Had to adjust my strategy due to spawn changes. Note that some of these are non-hardcore methods you dont have to follow. However, I find them nice to learn the game, then do it the harder way later.
Options:
go to options and make your screen as big as your monitor will support. Have to quit and come back a few times. This lets you see more
for a total newb: go to starting points and raise this to 24 (lets you be stronger to start. Good for learning the game)
for a total newb: disable skill degrades (this makes the game too easy when you get good. since you can max everything.but good for learning the game)
Character Creation. Always take these negative traits. NPCs are disabled and the rest dont really hurt you. This gives bonus points to use elsewhere.
negative: near-sighted, trigger happy, heavy sleeper,ugly, truth teller, wool allergy
positive traits (can only get all these if you up to 24 starting points): fleet-footed,quick,fast healer, fast learner, night vision, robus genetics, optimist,1 unarmed combat (dont care which one).
Skills: Archery. Thats all you need. Bows are rare, but this makes it easy to craft them.
Attributes:
str: 14
dex: 10 (might be 8 with what I picked above. raise this last)
Int: 14
Perc: 14
Starting out. Stay out of town until nightfall. Make sure to press â_â to select unarmed combat. You seem to need to when you wield a weapon and then unwield.
You have limited space to carry items since you dont have pockets. unarmed is so you dont have to spend space on a melee weapon early.
Go outside and collect 5-6 rocks. its all you can carry.
Throw (t) at rabbits. Yes rabbits. dont go to town.
Butcher (B) the corpse. Your pocketknife lets you do this. You will fail most of the time until level 2-3. Its ok. Optimist/Fast Learner means you will train fast.
At level 1 butcher you can craft a bow. If its still day time, dont do this. You need to run to town to get string. It is safer at night (though you can still die early even just doing this. happens. deal with it).
keep tossing rocks until you get survival to 2 (so you can craft a stone pot to boil water).
wield a rock if not wielded. Go back to shelter and (s)mash benches. take splintered wood. (just the splintered. rest is for crafting). craft pointy stick. need this for cooking.
go outside. Drop wood. pick up all but 1 piece. stand next to wood. press 'aâctivate, then hit number for matches and press arrow towards wood. This makes fire (you do this inside you burn down your shelter)
press â&â to craft. Go to âfoodâ cook food. hopefully you have enough to train cooking to 1.
Now press â&â and get supplies for a stone hammer and a stone pot (need hammer for pot). you need pot to get clean water. if you dont boil water first you throw it up. you will get the string in for hammer in town.
drop pointy stick before going to town. you have an unarmed combat style. and space is critical early.
town strategy:
you need to smash a few windows for string to make a bow. you want extra because a short bow > self bow and you may fail and lose string. also need strong for hammer.
if you see a green Z, that is a zombie, âzâ for zombie child, âdâ for zombie dog. Donât fight any other zombies. run from them. you are fast with the traits. dont lead them back to your shelter.
to fight zombies. throw rows. when close to you hit with unarmed style (â_â to set). will see it in lower right if its set. cant be wielding a weapon and that includes rocks or whatever you pick up.
this will train unarm/melee/dodge.
What to loot:
stay at outskirts. you dont have good stuff. so you need to get in and out. you also cant carry much since you have no items with pockets
(s)mash windows. this gets you 1 string per window. you want several for bow and hammer crafting (you may fail bow and lose material so get extra). âgâ to get.
before going through a window press â*â for construction and clean window (or you take damage walking over it).
smashing makes some noise and can attract zombies, but its not too bad with static spawns.
In houses look for:
clothing with pockets
clothing that has pockets so you can carry more and warmth: Namely: hoody, anything that says âcargoâ (pants/shorts), backpack/military rucksack, fannie pack, rain coat/trench coat. Try stuff on and see if it increases your available âvolumeâ in 'iânventory. you can wear layers. Also like to pick up hard arm guard and leg guards for defense.
note: more you wear more this affects dodge and it affects it alot. so press â@â and see the numbers in the top box in center? hit tab to go to it and look at how much the warn items affect your dodge. when facing zombies, hit âTâ to take off (before they get to you) and drop if necessary. run away if more than 1 zombie. but you need to carry stuff.
Key items
- jug of ammonia/bleach. Need this to carry water. Critical. 'wâield it. press 'Uânload and then when this goes back to inventory press and enter and unload on ground.
- go to toilet/sink and press âeâ and when it goes to inventory select your empty jug. you now have water. do NOT drink this. its not purified yet.
- anything that can hold water(so another jug, plastic canteen, plastic bottle). if it says âcleanâ next to water you can drink it
- anything you can drop. drink as much of this as you can and drop tin cans(I dont believe they have a use yet).
