Conquering the Unthinkable: A Comprehensive Guide to Beating Prion Brutal Mode in Plague Inc.

Prion on Brutal difficulty in Plague Inc. is arguably one of the most challenging experiences the game offers. Its incredibly slow progression, coupled with the devastating late-game defensive abilities of the human race, can quickly lead to frustrating defeats. However, with the right strategy, understanding of the game mechanics, and a bit of patience, even this seemingly insurmountable obstacle can be overcome. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the steps necessary to finally beat Prion Brutal mode, covering everything from early-game evolution to end-game strategies.

Understanding the Prion’s Challenges

Before diving into specific strategies, let’s understand why Prion is so difficult on Brutal:

• Slow Transmission: Prions have a naturally slow transmission rate, especially in the early game. This gives humans ample time to develop countermeasures, detect your plague, and research cures.
• Neurodegenerative Nature: While the neurological symptoms are powerful, they take a significant amount of time to develop and become lethal. This means you’ll spend a good portion of the game just trying to get the plague to spread before it’s too late.
• Low Starting Infectivity: The initial infectivity of a Prion is quite low, further hindering early spread.
• High Cure Progress: The slow pace of the Prion allows the cure to progress steadily and relentlessly. You’ll be racing against the clock for the entire game.
• Brutal Difficulty Modifiers: Brutal mode itself exacerbates these issues, with increased research speed for the cure, more frequent and effective countermeasures, and generally faster rates of improvement for the healthy population.

General Strategies and Mindset

Conquering Prion Brutal requires more than just luck; it demands a strategic approach and a patient mindset. Here are some crucial general principles to keep in mind:

• Patience is Key: Unlike bacteria or viruses, Prions don’t spread quickly. Be prepared for a slow burn. Don’t panic if the infection rate seems low initially.
• Focus on Transmission First: Prioritize getting your plague widespread before focusing on lethality. A dead host cannot spread the plague.
• Upgrade Strategically: Don’t just randomly upgrade symptoms or transmission routes. Every point must be spent wisely.
• Adapt to Cure Progress: Constantly monitor the cure research. You’ll need to adjust your strategies based on the cure’s progression.
• Use Genetic Codes Wisely: Genetic codes can provide crucial boosts. Choose those that complement your playstyle.
• Watch for Red Bubbles and News: Pay attention to red bubbles and news reports. They can provide valuable information about disease events and human countermeasures, allowing you to adjust your strategy on the fly.
• Don’t be Afraid to Restart: Sometimes, the starting country, initial mutations, or early cure speed may simply be too difficult to overcome. Don’t be afraid to restart if things aren’t going well early on.

Detailed Step-by-Step Guide

Here’s a detailed, step-by-step guide to beating Prion on Brutal mode:

Phase 1: Initial Setup and Early Spread (0-50% Global Infection)

1. Starting Country: Choose Saudi Arabia, India, or China as your starting country. These countries have high populations and diverse environments, which are crucial for initial spread. Avoid countries with extremely strong healthcare systems (e.g., developed European countries, Japan).
2. Genetic Code Selection:
   • ATP Boost: This is crucial for the slow-starting Prion. It grants more DNA points.
   • Catalytic Switch: Helps with mutation.
   • Genetic Mimic: This helps delay the cure progress and make it more difficult to research the cure.
   • Aquacyte: This improves water transmission.
   • Ionised Helix: Allows to revert devolved symptoms with no DNA cost.
3. Initial Transmissions:** Immediately invest in the following transmission upgrades, one at a time as DNA becomes available:
   • Air 1 – increases infection rates through air travel.
   • Water 1 – increases infection rates through water routes.
   • Livestock 1 – Improves the infection rate in rural areas.
   • Insect 1 – This improves insect transmission
4. Initial Symptoms: For the initial game don’t pick any symptoms. Allow the prion to naturally mutate. We don’t need to worry about symptoms just yet.
5. Early Focus:** Concentrate on improving infectivity across the globe. Focus primarily on these transmission methods. Do not spend any DNA points on symptoms or special abilities just yet. It’s very important that at least 50% of the world’s population is infected. Be Patient. Don’t rush into symptoms.
6. Monitor Cure Progress: Keep a close watch on the cure research. If it starts progressing too quickly, consider evolving the Genetic Hardening ability (found in abilities) to slow it down, but wait until it progresses by 20%.

