How to Survive in 7 Days to Die – A Guide of Tips and Tricks

The survival horror game 7 Days to Die has garnered a massive audience of hardcore fans. That being said, surviving within the zombie wasteland of 7 Days to Die is no easy task. To that end, we have concocted a quick guide to help new players make the most out of their zombie-slaying experiences.

• Stay hydrated. In order to survive in 7 Days to Die, you are going to need to keep your water levels up. You can find water in natural sources such as rivers. However, you will want to sterilize the water before drinking it. In order to do this, simply boil the water over a campfire by using a simple cooking pot. If clean water is not immediately available, you can also keep your water levels up by eating certain foods, such as mushrooms.

• Never stop upgrading. Things will only get harder with time in 7 Days to Die. Consequently, you should never stop upgrading your tools, weapons or your stronghold. When building your stronghold, you will likely add in some stairs along the way. When you can afford to, destroy the stairs and replace them with ladders. Likewise, replace all of your doors and windows with metal reinforcements. This way, you can always be a step ahead of the next oncoming hoard. Beyond that, consider adding a garden of spikes around your stronghold to boost your defenses.

• Don’t forget to farm. Perhaps one of the easiest ways to get food in 7 Days to Die is by hunting and cooking animals. That being said, farming your food can be quite beneficial in the long term. You can plant and harvest a number of different foods, from blueberries to coffee. Planting and farming food can be a great way to stock up on resources for the long term rather than simply hunting for your daily needs. It is important to note, however, that corn takes longer to grow than other foods.
• Start the game with a high quality perk. As you level in 7 Days to Die, you will receive multiple opportunities to gain powerful perks. It is highly suggested that you start the game with the Quality Joe perk, which will help you find higher quality tools and weapons. Quicker Crafting is another great early game perk, as it allows you to make items at a faster pace.

• Keep an eye on your Wellness. The Wellness attribute plays a large role in your ability to survive. Consequently, you are going to want to make sure your Wellness level is always high. You lose 10 Wellness every time you die. Luckily, you can boost your Wellness level by eating high quality food.
• Look out for the right resources. There are a lot of resources to keep up with in 7 Days to Die. Even worse, it is likely not immediately obvious which resources are the most important. For the early stages of the game, it is suggested that you focus on collecting food, bottled water, medicine and scrap iron.

• Don’t forget your bedroll. When the game begins, you will be tasked with a series of tutorial quests. While some of the quests will require you to use certain resources, you cannot take everything with you. One item you can take, however, is a bedroll. Bedrolls can be used as respawn points, ensuring you know exactly where you are going to show up when you come back to life. Make sure to grab your bedroll during the tutorial to save yourself a lot of trouble later on.

• Find a safehouse ASAP.
  The final tutorial quest you will be given is to find the trader. You will likely be tempted to stray from the quest and explore the map, but don’t. Find the trader as fast as you can. The day/night cycle in 7 Days to Die is vicious and you will be left defenseless to the nightly hoards if you do not have a safe house. After finding the trader, do not dally. Look on your map, which now has new markers added, and start traveling down the nearest road. The map is procedurally generated, so the details will differ with each playthrough. That being said, you should be able to find the nearest town by following the nearest road. After reaching the closest town as fast as possible, track down a suitable safehouse. But, beware. Some of the safe houses have sleeper zombies in them.
• Craft a forge as fast as you can. The forge will prove incredibly useful during the early stages of your game. The workstation allows you to craft superior tools, weapons and other items. Consequently, it can be the difference between life and death.

• Watch out for environmental exposure. Keeping your character fed and hydrated is important. That being said, you can just as easily die of overheating or freezing in 7 Days to Die. When the game begins, you are spawned in a random portion of a procedurally generated map. Consequently, you may end up in a hot, cold or mild biome. If you need to cool down, the plant fiber hat is one of the first clothing items you will be able to produce. The real trick is to look at the clothing item’s insulation value. If the value is negative, then the piece of clothing will help cool you off. If the item has a positive insulation value, then the item will warm you up. Likewise, staying near a campfire will also warm your character.