How to survive your first day: Dynamic Spawn Mode

The information present here does NOT apply to the current version of C:DDA, it has been replaced by the wander spawn (also called horde) mechanic, which works slightly differently.

In this spawn mode, you have a 90-minute grace period to do as much looting as you like before enemies start to spawn. If you haven't changed the starting time, this will be at 9:30 AM. Your overall aim should be to gather some gear early in the day, and avoid combat unless it helps you collect useful gear. As you grow more confident with the game's mechanics, you can try to stay in towns longer past the end of the grace period.

However, once that grace period ends, towns will not be "safe" for a long while. Unlike Static spawn-mode, zombies will repopulate the town until the regional "spawn pool" is exhausted. Killing zeds still helps, though.

(It should be noted that since the release of 0.C (Cooper) that the Dynamic Spawn mode no longer exists in game, and has been replaced by "Wander Spawns" to bring about hordes. On Wander Spawn there is NO LONGER A 90 MINUTE GRACE PERIOD. Perhaps the last version that the 90-minute grace period existed in was 0.A (Kaufman). Therefore, this guide may aid your survival if you are playing using the "Wander Spawns" option, but you should not make your plans expecting a lack of spawns on your first trip to town. You will have the possibility of danger from the moment you enter the world, so please prepare as such.)

Character Creation

Dynamic Spawn mode rewards stealthy characters. Consider Traits such as Light Step and Night Vision to reduce your noise output and the need for a zombie-attracting light source at night. If you're planning on making a significantly melee-based character, Martial Arts Training may provide a good, zero-load combat option to start you off quicker.

Before Leaving the Shelter

The Basement

First, go down into the basement (> on one of the four '>' symbols) and search for any items. Any or all of the following could be useful:

• Any items with storage capacity are worth taking, from backpacks to leather pants. You will want to be able to haul items around with you until you can establish a temporary base, and zombies won't spawn for a short while yet, so encumbrance is not an issue.

• Any kind of medication should be picked up immediately, because it is weightless and may come in handy later. Even seemingly useless medication like multivitamins or non-drowsy cough syrup can be used in crafting, or to fight cold symptoms.

• Food and drink may be worth taking, but you can always leave them in the shelter to pick up later, or consume them right away!

• General utility items like tools, weapons, or crafting equipment might be worth taking, too, but you can can always come back for them if they are too cumbersome for you.

• Anything which can grant you a morale boost should be used as soon as possible. Your XP pool will rarely be this empty again, so fill it up as fast as you can to avoid any wasted skill practice.

Making a Weapon

Most players will want to make a melee weapon before venturing out. Here are a few options, which will suit varying character builds and playstyles:

• The pipe: smash apart a locker, and take the resulting pipe. These have +3 to hit, and good bash damage and attack speed. A normal character can attack about once per turn with a pipe.

• The nail board: Smash apart a bench, and pick up one two by four, and any nails left behind. Do this until you have at least 6 nails. Then leave the shelter and look around the nearby fields for a rock, then enter the crafting menu (&), then find the recipe for 'Nail Board'. These have +1 to hit, the same attack speed as the pipe, but slightly higher damage output.

• The pointy stick: Smash apart a bench, and enter the crafting menu (&), then find the recipe for 'Pointy Stick'. It should be in bright writing, as long as you are near at least one two by four. Pointy sticks have a slightly faster attack than the other two weapons, but a slightly lower damage output. They can also make effective throwing weapons at close range.

• The crowbar: If you chose to invest in the mechanics skill, you can smash apart a locker, and take the resulting pipe, craft (&) it into a crowbar using a rock. The crowbar is compact, and has a well-balanced damage and to-hit bonus, but can also be used to open doors by applying it. This makes some noise, but far less than smashing your way into houses. It can also open manhole covers, giving you unrestricted access to the sewer system.

Heading to Town

Choosing Shops

Look at the map and look for the nearest town. You should look for these shops as a high priority:

• Sporting Goods Store: These can contain useful clothing and camping gear, some of which doubles nicely as a weapon.

• Military Surplus: One of the best places for survival gear, non-perishable food, and possibly armor. If you can get a Combat Knife, that's an excellent early-game melee weapon.

• Hardware Store: Good source of tools and crafting gear.

