Plague inc evolved - Coop tutorial

By Olivier Batteux - Coop World record holder in each level

Intro

On this page, you can find 11 tutorials for the coop mode : 3 tutorials for casual and normal, 4 for brutal, plus a non-competitive funny strategy.
But why 3-4 tutorials for each level ? Because I wrote tutorials for 3 profiles of players each time :
- Beginners (who haven't unlocked the useful stuff yet)
- Trained players (who have unlocked more plagues and start genes)
- Elite players (here the tutorials are directly inspired from the World records)

Before all, special thanks to all the players who helped me during the long time I have been playing coop :
OverLordGoldDragon, Ishawi1996, Sylar, PedroBALA, Dark Mistia, neo57320, LordEnglish BAKA, PerrierCitron, NorrinRadd, kelonya (my brother irl), Sing817, missing245, GoGa, [REKT] Dizastor, GiTGuD... and probably so many others.

Beginners - What you must know before

Two players doesn't mean you have to split the world in two : one half for each plague. Forget it.
Two players means that we will have :
- A leader (in blue) : who will infect and kill all the World with his plague.
- A support (in red) : who will assist the leader in his task.
Also, don't think that playing as support is not being playing. Even if your own plague is inactive or almost, your role as a player is as active and essential as the leader have to be.

When the game starts, make pause at 0 day and start evolving what you have to take first. The pause is activated only when both players ask for, whereas an only player can resume.

When you have many bubbles to pick on the map, ask pause to take them all. Don't click too fast, you may lose DNA because of the ping.

Normal speed is already too fast, so never ask for FF or FFF.

The lists of unsheduled flights are written in the order the flights must be done. Don't change the order of the list.

These tutorials are designed so that you never have to devolve a free mutation. Free mutations are always an advantage.

Trained players - What you must know before

You must always know what is the next step of your evolution. When you have enough DNA to afford it, or if you may have enough to afford it after you will have taken the bubbles on the map, make pause. Take the bubbles and the evolutions in pause during the most dynamic moments of the game.

Always wait to have the DNA of the previous bubble credited before clicking on the next one. Else you will lose DNA. Make it in pause if many bubbles have spawned suddenly.

Make pause when the leader reaches 1000 infected people. Then the support will be able to send the first unscheduled flights earlier.

It can be useful to know the most basic seaport links :
* Australia, Philippines and Japan are given by China
* Madagascar is given by South Africa
* Caribean is given by USA
* Iceland is given by Norway and UK
* Greenland is given by Norway and Russia
* New Zealand is only given by Australia and New Guinea
* New Guinea is given by Australia, India and New Zealand

Elite players - What you must understand before

What is, in average, the ultimate best strategy ? It's not the question anymore. Coop is ranked only by your personal record. And a record game is not an average game, but a "special" game. The strategies here are designed to give the best possible score in the best games you will (rarely) have, regardless how the other games will end. Being cured in a bad brutal game doesn't mean that the strategy is not working. It's just that a bad game last longer than a record game, so that the cure had more time to implement than in the scenario you work on.

When the first red bubble appears, wait several days before picking it, then it will give you usually 2 DNA instead of 1.

When the fungus will possibly makes spores soon, the support drops the unsheduled flights in pause, and pick the flight from the closest possible country, so that the plane last as little time as possible in the air.

Pause each time you may afford your next evolution with the bubbles to take on the map. But anyway, create your own shortcuts to be faster.
If you don't play more time in pause than in F, there is something "weird". A vocal chat is useful to avoid a delay on pausing.

You will have to use the Lethal boost (by the leader or the support depending on the game) to save a few days at the end. Remember that the final fall is heavily randomized. It's only in the very last days that you can have an idea of what countries will be the last ones to end. Then, use the lethal boost in priority where there is the higher % of survivers compared to the initial population (and not the raw number of survivers).

Remember that the more a strategy is risky, the more you may have to make adaptations depending on the real situation of the game, map and late countries. The best way to fix or exploit the most extreme situations cannot always be written by advance.

