These are the real indicator icons from the game's HUD (bottom-right of your screen). Small Ʌ arrows above a badge mean your stomach is still digesting and that stat is rising; V arrows mean it's falling.

Good — keep these lit

HealthyAll systems good — health & blood regenerating

EnergizedFood reserves high — brighter = fuller

HydratedWater reserves high — the regen engine's other half

StuffedStomach over half full. Red = stop eating or you vomit it all

Warnings — act soon

Hungry → StarvingEat. Red flashing = health draining

ThirstyDrink safe water — wells, or purify first

Sick (yellow → red)Disease active; colour = severity. Match your symptom message to a disease card

Cold → Freezing → HypothermiaFire, dry clothes, heat pack — now

HotHyperthermia risk — shade, drink, drop layers, stop sprinting

Damp → Wet → Soaked → DrenchedWring clothes out (each wring = one level), dry by fire — wet leads to cold and flu

Injuries — fix immediately

BleedingThe number = open wounds. One bandage or clean rag per wound

Fractured LegSplint or morphine, or crawl home

Chipped LegHairline crack from a bad landing — walk, don't run, or it worsens

Sprained AnkleTemporary limp from small falls — it heals on its own

ShockGrey pulsing screen = about to black out. Stop the damage source

Vitals

How dying actually works

Health

0 – 100

Hits zero = dead. Regenerates only when blood is near full and you're fed and watered.

Blood

2,500 – 5,000

Drops from bleeding. Below ~2,500 you black out. Bandage first, then eat.

Energy + Hydration

Keep both white

The regen engine. "Stuffed" = maximum recovery rate.

Shock

Invisible KO bar

Melee, falls and pain build shock; enough knocks you out at full health. Epinephrine wakes you.

Golden rule: stop the bleed → eat and drink to the brim → stay warm and dry. That sequence out-heals everything except the diseases below.

Sickness & Disease

Cause → prevent → cure

Each card wears the actual HUD badge the game shows for that condition (yellow → orange → red = severity). Match the badge and symptom message to the card, take the pictured cure, and keep food and water high while it clears. The wrong pills do nothing.

Wound Infection

Deadly

Cause: Bandaging with dirty rags or stitching with an unsterilised sewing kit.
Symptoms: "My wound is itchy" during incubation → fever, shaking, steady health loss.
Prevent: Disinfect rags and sewing kits before use — ten seconds that saves your life.
Cure: Tetracycline at the itchy stage kills it outright; full-blown needs repeat doses + forced food and water.

Gas Poisoning

No cure

Cause: Contaminated zone with exposed skin, damaged NBC parts, or a spent filter.
Symptoms: Coughing → blurred vision → coughing blood → death in minutes.
Prevent: Complete undamaged NBC suit + gas mask + fresh filter — see Gas Zones.
Cure: None. Once you're coughing blood in the cloud, it's over.

Kuru

No cure

Cause: Eating human meat, fat or guts. Yes, even cooked.
Symptoms: Uncontrollable laughing fits and hand tremors — aim ruined, position given away.
Prevent: Don't eat people. Ask what animal traded food came from.
Cure: None. Permanent until death.

Hemolytic Reaction

Deadly

Cause: Blood transfusion of an incompatible type.
Symptoms: Rapid collapse into unconsciousness, usually death.
Prevent: Blood test kit on both people first; unknown donor → use saline instead.
Cure: None once it starts. Chart is in the Med Kit section.

Cholera

Serious

Cause: Unpurified pond, river or stream water; sharing bottles with a sick player.
Symptoms: Vomiting, rapid thirst and energy drain — it dehydrates you to death.
Prevent: Wells are always safe. Otherwise chlorine tablets, or boil in a pot over fire.
Cure: Tetracycline — redose as it wears off, drink constantly to outpace fluid loss.

Salmonellosis

Serious

Cause: Raw or rotten food, or eating with bloody hands after skinning.
Symptoms: "My stomach grumbles violently" → vomiting up everything you eat.
Prevent: Cook all meat and fish fully; wash hands or wear gloves when gutting.
Cure: Charcoal tablets — stop eating until vomiting ends, then refill slowly.

