Guns blazing Vs stealth and bow

[Blue Hasia]

My primary playstyle in 7 Days to Die revolves around stealth, relying heavily on a knife and bow. I almost never use guns or ammo in day-to-day gameplay, which allows me to accumulate a massive stockpile of ammunition for Horde Night since arrows are incredibly cheap to craft.

Clearing POIs with this approach is especially satisfying. Sneaking around, silently taking out zombies with stealth kills, makes the game feel more immersive and rewarding. Sure, it can take one to two in-game days to complete a Tier 6 quest at this pace, but the benefits are worth it. I conserve ammo, take minimal damage, and end up looting even more ammo to add to my growing hoard. it has been my preferred style for years because it feels both strategic and efficient.

Recently, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try a guns-blazing approach. I equipped a Tier 6 shotgun and machine gun and headed into the Minatur Theater, a Tier 6 POI that I can typically clear with ease using stealth. However, this experience was an eye-opener. I nearly died five times, burned through more ammo than I would typically use in an entire Horde Night, and felt overwhelmed by the chaos. The zombies’ erratic head movements while sprinting made aiming a constant struggle, and the sheer volume of noise attracted even more enemies.

The whole experience felt frantic and inefficient compared to my stealthy, methodical approach. It made me wonder how other players find the guns-blazing playstyle enjoyable. For me, it’s significantly harder, wastes tons of resources, and feels less rewarding overall.

[Mardoin69]

I normally melee with 'Club' type weapons OR occasionally go the Machette (blades) direction. Guns are always just a fallback option--in case I start getting overwhelmed. Like you said, they make too much noise and draw in more Z's. Normally, if you get a group, you can get through them if using the environment to limit their ability of surrounding you. Keeping them lined up in front of you is best ofc. But, with guns making the noise and drawing more to you... the addition of a few Z's can be the difference between survival and death... regardless of Wpn choice. So, yeah... I almost never go the 'Guns Blazing' approach. Besides, also like you said, it wastes a lot of ammo that way.

[Pain Weasel]

My go to play style is rifles with explosives. Most of the time I don't even bother with a melee weapon. I use whatever I find early game (preferably a stun baton) but I don't waste skill points in melee.

With AP ammo and the Penetrator perk maxed out you can shoot 4 zombies with a single bullet making it a very ammo efficient weapon even though the cost of AP 7.62 is higher than normal 7.62. Plus it is the highest damage firearm in the game, even more so once you start stacking up the kill streak bonus for an extra 50% damage. Even on Insane a fully maxed out sniper rifle is killing most enemies in 1 shot, or rather killing up to 4 enemies with 1 shot. Some of the tougher zombies take a couple shots but since each shot is likely hitting multiple zombies you don't really ever notice. With a few contact grenades tossed into a rushing horde then switching to the sniper rifle I can usually clear the encounter without taking a hit.

One downside is that the first 2 rifles absolutely suck, and the 3rd is mediocre but once you get to the sniper rifle blood moons and hordes of zombies are easy, particularly with the grenades to soften them up. The other downside is that with a killing corridor base design blood moons are so damn boring. Wait till a few zombies enter the corridor and get stunned by electric fences so you get a guaranteed head shot, fire one shot and kill them all, repeat.


The one thing I wonder about your experience though is what kind of shotgun and machine gun and how good were your skills for those weapons? With maxed out skills and a Q6 Auto Shotgun or M60 you can pretty much just walk forward while blasting away and laughing manically. It absolutely isn't ammo efficient, but ammo is so easy to make later in the game that it doesn't matter.

[Ensign Toby]

"Pretend like You're The Guy, and you Don't Wanna DIE"...

I play every Survival Game this way, and it seems to work just fine...

Besides, in every single Zombie Documentary (er, movie),
The "Guns Blazin'" Guy always (always!) goes out Blazin', but STILL get's Eaten Alive...

That's Whole Lotta NOPE from My Guy's Perspective (watching quietly from the shadows).

---------
I still carry guns though. Mommy didn't abandon me in the Zombie Forest yesterday...

