Let me be perfectly honest with you—when I first picked up the DRDR remaster, I expected a nostalgic trip with a few quality-of-life improvements. What I didn’t expect was to find myself falling into the exact same babysitting simulator I remembered from years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I love this game. But there’s one glaring issue that, even in this polished-up version, still makes me shake my head: the sheer helplessness of your NPC allies. You play as Frank, a photojournalist who’s literally been in war zones, yet here you are, running around a mall trying to keep a handful of civilians alive long enough to finish a mission. It’s frustrating, it’s dated, and honestly, it’s one of the biggest barriers between casual players and truly mastering the game. But what if I told you that it doesn’t have to be that way? Over countless playthroughs—some successful, many brutally not—I’ve pieced together a set of strategies that completely change how you approach DRDR. These aren’t just generic tips; they’re tactics forged in the heat of failed runs and perfected through stubborn repetition. Today, I’m sharing seven of the most impactful ones so you can stop babysitting and start dominating.

First, let’s talk positioning. It sounds simple, but I can’t stress this enough: where you place your allies matters more than almost anything else. Early on, I’d just let them follow me around, and you can guess how that went. After losing a certain survivor for the third time in the same corridor—yes, I’m looking at you, Al—I started treating NPC placement like a tactical puzzle. In the central plaza, for example, I found that positioning allies on elevated platforms or behind certain indestructible counters reduced their chance of dying by what felt like 60%. I don’t have the exact code numbers, but based on my own tracking over 50 hours of gameplay, allies in “smart” spots took roughly 40% less damage during swarm attacks. It’s not just about keeping them out of harm’s way; it’s about funneling zombies into choke points you control. Which brings me to my next point: aggro management. The AI in DRDR, bless its heart, hasn’t evolved much. Enemies tend to fixate on the closest or noisiest target. I learned to use that to my advantage. By firing a few shots in the opposite direction of my group, I could pull a good 70% of the horde away from them. It’s a small trick, but it turns chaos into something manageable.

Then there’s the gear question. I used to hoard my best weapons, saving them for “the right moment.” Big mistake. In DRDR, the right moment is always now. I started equipping my allies with mid-tier firearms—shotguns and SMGs work wonders—and noticed their survival rate shoot up. On average, an NPC with a shotgun eliminates 2–3 zombies for every one they’d take out with a pistol. It’s not just about damage output; it’s about stagger potential. A zombie on the ground can’t chomp your friend. And let’s not forget healing items. I make it a rule to stockpile at least 3–4 first-aid sprays before any major story segment. It might sound excessive, but when an ally’s health drops below 30%, that spray isn’t just a heal—it’s a reset button on a potential game over. One time, in the food court section, I went in with two sprays and came out with none, but all my people lived. Sometimes, you just have to accept that resources are there to be used.

Another strategy that transformed my playthroughs was mastering the quick turnaround. The game doesn’t explicitly tell you this, but your mobility is your greatest asset. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve saved a foolhardy NPC by sprinting back, shoving a zombie off them, and creating just enough space for us to regroup. It’s a rhythm: push, disengage, reposition. I’ve timed it—the whole sequence takes less than five seconds, but it can mean the difference between a clean run and a reload. And while we’re on the subject of timing, let’s talk about the escort missions. Yeah, I know, everyone hates them. But I’ve come to appreciate them in a weird way. They force you to be efficient. My best run through the park area took just under 12 minutes because I pre-planned the route and avoided unnecessary fights. You don’t have to kill every zombie. In fact, I’d estimate that skipping just 20% of encounters can cut your failure rate by half in those sections.

Of course, none of this matters if you don’t understand the spawn system. Through trial and error—and a bit of obsessive note-taking—I mapped out roughly 80% of the scripted zombie appearances in the main campaign. Knowing when and where enemies pop up lets you prepare rather than react. For instance, in the underground parking lot, there’s a specific car alarm event that always triggers after you pick up the keycard. The first time, it wiped my team. Now? I place my allies in a security office nearby, clear the area in advance, and only then grab the objective. It feels almost like cheating, but it’s just working smarter. Lastly, and this is probably my most controversial take, I think the game’s ally AI is not entirely broken—it’s misunderstood. They respond to your actions more than we give them credit for. If you’re reckless, they’ll be reckless. If you’re methodical, they tend to stick closer and follow your pace. It’s subtle, but after guiding over 200 survivors to safety across various playthroughs, I’m convinced there’s a hidden “trust” mechanic at play. Or maybe I’ve just played too much. Either way, it works.

So, where does that leave us? DRDR Remaster is still the game we love, flaws and all. But those flaws don’t have to define your experience. By treating each mission like a dynamic puzzle—not just a survival scenario—you shift from being a passive participant to the director of your own success. I’ve gone from feeling like a frustrated babysitter to a confident strategist, and honestly, the game is infinitely more enjoyable because of it. These seven strategies changed everything for me, and I’m confident they can do the same for you. After all, Frank didn’t survive war zones by accident. He had a plan. And now, so do you.