Influenza / Cold

Serious

Cause: Staying cold and wet; standing near sneezing, coughing players.
Symptoms: Sneezing and coughing (audible to everyone hunting you), fever.
Prevent: Stay dry and layered; multivitamins boost immunity while exposed.
Cure: Tetracycline + get warm, dry and fed. Untreated it worsens.

Chemical Poisoning

Serious

Cause: Drinking disinfectant, alcohol tincture, gasoline — things with warning labels.
Symptoms: Vomiting and health drain, entirely self-inflicted.
Prevent: Disinfectant sterilises rags. It is not a beverage.
Cure: Charcoal tablets, water, and time.

Hypothermia

Serious

Cause: Rain, swimming, snow (all of Sakhal), night travel without layers.
Symptoms: Shivering (ruins aim), flu risk, health drain at "freezing".
Prevent: Dry layered clothes, raincoat, heat packs in a pocket, fires.
Cure: Fire + dry clothes. Hot springs on Sakhal heal it instantly.

Unconsciousness

Serious

Cause: Shock damage, blood under ~2,500, a headshot your helmet barely stopped.
Symptoms: You're on the floor and someone is going through your pockets.
Prevent: Keep blood high; wear a helmet and plate carrier.
Cure: Epinephrine wakes instantly; saline or blood IV fixes the cause.

Bleeding

Serious

Cause: Gunshots, knives, infected swipes, barbed wire, broken windows.
Symptoms: Blood-drop icon, red pulses, a blood trail others can follow.
Prevent: Armour, distance, and not vaulting through glass.
Cure: Bandage per wound; deep cuts need a disinfected sewing kit.

Fractures

Nuisance

Cause: Falls, vehicle crashes, heavy melee hits to the legs.
Symptoms: Broken leg: forced hobble or crawl, pain shakes.
Prevent: Don't jump off things. Ladders exist.
Cure: Splint (stick + rags/bandage/tape) restores walking; morphine mends instantly.

The Med Kit

What it looks like · what it fixes

Six items solve nearly everything: tetracycline, charcoal, bandages, disinfectant, a splint, multivitamins. The rest is for fixing other people.

TetracyclineCholera · flu · wound infectionHOSPITALS · CLINICS · AMBULANCES

Charcoal TabsFood poisoning · chemicalsHOSPITALS · HOUSES

Bandage / RagsBleeding — disinfect rags first!EVERYWHERE · CUT CLOTHING

DisinfectantSterilises rags & sewing kitsHOUSES · MEDICAL

IodineSame job as disinfectantMEDICAL

MultivitaminsImmunity boost before risky travelMEDICAL · HOUSES

Chlorine TabletsPurify a bottle of dirty waterMEDICAL · CAMPING

PainkillersPain screen-shakeHOUSES · MEDICAL

MorphineInstantly mends a broken legHOSPITALS · AMBULANCES

SplintWalk on a fracture (craftable)MEDICAL · CRAFT IT

EpinephrineWakes the unconscious instantlyHOSPITALS · AMBULANCES

Saline Bag + IVRestores blood — no type riskHOSPITALS · MED CAMPS

Blood Bag KitFaster than saline — must match typeHOSPITALS

Blood Test KitReveals blood type before transfusionHOSPITALS · CLINICS

IV Start KitTurns saline/blood bags into IVsHOSPITALS

Sewing KitCloses deep wounds — disinfect firstHOUSES · WORK SHEDS

Heat PackHours of warmth — Sakhal essentialCAMPING · HUNTING

First Aid Kit3×3 pouch that holds all of the aboveMEDICAL · VEHICLES

Blood types — who can take what

O− gives to everyone; AB+ takes from everyone. Test both people or use saline.

O−

UNIVERSAL DONOR

O+

gives to all +

A−

gives to A / AB

A+

gives to A+ / AB+

B−

gives to B / AB

B+

gives to B+ / AB+

AB−

gives to AB only

AB+

UNIVERSAL RECIPIENT

Weapons

Tier · stats · exact magazines

Every card shows the gun, its tier, four stats, and pictures of the magazines it actually takes. The colour dot is the ammo family — match the dot and the mag name and it feeds. PWR = damage per shot · RNG = effective range · ROF = rate of fire · CMN = how commonly it spawns.