I equipped a Tier 6 shotgun and machine gun and headed into the Minotaur Theater

Yeah, that place is Nasti...
I usually end up summoning 2-3 Screamer Hordes during a Gun Clear of that place.

Nice XP 'n Loot, but it's a bit more "exciting" than I usually prefer when trying not to Die.

[towly]

to me its more along the question : can 1 arrow/bolt with my currently on hand silent range thingy (be that bow or xbow or compound) kill the Z´ed i am aiming is the answer yes then i go to question nr2* is it needed* is the answer still yes i will kill a zombi with stealth

is one of those questions a NO

i bonk it or blast it with something loud

(my overall playstyle is def, more on the loudanproud shotgun meats zombibrain side)

[seven]

I'm normally a stealth player too, but if I'm going to just shoot things I'll leave the shotgun and machine gun at home and use a tier 6 SMG with all the mods and the pistol perks. Yeah, less damage but spray 'em with bullets and they die, and ammo's cheaper.

[Blue Hasia]

Originally posted by seven:

I'm normally a stealth player too, but if I'm going to just shoot things I'll leave the shotgun and machine gun at home and use a tier 6 SMG with all the mods and the pistol perks. Yeah, less damage but spray 'em with bullets and they die, and ammo's cheaper.

i think your right the smg and pistol would have been better than shotgun and machine gun.

I do think the fact how weak the shotgun was in my experiment was really awful. a shotgun to the face when there in my face should as lethal as a stealth kill with a bow.

[nanobesspark]

My main advice is to always have an escape route. And if it doesn’t exist, then create it in advance. Most deaths occur due to zombies managing to corner or stun you. I improve my parkour, this skill saved me many times. Also the Pain Tolerance perk is important to avoid being stunned.
To enhance my firepower I drink "Recog", eat "Fort Bites" to compensate damage and "Health bar" candies to improve my health. (Don't forget that these drugs increase thirst, so you need to bring enough drinks with you to compensate for this.)
And accordingly, my tactics (while the effects of these drugs last) are to clear the building from zombies as quickly as possible without being distracted by looting. Then I loot already cleared buildings.
To make the effects of these drugs last longer, I also leveling up Iron Guts perk.
In the early stage of the game it’s a pity to spend points on this perk (there are more primary ones), but in the later stage I find it useful to level it up.
As for weapons, for Tier 6 POI I mainly use M60 against large crowds of zombies. I take several of them on a mission (two or even three) so not to waste time reloading in emergency situations. Other weapons for smaller groups.

[Blue Hasia]

your advice is sound, but ill go back to stealth XD the ammo i used in one T6 run was insane

[nanobesspark]

I sometimes use stealth tactics, but they mostly work in low-tier buildings. For high-tier buildings, the developers created a bunch of trigger zones that activate zombies no matter how careful you are. How do you deal with this in stealth?

[william_es]

My basic approach is "anti-stealth". Make as much noise as possible, and let them come.

I go primarily INT, and use 2 turrets repeatedly. Either 2 sledge turrets or 2 shooting turrets, or a mix. I set up kill zones, and funnel enemies into them. If set up correctly, I hardly have to do anything. I stand behind the turrets and whack zombies with a stun baton every once in a while.

I pair INT with STR & full heavy armor, since the primary weapons of INT are turrets and the stun baton. I plan to get into it, if necessary. Stuck right into it.

[Pain Weasel]

Originally posted by Blue Hasia:

Originally posted by seven:

I'm normally a stealth player too, but if I'm going to just shoot things I'll leave the shotgun and machine gun at home and use a tier 6 SMG with all the mods and the pistol perks. Yeah, less damage but spray 'em with bullets and they die, and ammo's cheaper.

i think your right the smg and pistol would have been better than shotgun and machine gun.

I do think the fact how weak the shotgun was in my experiment was really awful. a shotgun to the face when there in my face should as lethal as a stealth kill with a bow.

Shotguns can be weak because they have an incredibly short effective range when using standard shells, plus the spread means even up close you may not be getting full damage if any of the pellets miss. A choke mod helps the spread but the range is based on the ammo used.

Unlike other firearms the range is based on the ammo, not the weapon. The max range of the shotgun shell is only 10m but the damage falloff is a measly 4m meaning you only do 100% damage up to 4m. That is essentially the same range as a spear.