Phase 2: Mid-Game Spread and Symptom Evolution (50-80% Global Infection)

1. Transmission Upgrades:** Continue to evolve the following transmission upgrades:
   • Air 2 & 3 – increases infection rates through air travel significantly.
   • Water 2 & 3 – increases infection rates through water routes significantly.
   • Livestock 2 – Improves the infection rate in rural areas.
   • Insect 2 – This improves insect transmission
   • Extreme bioaerosol: Significantly boost air transmission.
2. Symptom Evolution: Once you reach 50% global infection, it’s time to start evolving symptoms, but with caution. Focus on non-lethal symptoms that boost infectivity and slow the cure.
   • Insomnia: Increases infectivity slightly and makes it easier to get other symptoms
   • Paranoia: Increases infectivity further.
   • Cysts: This is a non-lethal symptom that boosts infectivity.
   • Rash: Another non-lethal symptom that increases infectivity.
   • Sweating: Non-lethal symptom that increases infectivity.
   • Sneezing: A non-lethal symptom with decent infectivity increase.
3. Cure Progression:** If cure starts progressing quickly, evolve Genetic Hardening in abilities.
4. Monitor for Countermeasures: Keep an eye on the news for any countermeasures. Use the following abilities to counter human progress:
   • Gene Compression This ability makes the cure research more difficult.
   • Genetic Mimic Further slows down the cure.
5. Strategic Devolution: Don’t be afraid to devolve any symptoms which will increase the cure research significantly. Use Ionized Helix to revert these symptoms without any penalty.

Phase 3: Late-Game Lethality and Cure Suppression (80-100% Global Infection)

1. Transition to Lethality: Once you’ve achieved 80% global infection, it’s time to ramp up the lethality. Evolve the following symptoms:
   • Total Organ Failure: This symptom will quickly kill all infected hosts.
   • Coma: Increases severity of symptoms and further increases infectivity.
   • Paralysis: Increases severity and lethality.
   • Mental Instability: Further boost infectivity.
   • Seizures: Another severe symptom to increases lethality.
   • Brain Hemorrhage: One of the most deadly symptoms.
   • Encephalitis: increases the severity and lethality.
2. Cure Suppression: Use the following abilities to further delay the cure:
   • Genetic Hardening 1 & 2: This is essential to slow down cure progress.
   • Gene Compression 1 & 2: This slows down the cure progress.
   • Drug Resistance 1 & 2: Increases cure progress resistance.
3. Monitor for Cure Breakthroughs: Pay close attention to any news reports about significant breakthroughs in the cure. If the cure progress is accelerating dramatically, you might need to adjust your strategy.
4. Population Collapse: With a combination of transmission and lethality, watch as the world collapses under the weight of your prion. If the cure has not progressed to 100% you should win the game.

Key Ability Upgrades

Here are some crucial ability upgrades to keep in mind:

• Genetic Hardening: This is absolutely essential for delaying the cure. Upgrade both levels when possible.
• Gene Compression: Another vital upgrade for hindering cure research. Upgrade both levels.
• Drug Resistance: Increases resistance to cure development.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Cure Progress Too Fast: Focus more on Genetic Hardening and Gene Compression. Also ensure you are devolving symptoms to remove research progress.
• Not Spreading Quickly Enough: Review your early game strategy and focus on transmission upgrades in the initial countries.
• Too Many Deaths Early On: Don’t evolve lethal symptoms too early. Focus on infection first.
• Population Health is too high: devolve symptoms and focus on transmission. Ensure you are picking countries with high population density and poorer healthcare.

Advanced Tips for Prion Brutal

• Focus on High Population Areas: Prioritize transmission to densely populated regions.
• Use the World Map to your Advantage: See which countries have the highest population and target those for increased transmission.
• Don’t Neglect Abilities: Abilities are very important for this mode, use them when appropriate and make sure you are upgrading them.
• Be Patient and Keep Adapting: This mode is not a sprint. Be patient and adapt to the challenges.
• Practice and Experiment: Experimenting with different strategies is key to finding what works best for you. Don’t be discouraged by losses. Learn from your mistakes.

Conclusion

Beating Prion on Brutal mode is a challenging but incredibly rewarding experience in Plague Inc. It requires a deep understanding of game mechanics, strategic planning, and a patient approach. By following this guide and adapting to the specific circumstances of each playthrough, you’ll significantly increase your chances of conquering this seemingly impossible challenge. Remember to stay focused, be patient, and don’t give up. Good luck!