Filter

S best-in-slot A excellent B solid C early game

Assault Rifles

M4-A1

5.56×45

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

STANAG 30 / 60 · Mag-C 10–40

Find Tier-4 military, heli crashes. Most attachment options in the game.

KA-M

7.62×39

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

KA-M 30 · 75rd drum (heli/gas zones)

Find Military. Hits far harder than 5.56; the drum is the game's biggest mag.

LE-MAS

5.56×45

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

25rd LE-MAS only — heli crashes

Find Heli crashes only. Highest DPS rifle; mags are the bottleneck.

KA-74

5.45×39

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

KA-74 30 / 45rd

Find Military. Soft recoil, plentiful ammo inland.

M16-A2

5.56×45

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

STANAG 30 / 60

Find Military. 3-round burst; the budget M4.

AUR A1 / AX

5.56×45

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

A1: 30rd AUR only · AX: also takes STANAGs

Find Military. Bullpup; the AX variant adds rails and western mags.

KAS-74U

5.45×39

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

KA-74 30 / 45rd

Find Police, military. Fits in large backpacks — the hidden AK.

KA-101

5.56×45

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

30rd KA-101 only — not STANAG!

Find Military. AK reliability in NATO calibre.

Snipers & Battle Rifles

VSD

7.62×54R

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

10rd VSD

Find Heli crashes. Semi-auto, suppressor-capable — the long-range king.

LAR

7.62×51

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

20rd LAR

Find Heli crashes. Full-auto .308 — the most feared PvP rifle.

VS-89

7.62×54R

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

10rd VS-89 mag

Find Military. Bolt action — the most accurate rifle in the game.

DMR

.308 WIN

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

10 / 20rd DMR mags · takes western scopes

Find High-tier military. Semi-auto .308 with a big kick between shots.

SVAL

9×39

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

20rd SVAL · 10rd VSS

Find Heli crashes. Integrally suppressed full-auto — near-silent.

Mosin 91/30

7.62×54R

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

5rd internal · loads loose or stripper clips · PU scope

Find Hunting stands, police. Cheap thunder, found everywhere inland.

M70 Tundra

.308 WIN

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

5rd Tundra mag · hunting scope

Find Hunting stands, sporting. A day-one scoped hunter.

Blaze

.308 WIN

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

Break-action · 2 rounds, both instant

Find Hunting. Two immediate .308 shots — devastating ambush gun.

SSG 82

5.45×39

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

5rd SSG 82 mag · fixed 3.5× scope

Find Police, military. Cheap-ammo precision with a built-in scope.

VSS Vintorez

9×39

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

10rd VSS · 20rd SVAL

Find Military. Suppressed marksman rifle, eastern scope rail.

Vikhr

9×39

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

30rd Vikhr · also VSS & SVAL mags · AP ammo capable

Find High-tier military. Select-fire 9×39 carbine.

CR-527

7.62×39

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

5rd CR-527 mag

Find Hunting. Bolt carbine that shares ammo with the KA-M.

SMGs & Shotguns

SG5-K

9×19

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

SG5-K 15 / 30rd

Find Police, military. Quiet with a suppressor — ideal town clearing.

Vaiga

12 ga

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

5 / 8rd mags · 20rd drum

Find Military, heli. The drum turns doorways into paste.

USG-45

.45 ACP

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

25rd USG-45

Find Military. Heavy-hitting SMG; shares ammo with .45 pistols.

Bizon

.380 ACP

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

64rd Bizon cylinder mag · takes suppressors

Find Police, military. 64 rounds of sustained quiet fire.

BK-43

12 ga

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

Break-action, 2 shells · sawed-off fits a backpack

Find Farms, hunting. The freshie equaliser.

CR-61 Skorpion

.380 ACP

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

20rd CR-61

Find Police. Pocket machine pistol for early infected work.

