7 Days to Die Getting Started: 1.0 Release, First Day, and Your First Blood Moon Horde
New to 7 Days to Die in 2026? This guide covers the 1.0 release (July 2024), the blood moon horde mechanic, day 1 setup, first base, and a 7-day roadmap that gets you through your first blood moon horde without dying.
TL;DR: 7 Days to Die 1.0 launched in July 2024, with version 1.1.b14 current in 2026. Every 7th in-game day is a Blood Moon Horde where massive zombie waves attack. The first 7 days are loot → build a small base → defend the horde. Wood frames are your first building material — cobblestone comes later.
Who this guide is for
- You just bought 7 Days to Die (or are about to) on Steam / PlayStation / Xbox
- You are unsure whether to play solo or co-op
- You keep dying on day 7 (Blood Moon) and want a sane first playthrough
- You do not need to read this if you have already survived 5+ blood moons
This is the first guide in our zero-to-midgame 7 Days to Die series. Read the others in any order:
- Core Mechanics: Crafting, Forging, and the Blood Moon Horde — coming soon
- Base Building: From Wood Frame to Concrete Fortress — coming soon
- Blood Moon Horde Strategy: Surviving Day 7+ — coming soon
1. The 1.0 release: what’s stable in 2026
7 Days to Die went 1.0 on July 25, 2024 after 10+ years in early access. The current version is 1.1.b14 as of mid-2026.
What’s stable since 1.0
- Blood Moon horde mechanic — every 7th day is a horde
- Crafting system — forge, workbench, cement mixer
- Base building — wood frame → cobblestone → steel → concrete
- Looting — containers, cars, houses
- Trader system — NPCs who sell/buy
What’s added in 1.x patches
- 1.1 brought new zombie types, balance changes, and quality-of-life
- Stability improvements for multiplayer
- Console parity for the 1.0 release
Common pitfall: playing on outdated guides. The 1.0+ version is very different from the alpha versions. Use 2024+ guides only.
2. Pick your game mode and difficulty
| Mode | Description | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Survival (default) | Standard 7 Days to Die | First-time players |
| Creative | No enemies, unlimited resources | Building practice |
| Warrior | Harder enemies, more loot | Experienced players |
| Scavenger | Fewer resources | Hardcore players |
Difficulty
| Difficulty | Zombie HP | Loot quality | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adventurer | Standard | Standard | First-time players |
| Nomad | Standard | Less loot | Slightly harder |
| Warrior | More HP | Better loot | Experienced |
| Survival | Maximum HP | Best loot | Hardcore |
The recommendation
- First time: Survival / Adventurer. Standard difficulty, standard loot
- Forgiving mode — if you’re really struggling, you can adjust difficulty in the menu
Common pitfall: starting on Warrior because “more loot is better.” You will die constantly to high-HP zombies. Start Adventurer.
3. Solo vs Co-op: pick your style
| Mode | Players | Best for | Caveats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | 1 | First playthrough, learning the game | Blood Moon horde is harder alone |
| Co-op | 2–8 | Sharing the workload | One bad player can ruin the run |
The recommendation
- First time: Solo. You learn every system without relying on others
- Co-op with 2–3 friends is the ideal 7 Days experience — base building is faster, horde defense is easier
- Avoid public servers for your first 10 hours — random players grief bases
Common pitfall: joining a public server for your first run. Your base gets griefed, your loot gets stolen. Solo or with friends only.
4. The first 7 days: a day-by-day plan
Day 1: Loot and find a base spot
- Spawn, get oriented
- Loot the immediate area — houses, cars, containers
- Find a base spot — somewhere with:
- Flat ground for building
- Near water (well or river)
- Near a trader
- Defensible (one entry point is good for early base)
- Craft: stone axe, campfire, sleeping bag
Day 2: First small base
- Build a small wood-frame base — 2x2 with a door
- Place a bedroll inside (your spawn point)
- Place a campfire outside
- Start looting for the next horde — collect stone, wood, plant fibers
Day 3: Upgrade and explore
- Upgrade your base to a 3x3 with a chest
- Find a trader (look for the trader icon on the map)
- Start collecting:
- Plant fibers (for bandages and ammo)
- Feathers (for arrows)
- Mechanical parts (for bikes)
- Oil (for vehicles and lights)
Day 4: Craft a forge
- Craft a forge — required for metal tools and weapons
- Smelt iron from iron deposits
- Craft iron tools — iron pickaxe, iron axe
- Build a workbench — for advanced crafting
Day 5: Expand base and loot harder
- Expand base to 4x4 or larger
- Loot harder POIs (points of interest) — bigger buildings, police stations, gun stores
- Find a vehicle — bicycle is realistic, minibike is good for early game
Day 6: Prepare for Blood Moon
- Stop looting, focus on base defense
- Upgrade walls to cobblestone if possible
- Place defenses:
- Log spikes on the perimeter
- Blade traps (wood + iron)
- Crossbow / guns if you have them
- Build a roof access to shoot from above
Day 7: Blood Moon Horde
- Horde starts at 22:00 (10 PM)
- Stay inside your base, shoot from the roof
- Don’t go outside unless necessary
- Survive until 04:00 (4 AM) — that’s the end of the horde
- Loot zombies for bonus rewards after
Common pitfall: trying to survive the horde with a wood-frame base. Build cobblestone by day 5, or the horde will destroy you.
