Summary
The release of7 Days To Die 1.0has been positivelyreceived by players. For years, console gamers had been left out of the loop and forced to play a much older version of the game than those on PC. But now, players across all major platforms can enjoy all that the game has to offer.
For those who are new to the title, there’s a lot to take in. From the crafting menu to spending skill points, there are quite a few things that the player will need to learn pretty quickly to survive and thrive in the zombie-infested wasteland.
Updated June 29, 2025 by Benjamin Joe:7 Days To Die 1.0 is proving to be very popular among zombie lovers. This game is pretty hard to master. Players who go in all guns blazing aren’t likely to survive for very long. There are a lot of complex mechanics that work in the background that dictate what happens to players. From additional zombies being spawned as the player progresses to screamer zombies attacking the player’s base, there are lots of things that fans will need to look out for.
Because of the game’s complexity, there’s no shortage of great tips that players should know. While the original article covered some of the most essential ones, there are still plenty of other useful things that can increase the player’s chances of survival.
1Complete The Basic Challenges On Day 1
Some Extra XP For Very Little Effort
The way that challenges work in7 Days To Diehas changed. No longer will the beginner challenges pop up by default. Players will need to open up the challenges menu and select challenges manually.Players can still complete a challenge even if it’s not tracked. But for those who are unfamiliar with the challenges, it’s best to track them.
The first set of challenges is very easy, and it covers the basics in terms of crafting. Completing it takes only a few minutes, and the challenge ends with the player visiting the trader. This is great as it can be tricky locating the trader, especially if the player is on a random gen world.
Not only will the player then have access to the nearest trader, but they’ll earn some skill points in the process as each challenge awards the player some XP.
2Using Hatches Can Slow Down Zombies
Great For Horde Nights
In previous versions of the game, hatches could be used to keep zombies out of the player’s base. While zombies will eventually break through hatches,it is possible to slow them down by using hatches in version 1.0.
Zombies will always take the path of least resistance. That said, zombie AI isn’t perfect. If the player places down a couple of hatches in the doorway of their base, the zombies will head straight for it on horde night. By doing this, the player will be able to control the flow of zombies and pick them off one by one with a bow, gun, or melee weapon.
3Spend Skill Points Wisely
Select Perks For Efficiency
Like most video games, players will earn skill points that they can spend on leveling up their character. Initially, it can be quite a challenge to select which perks to prioritize. While a lot of the choices the player makes will come down to personal preference, there are a few perks that are worth having early on as they willhelp the player to be more efficient in their actionsand movements. Some of thebest early perkscan be seen below:
4Use Grandpa’s Forgettin' Elixir
A Very Handy Mid To Late-Game Item
While it is important to select perks wisely early on, during the later stages of the game, players can purchase Grandpa’s Forgettin' Elixir. This can be purchased from traders, found inside vending machines, and can also be found occasionally while looting various containers.This drink, while costly, has a very cool function: it resets the player’s perk choices.
This will reset every perk that the player has selected and allow players to re-distribute the points. This is ideal for those who want to change their playstyle or try out a new weapon. This drink only affects the perks that the player has selected, so things like books and magazines that the player has gathered and read will remain untouched.
5How To Farm Books And Magazines
Books And Magazines Can Be Farmed Pretty Easily
Magazines and books can be found in almost every type of container in the game. Players can also purchase them from traders and choose them as mission rewards. However, by farthe most efficient way to farm magazinesearly on is to loot mailboxes. Mailboxes have a higher chance of finding magazines in them than most other containers in the game. They can be found outside almost every house, making them perfect for low-level players as they won’t need to enter any dangerous POIs to get them.
Simply head to any town and go street by street looting all the mailboxes in sight. Also, if the player wants to find more of a certain magazine, like vehicle magazines for example, then investing points in vehicle-related perks will increase the likelihood of the player finding vehicle magazines while looting mailboxes.
6Always Have An Escape Plan
Never Get Stuck In One Place
It’s very easy to get trapped by a horde of angry zombies. While it may seem like a good idea to only have one entrance, it greatly increases the chances of the player getting overrun by the undead.It’s important to have more than one way to leave an area. That way, should one entrance get breached, the player still has at least one way to make a quick escape.
Quick thinking is key to survival. By having more than one way to leave a building or base, the player is less likely to meet a grizzly end. Alternate escape routes don’t have to be doors, they can be anything from a rooftop to a tunnel. Provided the player can leave the area completely, their odds of survival are greatly increased.
7Place Storage Boxes Outside Trader Bases
A Great Way To Make Some Extra Dukes
Most players will pick up pretty much everything they see as they explore various POIs. This is great for stockpiling things like ammo, materials, and food, but players will quickly find themselves being weighed down by all of the goodies that they have collected. Most players will have storage boxes at their base dedicated toitems that are to be sold to traders. While this is a viable way of getting goods ready for sale, it’s not the best way to do it.
Players should place a storage box outside of the trader’s base. Then, each time they pass the box after 10 pm, they can drop off their items to be sold. Not only that but since the player is limited as to how many of each item they can sell to a trader in a given cycle, players can use the box to store the items that a trader won’t take until the next trade cycle begins.
8Best Toolbar Management
Keep Things Organized For More Efficient Gameplay
The toolbar can be a real lifesaver. While most players will keep their weapons and an axe on their toolbar, they should also dedicate a couple of spaces to some meds, food, and a few dozen building blocks. Bleeding damage is no joke. If the player isn’t careful, they can quickly bleed out and die.As for the food, it’s a good and often cheap way to replenish health during combat. However, one of the most important things the player should keep on their toolbar is the humble building block.
These can be placed and jumped on to both scale buildings and escape from groups of zombies. These blocks are especially good for those times when the player is being chased by dogs. They can use the blocks to hop out of harm’s way and attack the enemies from above.
9Using A Spear To Keep A Distance From The Zombies
Reduce The Chances Of Getting Hit
While a club can be pretty handy,the spear is superiorwhen it comes to keeping zombies at bay.The bow and basic guns are the best early weapons in terms of ranged attacks.But for melee attacks, the spear is very effective at dealing a hefty amount of damage while also keeping zombies from getting too close.
The spear has a larger attack radius when compared to the club, so players will be able to strike zombies from further back. This can be particularly helpful when facing off against multiple zombies at the same time.
10Focus On Completing Trader Missions
Highly Rewarding Work
Trader missions are excellent forgaining XP and resources. While the missions vary in the beginning, they are all pretty easy. Players should complete as many tier 1 trader missions as possible. Not only will the player be awarded healthy amounts of XP, but they will also get to select from a reward list upon completing a mission.
If the player selects missions that are within 500 meters, thenit’s possible to complete several missions in a single day. Something else that’s worth noting is that mission locations can be looted twice. This only applies to fetch and clear missions, but if the player ignores the activation marker to start the mission, then they can loot the interior, head to the marker, activate it, and all of the items within the building or area will respawn. Basically, players can loot the same place twice.