BK-18

12 ga

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

Single shell — one shot, one prayer

Find Farms, houses.

Pistols & Utility

Mlock-91

9×19

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

15rd Mlock mag

Find Police, military. Best all-round sidearm.

FX-45

.45 ACP

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

15rd FX-45 mag

Find Military. Double-stack .45 — capacity and punch.

CR-75

9×19

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

15rd CR-75 mag

Find Police. You'll find this before the Mlock.

Kolt 1911

.45 ACP

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

7rd 1911 mag

Find Houses, hunting. Big slow rounds; engraved variant exists.

Deagle

.357

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

9rd Deagle mag · takes a pistol scope

Find Military, police. Loud enough to wake the whole coast.

Longhorn

.308 WIN

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

Single shot · scopeable

Find Sporting. A .308 pistol — the pocket sniper.

Revolver

.357

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

6-round cylinder — never needs a mag

Find Houses. Never jams.

IJ-70

.380 ACP

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

8rd IJ-70 mag

Find Houses, police. The day-one pistol; ammo everywhere.

Derringer

.357

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

2 rounds · hides in tiny pockets — survives robberies

Find Houses.

Sporter 22

.22 LR

PWR

RNG

ROF

CMN

Sporter box mags

Find Houses, sporting. Whisper-quiet; headshots still drop infected.

Mag discipline: magazines are gun-specific even within a calibre — a KA-101 mag will not feed a KA-M, STANAGs fit the M4/M16 but not the LE-MAS, and the AUR A1 takes only its own mag. Match the dot and the picture.

Melee Weapons

Ranked by hitting power — 1.29 buffed blunt & crafted

Silent, no ammo, and every axe doubles as a tool. Any knife kills infected instantly and silently from behind (crouch-sneak, attack from the back). Blunt weapons build shock — great for knockouts, slower kills.

Firefighter Axefire stations · also fells trees

Splitting Axesheds · chops wood fast

Sledgehammershock king — knocks out through helmets · base building tool

Swordfast heavy slashes, causes bleeding

Pickaxemines stones · heavy swing

Machete / Kukrilight, quick, skins animals like a knife

Shoveldigs stashes AND cracks skulls

Pitchforkbarns · extra reach

Crowbarindustrial · bleed chance

Pipe Wrenchheavy blunt

Baseball Batadd nails or barbed wire to upgrade it

Combat / Hunting Knifefastest swing · the stealth-kill tool · skins game

Brass Knucklesfast punches, fits in a pocket

Electric Cattle Prodnon-lethal knockout — needs a 9V battery

Ammo Families

The colour key, with the actual boxes

Rounds spawn loose, boxed, and pre-loaded in mags. Boxes are space-efficient — unbox into stacks before loading.

5.56×45M4-A1 · LE-MAS · M16 · KA-101 · AUR

5.45×39KA-74 · KAS-74U · SSG 82

7.62×39KA-M · CR-527

7.62×54RVSD · VS-89 · Mosin 91/30

.308 / 7.62×51LAR · DMR · Tundra · Blaze · Longhorn

9×39SVAL · VSS · Vikhr — subsonic

9×19SG5-K · Mlock-91 · CR-75

.380 ACPIJ-70 · CR-61 · Bizon

.45 ACPUSG-45 · FX-45 · Kolt 1911

.357Deagle · Revolver · Derringer

12 gaugeVaiga · BK-43 · BK-18 — buck & slugs

.22 LRSporter 22 — quietest round in the game

Where ammo lives: soviet calibres (5.45, 7.62×39, 7.62×54R, 9×39, .380) spawn at inland military and police; NATO calibres (5.56, .308, 9×19, .45) skew to tier-4 military, heli crashes and gas zones. Pick your rifle to match where you live.

