Z1 Battle Royale is effectively dead. Player trackers logged single-digit to low-twenties Steam concurrents through August 2026, and Daybreak Game Company has not shipped meaningful content in years, so a full 150-player lobby is no longer something you will see. The client is still free and still installs, and the game carries a long name history: H1Z1 early access in January 2015, the King of the Kill split in 2016, the Z1 Battle Royale rebrand in March 2019 under NantG Mobile who rolled combat back to a 2017 build, then a handover back to Daybreak that April.
Resource management and crafting determine how quickly your power scales. This guide covers what to prioritize, where to farm, and how to avoid wasting resources on the wrong upgrades.
Crafting Priority List
The order you should invest resources:
| Priority | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Primary equipment | Biggest damage increase per resource spent |
| 2 | Core build gear | Enables your build's key combinations |
| 3 | Defensive upgrades | Survivability for boss fights |
| 4 | Secondary equipment | Situational options for specific content |
| 5 | Consumables | Temporary boosts for hard content |
Resource Farming by Area
Pleasant Valley
Key resources: Police station rifles and armor, police car spawns, dense residential loot. In 2026 lobbies you will usually land here alone, so treat the crowd figures as history rather than a forecast. Farming efficiency: Low value per run, but safe and consistent
Focus on gathering materials for AK-47 upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Cranberry
Key resources: Reliable rifle and armor spawns, decent vehicle coverage. Nothing here is time-gated, so it still fills the same role in an empty lobby. Farming efficiency: Good early-game farming spot
Focus on gathering materials for AK-47 upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Ranchito Taquito
Key resources: Uncontested early kit and farm vehicles, at the cost of a long rotation. Bring fuel or expect to run. Farming efficiency: Best mid-game farming, worth revisiting
Focus on gathering materials for AK-47 upgrades here. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Harris Bluffs
Key resources: Sniper sightlines over the approach roads and unpressured early loot. No mode-specific rewards exist here, and none ever did. Farming efficiency: High-value materials for late-game upgrades
This is where you farm materials for AR-15 max upgrades. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Hillside Villas
Key resources: House-by-house loot with a short drive into Pleasant Valley afterwards. Useful as a second stop rather than a destination. Farming efficiency: Best resources in the game, requires strong build
This is where you farm materials for AR-15 max upgrades. See our maps guide for detailed area layouts.
Upgrade Path
Early Game (Pleasant Valley to Cranberry)
- Upgrade your starting equipment to functional level
- Craft basic defensive gear
- Save specialty materials, since you'll need them later
- Focus on AK-47 once accessible
Mid Game (Ranchito Taquito)
- Push AK-47 to mid-level upgrades
- Start collecting materials for AR-15
- Craft situational consumables for boss fights
- Upgrade build-specific gear pieces
Late Game (Harris Bluffs to Hillside Villas)
Crafting Mistakes to Avoid
- Spreading upgrades across multiple equipment: Focus one weapon to max before diversifying.
- Hoarding materials: Use them. The game provides enough if you farm efficiently.
- Upgrading the wrong gear: Check our builds guide before investing.
- Ignoring Ranchito Taquito farming: This area has the best resource-to-time ratio in mid-game.
- Crafting consumables too early: Save specialty materials for late-game recipes.
Resource Efficiency Tips
- Verify the lobby is real before you invest an hour. Steam concurrents sat between roughly 5 and 21 players through early August 2026 depending on which tracker you read, which means solo queue can hang indefinitely. Coordinating a private group of friends is the only dependable way to get a match going.
- Farm Ranchito Taquito during mid-game for the best return on time
- Check the walkthrough to know when each resource becomes available
- Match your farming route to your build. Some classes farm faster in certain areas
More Z1 Battle Royale Guides
- Z1 Battle Royale Z1 Battle Royale Overview
- Z1 Battle Royale Best Builds
- Z1 Battle Royale Tier List
- Z1 Battle Royale Walkthrough
- Z1 Battle Royale Beginner's Guide
- Z1 Battle Royale Tips & Tricks
- Z1 Battle Royale Weapons Guide
- Z1 Battle Royale Combat Guide
- Z1 Battle Royale Boss Guide
- Z1 Battle Royale Maps & Locations
- Z1 Battle Royale Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Z1 Battle Royale, check out these related guides:
- PUBG: Battlegrounds Crafting Guide: battle-royale game with similar mechanics
- Stumble Guys Crafting Guide: battle-royale game with similar mechanics
- Crab Game Crafting Guide: battle-royale game with similar mechanics
