Wipe Day Strategy Guide

The first hour of a wipe sets the tone for your entire wipe cycle. Efficient use of these critical 60 minutes determines whether you become a server contender or spend the rest of the wipe catching up.

Minute 0-5 -- Immediate actions: - Sprint away from the beach. Beach spawns are chaotic, and fighting other naked players wastes time. - Gather 200 wood and 100 stone while moving inland. Hit the first three trees and two stone nodes you encounter. - Craft a Stone Hatchet immediately (200 wood, 100 stone). This doubles your gathering speed.

Minute 5-15 -- Base location and sleeping bag: - Identify your target base location: near a road, within running distance of a Tier 1 monument, and away from large monuments. - Gather 30 cloth from hemp plants. Craft a Sleeping Bag and place it hidden in a bush near your intended base location. - Begin gathering serious resources: 2,000 wood, 1,000 stone, 300 metal ore.

Minute 15-30 -- Base foundation: - Place a 2x1 twig foundation with walls, a ceiling, and a doorframe. Upgrade immediately to wood. - Place a Tool Cupboard inside and authorize yourself. - Craft and place a Wooden Door. You are now protected from casual raiders. - Begin upgrading walls to stone. Prioritize external walls first.

Minute 30-60 -- Securing the position: - Place a Furnace and begin smelting metal ore for a Code Lock (100 metal fragments). - Replace Wooden Door with a locked door. - Add an airlock (second room with a door). - Begin road running for scrap and components. - Craft a Hunting Bow (200 wood, 50 cloth) and Wooden Arrows for self-defense.

By the 60-minute mark, you should have a stone 2x1 with a code lock, airlock, furnace, and sleeping bag. This base is satchel-resistant and provides a secure foothold for the rest of day one.

Where you spawn and where you build on wipe day significantly impacts your progression speed. Not all spawn locations are equal.

Ideal base location criteria: 1. Within 2-3 grid squares of a road for barrel farming and scrap. 2. Within 1-2 grid squares of a Tier 1 monument with a recycler (Gas Station, Supermarket, Mining Outpost). 3. Within 3-5 grid squares of a Tier 2 monument for mid-game progression. 4. NOT adjacent to a Tier 3 monument (Launch Site, Military Tunnels) -- these attract strong groups. 5. Near stone and metal ore nodes for base building resources. 6. Ideally near water for farming (river, coast, or lake).

Biome selection: - Temperate (grass/forest): The most balanced biome. Good resource variety, moderate competition, comfortable temperature. - Desert: Lower competition, abundant sulfur nodes, but less wood and cloth. Good for aggressive players who want sulfur early. - Snow: Lowest competition, best ore density, but requires cold protection from the start. Excellent for experienced players who can manage the cold debuff. - Beach/coast: Easiest start (hemp, food, driftwood) but high competition and limited inland resources.

Spawn manipulation: On wipe day, if you spawn in a bad location (too far from your desired build spot), immediately kill yourself by swimming into the ocean and drowning. You will respawn on a different beach. Repeat until you spawn near your target area. This takes 30-60 seconds per attempt and is faster than running across the map.

Team spawn coordination: For groups, have all members suicide-spawn until at least one person spawns near the target area. That person places a sleeping bag and invites teammates to spawn on it. This consolidates the team within the first 5 minutes.

The two primary wipe-day strategies are the monument rush (aggressive, high-risk) and the base rush (defensive, consistent). Choose based on your skill level and risk tolerance.

Monument rush strategy: - Skip the base entirely for the first 30-60 minutes. - Run directly to a Tier 1 monument and farm barrels, crates, and scientists for scrap. - Use the monument recycler to convert components into scrap. - Target: 300-500 scrap in the first hour. - After accumulating resources, find a base location near the monument and build quickly. - Risk: High. You carry everything you own with no respawn point. One death resets your progress to zero. - Reward: If successful, you reach Workbench Level 1 in the first hour, significantly ahead of base-first players.

Base rush strategy: - Prioritize getting a secure base with a code lock within the first 30 minutes. - Only begin monument runs and scrap farming after the base is locked down. - Target: Secure stone base by minute 30, start scrap farming by minute 45. - Risk: Low. Your progress is saved in the base. Deaths cost only what you carry. - Reward: Slower initial progression but much safer. You never lose accumulated resources.

Hybrid strategy (recommended for experienced players): - Spend the first 15 minutes gathering resources for a minimal base (2x1 twig/wood). - Place the base, TC, and a wooden door within 15-20 minutes. - Immediately switch to monument running while smelting metal for a code lock in the furnace. - Return home every 10-15 minutes to deposit scrap and check the furnace. - This hybrid approach gives you both security and progression speed.

Group-specific rush: In a group, split the team. One player builds the base while others run monuments. The builder handles base security while the runners generate scrap. Regroup at the base every 15 minutes to deposit resources and research items.

Wipe day PvP is unique because everyone starts with primitive weapons. Understanding primitive combat mechanics gives you an edge during the chaotic first hours.