The slug ammo increases the range to 18 with a falloff of 9 but the shotgun using the standard shell, particularly with low or no skills, is not a very good weapon. The breaching slug though has even less range, basically point blank only.

One last thing to keep in mind is that shotguns have a built in stun effect which can be really helpful if you have room to move around.

[Tahnval]

Originally posted by Blue Hasia:

[..]It made me wonder how other players find the guns-blazing playstyle enjoyable. [..]

For me, the reasons why I find it enjoyable are pretty much the reasons why you don't. I like the chaos and the lack of subtlety. Sometimes I start firing at the walls as soon as I enter the building to wake up as many zombies as possible, mentally shouting "Say hello to my little friend!"

Sometimes I decide it's time to bail out partway through the POI, not completing it. Generally because the screamer horde has broken in. Smash a window, leap out, run away, run away!

Often when I do complete the POI I have to fight my way through the screamer horde to my motorbike and make my escape.

This sort of thing entertains me in this game. Each to their own.

Also, shotguns have issues. Especially with standard shells and especially against zombies with any kind of armour class. I don't use shotguns. My standard weapon loadout by that point is a pair of M60s with drum mags. 240 bullets between reloads. I use many bullets, but that's OK because by that point I'll be mass producing AP 7.62 at my base.

Earlier on in the game, I'll put more emphasis on melee. Usually clubs, sometimes knives. Occasionally spears. But usually clubs.

[Blue Hasia]

Originally posted by nanobesspark:

I sometimes use stealth tactics, but they mostly work in low-tier buildings. For high-tier buildings, the developers created a bunch of trigger zones that activate zombies no matter how careful you are. How do you deal with this in stealth?

trigger zones are managle, after a few tries we learn where they are and with stealth they lose track of us fast.

[Blue Hasia]

Originally posted by Tahnval:

Originally posted by Blue Hasia:

[..]It made me wonder how other players find the guns-blazing playstyle enjoyable. [..]

For me, the reasons why I find it enjoyable are pretty much the reasons why you don't. I like the chaos and the lack of subtlety.

I can respect that. but what do you do to keep up on ammo? i went through a 1000 shells on one t6 that i find easy.

crafting ammo in bulk is still a pain and slow. yes even with bulk crafting perks

[Tahnval]

Originally posted by Blue Hasia:

Originally posted by Tahnval:

For me, the reasons why I find it enjoyable are pretty much the reasons why you don't. I like the chaos and the lack of subtlety.

I can respect that. but what do you do to keep up on ammo? i went through a 1000 shells on one t6 that i find easy.

crafting ammo in bulk is still a pain and slow. yes even with bulk crafting perks

Multiple forges, multiple workstations, a lot of mining, not using shotguns and shells. You used 1000 shells because they're not very good for that job. Poor range, extreme dropoff in damage with range, extreme dropoff in damage with zombies with any sort of armour class.

I start prepping pretty much from day 1, particularly with respect to acquiring brass as that's the only ammo-making material (for casings) that can't be mined. As soon as I can, I always buy as much as I can from traders.

I generally have 1 forge only for making bullet tips, 1 forge only for making casings, 2 chemstations only for making gunpowder and 2 workstations only for making ammunition. Sometimes 3, if I have enough components to feed them. Plus a spare of each for general use. Usually 2 spare forges, at least earlier on. 1 for cement, 1 for steel. And one of those temporarily used for making bulletproof glass until I've finished the windows in my base.

I'm mainly playing as a mining company and an ammunition factory

If I'm running a bit low on ammo, I pootle around doing lower tier POIs for a bit as by that stage I'll be fine doing those with melee only. In between mining for more lead, coal, nitrate and clay.

It's doable if you're using machineguns (or full auto rifles earlier on) and you're heavily specced into machineguns. Maybe easier if you're using semiauto rifles and you're heavily specced into those. Much more damage per bullet. Probably doable if you're using SMGs and you're heavily specced into those. I haven't tried that, but I think it's doable.

You're completely right to say it's not efficient. It absolutely isn't efficient.