Community GuideCurrent

Beginner Survival Checklist

A compact community checklist for the first few in-game days, focused on staying supplied and avoiding preventable deaths.

Updated 2026-09-01Last tested 2026-09-01Difficulty: beginnerWritten by @NomadsReach
On this page
  1. What this guide is for
  2. Before leaving a safe area
  3. During travel
  4. After a fight
  5. Spoiler example
  6. When to head home

What this guide is for

This is a short example of the kind of practical player guide the community can submit. It is intentionally simple: get through the opening days without wasting resources or turning a small problem into a run-ending one.

Before leaving a safe area

Check that you have:

  • water
  • food
  • basic healing supplies
  • ammunition for the weapon you are actually carrying
  • enough free carry weight to bring useful loot home
  • a plan for where you are going

During travel

Do not treat every landmark as a mandatory fight. If you are hurt, low on supplies, or carrying valuable equipment, walking away is often the correct decision.

Watch for:

  • worsening weather
  • radiation exposure
  • injury penalties
  • ammunition running low
  • routes that leave you with no safe retreat

After a fight

Before moving on:

  1. Check injuries.
  2. Reload and count remaining ammunition.
  3. Take only loot that supports your current goals.
  4. Decide whether continuing is worth the supplies you just spent.

Spoiler example

Example spoiler section

Put location secrets, quest outcomes, hidden equipment, or boss details inside collapsible sections when the information would spoil discovery for normal readers.

When to head home

Return to safety before you are completely out of options. A successful run that ends early is better than losing everything because you pushed one location too far.