Normal level / Beginners (300 days - 240 days)

Leader : Bacteria
Start genes : none
Start country : China

Support : Bacteria
Start genes : none (but you would be stronger with Urbophobe, Xerophobe, Thermophobe)
Start country : Baltic States

***

Take nothing for yourself.
Take Unsheduled flights.
Drop as soon as possible the leader's plague in :
France, USA, Libya, South Africa, Brazil, Norway, New Zealand, New Guinea
Keep all your DNA, and see the boats doing the job.
Drop the leader's plague in the sane islands where the harbor has been closed (remember Indonesia and UK are NOT islands)
*Infection Boost ? (forget it if no dramaticly late country in the World)
Lethal gifts 1&2 when the leader is everywhere

***

Rodents 1, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, infection theft 1, Birds 1, Birds 2, Drug resistance 1, infection theft 2
Water 1, Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2, Dust 1, Droplets 1, Heat resistance 1, Cold resistance 1, Necrosis, Blood 1, Total organ failure
Drug resistance 2, Pneumonia, Acute Encephalitis, Meningitis, Dysentery, Cold Resistance 2, Internal hemorrhage
*Heat resistance 2 ? (forget it if no warm country is late)
*Blood 2 ? (forget it if no poor country is late)
*Infection Boost ? (forget it if no dramaticly late country in the World, or if your support can afford it on time)
Diaorrhea, Gastric ulceration, Lethal theft 1&2

***

I did 231 days with only bad mutations when I have tested this scenario, but you probably won't be that fast. But still, it provides a comfortable safe win even with no stuff unlocked.

***

Normal level / Trained players (270 - 225 days)

Leader : Fungus
Start genes : Rurophobe, Pharmaphile, Hydrophobe
Start country : China

Support : Parasite
Start genes : Urbophobe, Xerophobe, Thermophobe
Start country : Turkey

***

Take Coughing and Sneezing for yourself at 0 day.
Take Unsheduled flights.
Drop as soon as possible the leader's plague in :
France, USA, Libya, South Africa, Brazil, Sweden
Keep all your DNA, and see the boats and the spores doing the job.
Once the leader is in all the continental countries, and only 3-4 islands are still sane, drop the leader in every sane islands except the hardest one if you can afford it. For example, if only Caribean, Iceland and Madagascar left while you can afford 2 flights, then drop the leader in Caribean and Madagascar in pause, and let Iceland free for spores. The hardest islands are usually Iceland and New zealand, and after them New Guinea and Greenland.
After this, save all your DNA to reach as soon as possible the price of Infection Boost, and then see if the leader needs this kind of help or not. It's better when it's possible to make the support pay for the infection boost when it is required.
Once this job is done, or cancelled, or transfered to the leader, make Lethal Gifts 1&2.

***

Rodents 1, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, infection theft 1, Birds 1, Birds 2, Drug resistance 1
Water 1, Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2, infection theft 2, Necrosis, Dust 1, Droplets 1, Heat resistance 1
Cold resistance 1, Blood 1, Total organ failure, Pneumonia, Acute encephalitis, Dust 2
Drug resistance 2, Meningitis, Dysentery, Cold resistance 2, Internal hemorrhage
*Heat resistance 2 ? (forget it if no warm country is late)
*Blood 2 ? (forget it if no poor country is late)
*Do you need infection boost now ? Can your support afford it if you need ?
Diaorrhea, Gastric ulceration, Lethal thefts 1&2.

***

This strategy can give you a quite good score not taking too much risk. But you may have troubles to go below 250 days with a poor execution and bad mutations.

***

Normal level / Elite players (235 days to the world record)

This strategy is directly based on the scenerios of the 2 previous world records (188 and 191 days), and various optimizations on the support side.
The basics of its concepts are getting Total organ failure as first mutation, and to make the support paying for the infection boost thanks to the DNA he can save when boats get several islands.
However, if the killer gets a good 2nd mutation as well, he will afford the infection boost sooner and with no negative consequences.

