I don't know if it's a Halloween thing or naked pandering to guys like me, but post-apocalyptic MMO Fallen Earth just got zombies. Yeah, sure, plenty of MMOs have zombies. But this is a whole new set of quests about zombies, complete with an in-game fiction for why they're there.

The premise of Fallen Earth is that you're a clone, and when you die, you're restored at a LifeNet cloning facility. It's a convenient fiction to explain respawning in an MMO. But according to the new "Days of the Dead" quests, a rogue AI has started cranking nanite-infected zombies out of the LifeNet facilities. It is now marching them against other LifeNet facilities, hoping to infect them.

"Days of the Dead" was added in a massive patch that just went live, revising some of the starting areas and applying a lot of extra spit and polish. Fallen Earth can be a bit rough at times, but it's a solid game, well constructed, and plenty friendly to solo players who are sick of fantasy worlds and want something a little different, where your mount can be an ATV instead of a horse and your main weapon can be a shotgun instead of a sword. Although horses and swords are an option as well. In the post-apocalypse, it takes all sorts of equipment to get by.

A couple of tidbits from the "Days of the Dead" FAQ:

Where do I find my zombie-killing weapon?

The Bankers, a neutral faction, are also offering a special zombie-fighting weapon for killing 100 Infected. Players get their choice of a signature shotgun, a sawed-off shotgun, or a cricket bat. You can only accept this mission once. A representative of the Bankers can be found at any of the mission hubs.

How can I make scarecrows to attract zombies so I can kill them?

Pumpkins are needed to create scarecrows for one of the missions. You can buy pumpkins from Cooking Merchants or you can seek out one of the scattered pumpkin patches. Watch out for the rare drop of the "Pumpkin of Extraordinary Merit," which grants a five percent increase to Strength, Endurance, Coordination, Dexterity, Perception and Willpower and a 10 percent increase to your health regeneration for one hour.