Slot 2 weapon, so you’ll find it alongside the other weapons available for that category.

What’s immediately noticeable is its damage.

Once fully upgraded, the Slingshot can reach around 25,000 damage per enemy, which is extremely high compared with the other weapons available in the same category.

That sounds fantastic on paper, but damage isn’t everything.

I wanted to see what actually happens when you take it into a match.

Against regular zombies?

Yes. Very good, actually.

The Slingshot was capable of basically one-shotting the basic zombies during testing. For something available in the second weapon slot, that’s some serious stopping power.

There’s a catch, though.

Its fire rate is pretty slow.

After firing one shot, there’s a noticeable wait before you’re ready to send another one. That can make the Slingshot feel awkward when several zombies start closing in at once.

Normally, I’d consider that a pretty big weakness in a zombie survival game. Here, however, I don’t think it’s enough to ruin the weapon.

The Slingshot is only meant to carry you through the Slot 2 portion of your progression.

By the point where huge groups of zombies make that slow fire rate a serious problem, you’ll probably already be looking toward your Slot 3 weapon anyway.

So instead of thinking of the Slingshot as something you’re supposed to keep forever, think of it as a high-damage weapon that can make the earlier portion of your run much easier.

If you’re comparing it specifically against the normal free-to-play Slot 2 weapons, the Slingshot looks like an excellent choice.

That 25,000 upgraded damage is difficult to ignore.

You can remove weaker enemies with a single well-placed shot rather than repeatedly firing at them, which partially compensates for the weapon’s slow attack speed.

Event weapons are another matter.

If you already own strong event guns, those can still be better than the standard free-to-play choices. There’s no reason to replace a powerful event weapon just because the Slingshot is new.

For players relying on regular progression weapons, though, the Slingshot is definitely worth considering.

The other big addition is the Martial Artist class.

You’ll need 350,000 Credits to unlock it.

That’s not exactly pocket change, so I wouldn’t buy this class just because it’s new. You really want to know what you’re getting first, especially if you’ve been saving Credits for another class.

Martial Artist comes with three different abilities, and they aren’t equally useful.

After testing all three, there was one clear standout.

The first Martial Artist ability was a little confusing initially.

The first time I activated it, it honestly looked like nothing happened.

There’s roughly a 10-second cooldown, so you can’t immediately spam it again if you miss what it does.

After getting another opportunity to test it, though, its usefulness became much clearer.

The ability was able to clear the path of zombies in front of the player, making it considerably more useful than that first attempt suggested.

That’s important when enemies start piling up.

If you’re being pushed backward or you’re about to get surrounded, having something that can open the path ahead of you gives you room to reposition instead of simply trying to shoot your way out.

My first impression wasn’t great, but after seeing it properly connect, I’d say this is one of the better parts of the Martial Artist kit.

Next up is the clone.

This sounds like it should be the coolest ability of the class.

You activate it, a clone appears, and that clone fights zombies for you.

At least, that’s the idea.

In practice, I wasn’t particularly impressed.

Even against fairly basic zombies, the clone seemed to have trouble holding enemies back. That’s disappointing because you’d expect an AI companion ability to take some pressure away from you.

Instead, it felt more like a little bit of additional assistance rather than something you can actually depend on.

I wouldn’t build my strategy around it.

The clone may still contribute some damage and distract enemies, so it’s not completely useless. Compared with the other two Martial Artist abilities, though, this is easily the weakest part of the kit from the initial testing.

Now we get to the ability that changed my opinion of the class a little bit.

The Aura ability is actually good.

When activated, the aura helps keep nearby zombies at a distance. The knockback or spacing effect isn’t necessarily huge when you first look at it, but you can notice enemies having a harder time getting directly on top of you.

That’s already useful in a game where getting surrounded can end a run extremely quickly.

But the defensive benefit is even more interesting.

While the aura is active, an armor indicator appears above your character, and you seem to receive roughly 2,200 additional health/armor.

That makes a noticeable difference.

During testing, zombies were surrounding the character without immediately dealing normal health damage. Once the aura eventually expired, health started dropping much faster.

That’s probably the easiest way to appreciate how much protection you’re actually getting.

With the aura active, you can survive situations that would otherwise become dangerous very quickly.

Without it?

Well, the zombies made short work of the player.

After playing around with all three abilities, I’d treat Martial Artist more like a survivability and crowd-control class than a pure damage option.

The aura is your emergency button.

If zombies are closing in from several directions, activating it gives you extra protection while helping maintain some distance between you and the horde.

Your first ability can then help clear a path.

Those two abilities work nicely together because one buys you some breathing room while the other helps create an escape route.

The clone is more of a bonus.

Use it when available and take whatever extra help it provides, but don’t expect it to single-handedly defend an area. If you’re standing around assuming the clone is going to hold back an entire group of zombies, you’re probably going to have a bad time.

After testing both additions, the Slingshot is probably the winner of this update for me.

The fire rate isn’t great—I noticed that almost immediately—but the raw damage makes up for a lot of it. Being able to practically one-shot basic zombies with a Slot 2 weapon is exactly the kind of power spike you want while progressing toward better guns.

Martial Artist has its moments too.

The aura is easily my favorite ability in the class. That extra protection can keep you alive when zombies start surrounding you, and combining it with the first ability gives Martial Artist some decent crowd-control potential.

I just wish the clone were stronger.

For 350,000 Credits, I’d want all three abilities to feel valuable rather than having one that mostly feels like an extra distraction for the zombies.

So, if you’ve been saving up and you’re wondering whether you absolutely need Martial Artist right now, I’d say no. It’s useful, but there are probably better places to put your Credits depending on which classes you already own.

The Slingshot, on the other hand, is something I’d definitely give a shot—no pun intended.