- food. potatoe chips/candy can make you sick, but you need stuff. the plastic bags that come with them are used to make better arrows. any food you find. anything that looks perishable will rot in a few days. eat as much stuff as you find until it says âdo you want to force yourselfâ and go âNâ. so you dont have to carry as much
- water,drinks, and stuff to hold water > food since you can kill rabbits, butcher and cook.
- books that teach you stuff. they are in wiki. many books like playboy and us weekly, dont teach you skills. ignore them. these are heavy. look at the bigs after picking up
- grab what you think is useful. remember with wool allergy you cant use wool so ignore it.
other key items
sewing kits, flashlight, battery, thread, melee weapons (bat, combat knife). any guns and ammo. Rare finds in houses. dont use these early. too noise. crowbar, first aid, bandages.
hit as few houses on edge of town as possible and get out. dont bother waiting until bogged down. there are zombies and you cant handle several at once now. high chance you die the first few times you try this. Its part of the learning phase. Learn to get in and get out.
get eyeglasses. near sighted requires you wear eyeglasses or you cant see. these can get smashed. say have extra. safety glasses are nice. you put them on and they protect your eyeglasses. eyeglasses are a very minor inconvenience if played correctly.
What you dont need early
anything electronic. save mp3, which is a nice to have, but not real important and especially early
car parts(really heavy), anything really heavy.
grab unimportant stuff only if leaving and its not enough to overburden and slow you down.
Back to Shelter:
drop stuff to make a stash. you can stack more, but its often helpful to have piles by type of items. âVâ is a nice new features. press it and see what it does.
press â&â, now you need to craft the following. see what supplies. supplies can be on the ground and not in your square to use
â short bow, field arrows. (about 30 is plenty for now)
â stone hammer. stone pot
Grab some splintered wood and stone pot. Plus take your jug of water, and your containers for water (empty jug, plastic bottles⌠drink CLEAN water to empty), canteen.
Make a fire outside
press â&â and go to drink. make clean water. First time it goes to inventory is for you to select the unlean water (unclean water just says WATER, clean means already good). then pops up inventory again to select a contianer to put the boiled water in. If you dont have any it gets wasted. so containers are critical. If water says âCLEANâ its good to drink. you need I think about 8 plastic bottles worth/day (more if you eat salty foods). I cant remember.
basically done for the night and go to sleep. go to basement to sleep. this is key. house can get hit by lightning in storm. if in basement you dont get hit. May have to put on warmer cloths to sleep due to cold. you can stash this warmer stuff in basement.
Next Steps:
use your bow and kill rabbits, wolves, and easy stuff in woods. Bows do NOT work on all mobs. Triffids, skeletons, weak on zombie soldiers. you will figure out what you can waste. This will train really fast with fast learner and optimist .Crafting also trains bow and using bow trains firearms . Butcher everything you get to train survival. At 5 survival press â@â and press tab to get to skills. go to survival and press âspace barâ this will stop you from training survival. Level 5 survival is all you need now.
explore outside to see what is around stay out of town. bow gets to be effective as you get better. plus you can craft better bows and arrows with .6. play with it. stay out of town during the day or on the outskirts. when bow gets to 5-6, go to outskirts and draw some zombies to you. start clearing the outskirts during the day since you can see farther. always run from skeletons and smoker zombiues (if you see smoker stay away) and zombie soldiers. 6-7 archery and you can take down zombie cops. shocker zombies at 5 archery. butchering this often nets you valualbe CBM. see wiki. dont use them yet. your skills are too low.
biggest problem:
zombie brutes: nasty and fast. if you see them on the screen listed. get away or your dead. at about 8-9 archery and with fletched arrows (can craft at higher levels of skill) you can take them out.
ants/bees: stay away. not worth fighting
wolves/cougars: can move multiple squares in one turn to get to you and flee. can outrun you.
triffids: your bow is useless against them
worms
jabberock: never saw it, but its the new .6 screw you mob.
lots of zombies near you
letting stuff get near you while you are wearing alot. to trian dodge. âTâ take off clothing that affects dodge and drop if necessary and let stuff get near you
dont use firearms until you have a silencer. See â&â for how to craft. forgot what skill levels necessary
âRâ books in daylight in phase to get some skill levels.
only real need to go to town is to fill your âjugâ with water if you cant find a source outside of town. if your lucky there will be free standing water, loan house in woods, or gas station you can use.
dont go too far away. if it rains, your morale will drop and you cant craft new arrows.
from here feel stuff out. you will die a bunch learning the game, but I find this a sound newb strategy. When you get the hang of the game, you can stpo jacking your points to 24. Id suggest always getting archery skill, traits: night vision and quick as traits. night vision is key cause zombies cant see you far away at night, but you need a little extra distance to see yourself.
one other thing. your sneakers are good to war. you will see they encumber your feet (at @ screen) to -1. This means they increase your speed. negative is they get torn up and damaged on rubble and you take damage. so avoid this.
