7 Days to Die Light Sources: Crafting Recipes, Mods, and How to Use Each One

Night in 7 Days to Die is the part of the day where the zombies stop pretending to be slow. Good lighting will not stop them, but it will at least let you see what is about to bite your face. This guide covers every craftable light source in the game, what it costs to make, and what it actually does once you place it down or strap it to something.

How lighting works in 7 Days to Die

Light sources fall into two broad camps. Some run on nothing, like candles and torches. Others need to sit on a working electrical grid, which means a power source plus a Wire Tool to connect each fixture. Skip the wiring step and you get a very expensive piece of decor.

A few items also leave a heat signature on the world map. Heat attracts zombies. That is worth remembering before you build a lantern wall around your front door and wonder why the screamer shows up every five minutes.

The entries below skip light sources that the map generates on its own (street lamps in cities, etc.) and focus on what the player can actually craft.

Handheld and worn lights

Flashlight

• Recipe: 1x Forged Iron, 10x Electrical Parts, 4x Duct Tape, 4x Scrap Polymers (Workbench).
• Notes: No batteries, ever. Press F to toggle it on and off. You can swing it like a club, but a Flashlight is not a credible melee weapon and the zombie will not be impressed.

Weapon Flashlight Mod

• Recipe: 10x Scrap Polymers, 2x Glue, 5x Electrical Parts, 1x Flashlight (Workbench, requires the Weapon Flashlight Mod Schematic).
• Notes: Attaches to a compatible firearm or crossbow so the beam follows your aim instead of your face.

Compatible weapons:

• .44 Desert Vulture
• .44 Magnum
• AK-47 Machine Gun
• Auto Shotgun
• Compound Crossbow
• Iron Crossbow
• Double Barrel Shotgun
• Hunting Rifle
• M60 Machine Gun
• Pipe Pistol
• Pipe Machine Gun
• Pipe Rifle
• Pipe Shotgun
• Pistol
• Pump Shotgun
• Rocket Launcher
• SMG-5
• Sniper Rifle
• Tactical Assault Rifle

Helmet Light Mod

• Recipe: 5x Forged Steel, 2x Scrap Polymers, 2x Duct Tape, 1x Sewing Kit, 1x Flashlight (crafted by hand, requires the Helmet Light Mod Schematic).
• Notes: Slots into any head armor and shines wherever you are looking. Toggle with F. The best option if you want both hands free for digging, building, or sprinting away.

Vehicle Off-Road Headlights Mod

• Recipe: 5x Forged Steel, 10x Scrap Polymers, 4x Electrical Parts, 4x Headlight (crafted by hand, requires the Vehicle Off Road Headlights Mod Schematic).
• Notes: Compatible with every drivable vehicle except the Bicycle and the Gyrocopter. Bumps headlight strength by 120%, which is the difference between seeing the cliff and meeting it.

Placeable lights that do not need power

Candle

• Recipe: 1x Plant Fibers, 1x Animal Fat (crafted by hand).
• Notes: Dim, cheap, and sticks to almost any surface with structural integrity. Useful for hallways and basements where you just need to see your own feet.

Torch

• Recipe: 5x Cloth Fragment, 1x Animal Fat, 1x Wood (crafted by hand).
• Notes: Doubles as a weapon. Hitting a zombie sets it on fire for 15 damage over 10 seconds. The downside is the heat signature, which pulls more company than you want.

Jack O' Lantern

• Recipe: 1x Candle, 1x Pumpkin (crafted by hand).
• Notes: The introvert of the lineup. No heat map, so zombies will not be drawn to it. The light it produces is weaker than a Spotlight or Lantern, but it makes seasonal base decor a lot less risky.

Burning Barrel

• Recipe: 3x Forged Iron, 10x Wood (Workbench).
• Notes: Think of it as a permanent torch in a metal can. It burns indefinitely until you tear it down or pour water on it. Like a torch, it emits heat.

Campfire

• Recipe: 5x Small Stone (crafted by hand).
• Notes: The most multipurpose entry on the list. Beyond illuminating an area, the Campfire cooks food, boils water, brews medicines, and crafts materials like Glue and Paint. Easily worth slotting in even if you only want it for the light.

Lantern

• Recipe: 5x Forged Iron, 1x Headlight, 3x Electrical Parts, 4x Duct Tape, 5x Oil (Workbench).
• Notes: A placeable lamp with strong nearby coverage. It does not need power, but the brightness pulls zombies harder than dimmer alternatives.

Placeable lights that need power

All of the fixtures below have to sit on a working electrical grid. Run a Wire Tool from a Generator, Battery Bank, or Solar Bank to each fixture and toggle them on. Most of the bulb-style entries also benefit from the Advanced Engineering perk, which trims the resources needed to craft them.

Old Outdoor Light

• Recipe: 2x Forged Iron, 6x Electrical Parts (Workbench).
• Notes: A simple wired fixture you can toggle by hand. Good early-game option once you have a basic generator running.

Basic Light Bulb

• Recipe: 3x Forged Iron, 6x Electrical Parts, 1x Headlight (Workbench, unlocks after reading 25 Wiring 101 magazines).
• Notes: The standard interior bulb. Advanced Engineering reduces the Forged Iron and Electrical Parts cost.

Industrial Light

• Recipe: 6x Forged Iron, 6x Electrical Parts (Workbench, unlocks after reading 25 Wiring 101 magazines).
• Notes: Heavier-duty placeable fixture, manual on/off. Advanced Engineering lowers the material cost.

Industrial Light Bulb

• Recipe: 6x Forged Iron, 6x Electrical Parts (Workbench, unlocks after reading 25 Wiring 101 magazines).
• Notes: Same recipe as the Industrial Light but a different fixture. Needs a Generator or Power Bank in its grid to fire up. Advanced Engineering also applies.

Fluorescent Light

• Recipe: 3x Forged Iron, 6x Electrical Parts (Workbench, unlocks after reading 25 Wiring 101 magazines).
• Notes: A clean, even glow that suits indoor bases. Toggle manually. Advanced Engineering reduces the cost.

Street Light (Switch)

• Recipe: 5x Forged Steel, 15x Electrical Parts (Workbench, introduced in Alpha 15).
• Notes: Different from the procedurally placed street lights you see in towns. The craftable version is one of the strongest lights in the game and projects a downward cone that reaches roughly three blocks.

Spotlight

• Recipe: 1x Headlight, 12x Electrical Parts, 3x Duct Tape, 78x Iron (Workbench, unlocks after reading 50 Wiring 101 magazines).
• Notes: A focused, directional beam that you can aim where it matters, like the kill corridor outside your base. It does generate heat and will attract zombies, so use it with intent. Advanced Engineering reduces the Electrical Parts, Duct Tape, and Iron cost.

Picking the right light for the job

A quick decision guide if you are short on time:

• Roaming at night: Helmet Light Mod plus a Weapon Flashlight Mod on your sidearm.
• Driving: Off-Road Headlights Mod, no exceptions.
• Permanent base interior: Fluorescent Lights or Basic Light Bulbs on a small generator.
• Perimeter and kill zone: Spotlight or Street Light (Switch), but factor in the extra zombie attention.
• Stealth base or decoration: Candles and Jack O' Lanterns, which keep your heat signature low.
• Survival cooking spot: Campfire, because it pays for itself in cooked meals.

Final tip: read every Wiring 101 magazine you find, even the ones you do not need yet. The threshold unlocks (25 and 50 reads) gate most of the powered options, and grinding them later is slower than picking them up as you loot.