Best Builds for 7 Days to Die

7 Days to Die is one of the deepest survival games on the market, and having a sense of direction to build a character based on playstyle can be incredibly helpful. From armor sets to perks and weapons, here are the best character builds for 7 Days to Die.

Best Character Build for Day 1 in 7 Days to Die

Aside from the massive weekly hordes, the hardest night to survive in 7 Days to Die is the first. Full transparency, it took me over a dozen tries to survive night one. What makes this first night so difficult is that you have a very limited time to get set up for when the Zombies start sprinting come sundown. Here is the best build with the perks you’ll need to make it through your first day in 7 Days to Die.

To get Skill Points to spend on Perks, you’ll want to complete challenges to grind for XP. Getting to Level 2 will give you five Points to spend, which is a great head start for setting up a character build. To get to Level 2 as fast as possible, complete all the tutorial challenges immediately. Once those are completed, the trader’s location will be revealed. Head there, complete his first quest, and that should award you enough XP to reach Level 2. Here are the best Perks to invest in to make it through Night 1:

• Iron Gut: decreases risk of disease as well as decreases food and water drain from exertion.
• Rule 1: Cardio: increases stamina regeneration.
• Parkour: increases jump height and decreases fall damage.
• Pack Mule: allows players to carry additional items before becoming encumbered.

With the additional Skill Point left over, invest in either the Fortitude or Strength attributes.

The initial challenges will have you build an outfit out of plant fibers. We recommend crafting the rest of the set for full coverage and then crafting a Stone Sledgehammer to use as your primary weapon. With this basic build, you can then find a neighborhood and loot the homes. As it gets close to dark, find a house with a basement and fortify it so there is only one entrance. Hold out there for the night, and you should have a pretty good shot at surviving the first night in 7 Days to Die.

The Daryl Dixon Build (for Bows and Vehicles)

The aptly titled Daryl Dixon Build is a popular character build amongst fans of 7 Days to Die. Named for the famed The Walking Dead biker with a heart of gold and iconic crossbow, this build focuses on vehicles and bows. Vehicles can be especially helpful in 7 Days to Die, as you can do a lot more looting during the day with the increased mobility. In addition, the best way to survive hordes of fast Zombies is to outrun them, and there’s no better way to do that than on top of a motorcycle. Bows can also be powerful weapons in 7 Days to Die, as they allow for attacks from a distance. Arrows can also be found and crafted in abundance within the world, and they are incredibly useful for hunting.

But to even have the option to craft a Motorcycle, you’ll need to find a multitude of Vehicle Adventures magazines within the world and level up the Grease Monkey Skill. For additional luck with finding magazines, it’s worth spending points on the Lucky Looter Skill and the Attribute Perception. The Lucky Looter Skill increases the odds and frequency of loot spawns, which will help speed up the process of finding Vehicle Adventures.

7 Days to Die players can craft a Primitive Bow and its arrows within a few minutes of starting a world. To craft a compound bow like Daryl Dixon uses in The Walking Dead, the Bow Skill needs to be leveled up by reading Bow Hunters magazines. The odds of finding those magazines in loot can be increased with the Archery Perk. It’s worth investing in the Archery Perk regardless, as well as the Agility Attribute it’s under. Each Level of the Archery Perk awards an additional 10% in Bow damage, aim speed, and draw and reload time.

Best Perks and Attributes for the Daryl Dixon Build

• Archery Perk
• Agility Attribute
• Bow Hunters Magazines
• Grease Monkey Perk
• Intellect Attribute
• Vehicle Adventures Magazines
• Lucky Looter Perk (to help find Magazines)

The Dying Light Build (for Melee and Parkour)

For players who want to keep a low profile and move fast on foot, this is the best build in 7 Days to Die. Inspired by the Nightrunners in the Dying Light series, which also features Zombies that become enraged and far faster after nightfall, this build doesn’t depend on Magazines, and relies on Melee weapons, so ammo won’t be an issue.

The main strategy with this build is to become proficient in Melee weapons and to level up the Parkour Skill and Agility Attribute so that you can evade Zombies when fighting them off either isn’t ideal or simply isn’t an option.

For a good introductory Melee weapon, Wooden Clubs and Stone Sledgehammers can be crafted right away. Both also have associated Perks, which will boost their effectiveness.

For clubs and bats, spend Skill Points in the Pummel Pete Skill. Progressing this Skill increases damage, boosts damage to stunned enemies, and increases the chance of knocking down enemies. It also reduces the stamina consumed when using these weapons and can award additional damage boosts for successive hits on an enemy.

The Skullcrusher Skill increases Sledgehammer damage, increases the chance for power attacks to knock down enemies and can knock down nearby enemies, and decreases stamina usage. Do note that upgrading these Skills will require Points to be spent on the Strength Attribute.

The Parkour Skill can be found under the Agility Attribute. Improving the Level of this Skill improves safe fall distance, reduces jump stamina cost, increases jump height, and prevents leg injuries when landing from a fall. Upgrading this skill can make your 7 Days to Die character far more mobile. Sometimes, the best way to survive against Zombies is to get away, and this skill helps with that tremendously.

Best Perks for Melee and Parkour in 7 Days to Die

• Pummel Pete or Skullcrusher Skill(s)
• Strength Attribute
• Parkour Skill
• Agility Attribute

And those are the best character builds in 7 Days to Die.

7 Days to Die is available now.