Optics & Suppressors

What fits what

Optics

PU ScopeMosin 91/30 — the classic budget sniper buildHUNTING · MILITARY

Hunting Scope4×–12× · fits most hunting rifles: Tundra, Blaze, CR-527HUNTING STANDS

PSO-1 ScopeEastern dovetail: VSD, VSS, SVAL, KA rifles — has rangefinder reticleMILITARY

ATOG 4×32Western rail (M4 etc.) — reticle drop-compensated for 5.56MILITARY · HELI

Kobra SightEastern red dot for KA-series close workMILITARY

Reflex / red dotsWestern rails — pistols & riflesPOLICE · MILITARY

Suppressors

StandardizedWestern rifles: M4-A1, M16, AUR AX, LAR, DMRMILITARY · HELI

NormalizedEastern rifles: KA-M, KA-74, KAS-74U, VSDMILITARY · HELI

Pistol SuppressorPistols & SMGs (9×19, .380, .45)POLICE · MILITARY

Improvised (Bottle)A plastic bottle over the muzzle — a handful of quiet shots, then it shredsCRAFT IT

Free stealth: the SVAL, VSS and Vikhr are suppressed out of the box (9×39 is subsonic), the SSG 82 and VSS ship with built-in scopes, and the Sporter 22 is whisper-quiet with nothing attached. Suppressors wear out — carry a gun cleaning kit.

Gear & Storage

Slot counts from the wiki, ranked

Backpacks — inventory slots

Field Backpackhuge but screams "shoot me"

Long Haul Backpacknew in 1.29 · straps + tool slot

Mountain Backpackbest warmth of any bag

Combat Backpackthe "Tortilla" — military

Hunting Backpackquiet colours, hunting stands

Drybag Backpackwaterproof — keeps contents dry

Leather Backpackcraftable from tanned leather

Assault Backpackcompact military

Improvised Backpackcourier bag + sticks — craftable

Fur Backpackcraftable from pelts

Taloon Backpackcommon town find

Improvised Courier Bagburlap sack + rope — day one

Canvas Bagstraps + tool slot

Smersh Backpacktiny but attaches to Smersh vest

School Backpacktowns everywhere

Vests, rigs & belts

Utility Buttpackattaches to Assault/Smersh vest

High Capacity Vest+ 4 grenade slots · no armour

Assault Vest+ buttpack = 40 total

Smersh Vest+ buttpack + 4 grenades

Press Vestballistic protection + 16 slots

Hunting Vest+ fishing hook slot

Plate Carrierbest armour · 15 with pouches + holster

0–15

Chest Holster1 pistol, drawn instantly

🔫

Tactical Beltsheath + holster + canteen

Clothing — slots & warmth

Item	Slots	Warmth	Notes
Down Jacket	24	●●●●●	Warmest jacket in the game — Sakhal royalty
Hunter Jacket	24	●●●●●	Warm + quiet colours
Firefighter Jacket	24	●●●●●	Warm and water-resistant, heavy
Field Jacket	24	●●●●●	The M65 — best all-rounder
Tactical Shirt	24	●●●●●	Big slots for a shirt
Gorka / Patrol Jacket	24	●●●●●	Military drip, mediocre warmth
Hunter Pants	20	●●●●●	Best pants: warm + 20 slots
Patrol Pants	20	●●●●●	Military standard
Combat Pants	15	●●●●●	Common at police
Jeans	12	●●●●●	Freshie standard
Raincoat	12	●●●●●	Waterproof — wear it over layers in storms

Storage containers — where loot sleeps

Car Tentfits a whole armoury

500

Large Tentmilitary camps

400

Medium Tenteasiest to hide in treelines

200

Barrelalso tans leather & dyes clothes

150

Sea Chestburiable!

100

Improvised Sheltercraftable, near-invisible in bushes

100

Wooden Cratecraftable + buriable · 4 fit in an M3S truck

Drysackwaterproof + buriable

Ammo Boxdense ammo storage

Protective Casewaterproof — electronics live here

Persistence: unattended containers despawn after ~45 days. A raised flag on a flagpole refreshes everything within 60 m. Buried stashes (sea chest, crate, drysack + shovel) are invisible to raiders — the meta for your best gear.

Repair kits — what fixes what

Condition runs Pristine → Worn → Damaged → Badly Damaged → Ruined. Ruined is gone forever — repair at "Damaged", not after. Kits can't restore Ruined.