Leader : Fungus
Start genes : Rurophobe, Pharmaphile, Hydrophobe
Start country : Libya

Support : Parasite
Start genes : Unstable Inception, Urbophobe, Thermophobe
Start country : random

***

Pause at 0 day. If you are not in one of the countries of this list, restart the game.
Playable countries : Turkey, Argentina, Baltic, Poland, Ukrain, Balkans, Madagascar, Russia, Peru, Bolivia, Iceland, Greenland.
Take Coughing & Sneezing (only Cough in Iceland and Greenland).
Take Unsheduled flights.
Drop as soon as possible the leader's plague in :
China, France, USA, South Africa, Sweden, Brazil
Keep all your DNA, and see the boats and the spores doing the job.
Once the leader is in all the continental countries, and only 2-3 islands are still uninfected, drop the leader in every sane islands except the hardest one if you can afford it. For example, if only Greenland, Iceland and New Guinea left while you can afford 2 flights, then drop the leader in Greenland and New Guinea in pause, and let Iceland free for spores. The hardest islands are usually Iceland and New zealand, and after them New Guinea and Greenland.
When it works well, the support doesn't pay for more than 8 flights in the whole game.
Infection Boost ; using it on the most critical countries
Lethal gifts 1 (184), Lethal gift 2.

***

Rodents 1, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, Dust 1
Birds 1, Birds 2, Drug resistance 1, Necrosis, Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2, infection thefts 1&2
MUTATION 1 : Total organ failure is essential
Water 1, Droplets 1, Droplets 2, Heat resistance 1, Cold resistance 1, Cold resistance 2, Blood 1
Pneumonia, Acute encephalitis, Meningitis
MUTATION 2 : Meningitis, Dysentery, Internal hemo, Diaorrhea are interesting.
Dysentery, Diaorrhea, Gastric ulceration, Internal hemo, Drug resistance 2, lethal theft 1&2
Lethal boost

***

Getting Total organ failure as first mutation, with a good execution, will place you below 210 days almost each time ; whereas another first mutation will rarely allow you to win below 215 days (but it happens in very good games). The number of flights (between 7 and 10) that the support will have to pay is also an essential key.

***

Casual level / Beginners (280 - 215 days)

Leader : Bacteria
Start genes : none
Start country : China

Support : Bacteria
Start genes : none (but you would be stronger with Urbophobe, Xerophobe, Thermophobe)
Start country : Baltic States

***

Take Coughing and Sneezing for yourself at 0 day.
Take Unsheduled flights.
Drop as soon as possible the leader's plague in :
France, USA, South Africa, Libya, Brazil, Iceland, New Zealand, Greenland, New Guinea, Madagascar
*Australia, Japan and philippines were infected by a boat from China ? If not, and if their harbor was closed, then do them by flight.
*Caribean was infected by a boat from USA ? If not, and if the harbor was closed, then do it by flight.
*If you have enough DNA to do all the remaining sane islands, do them all even if the harbor is not closed.
Once the leader is everywhere, Lethal gifts 1&2

***

Rodents 1, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, Birds 1, Birds 2, Drug resistance 1, infection theft 1
Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2, Water 1, Dust 1, Droplets 1, Heat resistance 1, Cold resistance 1, Blood 1, infection theft 2
Necrosis, Total organ failure, Pneumonia, Acute encephalitis
Drug resistance 2, Meningitis, Dysentery, Blood 2, Diaorrhea, Gastric ulceration, Internal hemo, lethal theft 1&2

***

This strategy provides a comfortable win in casual, what will help you to unlock more stuff. I did 225 days when I have tested it, but you will probably take more time.

***

Casual level / Trained players (215 - 180 days)

Leader : Fungus
Start genes : Rurophobe, Pharmaphile, Hydrophobe
Start country : China

Support : Parasite
Start genes : Urbophobe, Xerophobe, Thermophobe
Start country : Baltic States

***

Take nothing for yourself.
Take Unsheduled flights.
Drop as soon as possible, but always check if it has not been taken by spores already, the leader's plague in :
France, USA, Central Africa, Brazil, Australia, Iceland, Greenland, New Zealand, Japan, New Guinea, Madagascar, Philippines, Carribean
Lethal gifts 1&2

***

Rodents 1, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, Birds 1, Birds 2, Drug resistance 1
infection theft 1, Necrosis, Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2, Dust 1, Droplets 1, Heat resistance 1, Cold resistance 1
infection theft 2, Total organ failure, Blood 1, Pneumonia, Acute encephalitis
Dust 2, Meningitis, Drug resistance 2, Dysentery, Blood 2, Internal hemo, Lethal theft 1&2

***

Usually, you won't have to use the infection boost with this strategy, because it is safe enough. During the game, you we see that you could go faster by taking more risks. In this case the infection may become useful.

