No One Survived Beginner Guide: First Day, Stats, Crafting, and Base Setup

No One Survived can feel brutal when you first load in. The game throws character traits, survival meters, crafting, zombies, loot limits, and base building at you quickly, then politely waits for you to make several bad decisions. This beginner guide walks through the basics so your first run has a better chance of lasting longer than your first snack bar.

Creating Your Survivor

Before starting a solo or multiplayer game, you need to create a character. The visual options include features such as hair, eye color, jaw shape, name, and body type.

The more important part is the Attributes option near the bottom of the customization screen. Traits in No One Survived are randomized, so use the Random button until you get a combination you like. Positive and negative traits can matter a lot, similar to Project Zomboid.

For example, Runner can help with stamina, while Unorganized lowers your maximum carry weight. Once the character looks right and the traits are acceptable, click Create in the lower-left corner.

Choosing Game Settings

When playing solo or starting a game-hosted server, No One Survived lets you tune the world before spawning. The main settings include:

• Save Name: The world file name.
• Difficulty Level: Beginner, Catastrophe, or Hardcore.
• Starter Kit: Enables basic starting supplies when you first spawn.
• Special Infection: Allows special zombies to appear.
• Zombie Wave Attack: Enables zombie wave events.
• Zombie Wave Attack Cycle: Sets the number of days between hordes.
• Zombie Wave Multiplier: Controls how many undead appear during waves.
• Zombies Strength: Adjusts zombie power.
• Zombies Respawn: Controls zombie respawn timing.
• Sprinters Zombies: Sets the percentage of zombies that can run.
• Virus Death Rate: Raises or lowers your character’s immunity.
• Year Duration: Sets how many in-game days make a year.
• Permadeath: Turns permadeath on or off.
• Loot Distribution: Changes loot randomization across the map.
• Loot Respawn Interval: Sets how many days pass before loot respawns.
• Merchant Restock Interval: Sets merchant restock timing.
• PVP: Enables or disables player-versus-player combat.

For a first save, keep the settings forgiving until you understand the systems. There is no shame in learning before asking the apocalypse to grade you harshly.

Health and Survival Stats

Your survivor has eight key stats to manage:

• Health
• Water
• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Happiness
• Fatigue
• Cleanliness
• Infection

Some meters are obvious. If water is low, drink. Others are less direct, such as losing happiness depending on what kind of book you read. Keeping these stats balanced makes exploration, combat, and crafting much safer.

Surviving Day One

Once your character and world settings are ready, the real work begins.

Spawning

No One Survived uses several predetermined spawn points, but you will not always know exactly where you are at first. Many spawn locations are near NPC merchants, which gives you a relatively safe landmark.

Merchants usually do not sell game-changing items on Day 1, but remember where they are. They become more useful after restocking and once you have items or resources to trade.

Note: As of version 0.0.6.2, merchants turn on lights at night, making them easier to spot in the dark.

Using the Map

Press M by default to open the interactive map. Mark or remember useful places as you explore, especially areas with loot, water, flat terrain, or nearby resources.

Base location depends on your playstyle. A city base gives quicker loot access. A forest base is harder for hostile players to find on PVP servers and can feel safer once you have supplies.

Early Crafting

While moving toward a possible base area, gather basic resources. Your first useful tools and weapons should include the Stone Axe, Stone Knife, Spear, and Bow and Arrow.

To craft by hand, open your inventory, select Crafting at the top, choose the item, and press Craft. Hand crafting is simple, but it does not use a queue like crafting stations do.

Inventory space and carry weight are very limited early on. Do not collect everything just because it exists. The map has many objects. Your pockets do not.

Getting More Inventory Space

Search houses, wardrobes, cupboards, and containers while traveling. A backpack is one of the best early finds because it expands what you can carry.

If you cannot find one, craft a Cloth Bag using 8x Fabric. Fabric can be obtained by dismantling some clothing.

Loot Priorities

Early loot should support survival and base setup. Focus on practical items such as:

• Cooking Pot
• Tool Box
• Water Bottles
• One or two Canned Foods

Avoid filling your inventory with low-priority objects before you have storage. Heavy, random loot is how promising journeys become slow walks of regret.

Basic Building Steps

The Building Hammer is the main tool for construction. To make one, chop down a tree with your Stone Axe, collect the fallen log, and craft the hammer.

Equip the Building Hammer and press the middle mouse button to open the build menu. Your first major goal should be a bed, since it becomes your respawn point.

Tech Tree Unlocks

After placing a bed, open the Tech Tree with TAB. Early on, use two logs to unlock two key options:

• Spend one log to unlock the Workbench recipe.
• Spend one log to unlock planks.

These unlocks let you move from rough survival into proper base construction and storage.

Building Your First Base

Once you reach a chosen location and have enough resources, start small. Place two foundations, add walls and a roof, then craft a Workbench and a Storage Chest. Build a campfire for cooking and begin processing the food you gathered.

A tiny first base is enough if it gives you shelter, storage, crafting access, and a respawn point. You can expand later after you are not one bad loot run away from disaster.

Beginner Tips

Use these early habits to make No One Survived easier to manage:

• Death is not always the end: If you make a mistake, dying can return you to your spawn point. It can also work as a quick return to base.
• Buy a car when possible: If an NPC merchant stocks a car, get it quickly. Driving saves a lot of travel time.
• Use vehicles to distract zombies: In multiplayer, an ally can drive nearby zombies away while others loot.
• Read safely: Read skill books at your base so zombies or hostile players do not interrupt you.
• Use clean water for washing: Cleaning with dirty water can cause malaria.
• Avoid wild animals early: A boar is not a tutorial pet. Wait until you have better gear before picking that fight.

With a stable bed, basic tools, a small shelter, and a few supplies, your first No One Survived run becomes much easier to control. From there, the next goals are better storage, safer food and water, stronger weapons, and enough defenses to handle zombie waves.