Duct TapeThe universal fixer — clothes, packs, tools, even suppressorsWORK SHEDS · INDUSTRIAL

Sewing KitFabric clothing & backpacks (and your skin)HOUSES

Leather Sewing KitLeather clothes, boots, holstersHUNTING · FARM

Weapon Cleaning KitAll firearms — carry one if you spray full-autoMILITARY · HUNTING

Sharpening StoneKnives, axes, machetesFARM · HUNTING

Epoxy PuttyHelmets, plastic — gas masks includedINDUSTRIAL

Tire Repair KitPunctured vehicle wheelsGARAGES · INDUSTRIAL

Vehicles

Seats · cargo · exact parts to get it running

Every land vehicle needs its wheels, a battery, an ignition plug, and (most) a radiator filled with water, plus gasoline in the tank. Parts attach by hand; check the radiator has water before driving or you cook the engine.

Ada 4×4 4 seats · 300 slots

4 wheels + car battery + spark plug + radiator

The offroad king — goes places nothing else can. Two doors only, so groups exit slowly.

Gunter 2 4 seats · 300 slots

4 wheels + car battery + spark plug + radiator

Fastest car in the game (205 km/h). Spawns everywhere. Also the easiest to wrap around a tree.

Olga 24 4 seats · 400 slots

4 wheels + car battery + spark plug + radiator

Sluggish and turns like a planet, but the biggest boot of any car.

Sarka 120 4 seats · 300 slots

4 wheels + car battery + spark plug (IN THE REAR) + radiator (front)

Rear-engined — battery and plug go in the back. Confuses everyone the first time.

M1025 Humvee 4 seats · 300 slots

4 wheels + car battery + GLOW plug (diesel) — no radiator needed

Military spawns. Eats terrain and small-arms fire better than anything else on wheels.

M3S Truck 2 seats · 600 slots

2 front + 4 dual rear wheels + TRUCK battery + glow plug — no spark plug

The moving-base truck: biggest cargo, plus a slot for 4 wooden crates. Don't redline it — internal damage is permanent.

Boat coastal · Sakhal lifeline

spark plug + gasoline

Ignores every roadblock on the map. On Sakhal's archipelago it's practically mandatory.

The parts, so you recognise them

Car BatteryCARS + M1025

Truck BatteryM3S ONLY

Spark PlugPETROL ENGINES

Glow PlugDIESEL: M1025 · M3S

Radiator+ FILL WITH WATER

Gas CanisterFILL AT FUEL STATIONS

Explosives & Traps

Area denial & door knocking

EGD-5 FragSoviet frag grenade — cook it or they throw it backMILITARY

6-M7 FragNATO frag — bigger punchTIER-4 MILITARY · HELI

FlashbangBlinds and deafens — breach tool for buildingsPOLICE · MILITARY

EGD-2 SmokeCover for crossing open ground, or a signalMILITARY

Land MineKills vehicles & legs — disarm crouched with pliersMILITARY

Bear TrapSnaps legs — yours included. Guard your gate with itHUNTING · FARM

ClaymoreDirectional blast — the classic doorway surpriseTIER-4 MILITARY

Plastic Explosive+ remote detonator — the wall-raiding chargeTIER-4 · GAS ZONES

M79 LauncherLobs 40mm grenades — explosive, smoke & flare shellsHELI CRASHES

40mm GrenadesThe M79's ammoHELI · MILITARY

Raid maths: walls fall to plastic explosives and grenades far faster than to tools — which is why the real answer to base security is the buried stash, not a taller wall.

Crafting

Combine in hands: A + B → C

Drag one item onto the other. A knife — even a stone one — unlocks half the game.

Day-one survival

Stone knife

Small stone + Small stone

Stones spawn on railway tracks. Skins, cuts rags, sharpens sticks.

Rags

Knife + any clothing

Bandages, rope, fire tinder. Disinfect before bandaging.

Rope

6 rags + 6 rags

Gateway item: backpacks, fences, fishing rods, kits.

Hand drill kit

Tree bark + Short stick

Fire with no matches. Bark comes off trees with a knife.