***

Casual level / Elite players (180 days to the world record)

This strategy was updated after the new world record in 153 days, including several other improvements.

Leader : Fungus
Start genes : Rurophobe, Pharmaphile, Hydrophobe
Start country : Libya

Support : Parasite
Start genes : Unstable inception, Urbophobe, Thermophobe
Start country : random

***

Pause at 0 day. If you are not in one of the countries of this list, restart the game.
Playable countries : Turkey, Argentina, Baltic, Poland, Ukrain, Balkans, Madagascar, Russia, Peru, Bolivia, Iceland, Greenland.
Take Coughing & Sneezing (Cough only in Greenland and Iceland)
Take Unsheduled flights.
Drop as soon as possible the leader's plague in :
China, France, USA, Brazil, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand Japan, Iceland, Greenland, New Guinea...
Check spores to optimize the number of planes. Remember spores do much better than you if you are sure they will come on time.
Carribean is the easiest island to spread in, so you can treat the last islands considering the most critical situation can be oriented over there.
Lethal gift 1, Lethal gift 2

***

Rodents 1, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, Dust 1
Birds 1, Birds 2, Drug resistance 1, infection theft 1&2
Necrosis, Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2, Droplets 1, Lethal theft 1&2, Cold resistance 1
--- Save DNA until mutation 1 to be ready if you get the good one ---
MUTATION 1 : Total organ failure is absolutly essential
Pneumonia, Acute encephalitis, Heat resistance 1
Blood 1, Meningitis, Droplets 2, Cold resistance 2, Dysentery, Internal hemo
Infection Boost, Lethal Boost

***

Brutal level / Beginners (330 - 300 days)

Unlike the other beginners tutorials for casual and normal, this proposal will not give you a comfortable easy win. I have hesitated to propose a brutal level tutorial for beginners. But I have tested it in 2 games, and I won these 2 games in 307 and 312 days.
But still, you will have to optimize the time using the pause a lot, because it's quite difficult not to be cured. You may have to rollback the cure % between 1 and 3 times when it passes over 95%, additionally to the written strategy.

Leader : Bacteria
Start genes : none
Start country : China

Support : Bacteria
Start genes : Urbophobe (also you would get a little advandage with Thermophobe and Xerophobe)
Start country : Turkey

***

Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, Coughing, Sneezing
Unsheduled flights, drop the leader's plague in :
France, USA, South Africa, Norway, Brazil, New Zealand, New Guinea
Keep an eye on harbors and boats
When only 2 islands left, drop the 2 last planes in them.
Infection Boost, use it on the most critical countries (keep an eye on Morocco).
*Genetic sacrifice ?
Lethal gifts if you have the time before the end.

***

Rodents 1, Sweating, Vomitting, infection theft 1, Birds 1, Birds 2
Diaorrhea, Drug resistance 1, infection theft 2, Water 1, Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2
Dust 1, Droplets 1, Heat resistance 1, Cold resistance 1, Blood 1, Dysentery
Dust 2, Drug resistance 2, Meningitis, Cold resistance 2, Acute encephalitis, Total organ failure
*Start keeping an eye on the cure % and rollback it when > 92%
Pneumonia, Necrosis, Blood 2, Internal hemo, lethal theft 1&2

***

If you don't manage to win in brutal with this tutorial, unlock first fungus for the leader and parasite for the support. Then it will be much more comfortable to play in brutal.

***

Brutal level / Trained players (280 - 240 days)

This scenario has already been published longtime ago, and it remains the safest way to get the BFF in 1 or 2 games.
It has given a previous world record in 241 days with Meningitis as first mutation, so you will hardly reach 240 days with this build.
The numbers ( ) are the number of days for a win in 246 days with an average first mutation (gastric ulceration).

