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In Plague Inc., and in real-life infectious disease dynamics, a pandemic doesn’t just happen overnight. It evolves through a careful—and terrifying—combination of traits. Here are the seven ingredients that determine whether a microbe remains a nuisance… or ends the world.

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1. Transmission

Transmission is how the pathogen spreads. Airborne droplets, water, blood, animal vectors, or direct contact all determine its reach. The more efficient and stealthy the transmission, the harder it is to stop—especially if it spreads before symptoms appear.

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2. Infectivity

This is how easily the disease infects new hosts once it’s been transmitted. A pathogen with high infectivity takes hold quickly and spreads faster through a population. Think of it as its “stickiness”—how well it grabs onto and invades new victims.

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3. Severity

Severity reflects how noticeable or intense the symptoms are. A highly severe illness draws quick attention but may be contained faster. A mild disease might spread silently, under the radar. Smart pathogens often start subtle before becoming brutal.

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4. Lethality

Lethality is how deadly the pathogen is. Too high, and the host dies before spreading it. Too low, and it might not destabilize society. The most dangerous pathogens walk the line—killing efficiently but slowly, allowing widespread chaos first.

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5. Mutation Rate

Mutation is how fast the pathogen evolves. High mutation allows it to adapt—evading vaccines, becoming drug-resistant, or changing symptoms. But too much, and it might burn out or lose key traits. The right balance makes a pathogen unpredictable and hard to cure.

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6. Incubation Time

A longer incubation period with no symptoms means people spread the disease without knowing they’re sick. This “stealth mode” is a devastating trick used by real viruses like HIV or SARS-CoV-2. By the time symptoms appear, it’s already everywhere.

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7. Environmental Resistance

This includes resistance to heat, cold, humidity, or disinfectants. A pathogen that can survive on surfaces, tolerate extreme climates, or live outside the body for extended periods becomes far more dangerous on a global scale.

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💀 The Perfect Storm

When all these traits align—rapid airborne transmission, high infectivity, slow onset, stealthy symptoms, and just the right dose of lethality—you don’t just have an outbreak. You have the making of a full-blown apocalypse. And in Mutant Hollow, we ask: Will it zombie?

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