Torch

Short stick + Rag

Add fat or resin to burn longer. Light + a little warmth.

Splint

Stick + Rags / bandage / duct tape

Walk again on a broken leg without morphine.

Hunting & food

Simple fishing rod

Long stick + Rope, then + hook

Dig worms with a knife. Fish + fire = infinite coastal food.

Bone fishing hook

Knife + Bone

Bones come from any kill — no tackle shop needed.

Small fish trap

Knife + Plastic bottle

Passive sardines while you loot. Bait with worms.

Sharpened stick

Knife + Long stick

Cook meat directly over flames, no pan required.

Tanned leather

Pelt + Garden lime, in a barrel

Sew into a full leather clothing set + backpack.

Bags & stealth

Improvised courier bag

Burlap sack + Rope

First backpack from nothing — 30 slots.

Improvised backpack

Courier bag + Sticks

35 slots, ugly enough that nobody shoots you for it.

Burlap strips

Knife + Burlap sack

Ghillie ingredient.

Ghillie gear

Netting + Burlap strips

Hood, gun wrap or full suit by quantity. Nets: rowboats, fishing spots.

Storage & camp

Wooden crate

8 Planks + 16 Nails

50 slots, buriable. The stash workhorse.

Shelter kit

Rope + 4 Short sticks

Place on flat ground to start a shelter site.

Improvised shelter

Kit + 4 Long sticks + 50 Short sticks

100-slot hideout, near-invisible in bushes. Tarp or pelt variants too.

Buried stash

Shovel + Crate / sea chest / drysack

Invisible underground storage. Memorise the spot — no marker!

Fireplace

Rags / bark / paper + Short sticks

Add stones to upgrade; add a pot to boil water safely.

Base kits

Rope + 2–4 Short sticks

2 sticks = fence kit · 3 = flagpole kit · 4 = watchtower/shelter kit.

Bow note: improvised bows are still removed from crafting (since 0.63) — the wiki lists them as "awaiting reimplementation". For silent hunting use a crossbow, the Sporter 22, or a suppressed 9×39.

Base Building

Build order & bill of materials

Tools for the whole job: shovel or pickaxe, hammer or hatchet, saw, pliers, sledgehammer. Fell trees with an axe for logs; saw a log into 4 planks.

Fence kit → frame

KIT: rope + 2 sticks · BASE: 2 logs + shovel · FRAME: 8 planks + 16 nails

Place the kit, drive the logs, then build upper and lower frames with a hammer in hand.

Panels → full wall

PANELS: 10 planks + 20 nails (or sheet metal for raid resistance)

Wood is cheaper; metal survives more raid tools. Drape camo nets to kill sightlines.

Wall → gate

ADD: metal wire + pliers · THEN: combination lock

Wire converts a finished fence into a gate. Use a 4-dial lock — raiders brute-force 3-dials overnight.

Watchtower

KIT: rope + 4 sticks · BASE: 4 logs · FULL 3 LEVELS: ~12 logs · ~207 planks · ~424 nails · 6 sheet metal

A massive nail sink — stockpile boxes of nails; they're the real base-building currency.

Flagpole — stops despawn

KIT: rope + 3 sticks · BASE: 1 log + sledgehammer · SUPPORT: 32 large stones + 6 logs · POLE: 3 logs + 60 nails + wire + rope

A raised flag refreshes everything within 60 m — tents, barrels, walls, buried stashes. It lowers over ~45 days; re-hoist when you visit. No flag, no base.

Storage inside

TENTS · BARRELS · SEA CHESTS · CRATES — see the storage table above

Bury duplicates of your best gear far from the walls. Every base eventually gets raided; buried stashes survive.

Hunting & Farming

Meat yields from the wiki · sorted biggest first

Headshots preserve meat — body shots reduce the yield. Skin with any knife, wear gloves or wash after (bloody hands + food = salmonella). The crossbow and Sporter 22 are the silent hunting tools; a suppressed 9×39 works too.

