Pandemic Legacy: Season 1 · Board game rules
How do outbreaks work in Pandemic Legacy: Season 1?
Quick answer
When a city with 3 disease cubes of the same color receives another cube, an outbreak occurs: move the outbreaks marker, spread 1 cube to all connected cities, and increase panic levels. Chain reactions may trigger further outbreaks.
Details
When a city would receive a 4th disease cube of the same color during infection or an epidemic, an outbreak occurs instead [p.7 — OUTBREAKS]. Resolve as follows:
- Move the outbreaks marker forward 1 space on the Outbreaks Track. If this reaches the last space, players lose immediately.
- Spread disease: Place 1 cube of the outbreak’s color on every city directly connected to the outbreaking city. If a connected city already has 3 cubes of that color, a chain reaction outbreak occurs there, repeating steps 1-2 for each affected city. Chain reactions do not spread to cities already involved in the current outbreak resolution [p.7 — OUTBREAKS].
Panic level increase: After resolving an outbreak, increase the panic level of the outbreaking city. Use stickers to track this:
- Level 1 (Unstable): No effect.
- Level 2 (Collapsing): Destroy research stations in the city; players must discard 1+ card(s) to enter via Drive/Ferry [p.3 — PANIC LEVEL].
- Level 5+: No sticker is placed, but outbreaks still resolve normally.
Edge case: If more than 8 cities would outbreak simultaneously (e.g., from chain reactions), players choose which 8 cities to resolve, stopping at the 8th outbreak [p.7 — INCREASE PANIC LEVEL].
Watch out: Chain reactions can cascade rapidly, causing multiple outbreaks in a single turn. Always check connected cities after each outbreak to avoid missing secondary/tertiary outbreaks.
If the outbreaks marker reaches the end of the Outbreaks Track at any point, the game is lost immediately [p.7 — OUTBREAKS].