Weapon tier progression (wipe day): 1. Rock (spawn weapon): 10 damage per hit. Only use in desperate melee fights. Throw it for 25 damage at range. 2. Bone Club/Stone Spear: First crafted melee weapons. Stone Spear (300 wood, 100 stone) has a useful thrown attack for 40+ damage. 3. Hunting Bow (200 wood, 50 cloth): The first true ranged weapon. Deals 50+ damage per headshot. This is your primary weapon for the first 1-2 hours. 4. Compound Bow: Requires a Workbench Level 1 to craft. Silent, deals 80+ damage on a full-charge headshot. The best primitive weapon by far. 5. Crossbow (200 wood, 75 metal frags, 2 rope): Strong damage per shot, slow reload. Good for ambushes and opening shots. 6. Nail Gun (found): The bridge between primitive and firearms. High rate of fire, moderate damage. Found in crates or purchased at Outpost.

Primitive PvP tactics: - With a bow, always aim for the head. A single headshot can drop an unarmored player. - Strafe unpredictably while drawing the bow. Standing still to aim makes you an easy target. - Use terrain as cover. Pop up from behind a rock, fire an arrow, and duck back. - The thrown spear is an excellent opener. Throw the spear for 40+ damage, then switch to the bow for follow-up shots. - If an enemy charges at you with a melee weapon, backpedal while firing arrows. Your DPS at range exceeds their DPS in melee.

When to fight vs flee on wipe day: - Fight if the enemy has better gear that you can steal (upgrade your kit by killing them). - Fight if you have nothing to lose (just spawned, no resources). - Flee if you are carrying valuable resources that represent significant time investment. - Flee if outnumbered. Primitive 2v1 fights are extremely hard to win because bows deal high burst damage.

Crafting your first Workbench Level 1 is a critical milestone. The timing of this milestone and your subsequent tech tree choices shape your progression for the rest of the wipe.

WB1 timing benchmarks: - Fast (competitive): WB1 crafted within 60-90 minutes of wipe start. - Average: WB1 crafted within 2-3 hours. - Behind: WB1 not crafted until 4+ hours. You are significantly behind the server meta and will struggle to compete.

WB1 cost: 75 scrap, 50 metal fragments, 500 wood. The scrap is the bottleneck -- 75 scrap requires approximately 30-40 barrels or one successful Tier 1 monument run.

First research priorities (BP wipe): 1. Code Lock (if not already known): Security for your base. Non-negotiable first research. 2. Satchel Charge: Enables raiding at the earliest possible stage. Threatening capability deters enemies from raiding you. 3. Reinforced Window Bars: Cheap base defense improvement. 4. Revolver or Waterpipe Shotgun: First real firearms. The Revolver is better for range, the Waterpipe for close quarters.

First tech tree path: If your server retains BPs from previous wipes (map-only wipe), you likely already know WB1 items. Push directly to WB2 (500 scrap, 20 HQM) and prioritize: 1. Garage Door: Best mid-game base defense upgrade. 2. Thompson or Semi-Auto Rifle: Your first competitive PvP weapons. 3. Road Sign Armor + Coffee Can Helmet: Cost-effective mid-game protection.

Scrap budgeting: Do not spend all your scrap on researching items. Reserve at least 200 scrap as a buffer for unexpected needs (buying items at Outpost, emergency research of a found weapon). Scrap lost to death or raiding in the first hours is devastating to your progression timeline.

Setting clear goals for the end of day one keeps you focused and prevents the common trap of aimless grinding.

Solo player day-one goals: 1. Stone 2x1 or 2x2 base with honeycomb and code lock. 2. Workbench Level 1 with essential BPs researched. 3. 500+ scrap saved for WB2 progression. 4. Hunting Bow and at least one firearm (Revolver, Waterpipe, or found weapon). 5. 3-5 sleeping bags placed at strategic locations (monument, road, backup base location). 6. TC stocked with 24+ hours of upkeep materials.

Duo/Trio day-one goals: 1. Stone 2x2 base with honeycomb, airlock, and code locks on all doors. 2. WB1 with essentials researched, WB2 either crafted or within reach. 3. 1,000+ scrap banked. 4. Multiple weapons for roaming (at least one per team member). 5. Furnace room or separate furnace base for continuous smelting. 6. Green and blue keycards acquired for tomorrow's monument progression.

Group (4+) day-one goals: 1. Compound started: main base + external TCs + compound walls beginning. 2. WB2 crafted with Thompson, Garage Door, and Road Sign armor researched. 3. Sulfur farming initiated for early-raid capability. 4. Assigned roles: who farms, who builds, who runs monuments. 5. Raid target scouted for day two.

Common day-one mistakes: - Overinvesting in base size. A 2x1 is sufficient for day one. Large bases drain resources needed for progression. - Hoarding items without researching them. If you find a Thompson on a road run, research it immediately. Losing it to death without researching wastes the opportunity. - Ignoring sleep. Many players stay up 10-14 hours on wipe day and burn out by day two. Play 6-8 hours, secure your base, log off. The wipe lasts days or weeks, not hours. - Forgetting to stock the TC. An empty TC means your base starts decaying the moment you log off. Always fill the TC with at least 24 hours of upkeep before signing off.