Surviving your first blood moon in 7 Days to Die requires a plan. Surviving Day 49 requires a good one. This walkthrough breaks the game into progression phases with specific goals for each period. Every recommendation comes from 500+ hours across multiple A21 playthroughs on Warrior and Insane difficulty. Follow this timeline and you'll never be caught unprepared on horde night.
Days 1-3: Stone Age Scramble
Your first three days set the foundation for everything that follows. Spawn in, punch a tree, and craft a Stone Axe immediately. Then craft a Wooden Bow and 30 Stone Arrows. This takes roughly 10 minutes.
Day 1 priorities:
- Loot the nearest house or small POI for food, water, and basic gear
- Find or craft a Bedroll (place it somewhere safe for a respawn point)
- Collect 50+ Small Stones and 100+ Wood
- Avoid running at night; find a rooftop or second-floor room and crouch until dawn
Your first quest marker points to a Trader compound. Get there before Day 2 ends. Traders close at 22:00 and reopen at 06:00. Accept your first Tier 1 quest and complete it for early Dukes and experience.
By the end of Day 3, you should have: a Pipe Pistol or Pipe Rifle (crafted or looted), a Forge placement location identified, basic clothing, and at least 2 First Aid Bandages. If you've found a Beaker in kitchen loot, you're ahead of schedule.
Days 4-7: Iron Rush and First Horde
Day 4 marks the transition from scavenging to crafting. Build your Forge using a Cooking Pot, 3 Short Iron Pipes, Leather, and Duct Tape. If you haven't found a Cooking Pot yet, hit every kitchen in nearby houses. Restaurants and diners have the highest spawn rate.
Iron production checklist:
- Place Forge near your chosen horde base location
- Smelt all Iron scrap you've collected (aim for 200+ Iron)
- Craft Iron Fireaxe, Iron Pickaxe, and Iron Club
- Craft Iron armor pieces (any 3 of 4 pieces minimum)
First blood moon (Day 7) base strategy: Find a two-story brick or concrete building. Knock out the stairs between floors, build a single ladder for access, and fortify the ground floor entrance with Wood Spikes and a double-door chokepoint. Stand on the second floor and shoot downward with your pipe weapon. This simple setup handles Day 7 hordes at any difficulty.
For detailed base designs, check our 7 Days to Die Tips and Tricks page.
Days 8-14: Establishing Your Base
With the first horde behind you, it's time to build properly. Identify a permanent base location near (but not inside) a Trader compound. Being within 500 meters of a Trader gives you quick access to quests and shopping without risking your base in the Trader's safe zone pathing.
Week 2 goals:
- Upgrade your horde base to Cobblestone (1,500 HP per block)
- Build a Workbench for advanced crafting
- Start a Cement Mixer if you've found the schematic
- Complete 3-4 Trader quests to reach Tier 2
- Reach Character Level 15-20
Looting strategy shifts in Week 2. Stop hitting random houses and focus on high-value POIs: Shotgun Messiah (weapons), Working Stiffs (tools and building supplies), Shamway Foods (food and cooking recipes), and Pop-N-Pills (medical supplies). The 7 Days to Die Tier List covers which weapons to prioritize when you find them.
Your skill points should follow a clear path by now. If you're running an Intellect build, you want Junk Turrets before Day 14. Perception builds need Dead Eye 3 minimum. Check the Best 7 Days to Die Builds for your specific allocation.
Days 15-28: Steel Age and Mid-Game
The second and third blood moons test your base design seriously. Zombies hit harder, run faster during blood moon, and demolisher zombies appear after Day 21. Your cobblestone walls need an upgrade to concrete (5,000 HP) before Day 21.
Steel transition checklist:
- Find or craft a Crucible (needed to smelt Steel at the Forge)
- Upgrade key walls and support pillars to Concrete
- Build electric generators and wire traps (Blade Traps, Electric Fences)
- Craft your first vehicle (Minibike at minimum, 4x4 Truck if Intellect is high enough)
The Crucible is the single most important item in mid-game. It lets your Forge smelt Steel, which unlocks Steel tools, weapons, and building blocks. Crucibles spawn in Working Stiffs crates, Trader Secret Stashes (with enough reputation), and rare POI containers. Some players don't find one until Day 30. If you're struggling, invest points in Lucky Looter (Perception tree) and focus-loot Working Stiffs buildings.
Day 21 horde night is the first real skill check. Expect 80+ zombies including ferals that sprint at you. Your base needs at minimum: concrete walls, 4+ blade traps in a kill corridor, electric fences to slow runners, and enough ammo for 30 minutes of sustained fighting.
Days 29-49: Late Game Power Spike
By Day 29, your character should be Level 40+ with a clear build identity. Your base should be mostly concrete with steel reinforcements at critical load-bearing points. The game's difficulty plateaus here if you've built correctly.
Late game priorities:
- Max out your primary attribute tree
- Upgrade to Steel building blocks at all horde base chokepoints
- Stockpile 2,000+ rounds of your primary ammo type per horde night
- Complete Tier 4 and Tier 5 quests for end-game gear
- Build a gyrocopter (Intellect 8 + Grease Monkey 5) for aerial scouting
Tier 5 quests send you into massive POIs like Skyscrapers, Hospitals, and Factories. These multi-floor dungeons take 30-60 minutes to clear and contain the best loot in the game. Bring 500+ rounds of ammo, 10+ First Aid Kits, and your full armor set.
Day 49 horde night is the ultimate test. Irradiated zombies with 1,400+ HP, demolishers that one-shot concrete walls, and cop zombies that spit acid from range. Your defense needs redundancy. If blade traps fail, dart traps cover. If power dies, you have manual weapons ready. Preparation wins this fight, not reflexes.
Day 50+: Endgame Loop
After Day 49, the game enters a repeating cycle: loot during the week, survive horde night, upgrade, repeat. The challenge continues scaling but your power curve flattens. Most experienced players set personal goals here. Clear every POI on the map, build a mega-base, or start a new game with harder settings.
The endgame loop rewards min-maxing. Quality 6 gear, perfectly rolled mods, and optimized turret placements separate a Day 50 base from a Day 100 fortress. Your 7 Days to Die Beginner's Guide covers the fundamentals if you need a refresher on any core system.
