Death

Death in Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is when the player loses control of their current controlled character due to damage, malnutrition or disease. Like other Roguelikes, death in Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is permanent, your character is permanently lost and depending on the options, the world will be deleted. You will be shown your scores one last time before you are returned to the main menu. When you die, you are able to write an epitaph for your character, this epitaph will be found in the graveyard directory in the game’s files.

Ways to die

• The most basic way to die is losing all of your HP in your head and torso areas; losing all your HP in your limbs; your arms and legs does break them, but doesn’t actually kill you. The obvious source of damage is being attacked by monsters, especially zombies.
• Infection: when bitten by a zombie, it will develop into an infection in 6 hours, which will worsen until you die 24 hours later, you can treat bite wounds with antiseptic and treat developed infections with antibiotics or panaceus.
• Hunger and thirst: If you don’t eat or drink at all for too many days, you will die. It takes less time to die of dehydration than starvation, so don’t be afraid to ration food when it’s necessary, but keeping on top of it whenever you can is best.
• Hypovolemic shock: When you are attacked and end up bleeding too much, you can get worsening hypovolemic shock, if you lose too much blood, you will die instantly, you are more likely to get hypovolemic shock from relentless attacks to your limbs, as you cannot die from attacks to them, but attacks that can cause heavy arterial bleeding, such as the feral predator’s impale attack and mi-go’s attacks will make you more likely to lose more blood.
• Datura seeds can kill you instantly from overdose "Your heart spasms painfully and stops, dragging you back to reality as you die.").