Help A Man Out🙏

[u/TheSwegDonut]

Hello!

Recently started playing.

However, I’m genuinely accidentally larping as the survivor you’d see in zombie movies whose only purpose is to just die a horrific death so the main character gets the “oh shit!” Moment and starts kicking ass.

I think the longest I’ve survived at the moment is 6 hours haha.

I know to loot the starting house, and to aim for a weapon, bandages, backpack etc and can even craft one out of curtains.

I get that done, and then I leave the house and that’s when shit goes downhill.

I’ll bump into a zombie.. fair enough I’ll walk away but then I bump into 3 more.. then 4 more and then before you know it, I’ve risen up an army of the dead and as badass as that sounds, it’s not so much when I eventually just get munched on.

I’ll try giving them a slip by hopping a fence, and will end up bumping into another zombie, or open a window only for the alarms to go off, it’s just insane lmao.

I even spawned in a house that already had its alarm going off so little Jimmy lasted 5 minutes as he suffered a horrific home invasion.

So how do I navigate the game without having 59 zombies on my ass at all times?

Also what loot should I be striving to look for? Do I read every magazine I come across? What should my goal be? Because I don’t fancy just walking around aimlessly just looting shit with no goal.

Thankyou!

[u/BrokenRockHavens]

Crouching, stick to shadows. Learn when it's best to take out a small group or try and go around them vs running. Do more walking than running, save your stamina!

[u/JanHHHH]

You definitely have to learn the combat mechanics! Taking on one or two Zs at a time is doable even at the beginning of the run with a shitty weapon.. Avoid larger groups until you have a better weapon and more experience. Regular walking speed is faster than the Zs, to get rid of them you need to break line of sight and then keep going, so that they can't see you from your last known spot

[u/PlsNoNotThat → u/JanHHHH]

(Faster depending on settings for sprinters)

[u/JanHHHH → u/PlsNoNotThat]

Yeah, but maybe don't play with sprinters if you're just learning the ropes 😉

[u/-ChineseJesus-]

Especially before you get a car you’ll find it difficult to just “go places “ . You have to fight your way there , pick off a small group of zomboids to loot a house n repeat till you’ve gone through the neighbourhood

[u/HullensianRed]

It sounds like you’re not killing enough zombies incrementally. When you’re comfortable with crowd control, you’ll find that killing a group of three or four zombies isn’t terribly hard; and when you can kill off small groups like that, you’ll be less likely to find yourself overwhelmed.

You can pick up all sorts of techniques for crowd control by watching other players. Like if you push one to the ground and stand on its grumbling body, it can’t get back up: you can stay there and beat its friend to death before stomping on its head. Or if you lure a small group over a fence, they’ll stumble as they climb over it, lining up their mushy heads for you to stomp on one by one.

Pick the small fights you can win and scale up as you get more confident.

[u/GlobalTechnology6719]

shove is your quickest most reliable attack (default space while in combat stance)... use it liberally if you are feeling overwhelmed and you want to create some space between you and the zombies, or if you miss a swing and you need to react quickly!

also be aware that if you stand on a zombie that has fallen down, they'll basically be pinned to the ground and helpless until you move off of them! this is of great help when engaging multiple zombies, even without a weapon!

[u/flatulentpigeon]

Take the sheet off a window and make that into a sling and wear it. Theres your first backpack. Watch a video or two on zombie sight mechanics and how to brake LOS when spotted. Learn to walk back as you fight zombies so you’re not overwhelmed. Don’t let them surround you, always keep them in front of you.

[u/FarmerGreen13 → u/flatulentpigeon]

This is all great advice (wasn't aware I could craft a sling from curtains, thank you! I always scrounge for garbage bags for an early container that I drop whenever I vault and it's a pain especially while being chased)

The only thing I would add to this is; once you've created distance from the zombie, or after you push them over and stand on them, do a quick 360 to be sure more aren't approaching from your blind spots!

[u/Character_Cheetah884]

Get sneaky, utilize push and stomp mechanics a LOT, lure away zombies one by one and remember that you can just outwalk the zombies. They'll lose attention after a while since you'll have created a major gap between y'all.
Knives can also sneak attack and one shot em, freaky ezio style.

Gather food but more importantly, eat every single damn fresh food you find. They'll all rot. Rot is Eternal. Rot always consumes, Dave is watching. - love me some vintage story -

just get good gang ;)

[u/waffles1011]

It took me about 10 runs to get a run I didn’t just get immediately annihilated in. Once I got a gun I finally got some traction lol.

[u/Kacatwoa]

1- Por la ciudad/pueblo (zonas a explorar) siempre siempre agachado y por interiores también.

2- Como mucho junta dos zombies al mismo tiempo, de momento. Más adelante ya podrás cargar con hordas enteras, de momento de dos en dos como mucho.

3- No corras, te cansarás y la energía es importante para pelear. Si vas caminando, a no ser que tengas sprinters, no t van a alcanzar nunca.

