7 Days to Die - Wiki Overview
7 Days to Die is a survival crafting game that combines zombie hordes, base building and a deep progression system. This overview page serves as the hub for all thematic subpages of the AKMG wiki on 7 Days to Die — from the first survival tips all the way to server configuration and XML modding.
7 Days to Die — main categories at a glance
The following sections mirror the structure of the wiki. Each tile links to its own subpage with detailed guides, tables and tips.
Survival & basics
Getting started in 7 Days to Die revolves around four immediate threats: hunger, thirst, temperature and infections. Anyone who does not understand these systems dies faster from their own status values than from zombies.
- First steps — the starter quest, first resources, finding a trader
- Hunger & thirst — food sources, cooking recipes, water treatment
- Temperature system — clothing, bivouac, biome influence on body heat
- Infections & injuries — bandages, antibiotics, status effects
➜ Subpage: Survival & basics
The game world
The world of 7 Days to Die consists of five biomes that differ noticeably in climate, zombie types, available resources and difficulty. Every biome also influences the loot stage multiplier — that determines which items can drop from loot containers and zombies.
Biomes
| Biome | Special feature | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | Beginner biome, greatest variety of POIs | ★☆☆☆ |
| Desert | Heat, vulture attacks, exclusive oil shale | ★★☆☆ |
| Snow | Cold damage, wolves, bears | ★★☆☆ |
| Wasteland (Ödland) | Radiated zombies, highest loot tier | ★★★★ |
| Burnt Forest | Transition zone, medium enemy density | ★★★☆ |
Cities & the POI system
POIs (points of interest) are prefabricated buildings, from simple houses (tier 1–2) to large industrial complexes and skyscrapers (tier 5). They work like dungeons: every POI has a predefined path through the building, and a main loot container waits at the end. Traders hand out quests on POIs of various difficulty tiers.
:::warning Mind the biome restrictions No tier 5 POIs can spawn in the forest biome because of city size limits. Skyscrapers and industrial buildings are reserved for the desert, snow and wasteland. :::
➜ Subpage: The game world: biomes and POIs
➜ Subpage: Cities
Character progression
The progression system of 7 Days to Die is made up of three pillars: attributes with their associated perks, perk book series and crafting skill magazines.
Attributes & perks
There are five main attributes, each of which can be raised to level 10. Every attribute unlocks its own perks:
| Attribute | Specialization |
|---|---|
| Perception | Ranged combat, rifles, spears |
| Strength | Melee combat, mining, construction |
| Fortitude | Survival, health (up to 200 HP), stamina |
| Agility | Stealth, pistols, bows, parkour |
| Intellect | Technology, drones, traps, trader discounts |
From level 6 of an attribute onward, a mastery perk is unlocked that grants unique individual bonuses.
Perk books & the magazine system
- Perk books are found in the game world or bought from the trader — they are independent of skill points.
- There are 19 series with 7 volumes each. Completing a series unlocks an exclusive bonus perk.
- Crafting skills are raised exclusively by reading thematic crafting skill magazines — not through skill points. The crafting skill determines the maximum quality tier of the items you can produce.
➜ Subpage: Character progression: attributes, perks & books
Crafting & resources
Many recipes first have to be unlocked through perks or rare schematic finds. Some workstations are strictly required for certain production processes:
Campfire— the only place to cook mealsChemistry Station— needed for gunpowder, antibiotics, oil (resource consumption is halved compared to inventory crafting)Workbench,Forge,Cement Mixer— for weapons, metal parts and building materials
Vehicles
Vehicles are assembled from individual parts. The Grease Monkey perk (intellect tree) reduces the resources required and improves repair kits. Available vehicles: bicycle, minibike, motorcycle, 4x4 truck, gyrocopter.
➜ Subpage: Crafting & resources
The horde
The blood moon
By default a blood moon horde takes place every 7 in-game days — which is where the game's name comes from. The horde starts around the afternoon of day 7 and ends at 4:00 game time. Zombie AI during the blood moon completely ignores stealth, heat management and all normal spawn conditions — every zombie knows the exact position of all players and actively digs or climbs its way there.
:::warning The biome influences loot, not the number of zombies The biome the horde base stands in changes the quality of the loot bags dropped by fallen zombies — the wasteland gives the best drops. The sheer number of waves depends on the combined gamestage of all players. :::
Zombie types
| Type | Distinguishing feature |
|---|---|
| Normal | Standard enemy, no special resistances |
| Feral | Permanently running, increased damage |
| Radiated | Regenerates health, wasteland only |
| Charged | Electric aura, new as of version 2.0 |
| Infernal | Fire variant, new as of version 2.0 |
Defense strategies
- A symmetrical base layout reduces the number of attack points
- Zombies actively favor weak blocks — repair structural weak spots early
- A raised base reduces the heat map and prevents screamer spawns nearby
➜ Subpage: The horde: blood moon, zombie types & defense
Technology & servers
This section is aimed at advanced players and server admins.
Contents of the subpage
- XML modding — adjusting
entitygroups.xml,items.xml,rwgmixer.xmland others - Console commands — admin commands for debugging, spawning, teleporting
- Server setup — setting up a dedicated server, configuration files, crossplay settings (available between PC and consoles as of version 1.2)
- Gamestage calculation — the formula, influencing factors, balancing for multiplayer groups
➜ Subpage: Technology & servers: modding, console & dedicated server
Mods
7 Days to Die now offers plenty of mods. On the subpage you will find more information about them.