7 Days To Die: Best Survivalist Builds

Key Takeaways

Full Hunter Build focuses on tracking and hunting for maximum damage to enemies.
Scavenger Build excels in looting and gathering resources, essential in multiplayer sessions.
Spotter Build is ideal for PvP, emphasizing stealth, surveillance, and long-range attacks.

7 Days to Die will challenge even the more skilled survivalists, and since the game has changed a lot since its full release, we will take a look at the best Builds for those who want to survive as much as possible, while also creating a sustainable lifestyle in the badlands. Survivalist builds are unconventional combinations of PvP and PvE skill sets and are often highly focused on a task like getting food, loot, or ambushing rival players.

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This list has some of the strongest survivalist builds for this zombie apocalypse game, with special emphasis on scavenging, hunting, looting, scouting, getting more resources, and helping your team build the best possible base. But beware, 7 Days players will have to defend their homes from the frenzied Blood Moon Zombies, so better go prepared.

4 Full Hunter Build

Able To Track Anything That Can Be Eaten

Strengths: Good at hunting and foraging for food
Weaknesses: Bad at PvP

With the arrival of the 7 Days To Die 1.0 version, the food game has changed, especially in those servers that go with the Vanilla and Hardcore rules. In single-player sessions, survivors might be able to tweak the amount of loot that is dropped from containers and such, but things can get pretty nasty when joining a multiplayer server. Not only do players have to compete against other players for scarce loot, but they will have to deal with hunger and zombies at the same time. So this build is focused on Tracking, Hunting, and getting more meat from all animals, as well as the best way to cause more damage to some of the nastiest creatures that will roam the zombie-plagued lands. Start by dropping some points in the Agility Attribute, just enough to unlock the Archery Lvl. 2, Hidden Strike Lvl. 2, and From the Shadows Lvl 1.

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This will ensure some good Sneak Attack damage on every living thing that doesn’t see players coming for them. Next, players should Invest in Perception Lvl. 2, and Animal Tracker, Lvl 2, which will allow them to effectively follow the tracks of prey (and predators) wherever they go. Then go and invest in 5 Levels of Fortitude, then Fully Hydrated Lvl. 2, The Huntsman, Rule 1: Cardio, and Living Off The Land. These last three perks will allow players to get more meat from hunted animals, recover stamina faster (to keep hunting), and gather more edible plants from the wilds, to recover energy as they hunt. It is also recommended to get The Hunter’s Journal volumes to cause more damage to animals, and The Hunter Modification in at least 1 ranged weapon, to cause more damage to animals. Ideally, players should equip the Nomad Set, which reduces the food/water cost of regenerating health and stamina costs by 5 (at tier 1) to 30% (at tier 6).

3 Scavenger Build

The Designated Looter Of The Party

Strengths: Good At Looting and Defending Itself
Weaknesses: Poor Defense Against Hordes

When joining a Multiplayer session in 7 Days to Die, it is not unlikely to find already established roles for each survivor team member. The Scavenger is in charge of looting everything while the other members of the squad clear the perimeter of Zombies and rival players. The bonuses in this build are focused on getting better loot and faster, and when played correctly they become the pillar of every party. Start by investing all in Perception (15 Attribute points to max out), then in Lucky Looter, Lock Picking, Salvage Operations, and if playing in a PvP Server, also pick The Infiltrator to prevent falling into traps set by other players.

Players should also equip the Scavenger Set, as the Loot Level bonuses this equipment has stack with the Lucky Looter Perk, making the rewards they get for opening containers worth the risk. Players should also try to get as many Lucky Looter Perk Books as possible, to get even more loot, and The Great Heist also has some good bonuses for this build. But most importantly: Always carry Lockpicks and Jail Breaker candies in the inventory, since this food grants a 100% Opening Chance for every lock. Carrying Eye Kandy will also increase by 5 the Loot Tier, so consider investing in some of these buff items.

2 The Spotter Build

Every Team Needs A Scout

Strengths: Great at PvP, Lethal At Long Distance
Weaknesses: Bad at Close Quarters Combat

This build is specially designed for PvP Servers, but players can also make good use of this when playing with friends in a private session since there are plenty of dangers that pop up when survivors are trying to loot a building. The Spotter specializes in Stealth and the use of the Robotic Drone to detect threats and eliminate them silently before they get the jump on their team. It’s an expensive build that requires max-out Agility, Perception, and Intellect, but it’s worth the investment. Players should take Hidden Strike, From the Shadows, and Parkour from the Agility three since they will need to be stealthy and agile enough to climb on top of buildings and get down fast if they are about to be surrounded by enemies.

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From Intellect, players should take Yeah, Science, and Robotics Inventor, which will allow them to create the Robotic Drone and other useful implements, like the Pressure Plate Mines, something they need to lay traps for ambushing players. From the Perception build, they should go and pick all perks related to Rifles and Sniping, since they will mostly be doing Recon and spotting enemies. Now, it is imperative to build the drone as a Healing Drone, with the corresponding Mod, and fill it up with Healing Items, especially Med Kits. When other players target the Spotter, they will probably shoot them and miss the drone entirely, since it has a tricky hitbox and it’s not always possible to make the shot in the distance. This will ensure the Spotter can flee the first shots and hide, while the drone quickly heals them. Then give enough time to warn the party about the ambushing team. For equipment, use Action Lever Rifles with Silencer and x8 Scope, then the Commando Set for more recovery speed and damage resistance. It’s the ultimate Urban Combat build: expensive, but worth the price.

1 The Ambusher Build

Because Sometimes, The Best Way To Survive Is To Steal From Others

Strengths: Powerful surprise attacks, crowd control
Weaknesses: Overwhelmed by Explosive Damage, and vulnerable to snipers

The Ambusher relies on two main factors to ensure its survival: Its ability to hide, and its trap-building skills. A combination of Agility, Intellect, and Strength turns the Ambusher into the perfect PvP-oriented Build, with great emphasis on surprising groups of enemy players and picking them out one by one, or leading them into perfectly placed traps that will kill them even before they know what’s happening. Start by picking up Agility Attribute, just enough to unlock the Gunslinger perk at Lvl. 2, Hidden Strike Lvl. 2, and From the Shadows Lvl 3. This will grant enough stopping power in the early stages of the game to fend off zombies and other players, and also some extra stealth to enter unlooted buildings and prepare for an ambush

With Intellect at level 5, pick the Robotics Inventor up to level 3, and craft a Hammer Turret. From Strength pick up Boomstick as high as possible, craft a couple of two-barrell shotguns, and have them loaded at all times. Ideally, the setup can be finished by spending some time crafting spike traps, and trap floor, replacing certain strategic choke points with the trap floor, and placing spikes below. Then, lie waiting behind doors with the Hammer Turret on standby, just enough time to let unsuspecting looters search for the major loot in the PoIs. Then it is all about taking them by surprise. They will never see this coming, and if they try to retreat, the spike traps will ensure they stay put until they’re finished. And there we have it: Free Loot for the taking. Pairing this build with the Assassin’s Armor or the Enforcer Set is a good way to get some extra sneak damage or resistance, either choice is fine.