7 Days to Die Biomes and POIs Explained
The game world of 7 Days to Die is divided into five biomes plus a sophisticated POI system (points of interest), which together determine exploration, loot and difficulty. This page explains how the 7 Days to Die biomes and POIs work and what you have to watch out for while exploring.
The five biomes in 7 Days to Die
Every biome has its own climatic conditions, a specific resource focus, biome-exclusive enemy types and its own influence on the loot stage. The biomes are not of equal standing — they build on each other in difficulty and should as a rule be opened up one after another.
Forest
- Difficulty: ★☆☆☆
- Starter biome, ideal for the first base and early quests
- The greatest variety of POIs in a small area, many tier 1 and tier 2 buildings
- Primary resource: iron and medicinal plants
- Trader Rekt has his outpost here; he hands out food and seeds as rewards
- No tier 5 POIs spawn in the forest because of city size limits
- Loot stage cap: base quality only — high-grade items are found exclusively in higher-tier biomes
Desert
- Difficulty: ★★☆☆
- Exclusive resource: oil shale, important for fuel crafting
- Heat and sandstorms as an environmental threat; sandstorms deal direct damage to the player
- Biome-exclusive zombie: the Plague Spitter (Seuchenspucker) — it spits swarms of insects, against which melee weapons are more effective
- Trader Bob (vehicles and tools)
Snow
- Difficulty: ★★☆☆
- Cold damage during longer stays without suitable equipment
- Dangerous wildlife: wolves and bears
- Primary resource: coal and berries
- Biome-exclusive zombie: the Frost Claw (Frostklaue) — it throws boulders that deal area damage
- Trader Hugh (weapons and ammunition)
- Snowstorms as the biome-specific weather threat
Wasteland
- Difficulty: ★★★★
- Radiation exposure through radiation storms; staying there without a biome badge is dangerous
- Radiated zombies as the most common enemy class
- Primary resource: lead and rare radioactive mushrooms
- The highest loot stage values of all biomes; the densest occurrence of tier 5 POIs is found here
- Trader Joel (armor)
Burnt Forest
- Difficulty: ★★★☆
- Transition biome between the forest and the harder areas
- Ember storms as the biome-specific weather threat, dealing damage to the player
- Primary resource: potassium nitrate and mushrooms
- Medium enemy density; no exclusive zombie types of its own, but an increased feral density
- Trader Jen (medicine)
Biome badges and progression
:::warning Mandatory before entering dangerous biomes Without the matching biome badge you can only stay in the desert, snow, burnt forest and wasteland briefly — otherwise the biome deals continuous environmental damage. You get badges from the respective trader after completing the corresponding biome challenges. :::
The biomes have to be unlocked one after another. Each biome badge requires certain challenges, which you then redeem at any trader. Even with a badge, it does not protect you from storms — storm frequency and intensity rise with the biome's difficulty.
| Biome | Trader | Trader focus | Biome storm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forest | Rekt | Food & seeds | No storm |
| Burnt Forest | Jen | Medicine | Ember storm |
| Desert | Bob | Vehicles & tools | Sandstorm |
| Snow | Hugh | Weapons & ammunition | Snowstorm |
| Wasteland | Joel | Armor | Radiation storm |
The POI system: points of interest
Points of interest (POIs) are all the prefabricated buildings in the game world — from simple houses to large industrial complexes. They work as dungeons with a predefined path through the interior and a main loot container at the end.
POI tier overview
POIs are divided into tier 1 through tier 5. The tier determines zombie density, the complexity of the building and loot quality. As you approach, the tier is shown on screen by red skulls.
| Tier | Building type | Main loot container | Zombie density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Small house, wooden build | Wooden crate | Very low |
| 2 | Larger house, small business | Leather chest | Low |
| 3 | Medium business, shop rows | Reinforced chest | Medium |
| 4 | Large factory, office building | Hardened chest (small) | High |
| 5 | Skyscraper, industrial complex | Hardened chest (large) | Very high, radiated zombies |
:::warning Tier 5 POIs are not possible in the forest Skyscrapers and large industrial buildings spawn exclusively in the desert, snow and wasteland. Because of its city size limits, the forest biome does not support tier 5 structures. :::
Loot stage and POI influence
The loot stage determines which items can drop from containers and from zombies. It is made up of several factors:
Loot Stage = (player level + biome bonus + POI tier bonus + perks/items) × percentage multiplier- Every higher POI tier raises the loot stage bonus
- The biome itself gives an additional bonus — the more dangerous the biome, the higher it is
- The Lucky Looter perk and Lucky Goggles raise the loot stage by a percentage
- In group play the highest loot stage of any group member always applies, regardless of who opens a container
Trader quests on POIs
Traders hand out three quest types, all of which take place in a POI:
- Clear the Area — eliminate all zombies in the POI
- Fetch — recover a specific object from the POI
- Restore Power — restore the power in the POI
The trader's quest tier determines which POI tier you are sent into. A tier 1 quest leads into a tier 1 building, a tier 5 quest into a matching skyscraper or industrial building.
Resources by biome
Every biome has a preferred ore deposit. All raw materials can in theory be found everywhere, but they are noticeably more common in their assigned biome:
| Biome | Primary ore | Further resources |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | Iron | Medicinal plants |
| Burnt Forest | Potassium nitrate | Mushrooms |
| Desert | Oil shale | Aloe |
| Snow | Coal | Blueberries |
| Wasteland | Lead | Radioactive mushrooms |
Practical notes on exploring
- Never enter a new biome without a biome badge — the environmental damage scales quickly
- Storms are announced by sirens; a countdown starts after that — take cover in a building in good time
- Explore POIs during the day, since zombies become faster and more aggressive at night
- The loot stage cap in the forest means: even a perfectly equipped character will not find high-grade items there — for top-tier loot you have to go to the wasteland or the snow
- The biome badge does not protect you from storms — storm intensity increases with every biome and can be lethal even with a badge