Pandemic 2 Game Guide

Guide Contents:

Welcome
Interface Details
Minimap
Clock
Prompt
Disease Evolution Screen
World Details Screen
Region Details Screen
Game Mode
Game Objectives
Evolving Your Disease
Monitoring Progress
Game Speed
Game Over
World Details
Vaccines
Region Populations
Regional Infrastructure
Region Services
Region Governments
Region Afflictions
Region Environmental Attributes

Welcome to Pandemic 2

Pandemic 2 is a classic desktop game because it is easy to play and impossible to master. The rules are simple and the interface is elegant but the mechanics offer players so many meaningful choices that it is easy to overlook certain strategies and aspects of the game on your first or even 50th play. The sprawling depth of its design gives Pandemic 2 a lot of replay value while also leaving a lot of room for discovery and growth. We've assembled this fun guide for new players who want to maximize their games and old players who want to see the game from a new angle. Here you will find all kinds of cheats, hints, tips, and even walkthroughs that breathe new life into this classic game. Play on, players.

Interface Details

Menu button that allows you to save, toggle music on or off, start a new game, check the Pandemic 2 guide or watch the tutorial video.
Brings up the world screen
Brings up the virus evolution screen.
The number of evolution points you currently have.
The pause and play button.
The game speed controller.
The game clock.
The minimap.
The viewport positioner.
The news panel.
Notification that indicates a natural disaster has occurred.
Notification that indicates a new region has been infected.
Notification that indicates a new trait has been awarded.
A hospital.
An airport.
A shipyard.
A water plant. Infected water plants are red instead of white.
A boat.
A plane.

Minimap Information

With the minimap, you can easily navigate the entire globe, centering the viewport over your desired regions of interest.

How to Use

To use the minimap, place the mouse over the red rectangle within the minimap.
Click and drag the minimap with the left mouse button to the place you want to see.
Let go of the left mouse button once you are at your destination.

Clock Information

The clock displays the current date, as well as the current time.
In the image, "21:" would be the hour of the day. ":03" would be the current day. ":08" would be the current month.
And the remaining section is the current year.

Prompt Information

Occasionally during a game, prompts may pop up to tell you something.
Usually, this information is fairly important, so take your time when reading one.
Once done with a prompt simply click the "X" in the top right-hand corner to close it.

Disease Evolution Screen Information

The name of your disease.
The exit button.
Symptoms are available to be purchased or sold.
Unlock button, that allows you to gain access to the next level of symptoms.
Available resistances.
Available transmissions.
Traits that have been awarded.
The number of evolution points.
How lethal your disease is.
How infectious your disease is.
How visible your disease is.

World Details Screen Information

General world information.
Information about vaccines.
Vaccine development.
Vaccine deployment.
Regions that are not infected.
Regions that are infected.
Regions that are devoid of any human life.

Region Details Screen Information

The name of the current region that is selected.
Any current afflictions that are in effect.
Any current government activity.
The status of region services and infrastructure.
Information about the region population.

Game Mode Details

Realistic Mode While playing in "Realistic Mode", you are able to save the progress of your disease. Games take longer to play since it takes longer to accumulate evolution points. Governments react more intelligently, and it is more difficult for your disease to spread effectively. This mode is recommended for intermediate or expert players.

Relaxed Mode While playing in relaxed mode, you are unable to save the progress of your disease. This is due to the fact that most games should not last longer than 20 minutes. Governments react slower, making it easier to spread your disease. Some game events will not appear during relaxed play. This mode is recommended for beginner players.

Game Objectives

The objectives of Pandemic 2 are simple. Evolve your disease intelligently, Spread your disease to everyone, Kill everyone. You are going to want governments as relaxed as possible, to avoid causing a panic. So make sure to keep the visibility of your virus as low as possible. Even if visibility is low, governments are still going to panic if people suddenly start dying everywhere. Pay attention to the news headlines, it can give you insight on developing situations around the world.
Spreading Your Disease
Spreading your disease across the globe takes some patience and luck. Your disease can be spread to other regions in three ways. People can travel to new regions on airplanes or on boats. People can also travel across the borders of neighboring regions.

Evolving Your Disease

Evolving your disease is an important part of Pandemic 2, if you want your disease to become widespread and deadly. Evolution points are at the core of the evolution process, with any you would not be able to purchase or sell new symptoms, resistances or transmissions. When you wish to evolve your disease, simply open the disease evolution screen by clicking the disease button at the bottom of the screen.

