Every seventh night in 7 Days to Die, a formidable horde of zombies will come for you, attracted by the Blood Moon. These relentless creatures won’t stop until they’ve breached your defenses, smashing doors and walls to get to you. However, with the right preparations and strategies, you can survive this harrowing event.
Early Game Strategies
1. Secure an Elevated Position
In your first week, prioritize finding a secure and elevated location, such as a house with a second story or an attic. Use a Stone Axe to destroy any stairs leading to your level, preventing zombies from easily reaching you. Make sure to leave a gap of two to three blocks between you and the zombies to prevent them from jumping across.
For added safety, construct a ladder not attached to any walls. On Horde Nights, you can remove the top ladder block to destroy the entire ladder, stopping zombies from climbing up.
2. Prepare Ammunition and Weapons
In the early game, focus on crafting plenty of Stone Arrows and using a Primitive Bow. Shooting down at zombies from an elevated position not only helps defend yourself but also grants valuable experience points. Occasionally, zombies drop Loot Bags containing useful items like ammunition, weapons, or materials.
3. Utilize Farm Silos for Defense
Farm silos, especially those made of metal, offer excellent protection during Blood Moon nights. These structures often have broken metal ladders that are too high for zombies to reach. Attach wooden ladders at the bottom and remove them once you’re safely inside. Metal silos are durable and often come with Steel Doors, providing an additional layer of defense.
Notable Silo Locations:
- Boar Barn Fields: Located at 200 W, 680 N in Navezgane, across from Bob’s Boars & Carl’s Corn.
- Fiery Farms: Found at 2150 E, 415 N, east of the starting area in Pine Forest.
- Judy Witch Farm: Situated at 800 W, 250 N in the Burnt Forest, near Boar Barn Fields.
4. Exploit Zombie Pathing
Zombies always seek the shortest route to their target. If you block off obvious paths, they’ll attack barriers to reach you. Use this behavior to your advantage by creating convoluted paths that slow them down. For instance, set up a tower they can’t jump to, forcing them to circle around. Placing traps like Wood Spikes near drop-off points can slow down and injure the zombies.
5. Stay Productive During the Horde
While defending against the horde, you can multitask. Use the time to craft, cook, or manage your skills and perks. Set up a Campfire with a Cooking Pot and Cooking Grill to prepare food and boil water. This helps you stay prepared and makes the most of the night.
6. Adjust Game Settings if Needed
If you’re finding Blood Moon Horde Nights too challenging, you can tweak the game’s settings. You can adjust the Blood Moon frequency, enemy count, and zombie speed. These settings are found under the “Basic” tab when creating or continuing a game. You can also change or disable Blood Moon events entirely if desired.
Post-Early Game Strategies
1. Build a Dedicated Horde Base
As you progress, consider building a separate base specifically designed to withstand Blood Moon attacks. This base should be away from your main base to avoid damage to essential resources. Design the base with zombie pathing in mind, using traps, ladders, and moats filled with spike traps to manage the horde’s movement.
2. Invest in Skills and Perks for Advanced Traps
To handle tougher hordes, unlock advanced traps and weapons. Prioritize perks such as Advanced Engineering and Robotics Inventor, which unlock access to electrical traps, gun turrets, and robotic weapons. These perks increase your chances of finding useful magazines and blueprints.
- Advanced Engineering: Increases the likelihood of discovering Electrical Traps Skill Magazines and Wiring 101 magazines.
- Robotics Inventor: Improves your chances of finding Tech Planet magazines for Robotic Turret blueprints.
- Tech Junkie Perk Book: Provides recipes for turret ammo and enhances robotic weapons.