Leader : Fungus
Start genes : Hydrophobe, Rurophobe, Pharmaphile
Start country : Libya

Support : Parasite
Start genes : Urbophobe, Thermophobe, Xerophobe
Start country : Turkey

***

Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, Unsheduled flights, drop the leader's plague in :
China, France, USA, Brazil, New Zealand
Keep all your DNA, and see the boats and the spores doing the job.
Once the leader is in all the continental countries, and only 3-4 islands are still sane, drop the leader in every sane islands except the hardest one, if you can afford it.
For example, if only Greenland, Iceland and New Guinea left while you can afford 2 flights, then drop the leader in Greenland and New Guinea in pause, and let Iceland free for spores. The hardest islands are usually Iceland and New zealand, and after them New Guinea and Greenland.
*Check if your leader needs you to take the Infection Boost or not ? Just to be sure.
Lethal gifts 1 (222)
*Lethal gift 2 (231) or Lethal Boost instead ?

***

Rodents 1 (0), infection theft 1 (0), Sweating (0), Vomitting(0), Dust 1 (10), infection theft 2 (10)
Diaorrhea (31), Birds 1 (43), Drug resistance 1 (48), Birds (65), Dysentery, Sheeps 1 (86)
MUTATION 1 : Gastric ulceration is good, Meningitis is very good
Droplets 1 (96), Droplets 2 (102), Water 1 (111), Heat resistance 1 (121), Cold resistance 1&2 (129)
Blood 1 (136), Meningitis, Acute encephalitis
MUTATION 2 : Total organ failure would save a lot of DNA, Acute encephalitis helps if you were late
Drug resistance 2, Dust 2, Sheeps 2, lethal theft 1&2, Total organ failure
MUTATION 3 : Pneumonia, or Necrosis, or Internal hemo would save a lot of DNA
Pneumonia (208), Necrosis (213)
*Does a late country need the Infection Boost ? If yes, who could afford it first ?
Internal hemo (220), Lethal Boost

***

The end of the game might be tough if everything random went wrong (mutations, boats, spores). Brutal level is brutal even with a tutorial.

***

Brutal level / Elite players ; fungus version (265 - 240 days)

This strategy is safer than the bio-weapon version, but still not suitable for a BFF with no experience of the brutal level. It's recommended to use it when your target is between 240 and 250 days.

Leader : Fungus
Start genes : Rurophobe, Hydrophobe, Pharmaphile
Start country : Libya

Support : Parasite
Start genes : Unstable inception, Urbophobe, Thermophobe
Start country : random

***

Pause at 0 day. If you are not in one of the countries of this list, restart the game.
Playable countries : Turkey, Argentina, Baltic, Poland, Ukrain, Balkans, Madagascar, Russia, Peru, Bolivia, Iceland, Greenland.
Take Coughing & Sneezing
Take Unsheduled flights.
Drop as soon as possible the leader's plague in :
Australia, China, USA, France
Then wait for the leader's first spores and pause when they come.
Send the 5th plane to Brazil if the spores didn't hit a south american country.
Keep all your DNA, and see the boats and the spores doing the job.
Once the leader is in all the continental countries, and only 2-3 islands are still sane, drop the leader in every sane islands except the hardest one if you can afford it.
For example, if only Greenland, Iceland and New Guinea left while you can afford 2 flights, then drop the leader in Greenland and New Guinea in pause, and let Iceland free for spores. The hardest islands are usually Iceland and New zealand, and after them New Guinea and Greenland.
Infection Boost ; use it on the most critical countries.
Lethal gifts 1&2 (if you have the time)

***

Rodents 1, Dust 1, infection theft 1&2, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions
Birds 1, Birds 2, Drug resistance 1, Necrosis
Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2, Water 1, Heat resistance 1 (this line can be mixed to create various versions)
MUTATION 1 mustn't be Total organ failure ; internal hemo is possible but may close harbors sooner.
Droplets 1, Droplets 2, Cold resistance 1, Cold resistance 2, Blood 1
MUTATION 2 : Total organ failure is very good
Pneumonia, Acute encephalitis (if TOF mutated)
Drugs 2 (take it before the 2nd mutation if you can afford, or after a bad 2nd mutation)
*Total organ failure (if not mutated for free)
*Pneumonia, Acute encephalite (if not already taken)
Meningitis, Dysentery, Blood 2
MUTATION 3 : Dysentery, Diaorrhea, Internal hemo would save precious DNA
Diaorrhea, Gastric ulceration, Internal hemo, lethal theft 1&2
Lethal boost ; use it in the last 4-5 days max

***

In the lucky games, the support can make only 6 flights in the whole game, what is important to make him afford the infection boost soon enough. On the contrary, getting only bad mutations will often create issues with the cure at the end (it's rare if you are in the speed to win below 240 days).

