Trader Progression in 7 Days to Die 1.0: Locations, Quests, and Rewards

The 1.0 patch for 7 Days to Die reworked how traders behave. Quest delivery is more structured, progression is gated, and rewards scale predictably with effort. Here is a breakdown of how the new system works, where to find each NPC, and what to expect from each quest tier.

How to Unlock Trader Quests

In earlier builds, you could walk up to any trader the moment you spawned. With Update 1.0, the game now pushes you through a Challenge called Journey to Settlement first. This task points you toward the first trading post in the Pine Forest biome.

Once you arrive, you will meet Rekt. Talking to him hands you a Stone Shovel and an introductory dig job. Finishing that opening request unlocks his full quest board and grants access to the wider trader network.

Trading posts in 1.0 only operate between 04:05 and 21:50 in-game. Outside those hours, the gates stay shut.

Trader Lineup and Specialties

Each trader has a fixed biome, and clearing a quest tier with one of them unlocks a trade route to the next NPC. The standard chain is Rekt to Jen to Bob to Hugh to Joel.

General biome locations:

• Rekt: Pine Forest
• Jen: Burnt Forest
• Bob: Desert
• Hugh: Snow
• Joel: Wasteland

Every merchant leans into a different inventory niche. Rekt stocks food and farming supplies, Jen focuses on medical gear, Bob carries tools and vehicle parts, Hugh deals in weapons and ammunition, and Joel handles armor. Plan accordingly. Stocking up on bandages from the guy who mostly sells fertilizer will not end well.

Tier Points and How Progression Stacks

Every completed quest awards XP, Duke's Casino Tokens (Dukes), and Tier Points (TP). TP is the gating currency: each tier needs 10 TP earned at the previous level before the next one opens up.

Tier requirements and TP payouts per quest:

• Tier 1: 10 TP to unlock, awards 1 TP per quest
• Tier 2: 20 TP to unlock, awards 2 TP per quest
• Tier 3: 30 TP to unlock, awards 3 TP per quest
• Tier 4: 40 TP to unlock, awards 4 TP per quest
• Tier 5: 50 TP to unlock, awards 5 TP per quest

Finishing Tier 5 with any trader unlocks Tier 6, the final and highest-paying tier for that NPC.

Quest Types and Reward Tables

There are six quest types in 7 Days to Die 1.0, each with its own reward scaling.

Buried Supplies

Dig up cached gear with a shovel at the marked spot.

• Tier 1: 2,500 XP, 250 Dukes
• Tier 2: 2,500 XP, 500 Dukes

Fetch

Travel to the marked POI and recover a hidden bag.

• Tier 1: 2,500 XP, 100 Dukes
• Tier 2: 3,750 XP, 200 Dukes
• Tier 3: 5,000 XP, 300 Dukes

Clear Zombies

Wipe out every zombie at the marked POI.

• Tier 1: 3,000 XP, 400 Dukes
• Tier 2: 4,500 XP, 500 Dukes
• Tier 3: 6,000 XP, 800 Dukes
• Tier 4: 7,500 XP, 1,000 Dukes
• Tier 5: 15,000 XP, 2,000 Dukes

Fetch and Clear

Retrieve the hidden bag and wipe out the zombies at the same POI.

• Tier 2: 5,060 XP, 700 Dukes
• Tier 3: 6,750 XP, 1,000 Dukes
• Tier 4: 8,400 XP, 1,500 Dukes
• Tier 5: 16,900 XP, 2,000 Dukes

Restore Power

Get the generator at a POI back online. Only available at night.

• Tier 2: 5,060 XP, 800 Dukes
• Tier 3: 6,750 XP, 1,500 Dukes
• Tier 4: 8,400 XP, 2,000 Dukes

Infestation

Clear every zombie at the POI, including Feral and Radiated variants.

• Tier 2: 5,625 XP, 1,000 Dukes
• Tier 3: 7,500 XP, 2,000 Dukes
• Tier 4: 9,375 XP, 3,000 Dukes
• Tier 5: 8,400 XP, 2,000 Dukes
• Tier 6: 30,000 XP, 6,000 Dukes

Starting and Ending Quests

After accepting a contract, head to the marked location and interact with the floating yellow exclamation point to start it. If the target is a POI, that interaction also resets the building, which respawns its zombies and traps.

A chime plays when you finish the objective. You can also exit a quest two ways: by dying during the run, or by manually canceling it from the Quests tab in your inventory.