How to Craft the Steel Zombie Collar in Graveyard Keeper 2 – 36 Red Skull Zombie Unlock

A 36-Red-Skull zombie is the current ceiling for zombie crafting in Graveyard Keeper 2. Each Red Skull opens a perk slot, and obtaining steel is the obstacle to making the collar this build needs.

You can resurrect a collared zombie before every upgrade is ready and improve it later. This guide covers organ improvement, preparation, a treatment blocked by collar capacity, and the difference between Red and White Skulls.

How to get a 36 Red Skull zombie in Graveyard Keeper 2

Improve the body, fit the Steel Zombie Collar, and complete any remaining upgrades after resurrection.

1 – Prepare improved body parts and obtain a Steel Zombie Collar

Build higher-Red-Skull parts and get the steel needed for the collar.

Make Organ Improver

If you know its recipe, craft Organ Improver at Laboratory I or Laboratory II.

Improve body parts

At the Formulation Bench, use the corresponding red- or white-skull Organ Improver to modify a part’s skull rating. The displayed “Improve organ II: Skull” variation carries three Red Skulls and three White Skulls.

Research the Steel Zombie Collar

Find its technology in Anatomy and alchemy. You can research it early, but you still need steel to make the collar.

Craft the collar

Progress through the main-story quests to obtain steel, then make a Steel Zombie Collar at the Jewelry Table. Its recipe includes Steel parts and Soul energy.

2 – Prepare and resurrect the zombie

Install the parts you have, then fit the collar before selecting Prepare.

Install improved parts

At Autopsy Table II, replace parts such as the Brain, Heart, Guts, Skull, Bones, and Skin with higher-Red-Skull versions; Fat can also contribute to the total. Pick up the body after its total reaches 33. An extraction kit is crafted in the Writing Basement.

Fit the collar and prepare

Put the body on Resurrection Table I, insert the Steel Zombie Collar, and select Prepare. Its 0–99 Red Skull allowance lets you prepare a body before every replacement part or embalming treatment is available, then improve it later.

Resurrect the zombie

Use the central resurrection control and select Resurrect when the prepared body is ready. A body that reached 36 Red Skulls retains that total after resurrection.

3 – Finish any remaining upgrades and check for 36 red skulls

Treatment and part replacement remain available after resurrection.

Apply the remaining treatment

A zombie resurrected at 33 Red Skulls can receive Solution for Zombies later. Craft it at the Formulation Bench and apply it at Embalming Table II: its +3 Red Skulls brings the total to 36 and grants Mastery +7.

Replace parts if needed

Return an existing zombie to Autopsy Table II to swap in higher-Red-Skull parts when you have them.

Check the finished total

Read the zombie’s Red Skull total for 36. Each body part and other slot is limited to three Red Skulls; the collar’s 99 is its allowance, while 36 is the current attainable total.

Why can’t I add Solution for Zombies to my zombie?

The Zombie Collar sets the Red Skull limit. A Bronze Zombie Collar allows 0–5 Red Skulls, so Solution for Zombies cannot add three to a zombie already at four: the result would exceed the collar’s capacity. The Steel Zombie Collar removes that restrictive lower-tier limit. The solution is applied as an embalming agent, and the current total must leave room for its full effect.

For that capacity problem, swap the Skin for Dark Skin at the Autopsy Table, then remove Fat to lower the current total enough for the treatment. Removing Blood or Fat also lowers Red Skulls, so those removals serve this adjustment rather than the main push toward 36. Once there is room, apply Solution for Zombies at the Embalming Table and let the treatment finish.

Changing a part that supplies Red Skulls can leave an affected perk selected but inactive, and the displayed mastery can fall. With five perks selected, two remain active after those adjustments, while the other three wait for restoration. When treatment returns the zombie to five Red Skulls, the perks can become active again; open its perk screen to see which selections have been restored.

Do White Skulls matter for zombie work?

White Skulls affect graveyard rating, but they do not change a zombie’s work performance. Body parts determine its Red Skulls, and each Red Skull opens a perk slot. That is the total to build when you want more slots on a worker.

Solution for Corpses gives +1 White Skull and Mastery +1. Some jobs do not require a 36-Red-Skull zombie, so a worker can still be useful before its parts reach the current maximum.

With Steel Zombie Collars available, four zombies per week can be a production pace if the rest of your operation keeps up.