The rot zombie is the alternate upgrade of the zombie, the second-tier unit of the Necropolis in Heroes of Might and Magic V. The difference between the rot zombie and the plague zombie is their abilities - Weakening Strike lowers the attack and defense of a single creature per attack, while Festering Aura works on all living surrounding creatures. For long combats against a powerful stack, the plague zombie's bonus works better, but for short clashes and against several living stacks, the rot zombie may be the superior choice.