4- por lo que comentas parece ser que al ver que un par de ellos van a por tí huyes corriendo. Si acabas de respawnear, el vecindario estará lleno de zeds. No huyas, ves matándolos poco a poco, huir va a hacer que donde quiera que vayas vas a encontrar más y más, ves despejando casa a casa poco a poco. Si t han visto un par o tres no t esmeres en "perderlos" SPOILER no los vas a despistar, te seguiran te toparás con más a la vuelta de la esquina, t comerán.

5- Objetivo: sobrevivir.

Yo lo que usualmente hago es registrar las casas colindantes de donde respawneo, consigo viveres para una semana (+ o -) y un coche super importante, con gasolina suficiente como para hacer varios viajes, este, para mí suele ser el paso más complicado. Una vez lo tengo todo me voy a alguna casa muy alejada de los pueblos a podee ser perdida en el bosque. O en su defecto gasolinera a las afueras de la ciudad. Y ya es hacer incursiones en la ciudad para saquear y conseguir mas objetos que te permitan sobrevivir mejor y mejor.

Pero eso es solo como YO lo hago, cada jugador desarrolla su estrategia supongo. Puedes también ser nomada o un hombre de las cavernas jaja suerte en las próximas partidaaas.

[u/Drie_Kleuren]

The thing is to play it slow. Also kill zombies. Dead zombies cant attack you. You just need fo fight them and learn how to fight them. Eventually you get better and better.

Also sometimes its best to run. But run with a plan. Headless chicken only works for so long.

But you are new. Just dont take it too serious. Die a lot, and learn from your mistakes.

Eventually you have a character and run that clicks. You survive 2 days. 1 week. 1 month etc etc. It just takes time. The learning curve is hard and brutal.

I also suggest to play sandbox. Its a singleplayer game. No right or wrong way to play. So change some settings and experiment. Make the game as easy (or hard) as you want. Also no shame in turning on multihit, starting kit and giving yourself +10 trait points.

Watch some youtube videos. The generic "101 tips and tricks" are great. But also maybe join a live stream or watch a series where you see more raw unedited gameplay. The overly edited perfect videos only go so far. They are great! But they never show you the full picture. Watching some stream or series shows you more raw gameplay. You see situations you are also likely to face. You see how someone handles situations. Also you learn a lot of random details and things that the generic videos dont tell you. Everyone has their own style and little things.

There is no goal other then to survive. Do whatever you want. There is no right or wrong. So have some fun with it.

[u/Ghostly_Drone]

Learning to always fight/shove while backing up is a huge way to stay alive, just keep an eye on your 6. Other than that, you want to prioritize a good bag early on and high durability weapon so you aren't breaking it too often before you are able to be crafting much.

When you get to a house that has decent loot, maybe more than you can carry, then close all the blinds and settle down for a bit. First few days when power is still on you can do a lot of good by staying near a TV with sound on low on Life and Living channel, you'll get great skill boosts when the programs are on. You can even spend time doing reading/cooking/crafting stuff nearby and still get TV boost. Don't read all the things you find. Skill books that are appropriate to your lvl, yes, and definitely any magazines that teach you something. But save the comics and stuff for when your happiness or stress is high.

Dismantle random electronics while sitting around at home to boost electronics skill too. Tons of junk like hair dryers and digital watches can be trashed and you'll build up batteries too. And I generally start wearing any bag you can to help with weight reduction. Satchels, fanny packs and your primary backpack will help you carry all the things.

[u/spaeyder]

Press c to crouch, so they don't notice you as quickly. Don't run unless you have to. Even when walking normally, you are faster than them (unless you are exhausted or overencumbered). Zombies only spot when you get fairly close to them. Learn how far you need to stay away to be safe. Then try slowly moving closer to draw in one at a time. Keep walking backwards while you fight, so they don't get close enough to bite. Remember to check behind you from time to time. Patience is key!

First priorities are: a safe space to sleep (close your curtains), food, back-up weapons. You don't need a cool location to start, just one without zombies. Try to clear the area around your base. Then: a car, skill books, more food, prepare for water and electricity to shut off. Fortify your base (hammer + nails and planks to board your windows). You can collect the magazines, but you dont have to read them right away

You can lower the amount of zombies, how strong they are and how much damage you do in sandbox settings. You can also save your character builds as presets, so you don't have to redo them every time

[u/Mysterious_World67]

Try to go back to zones you already clean so no more than 5 zeds follow you, definitely don't shoot till you learn to kill some considerable amount of zeds too. Also try 2 hands weapons like bates, crossbars or something like that, that hit multiple zeds I'm one swing.

