Why did I suck at CryoFall? - A guide to avoid frustration

A guide containing the most common mistakes in PvP and how to overcome them

Introduction

Why did I suck at CryoFall? - A guide to avoid frustration

Hey! I’m Pommelz and most of the time I sucked at CryoFall. I’m actually playing my fifth wipe with way more experienced players, that also made me far more aware of possible mistakes than I’ve been before. On my first (hundreds :D )hours of playing I rage-quitted a lot, I’ve never played any PvP survival games before and it was really painful for me to improve by my own mistakes. I really had a hard time learning the game and when I checked for ressources I could barely find anything at the moment so this is why I’m sharing my experiences so far. Hope you guys enjoy it, and hopefully it helps more and more players to stay in this great game!

So let’s dive right into why I sucked, what I’ve learnt and how to overcome these behaviours:

1. Before the game - Preparations

Choose the right server for you:

At the beginning it is not useful to jump on Global Clan Wars alone to learn the basics of the game. You sure can do but the best players of the world are most likely to be met there. Community server with limited team size or increased drop rates can also be a good way to get into the game without worrying too much about being raided by 15 people. CryoSmall and CryoFive are nice examples for starting the game.

pick the right location:

In some places you have to walk very unsafe routes to go mining or walk very far to get only little clay. Clay gets very important in early game, so please do yourself a favor and get familiar with the map you’re playing on. It really pays off in short routes and other advantages or disadvantages that you best of all can freely choose.
Also sometimes new players unintentionally build next to strong clans which can be easily abused and end in frustration. Be aware of this and scout the area before you start building your base. If you missed the wipe start, you have time anyway because most of the clans have already settled.

You'll find the offical maps most likely here:
https://cryofall.gamepedia.com/World

try the Editor:

Honestly, I still do it way too less. The editor is a great way to create new layouts without the need to farm everything. you can build your base there, make a screenshot and apply it to the live game. It actually helps a lot because you can freely change and improve things. Great thing from the devs!
You can test bomb damages by placing a claim down in the editor and then spawning yourself in some bombs. This way, you can have a practise raid on someone’s base to see what breaks and what doesn’t. Very, very good for bases with deployables right against the walls.

You can find the Editor in Steam, just include Tools into your display options

2. Base Building

First of all and this is maybe the most important thing:

Always put your shield up when you’re going offline or just have few people to defend the base. And wait until it is activated completely otherwise you risk other players raiding you without you even noticed. Me and my mate were going for lunch and literally these 30min were enough to crack our safe. always watch your shield, even when just having the game in the background to hear the sounds. Take in note that your claim needs to be Tier 2 and you have to have electricity to get access to S.H.I.E.L.D. in your claim.

No rooms and wrong structures:

Make multiple layers of stone and the more rooms the better. The more expensive your base is for raiders, the more likely they will look for other bases. Rich bases with lots of stuff and few walls look very tasty to experienced players. Keep in mind that wood walls are more or less decoration and stone walls are available from the very beginning of the game. You can find them in Construction Tier 2 and should always at least aim for stone.
Also be careful to always finish your blueprints. Blueprints can get destroyed by a pickaxe within seconds, don’t leave it like this!

here are some examples how it could look like:

too much claims for your energy generation:

Each claim you have will take 5% of your energy generation, so please be aware the more claims you have next to each other, the more you have to work in order to maintain it.

using too less machines:

you’ll definitely need more than one of everything. water, furnaces and other industrial structures are one of your essences, the faster you can progress materials, the earlier you are prepared to fight.
A good way to keep your energy costs low while still processing a high amount of materials is by placing a smaller base next to your main base, containing your furnaces and processing units. This will give you 100% energy generation whilst remaining close enough to defend in case of a raid.

3. Exploration

running outside with all your valuable stuff:

Always clear your inventory before leaving to avoid losing stuff you were grinding for a long time. Try to make everything twice as needed in advance, so it won’t take all your motivation if you die and your stuff gets taken. Also when playing in teams, move your important stuff together.

not doing quests:

quests are an easy way to get LP, and get a very basic tutorial through the game. For a new player it covers most of the topics to get into the game and for experienced players it’s a strong boost for early game. Try to get into the habit of killing a starfish at the bottom of the map when you spawn in the world initially, as it’s only found at the southern beaches and is part of an early quest.

not visiting ruins and desert early on:

having Lithium and Pragmium early on can be a very strong boost in early game and you can’t avoid it anyway if you want to progress from Tier 3 on. Also Tobacco which you can only get from ruins is very important, and it makes sense to spend some time early on going to the ruins as well. There are multiple facilities on the map with little differences in reward and difficulty, which can easily require better gear.
Make sure to blow up the Pragmium Spires due to the explosion once it's hp reaches 0 or build a bed roll somewhere near. It kills everything surrounding and is clearly visible to other players

moving too loud:

I underestimated for a long time how important it would be to avoid animals during events or when roaming around. Most experienced players move absolutely noiseless and this is probably a reason why you could get a surprise attack while being busy with something else.
In addition to this, picked bushes or a lack of herbs in the ground are giveaway signs that someone has been in the area recently, you should keep your weapon out and guard up.

skipping fruits and loot:

Fruits are important throughout the entire game, so gather as much stuff as possible, you’ll need everything you can get to prepare the necessary stuff to compete. This applies to other parts like chests and rubber as well. An easy way to handle this is through the use of a mod (found on the AtomicTorch forums) known as Automaton. It can automate collecting of ground items or herbs/bushes you run past or over. Please take in note that some servers have blocked mods now, so you might have to collect it by yourself now ;)

4. Combat

Learn the weapon ranges & spray:

All weapons have different ranges, knowing your range and when to use which weapon will be essential in fight. Since A28 update the game has built-in laser pointers from Tier 2 so it will be easier for everyone to learn it. You should assume that most players will carry both a main weapon and a longer range sniper of some sort, so don’t get caught out in a situation where you can be sniped with no way to fight back because you only have a short range gun!

using buff-food, medicine and cigars:

Since the healthy food buff provides many positive traits it is one of the few things that really gives you character advantages, like additional HP and health regen. Especially early on this boost is invaluable for success. You should attempt to unlock and grow vegetable salads in your farm as soon as possible. They provide a big buff in combat and have been the difference between victory and defeat for many players.

not being aware of Implants

This is basically something I always could avoid to do by myself, but the impact of the benefits is huge. Once you reach Tier 4 you can research Cybernetics. To start using it, you have to build a Medical Station first. Then you need to prepare a Biomaterial Collector to fill the empty Biomaterial Vial. Installing or removing Implants needs additional Biomaterial.

There are various kinds of Implants and all provide huge benefits. Make sure to find the best suitable for you. Be aware that every death consumes durability.


You can find a list of all Implants here: https://cryofall.gamepedia.com/Implants

using the wrong ammo:

ammo is very expensive and you will need the same materials during the entire game so there is ammo that is useful for some encounters and game stage, some get useless by time and by geared enemies. For instance: Armour piercing (AP) ammo is almost useless on creatures since they have no armour, but will shred through tier 3 clothing (military armour) and deal major damage. Make sure you’re using the correct ammo for the right encounter. (Incendiary .300 ammo is currently inferior in all aspects to AP .300 ammo, this may change!)

picking the wrong fights:

It won’t help you getting baited by a strong clan member and die for nothing. Sometimes naked people are more than they seem, beware! Everyone can be your enemy and setup traps and baits. Don’t fall for them. It’s very, very easy for someone to flank you with a hoverboard and turn a 1v1 into an easily lost 2v1. Use ramps and ore nodes (they cannot be shot through) to your advantage as cover. If you find yourself in a 2v1, fighting it will almost always result in your death, so immediately try to run or find a way to force your enemies to fight you in an enclosed space where they can’t both shoot.

5. Social

giving up too early:

Sometimes when players join late they can be raided very easily, so if you’re one of those players: this is part of the game, secure your base better, plan your steps ahead and most importantly don’t give up. At this point of the game you have farmed maybe less than you will be in the future, so nothing is lost. Fix up your base and get some feedback to improve! As a note here, some players will happily part with tier 3 armour and weapons if they’re on tier 4. If you have a good friendship with a group, it’s worth asking!

ask experienced players why you lost (don’t be salty, improve!):

You can always ask kindly for why you lost or what you could improve, lots of players will see mistakes very easily and can make you more aware of them. But take care, being unfriendly, blaming them or other toxic behaviour will only make you an easy target! Most of the players I knew would love to have more strong opponents, so be ready to become one of them and listen!

be aware of the server politics:

It’s really important to keep track of the players you see online a lot, maybe some of them are a big threat for you and you may have to come up with creative solutions to overcome hard enemies. Most of the time you will see the same players online at your time and even reading the global chat can give you valuable information about what players are doing or which players are dominating on the server.

Ending & Known issues

Thanks for reading and good luck in the fields!

If I missed something or you feel something is hard to understand, please let me know on Discord. Any Feedback is welcome!

Pommelz#1859

Thanks to:

MurilloKB
MaxiMelone1
betocorp
Nea_Visiel1
Kaiross(Thanks for the guidance!)
boris

[NuclearBadger379]

Great guide thank you!

[Blue Flame]

You wrote that 3 years ago and no one commented. Well, I am. Thanks for your guide. Better late than never :)