***

Brutal level / Elite players ; bio-weapon version (260 days to the world record)

The current world record (225 days) is from this build. It is EXTREMELY risky, you will often lose by the cure when the game is not fast enough to break 240 days, or by too many closed harbors.

Leader : Bio-Weapon
Start genes : Rurophobe, Pharmaphile, empty slot
Start country : Libya

Support : Parasite
Start genes : Unstable inception, Urbophobe, Thermophobe
Start country : random

***

Pause at 0 day. If you are not in one of the countries of this list, restart the game.
Playable countries : Turkey, Argentina, Baltic, Poland, Ukrain, Balkans, Madagascar, Russia, Peru, Bolivia, Iceland, Greenland.
Take Coughing & Sneezing
Take Unsheduled flights.
Drop (in this order) as soon as possible the leader's plague in :
Australia, China, France, USA, Brazil, Sweden, Iceland, Greenland
See the boats doing the job, you might have no more flights to do.
If an uninfected island closes its harbor, drop the killer in it.
Finish the infection of every islands when you can.
Depending on the situation, infection boost if you can afford it before the killer (usually if good boats + bad mutations).
Lethal gifts (except if the killer will not afford the lethal boost at the end, if you can yourself... but still the general lethality is often more important than the boost in brutal)

***

Rodents 1, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, Dust 1
Birds 1, Birds 2, Drug resistance 1, Sheeps 1, Sheeps 2
Infection thefts 1&2, Hot 1
MUTATION 1 : Necrosis is very useful
Necrosis (if not mutated), Water 1
Droplets 1, Droplets 2, Cold 1, Cold 2, Blood 1, Drug resistance 2
MUTATION 2 : Total organ failure is very useful
Blood 2, Total organ failure (if not mutated)
Pneumonia, Acute encephalitis, Meningitis, Dysentery
Infection boost, start to use it on the 3-4 most very critical countries
MUTATION 3 : Internal hemo or Diaorrhea is useful
Lethal thefts 1&2, Diaorrhe, Gastric ulceration, Internal hemo
More late countries to boost ?
Lethal boost (at the very ending for a very limited number of countries.

Various positive or negative events (the 3 mutations, the boats and harbors) will make each game different. It may be necessary to make some adaptations to answer to the specificity of the game. You will need to communicate to decide if the support takes lethal gifts, infection boost or lethal boost depending on eath player's resources by the end of the game.

***

The orange tsunami / Non-competitive funny launching

You have no chance to make a good score like this, but you will more probably win your funniest game ever.
You can use it in casual or normal, but hardly in brutal.

Infection holder : Fungus
Start genes : Urbophobe, Xerophobe, Pharmaphile
Start country : Turkey

Lethality holder : Bio Weapon
Start genes : Urbophobe, Rurophobe, Pharmaphile
Start country : Saudi Arabia

***

Air 1, Rash, Abcesses, Skin lesions, Coughing, Sneezing, Pneumonia, Droplets 1
Unsheduled flights
Drop the infection holder in the continents he is not yet (China, USA, Brazil, South Africa ?)
Necrosis, Droplets 2, Inflammation, Hypersensibility, Immune suppression, Psychosis
Birds 1, Drug resistance 1, Rodents 1, Sheeps 1
The orange tsunami is rolling ! You can write your own end. Have fun !

***

Sheeps 1, Sweating, Vomitting, Diaorrhea, Birds 1, Birds 2, Rodents 1
Rodents 2, Dust 1, Dust 2, Drug resistance 1, Heat resistance 1, Cold resistance 1, Water 1
Blood 1, Gastric ulceration, Drug resistance 2, Cold resistance 2, Blood 2
Heat resistance 2, Droplets 1, Sheeps 2, Infection gifts 1&2
The orange tsunami is rolling ! You can write your own end. Have fun !