• Gun Store: If this is a ranged-combat character, best to get a contingency-weapon now.

• Pharmacy: Drugs can help and there's usually a good stock of beverages & (nonperishable) snack food.

Sporting Goods Stores and Military Surplus Stores are especially useful, because they often contain basic survival gear.

Choosing Gear

This is a short list of "things" you should try and have by the end of the grace period, as well as ways to achieve them:

• More storage, with minimal Encumbrance. A backpack will solve the storage problem nicely, but a well-fitting pair of cargo pants or army pants may prove safer in a fight.

• A way to see in the dark. A flashlight fits the bill nicely.

• A ranged weapon with appropriate ammunition - preferably a quiet one - can get you out of tricky spots. A Marlin 39A is great, but a Glock 19 or USP 9mm will do in a pinch.

• As much liquid refreshment as you can carry. Orange juice will spoil in 3 days and apple cider goes rotten in 5; both have minor Food value as well. Bottled water is more effective at quenching thirst, and lasts indefinitely.

• Basic tools like a hammer and crowbar. These can make effective melee weapons as well.

If you don't have everything, don't worry. You can choose to stay in town and search for it past the grace period, or leave town and wait until nightfall to return and search again under the cover of darkness.

General Advice

During the Grace Period

• Plan your route. Prioritise the most important shops, but also bear in mind which ones are closer to your point of entry, as it may be worth stopping in them on your way. Try and imagine how you can loot as many buildings as possible in an hour, whilst bearing in mind that some are more important than others at this stage.

• Don't search shelves manually. Press V to enter the advanced search mode, and you can view a list of every item in your character's immediate vicinity. Try and do this from a central position in the shop, so that you have line of sight onto every shelf.

• Don't stick to the road. It's often much quicker to cut across fields, dodge behind houses, and sometimes even through them. You are also free to bash in doors at this stage, so do so if you think going through a house might be faster than going around it.

• Take any stimulants you come across immediately. Whilst it's unlikely that you'll find any good ones without some luck, even a can of coke or two cigarettes can grant you a few precious seconds. Adderall is superior though.

• If you plan on leaving town, grab a pair of binoculars if you happen to see one. They'll come in handy when you're exploring the wilderness.

During the Day

• If you stay in town, keep noise to a minimum. Try dodging around or through buildings, closing doors & windows behind you, to shake any Zs off your tail. If you have to fight, don't use guns unless you're confident that you can take on a large group with your low skills.

• If you find a nail gun, then you have hit the Day 1 jackpot, as you can get nails from smashing or disassembling doors and wooden furniture. They can then be fired silently in close-range bursts to take out even relatively tough Zs (press F to switch to burst mode whilst wielding the nail gun).

• If you choose to leave town, make wandering a priority. You may be lucky enough to find a vehicle, or some kind of shelter like a cabin, farmhouse, or even an LMOE shelter. Gathering supplies should still be your priority, as your EXP pool will be too low for sustained combat to be worthwhile.

• Avoid the tough enemies that wander the world outside of town, like spiders and bears. Wolves and cougars may follow you, but if you throw items at them (press 't') then you can usually whittle their HP down enough to make them harmless. Wolves only have 30 HP, and Cougars 15.

During the Evening/Night

• If you are lacking in anything seriously important (water, a viable weapon, basic tools) then you might consider a night-time raid on the town. Planning here is even more crucial than the morning raid, as the zombies are now out in force, and could be lethal. If you have the materials, make a molotov cocktail or two, and maybe make a few wood spears to throw at zombies for a silent kill. Designate a target, weave between buildings on your way to it, and then retreat. You are safer in houses than on the streets, but gaining entry is often noisy, so only use quiet methods of entry. If you have a flashlight, then consider flicking it on and off every so often, if you need to see what is around you. This will conserve batteries, and avoid exposing you to enemies.

• If you are lacking shelter, then you may be better off staying awake during the night, crafting tools and weapons. Sleeping allows you to heal, and makes you consume less food and water, so do sleep if you can.

• The ideal shelter is underground, or behind sealed doors (metal doors in sewers and labs are impenetrable to monsters). Sleeping in a bed, or on some kind of portable sleeping kit will help your character rest better. You will also want to wear as many clothes as possible to avoid getting too cold.