Animal	Meat	Extras	Danger
Cow	15–20 steaks	pelt · 3–5 guts · 2–3 fat · bones	None — walks up to you
Stag / Deer	up to 18 steaks	pelt · 3 fat · 3 guts · 3 bones	None — but spooks easily
Sheep	7–13 steaks	pelt · up to 8 fat	None
Wild Boar	7–13 steaks	pelt (courier bag) · fat · guts	Low — may charge
Bear	5–10 steaks	1–2 pelts · fat · guts	Extreme — soaks bullets, sprints you down
Wolf	5–10 steaks	pelt · fat	High — hunts in packs; howls within 200 m = incoming
Goat	5–10 steaks	pelt · up to 6 fat	None
Hare	1–4 legs	pelt	None — snareable
Chicken	1–2 breasts	5–10 feathers (fishing lures / fletching)	None

Predators: wolves and bears will interrupt your hunt. Climb something, back against a wall, or feed them the deer you just shot and leave. A crossbow bolt or arrow is retrievable from the carcass — free ammo.

Farming — infinite food from one seed

1 · Dig a plotHOE / SHOVEL · OR USE A GREENHOUSE

2 · Plant seedsFROM VEG: CUT WITH KNIFE

3 · Water itUNTIL THE SOIL IS DARK

4 · HarvestPUMPKIN = BIGGEST CALORIES

PumpkinBEST YIELD

ZucchiniSOLID

PotatoPLANT THE SPUD ITSELF

TomatoFAST

Bell PepperFAST

Loop: one tomato → knife → seeds → plot → many tomatoes → more seeds. Two plants feed a player forever; a greenhouse near a well is a retirement plan.

Food, Water & Warmth

The slow killers

Eating

Cook everything. Raw meat = salmonella; burned meat loses nutrition. Pull it at "cooked".
Big game is a jackpot: deer or cow = steaks, fat, pelt, bones, guts.
Rotten food poisons even cooked. Fruit rots in your bag — eat it first.
Cans never rot; open with a can opener or knife (knife spills some).
Fishing beats hunting for calories-per-risk on any coast.

Drinking

Wells and pumps are always safe. Memorise your local pump.
Ponds and rivers need chlorine tablets or boiling — otherwise see Cholera.
Carry two bottles: one clean, one "to be treated".
On Sakhal, melt snow or bottle the hot springs — surface water freezes.

Staying warm

Wet clothes drain heat — wring them out, dry near (not in) a fire.
Heat packs in a jacket pocket buy hours in the snow.
The "warmed up" fire buff lingers after you leave — top up before moving.
Sakhal hot springs fix hypothermia instantly and mark themselves with steam.
Down Jacket + Hunter Pants + Mountain Backpack = the winter loadout (see Gear).

Ten rules that keep you alive

Never eat with bloody hands; never drink pond water raw.
Disinfect rags when you pick them up, not when bleeding.
Two is one: two bandages, two fire sources, two bottles.
Gunfire is a dinner bell — loot fast, leave faster.
Zigzag open fields; snipers lead straight lines.
Log out prone in a bush, never in a doorway.
Bury a knife, matches and tetracycline near your spawn coast.
The coast teaches looting; inland teaches living. Move inland.
Ask traders what animal the meat came from. Watch their face.
Trust no one holding a shovel behind their back.

Contaminated Zones

Best loot, worst air

Static gas zones (warning signs) and dynamic strikes (siren + artillery, then a spreading cloud) hold the rarest loot — LE-MAS mags, KA-M drums, VSD, NBC-tier gear — behind air that kills in minutes. This is the full entry kit; every piece must be undamaged:

Gas MaskUNDAMAGED

Fresh Filter+ CARRY A SPARE

NBC HoodSEALS THE MASK

NBC Jacket + PantsFULL SET

NBC Gloves + BootsONE RUINED GLOVE = DEAD

Filters run down inside the cloud — swap before it dies, not after you start coughing.
NBC infected inside hit hard and their swipes damage your suit — kill at range or avoid.
Dynamic zones expire: hear the siren? You can simply wait ~30–40 minutes and loot the aftermath for free.
Bring an empty backpack — the whole point is carrying the armoury out.