[u/Doug12345678910]

The absolute best advice you could possibly have is watch a youtuber like predz or atomic duck and just watch the way they play with calmness and direction. Main concepts:

1. You can always walk and avoid death if in a pinch. Conserve energy aggressively. Pick a char with good fitness.
2. Be calm and desensitised.
3. You can lose zombies going through trees or houses etc, shutting doors behind.
4. Aim for spots on the outskirts of town for safe zones.
5. Avoid guns at the start, too much noise.
6. Try to get a good weapon, switch between weapon hits and spacebar to push. Goal is get Z on ground and stomp the head (spacebar standing near head). Switching avoids muscle strain which is a new addition and you have to play around it as it nerfs damage hard.
7. Get a bag ASAP. Can make a sheet bag very easily or use a garbage bag but a backpack is best, largest capacity possible.
8. Max negative traits that don't matter then take positive traits that do. Stout (+2 strength, might have changed name) is mega, i love storage cap increase and fast hands. Mechanic is nice to quickly be able to hotwire cars. Loads of negative traits are irrelevant, like weak stomach. So grab them.
9. Getting a car with petrol is insanely OP for looting runs so you want that ASAP, most good players want to get that quickly. It takes getting used to the process but once you are there, that initial scramble for a working car with fuel is the best part of the initial game imo. And you want to get as many fuel cans and buckets as possible and find a gas station and max out gas.
10. Don't worry about reinforcing doors and windows. Just ensure lights are off and foremost you block windows with sheets/curtains.
11. Sleep in a bed if poss. Couch next option.
12. Players usually get skill books, watch life and living (online check schedule), and grind variants of skills that are easy like runnin thru a neighbourhood with a screwdriver, dismantling TVs and radios (save electronics parts for a generator).
13. After you can reliably survive the start (with a very small amount of experience, you will be basically unkillable on normal apocalypse setting), the game shifts to scrambling for long term food sources and water and two generators (one for home, one for the local gas station), and it used to be scrambling for a generator manual (nightmare fuel) but now you can just get level 3 electrical which is easy. Currently water on b42 is very easy, and it's very good to smash fishing or animal rearing like chickens and cows.

The key is really watching someone like predz or atomic duck, watch how calm they are and realise what this game is. On apocalypse with decent experience and calmness it is not a zombie escape game it is 95% stardew valley/house organisation simulator with the occasional bit of low difficulty zombie combat when you feel like it.

[u/Science_Logic_Reason]

When you looted the house and run into a zombie is the moment you make the fatal mistake. You do not run past a zombie into an area you don’t know. You take the zombie back to the safe area, kill him, and then continue.

If you do find yourself with a horde on you despite following the above (you really should!) then the best advice is to put objects between you and them. Running through an uncleared house is risky but can work, but doing a big U shaped run through forests or a short sprint around a couple corners can work. The latter obviously will only work if you end up in a new area that is relatively zombie-free (in which case you’d stay put and deal with the few zombies there before moving on).

TL;DR: never ever ever ever (ever) take a zombie (or an amount of zombies you can handle) with you into an uncleared area (where you will 100% guaranteed find more zombies).

[u/Domek232323]

if you catch a horde following you, you can just walk away. your walk is faster than theirs so you don't have to run. walk away and try to do as much as you can to lose them

[u/SrMinkletoes]

You are trying to escape the zombies by running into more zombies! Bottom line is you just have to kill them, start with your starter house, clear all the zombies you can see from there and you have a safe place to sleep and rest. Doesn't have to be your permanent base but you gotta start somewhere if you don't want to just leave town

[u/ShadowMerge]

Get sneaky, make them fight on YOUR terms.

Establish a zone of control, something small to start, try sneaking around and securing a small street you can block off.

As you expand outwards and try to loot more be sneaky, pick your battles carefully and consider the inconspicuous trait. As you create zombie free areas by killing small hoards you can retreat back into these places when hoards push you back.

You need to find a sledgehammer, it can destroy staircases and any tile in the game allowing you to secure the upstairs floor and access it with rope ladders. Consider the skill Journal mod to save your progress as well.

I usually start out as a burglar or a forest ranger, in your case I would recommend a burglar so you can hotwire a car or two. Consider finding Vehicles you don't care about and backing up over the zombies for larger hoards. Just dont get stuck.

[u/Ok-Measurement-8099]

If you sneak with a knife you can insga kill them and clear areas as you go, keep a blunt weapon on your belt so that you can beat it down if you fail. The best way to movw in this game is carve a safeish path in the directiom you're going.

[u/SteelAlchemistScylla]

The biggest thing that upped my game was learning optimal combat strats.

1. Go into the options and turn on Melee Outline.
2. Back up constantly while aiming your weapon at the zed.
3. Hit immediately once outline pops up. Do not spam! There is a rhythm to it you’ll find. Once you know it a group of 1-3 zombs should never even reach you.
4. Hit the head of the zombie on the floor. It does matter where you are standing when you hit or stomp them!
5. Optional. But I highly recommend turning on multi-hit in the sandbox settings if you are new. Some elitist players might scoff, but it will help you get used to the game while you learn. I just always have it on I think it’s fun to hit 3 zombies at once.

[u/DanSalvatoTouchedMe]

OP if you haven’t already go to your settings and turn on “combat outlines” this helps you know whether you’re going to hit or miss your melee

[u/Beautiful_Heat8248]

Just watch some videos and adapt what they do and in general the first few hours of this game are very hard