Driver FixRecommendedSound, Wi-Fi or graphics acting up? Check drivers firstFind missing or outdated drivers fast.Check DriversOctober DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsClean PCRecommendedOne scan can reveal what keeps slowing WindowsLook for cleanup and repair opportunities.Run Scan×
Skip to content
VGSources
Blog

7 Days to Die Beginner Tips: What to Do First

Complete the Basic Survival tutorial, make day one manageable, and choose early skills and trader quests to fit your play style.
Length3 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Start by completing the eight-part Basic Survival tutorial near your starting area. It teaches the essential controls and crafting actions, awards four skill points, and begins a quest that leads you toward a trader. Use day one to learn, make a basic weapon, and secure food and water—not to fight every zombie or loot every building.

How do you get started?

Follow the Basic Survival tutorial before setting out. The Official 7 Days to Die Wiki describes it as an eight-step chain covering gathering, crafting, placing items, clothing, and placing and upgrading building blocks. Completing it awards four skill points and starts the White River Citizen quest toward a trader. See the Tutorial Quests page.

The tutorial is especially useful while you are still learning the controls and crafting window. The wiki’s First Steps guidance recommends doing tutorial tasks around your starting area; temporary protection from zombie spawns there can make that a more manageable place to learn.

What should you do on day one?

  1. Finish the tutorial tasks nearby. Learn how to gather, craft, equip clothing, and place or upgrade blocks before taking on unnecessary risks.
  2. Make a basic weapon. Having a weapon gives you an option if you need to defend yourself, but you do not need to seek out fights while learning.
  3. Gather useful resources. Collect what you need for immediate survival and crafting rather than trying to loot everything you see.
  4. Get familiar with crafting. Check the crafting window and learn which materials your early recipes require.

The wiki’s beginner guidance says starting supplies are enough for the first day, so avoid panic-looting consumables at the expense of learning the basics. Its Beginners Guide is framed around the default Nomad preset; your experience can differ with another preset, game build, or world settings.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
#1 Best Overall
7 Days to Die – Console Edition - PlayStation 5
  • Explore – Huge, rich environments, with unique biomes and worlds up to 100 square kilometres in size.
  • Craft – Handcraft and repair weapons, clothes, armour, tools, vehicles, with hundreds of recipes and schematics.
  • Build – Design your fort with traps, electricity, auto turrets, and gadgets to survive in a fully destructible and mouldable world.
  • Cooperate or Compete – Work together to build settlements or against each other in a wasteland where zombies and outlaws rule the land.
  • Farm or Hunt – Plant gardens for sustainable resources or head out to the wilderness and hunt over a dozen unique animals.

How do you get food and water?

Keep food and water in mind, but approach them methodically. The beginner guide describes dehydration and dysentery as risks. Murky water can be boiled on a campfire, which is also the first workstation and can be used to cook food and drinks. The wiki’s Crafting page covers the campfire’s role.

Use the crafting window to check what you can make and what materials you need. The available guidance does not establish universal food or water rates, so pay attention to your character’s needs and the current game’s information rather than relying on a fixed schedule.

Rank #2
Sale
7 Days to Die – Console Edition Survival Bundle - PlayStation 5
  • Explore – Huge, rich environments, with unique biomes and worlds up to 100 square kilometres in size.
  • Craft – Handcraft and repair weapons, clothes, armour, tools, vehicles, with hundreds of recipes and schematics.
  • Build – Design your fort with traps, electricity, auto turrets, and gadgets to survive in a fully destructible and mouldable world.
  • Cooperate or Compete – Work together to build settlements or against each other in a wasteland where zombies and outlaws rule the land.
  • A must-have for collectors and fans of Open-World Survival Horror, the 7 Days to Die – Console Edition Survival Bundle includes the following: An exclusive Artbook with over 100 pages showcasing never-before-seen illustrations of the zombie apocalypse, a CD featuring the haunting Original Soundtrack (OST) of the game, a double-sided poster, Fine art prints x3, Sticker sheets x 3, the physical game, and a collectible tuck-in box housing all the contents.

What should you spend your first skill points on?

Use the four points from the tutorial to support the way you intend to play. Consider whether you want to focus on a weapon, gathering resources, crafting, or general survival. The beginner guide notes that skill investment can affect crafting outcomes, but it does not identify one best beginner build for everyone.

  • Choose perks that support the weapon you plan to use.
  • Consider gathering or crafting perks if those are central to your early plans.
  • Read current in-game perk descriptions before committing points; mechanics and balance can vary by build.

Why follow the trader quest?

The White River Citizen quest that begins after the tutorial gives you a direction to travel: toward a trader. Trader quests are one useful progression route, not a requirement to follow one fixed play style. The wiki says quest turn-ins provide experience, Dukes, and a choice of item reward. It also states that trader-tier progression carries between traders as of version 1.0. See the Traders page for those mechanics.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Rank #3
7 Days to Die – Console Edition Survival Bundle - PS5
  • A double-sided poster
  • Fine art prints x3
  • Sticker sheets x3
  • The physical game
  • And a collectible tuck-in box housing all the contents

Quest limits and rewards can change between versions. Check the current game and quest information rather than treating a particular reward or progression detail as timeless.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

How should you adapt these tips to your game?

Use the tutorial and basic survival priorities as a starting point, then adjust to your edition, current build, and world settings. The wiki’s beginner guide is explicitly based on the default Nomad preset, and the available guidance does not establish a universally best weapon, base design, blood-moon preparation schedule, or exact food and water routine. Let your settings, current in-game descriptions, and preferred approach guide those decisions.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 3
7 Days to Die – Console Edition Survival Bundle - PS5
7 Days to Die – Console Edition Survival Bundle - PS5
A double-sided poster; Fine art prints x3; Sticker sheets x3; The physical game; And a collectible tuck-in box housing all the contents
$52.99
SaleBestseller No. 4
Maximum Entertainment 34 Sports Games - World Edition (PS5)
Maximum Entertainment 34 Sports Games - World Edition (PS5)
Defend your own country and visit the World: United States, Australia, Japan, France…; Train yourself alone or compete with your friends!
$26.97
Rank #4
Sale
Maximum Entertainment 34 Sports Games - World Edition (PS5)
  • Enter the stadium and take part of one of the biggest competitions across 34 sports: from swimming, soccer, extreme bike, weightlifting, trampoline and much more!
  • Defend your own country and visit the World: United States, Australia, Japan, France…
  • Train yourself alone or compete with your friends!
  • An enhanced version of “30 Sport Games in 1”, with revamped design, new games and more customisation!

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

More quests from Patch Notes

  1. How To Create Custom Stickers & Shoutouts In Monster Hunter WildsMonster Hunter WildsBlog20min
  2. How to Get XL Gogoat in Pokemon Legends Z-A (An Extra-Large Gogoat)Pokemon Legends Z-ABlog20min
  3. How to Get Rotting Lightbringer in Diablo 4Diablo 4Blog17min
Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?Free driver scan
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?Free scan - under a minute

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.