Once the disease window is open, select your symptom, resistance or transmission of your desire. For this example, coughing was selected. Upon selecting a symptom, resistance or transmission an information window will pop up. Information windows describe the symptom and how it will affect your disease. By selecting the buy button at the bottom of the window, the symptom's effects will be applied to your disease! Symptoms cannot be bought or sold if you cannot afford them.

Monitoring Progress

While the game is being played, be sure to continually watch for news headlines and keep track of regional events and conditions. Such information can be invaluable to spreading your disease and exterminating mankind. For example, if several regions are currently flooded, it would be a smart idea to make your disease waterborne to infect as many people as possible in those regions.

Game Speed Details

Game speed can be adjusted or paused while playing.
If not much is happening, or you are sure that you have won the game it would be a good idea to adjust the speed to setting two or three on the time bar.

Game Over Details

Completing The Game

There is only one way to beat pandemic 2, kill every last human on earth.
It may take a while, and it may prove to be difficult, but it is definitely possible.

Losing The Game

Just like winning, there is only one way to lose in pandemic 2.
If at any point during the game, not a single person is infected with your disease, you lose the game instantly.

World Details

Clean

Clean regions have no infected people within their borders.
Infected regions have infected people within their borders.

Forsaken

Forsaken regions are completely devoid of life.

Vaccine Information

Vaccines are engineered to immunize the human population against your disease. The more active hospitals there are, and the larger the threat your disease poses, the faster a potential vaccine will be engineered. Once a vaccine has been developed, it takes a bit of time to deploy. Vaccines are not always successful, and can sometimes cause mutations in your disease.

Region Populations

Populations

Each region starts out with its own local population. As the game progresses, populations move around the world via airplanes, boats and across borders.

Population Density

Population density is based on a region's population and the size of that region. The larger a region's population density, the easier it is for diseases to spread.

Regional Infrastructure

Airports

Airports allow people to move from region to region over the air. Planes are the best mechanism for spreading your disease across the globe. Shipyards
Shipyards allow people to move from region to region over the ocean. Boats are slow but can carry more people than planes.

Water Plants

Water plants provide regions with a clean drinking water supply. If a water plant gets contaminated, expect infection rates in that region to explode.

Hospitals

Hospitals attempt to cure infected people throughout the region. All active hospitals also contribute to the effort of engineering a vaccine.

Region Services

Transit

Transit increases the chance of people being exposed to your disease.

Schools

Schools increase the chance of people being exposed to your disease.

Border Crossing

Border crossings allow people to cross-region borders on foot or car.

Region Governments

Close Transit

The regional government decides to shut down transit to reduce the chances of people becoming infected.

Close Schools

The regional government decides to close schools to reduce the chances of people becoming infected.

Closed Borders

The regional government decides to close its region's borders to try and keep infected people out of the region.

Close Airports

The regional government decides to close its airports to try and keep infected people out of the region.

Close Shipyards

The regional government decides to close its shipyards, to try and keep infected people out of the region.

Close Hospitals

The regional government decides to close its hospitals since they are not making a difference.

Hand Out Water

The regional government starts handing out bottled water to try and negate the effects of contaminated water supplies.

Hand Out Masks

The regional government starts handing out masks to try and reduce the exposure to your disease.

Exterminate Rodents

The regional government starts exterminating all rodents in the region to try and reduce the exposure to your disease.

Deploy Pesticides

The regional government starts exterminating all insects in the region to try and reduce the exposure to your disease.

Enforce Curfews

The regional government decides to enforce curfews to try and reduce exposure to your disease.

Declare Martial Law

The regional government declares martial law to try and reduce exposure to your disease.

Burn Bodies

The regional government decides to start burning the bodies of the dead, to reduce the chances of your disease spreading.

Region Afflictions

Earthquakes

Earthquakes greatly reduce the effectiveness of hospitals in the region.

Floods

Floods temporarily boost exposure to your disease if your disease is able to spread via water.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes temporarily close airports due to high winds. It also temporarily closes schools and transit.

Drought

Droughts increase the insect population and boost exposure to your disease if it is spreadable by insects.

Riots

Riots negate the effects of curfews.

Regional Environmental Attributes

Cold

Regions such as Russia, Canada, Greenland, and West Europe have colder environments than normal.

Heat

Regions such as Mexico, Brazil, Africa, Australia, West Europe, India, and the Middle East have hotter environments than normal.

Moisture

Regions such as Cuba, Peru, Argentina, Indonesia, Japan, and Australia have wetter environments than normal.