Plants vs Zombies 2 - Penny's Pursuit - Seedium Showcase - Goo Peashooter - Sept 2024

Plant of the Week - Goo Peashooter - was offered between August 31, 2024 through September 7, 2024.

Goo Peashooter is a member of the Ail-Mint family.
Goo Peashooter costs 125 Sun. (-25 Sun at level 6.)
Goo Peashooter does 30 damage. (+5 damage per level.)
Zombies hit by Goo Peashooter's goop are poisoned. These zombies take 3 damage per second. (+1 damage at level 8.)
This poison will stack up to 25 times - dealing a maximum of 75 damage per second.

Commentary:
In terms of game balance, damage over time is one of the trickiest to handle. Make it too weak and no one will utilize it. Make it too strong and the game becomes unbalanced. This is true whether it is for intensity or duration; whether you call it poison or burning.

With direct damage, the damage is immediate and easy to quantify. With poison, one has to wonder if the zombie will take “lethal” damage before eating the plants.

The metrics on Goo Peashooter say one should play this plant. We like the idea of poison. It is an under-used mechanic, precisely because it is difficult to get a handle on how strong it should be.

The main problem with Goo Peashooter is that zombies which are “close to death” will still be absorbing punishment that really should be going to zombies behind it. In this sense, these zombies act like a shield to protect the zombies behind it. This is something that does not occur with direct damage (Peashooter) or pass-through damage (Laser Bean).

Bottom Line:
Apart from the obligatory “get this plant because more plants give you more options” line, we simply do not find many situations where Goo Peashooter would be a first pick or a secondary choice. With so many good plants, it is tough to justify using this plant over others.

Level 1 - Difficulty 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Bonus 2 of 2.
Survive for 3 minutes.
Chosen Perk is Score increase.
Score more than 750,000 / 2,000,000 / 5,000,000
Produce at least not offered / 5,000 / 7,500 Sun

Level 2 - Difficulty 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Bonus 1 of 2
Survive the zombie attack.
Chosen Perk is Jalapeño. 🌶️🌶️🌶️
There are precious flowers on the lawn which can not be trampled - 3 & 4
Ash zombies not offered / 40 / 50 times.

Level 3 - Difficulty 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Bonus 2 of 2
Survive for three (3) minutes.
Chosen Perk is Score Increase.
Score to beat: 5,000,000 / 15,000,000 / 30,000,000
Ash zombies not offered / 50 / 75 times.
Starting Sun = 5,200 / 5,000 / 4,750

Level 4 - Difficulty 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Bonus 0 of 2
Survive the zombie attack - Last Stand Style.
Chosen Perk is Sun Bank. Start off with Extra Sun.
Chill 50 / 80 / 100 zombies.
Never have more than not offered / 7 / 5 plants.
Starting Sun = 2,300 / 2,100 / 1,850

Level 5 - Difficulty 🌶️🌶️🌶️ - Bonus 1 of 2
Survive the zombie attack.
Chosen Perk is Score increase.
Score more than 200,000 / 1,000,000 / 3,000,000
Plant food Hypno-shrooms to morph zombies not offered / 10 / 10 times.