5. The 10 settings to change in your first hour
Display
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| FOV | 75–85 | Wider FOV helps spot zombies approaching |
| Motion blur | Off | Track moving zombies better |
| Frame rate display | On | Free FPS counter |
Gameplay
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Loot highlight | On | See loot through walls (small radius) |
| Aim assist | On (console) / Off (PC) | PC mouse aim doesn’t need it |
| Crosshair | On | Cross-platform default |
| Stamina bar | On | Don’t run out of stamina mid-chase |
| HUD size | Default | Adjust if too small |
Multiplayer
| Setting | Recommended | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Voice chat | Push-to-talk | Public servers can be toxic |
| PvP | Off for co-op, On for PvP servers | Don’t shoot friends |
Common pitfall: leaving settings on default with motion blur on. Motion blur makes hordes much harder.
6. The 5 basic rules of every Blood Moon Horde
Rule 1: Stay on the roof
- The best vantage point is the roof
- Zombies can’t easily reach you if you’re 3+ blocks up
- Bring ammo, water, food up there before the horde
Rule 2: Don’t waste ammo
- Aim for headshots — they deal 3× damage
- Save explosives for big groups
- Melee weapons are ammo-free — use them when ammo runs low
Rule 3: Repair walls during the horde
- Walls break during the horde. Have repair materials ready.
- Wood → stone → cobblestone as you upgrade
Rule 4: Don’t open the door
- Zombies break doors — never open the door during the horde
- If you must exit, jump from the roof
Rule 5: Have an escape route
- Sometimes the horde breaks through
- Always have a backup exit (a hidden door, a hole in the floor, etc.)
Common pitfall: building a 1-story base and getting swarmed. Build 2-3 stories and defend from above.
7. The best starting perks (in 2026)
The 1.0+ version has a perk system. Pick perks that fit your playstyle.
Best starting perks
| Perk | Effect |
|---|---|
| Master Chef | Cooked food gives better bonuses |
| Run Forest Run | Faster stamina regeneration |
| Sexual Tyrannosaurus | Heavy melee damage bonus |
| Parkour | Better jump height, less fall damage |
| Healing Factor | Slowly heal without bandages |
Common pitfall: ignoring perks. Spend perk points every level — they add up fast.
8. Frequently asked mistakes (the first 7 days)
| Day | Mistake | Why it hurts | Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wandering far from spawn | You die and respawn far from your stuff | Stay near spawn for day 1 |
| 2 | Building in the open | Zombies can approach from all sides | Build defensively — limited entry points |
| 3 | No water source | You die of dehydration | Find a well or river |
| 4 | No forge | Can’t craft metal | Craft a forge by day 3 |
| 5 | Wood-frame base on day 7 | Zombies break through | Cobblestone by day 5 |
| 6 | No ammo stockpiled | You run out during the horde | Stockpile 200+ rounds of bullets/arrows |
| 7 | Panicking on Blood Moon | You make mistakes | Stay calm, shoot from the roof |
9. Frequently asked questions
Q: Is the 1.0 version stable? A: Yes. The Fun Pimps have been patching it since 2024. The current 1.1.b14 is the most stable version.
Q: Can I play with friends? A: Yes, co-op up to 8 players. Hosting a dedicated server requires some technical setup (or use a hosting service).
Q: How long is a single “week”? A: ~1.5 hours real time per in-game week (each day is ~12 min). The Blood Moon comes every 7 in-game days.
Q: Can I survive the first horde? A: Yes, with a cobblestone 3-story base and a stockpile of ammo. Most players do.
10. Next steps
You are ready for your first session. The natural next read is Core Mechanics: Crafting, Forging, and the Blood Moon Horde — once you understand the underlying rules, you’ll survive longer.
If you want to skip ahead to base design, see Base Building: From Wood Frame to Concrete Fortress.
Version note (2026-07-18): Based on 7 Days to Die 1.1.b14 (mid-2026). The 1.0+ crafting system, Blood Moon mechanic, and base building are stable. New zombie types and balance changes happen in 1.x patches; check the patch notes for the latest. The day-by-day first 7 days plan is based on the current meta.
Send us feedback
Found something wrong, missing info, or have a tip? Let us know — we read every message.