7 Days to Die: Horde Night Guide

The horde night (Blood Moon) is the central survival event in 7 Days to Die and occurs every seven in-game days by default. This guide explains how to prepare for the horde night, which mechanics you need to know and which strategies have proven themselves depending on your progress.

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What is the horde night?

The horde night, also called the Blood Moon, is a recurring event in which a large zombie wave heads straight for your position. Unlike normal hordes, Blood Moon zombies completely ignore the noise you make, your sneaking and any form of cover — they know exactly where you are at all times and try to reach you by climbing or digging.

Schedule and warnings

The horde night follows a fixed daily sequence:

Wave mechanics

The horde night consists of several waves. Each wave has a fixed total number of zombies and its own timer. You can finish a wave by killing every zombie — or you wait until the wave timer runs out and the next wave begins. The waves are finite: if you eliminate every zombie of the final wave, the night ends early.

The strength and size of the horde scales with your Game Stage value, the number of players nearby and the difficulty settings you have chosen.

:::warning Important: no hiding place helps Blood Moon zombies track you permanently. Sneaking, reducing noise or hiding behind walls offers no protection. The only exception are extremely tall buildings (for example the hospital or Joe Bros Builders), where the spawn algorithm simply finds no valid spawn point within range. :::

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Preparing before the horde night

As soon as the in-game day glows red in the HUD, you have the entire day to prepare. Use all of it.

Checklist: Blood Moon day

• Ammunition: Estimate your needs generously — active fighting can easily burn through 200–400 arrows or more than 200 rounds of gun ammunition in a single night.
• Medical supplies: Pack First Aid Bandages, Painkillers and food. Bring your food and water levels to maximum before 22:00.
• Repair materials: Always carry a hammer and building blocks for emergency repairs on your base.
• Lighting: Place torches or a generator with spotlights around the base, because nights are very dark.
• Check your traps: Verify that Electric Fences, Blade Traps and spikes are functional and powered.
• Fallback position: Define a safe retreat point in case parts of the base break.

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Step by step: surviving the horde night

1. Build a separate horde base

Keep your crafting and living base separate from your horde base. A dedicated horde base prevents your entire infrastructure from being damaged. It does not have to look good — it only has to work.

2. Choose a location

• Early in the game: Elevated POIs (points of interest) such as grain silos or gas stations work well — they offer natural height and stability.
• From day 14 onwards: Your own builds made of cobblestone or better. Wooden structures barely hold up from the second Blood Moon on.
• Basic rule: Build high. Zombies attack from below — whoever is up top has a massive advantage.

3. Early game — height and simplicity

1. Use a solid building (brick, concrete) as your base.
2. Attach a ladder to the highest level — then remove the lowest ladder segment so zombies cannot climb it.
3. Alternatively: remove the staircase to the upper floor entirely.
4. Place Wood Spikes around the building to slow zombies down.
5. Shoot at the horde from above. A Primitive Bow with Stone Arrows is enough for the first few nights.

:::warning Careful: zombies can climb ladders Always destroy the ladder before the horde arrives. Only leave it in place as your own way up and down if you have removed the lowest segment. :::

4. Mid game — funnel design

From roughly day 14–21 you should switch to a dedicated funnel concept:

• Funnel: An elevated ramp that zombies climb in a controlled way before they have to pass a narrow walkway lined with traps.
• Step-by-step build:

1. Build a ramp or staircase out of cobblestone about 5 blocks high.
2. Run a narrow, single-lane walkway to the player area.
3. Place Iron Spikes, Blade Traps and/or Electric Fences along the walkway.
4. Position yourself at the end of the walkway with a clear line of fire on incoming zombies.
5. Build an escape route (hatch or detachable section) in case the funnel breaks.

[Player Platform]
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  [Blade Trap]
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 [Electric Fence]
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  [Iron Spikes]
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  [Ramp / Stairs]
       |
 [Ground Entry]

5. Late game — automation and upgrades

• Upgrade all structures to Steel — steel does not collapse completely when horizontal load limits are exceeded, it only loses the overhanging parts.
• Build SMG Turrets and Shotgun Turrets into the funnel. They handle standard zombies automatically so you can focus on more dangerous enemies.
• Unlock the perks Robotics Inventor and Advanced Engineering to unlock and improve traps.
• Demolisher warning: Demolishers trigger an explosion when hit by shotguns — never use shotguns against a Demolisher at close range. Also keep an escape route ready in case a Demolisher destroys the funnel entrance.

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Zombie types on horde night

Not all zombies are equally dangerous. Set your priorities correctly:

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Horde night strategies at a glance

Strategy A: passive (early game)

Hide on a tall building, remove the access routes and wait until 04:00. This method is safe but yields little XP and loot. Acceptable for the first one or two Blood Moons.

Strategy B: active with a funnel base (mid game)

Build a dedicated horde base with a funnel design. Shoot the horde actively while traps take over part of the damage. Maximizes XP and gives you full control. The recommended default approach for clan runs.

Strategy C: mobile fighters (advanced)

Fight the horde outdoors without a fixed base. Requires strong armor, high movement perks (Agility skill tree) and enough stamina boosters (Coffee, Mega Crush). Easy to coordinate in multiplayer with several players — risky for solo players.

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Multiplayer tips for clan runs

• Role assignment: One player keeps the funnel clear and repairs traps; one or two players shoot; one player watches the flanks and deals with special enemies.
• Shared Game Stage value: In multiplayer the horde strength is determined by the Game Stage values of the up to five strongest players nearby. Do not drift too far apart in player progression, so you do not trigger disproportionately strong waves.
• Communication: Clarify who prioritizes which zombies before the horde starts — especially with Demolishers.
• Repair rotation: Agree on who leaves the fight and when, in order to repair critical structures. Full focus on shooting with no repairs can lead to the base imploding.

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Adjusting the game settings

The horde night can be configured in the game settings:

For newcomers or first clan sessions, a reduced Enemy Count is recommended until the base mechanics are solid. The settings can be configured individually per server or single-player game.