I already made the gates a lot stronger but I guess this quest was supposed to be a challenge for fighters and should stay that way, as there is a peaceful alternative too...

I agree. It's a completely optional quest to begin with. It's relatively easy for some builds, but insanely difficult for others.

I found this quest frustrating AF the first few times I've done it, but that's because I didn't have celerity builds. I've done it as a Tremere, Malk and Ventrue, generally by using melee only and running back and forth a lot and focusing on all zombies near one gate at a time.

One possible trick seems to be to only go for the ones at or near the gate(s), since most zombies will go for you if you're close enough and they haven't decided to head for the gate yet. At least that's what I've found.

I'll have to try that "hide behind the mausoleum" trick next time though and see if that works.

Just out of interest, is this quest actually doable using only ranged weapons? In theory it should be, but I suspect it'd be really hard with guns even for a gunfighter.

I did it once years ago (basic patch I think) with the gun Romero gives you just before. Seemed fairly easy at the time. All subsequent attempts under the plus patch have failed for whatever reason.

I think I managed to do this quest without pretty good build... though I used bonus speed to jump from one gate to other, gunning down most of zombies.... actually, while I panicked I won't make it, it didn't seem that hard then. I wonder if I got lucky, or I just don't remember now what I did back then...

What was your firearms and total shooting skill? Mine was never that high, which was probably why I found it almost impossible to line shots up with it due to the sight movement.

I didn't notice any difference between the plus and patch myself.

I really don't know what my stats were way back then. I just remember running back and forth between the gates, shooting zombies as I went. In later patches they always seem to tear down the gates before I can make more than one circuit of the map. Don't ask me why.

I can only say what I already did: I made the gates harder to break in the plus patch but didn't touch anything in the basic version...

Just spit-balling here, but, is it possible that there could be something checking the gates health and making more zombies since the gates are stronger? It's the only way I can see to explain it apparently getting harder despite having stronger gates. BTW, I couldn't get to the first gate before the quest failed, even with celerity.

No, but it spawns more zombies if you are more active I think...

the best time I could go for was 12 seconds to countdown but always ended up failed. played as a tremere. funnily enough that best time was my first attempt. I didn't even know about the gate at the other end. :D I just tried to kill as many as I could of the ones on the first gate, didn't run around etc. when it failed I thought 'no problem, I'll get it the next try' lololol

I did notice if you didn't attack certain zombies they would mill around and not be focused, If i ran behind the gravestones and not drew attention to me the numbers would be less at the gate. I tried sniping from a perch atop the stone fence as recommended, I tried only hitting certain types of zees as someone else mentioned, etc. Had best runs if I froze the gate focused zees and ran to the other gate and repeated. In the end however, all failed. Also, using the same tactic in back to back runs had different spawn rates per run, seemed very random so in the end I just skipped it. Still was fun tho, brilliant game and wesp mod

I was more disappointed i couldn't seduce the gravekeeper :P

On my first run (as a Brujah, in case it affects anything) the mission failed before I could even reach the gate at the top of the hill, or kill any zombies. On my second run, as a Tremere, I tried hiding behind the mausolem and got trapped in the corner by the zombie girl. I killed her and still passed the mission. Both runs were with the plus patch version 9.9.

I left through different doors each time and on the second run I saw a zombie walking into the house wall as I left; he glitched out right after that. I'm wondering just how random the inital spawn is; if maybe it could sometimes produce enough zombie that you can't win at all.

So: 1) it looks like the hiding trick should work and 2) there's all the info I have in case it does Wesp any good.

Only one gate? That would be boring. And certainly not worth 3 xp plus possible training worth another 6 (with plus patch even 9) xp.
I agree the quest is not easy but unless you are Nosferatu or completely lack any social skills there is another way.

In recent playthroughs I have managed without Celerity.