Graveyard Keeper 2 Zombie-Automatisierung

Automation is the single biggest structural change Graveyard Keeper 2 makes to the original formula. Zombies existed in the first game as help with quarrying, farming and alchemy. In the sequel they run semi-automatic machines in underground factories — and the developers list conveyor-belt factories as one of the completely new mechanics.

That shift changes what you manage. Instead of clicking stations yourself, you balance a line.

How is automation different from the first game?

Lazy Bear Games stated the change directly: in Graveyard Keeper 2 zombies "don't just use regular workbenches... they can also efficiently operate semi-automatic machines in underground factories! Assuming very minimum working conditions are provided, of course."

Three things follow from that sentence:

• Semi-automatic machines are a distinct tier above workbenches. They are not simply faster benches; they represent a different class of production that zombies staff.
• The location matters. "Underground factories" is a named space, which implies a dedicated buildable area rather than stations scattered around your graveyard.
• There is a condition attached. "Very minimum working conditions" is doing real work in that sentence — expect some requirement you have to satisfy before a zombie will staff a machine.

The "why" is also stated: zombies "don't ask for food or payment", so the design deliberately pushes you to lean on them harder than you did before.

What conveyor-belt factories add

Conveyor belts are listed by the developers as a new mechanic alongside zombie battles. The implication is that items now move between stations rather than sitting in a worker's hands, which is the difference between a workshop and a production line.

Practically, a conveyor line means three new failure modes that did not exist in the original game:

1. Input starvation — a line is only as fast as its slowest supplier.
2. Output backup — if the next stage cannot consume fast enough, upstream stalls.
3. Layout cost — belts take space, so physical arrangement becomes a real design decision rather than cosmetic.

None of the numbers are public yet. Belt throughput, machine tier counts, power or upkeep requirements, and how many zombies a line needs are all unconfirmed.

How to plan a production chain before launch

You can do useful planning work right now even though no recipe data exists, because the structure of a chain is independent of the numbers.

The method is to work backwards from a target. Pick the item you want, write down how much of it you need per minute, and then walk upstream: for each step, that step's required output rate becomes demand on each of its inputs. Anything with no recipe of its own is a raw material you have to gather.

That is exactly what the production calculator on this wiki does. You enter your own recipes, cycle times and target rate, and it returns required rate per step, the number of stations each step needs, and the full raw material bill per minute and per hour. It ships with no baked-in game data on purpose, so it stays correct through every patch.

For one-off crafting goals rather than continuous rates, use the recipe calculator instead — it explodes a single target into a complete raw material list, including the rounding you get from partial batches.

The three rules that prevent most automation stalls

These follow from the confirmed design rather than from testing, but they hold for effectively every automation game with belts and stations:

• Fix supply before adding machines. A second machine fed by one supplier produces nothing. Confirm input rate first; that is the whole point of the required-rate column in the calculator.
• Put your best zombies on the bottleneck, not on the nicest station. Each zombie has its own skill progression, and more corrupted zombies develop better skills. Routing matters. See the zombie workers guide.
• Build storage between stages. Buffers absorb the mismatch between a fast stage and a slow stage. Without them, one slow step throttles everything upstream of it.

How automation connects to the Town

Automation and Town restoration are the same economy seen from two sides. The official description says you complete quests around the city "as your undead workers take care of the heavy lifting behind the scenes", and that zombie-based automation lets you "transform local efforts into a scalable and profitable operation".

Restored Town buildings then create new markets for your goods, which is what gives your surplus somewhere to go. If your factories are producing more than you can use, the fix is usually a Town building rather than a bigger warehouse — see the town restoration guide.

What is still unknown

Every value. Machine tiers, belt throughput, cycle times, upkeep, how many zombies a factory supports, whether zombies need rest, and how the Tech Tree gates all of it are unconfirmed. Underground factory layout costs and space requirements are unconfirmed too.

FAQ

Do zombies need to be fed or paid?

No. The developers explicitly note that zombies "don't ask for food or payment", which is their stated justification for working them harder.

Is automation optional?

Unconfirmed. Nothing suggests it is mandatory, but the game's economy is clearly built around it, so skipping it will likely make the Town and combat far harder.

Are conveyor belts available from the start?

Unconfirmed. They are described as a new mechanic, not as a starting tool.

Can I plan my factory before the game is out?

Partly — the structure and the maths you can do now with the production calculator; the actual recipes you will need to enter yourself after launch.