Early & Mid Game Guide, Tips & Strategies

Tips, tricks, and strategies for mastering Zero Sievert

Intro

This is not meant to be an all-inclusive walk-through of the game. That's boring. There are a lot of surprises in this game, and it's more fun when you don't know all its secrets in advance. The guide is aimed at turning new, mushy recruits who die a lot into seasoned warriors who know what they want and where to get it. The goal is getting you out of the early game and into a place where you are geared up with the good stuff, know what you are doing, and know where to find things in Zero Sievert.

In short, you will know where your towel is.

Getting Started

• The 6 starter gear choices are a matter of personal preference. #1 (Assault Rifle) and #3 (Sniper Rifle & Pistol) are good choices, but it's really up to the player. They are JUST gear choices, not related to the player-character or future skill progression. You're not choosing a character-class.
  
• There are 4 quest-givers at the base: the Barman, the Doctor, the Trainman, and the General. The General doesn't become available until you complete a couple early quests. Make sure to visit each one and get all their quests. The Barman and Doctor both sell things, so check out their inventory. The General does not, but just to his left is another room to buy/sell military gear. The Trainman only has one mission, and unlocking it allows access to The Mall map area.
  
• The early game is a complete bastard. Expect to die a lot, but treat each death as a learning experience.
  
• Using the Trainman to travel is basically a "save point." If When you die on a mission, you will return to the Trainman as if you had reloaded the game (i.e. your items & stats will be as they were before you left on the mission). Time also resets to pretty close to what it was before the failed mission. Basically this means that if you do a good job keeping your gear, ammo & stats in tip-top shape, then all you need to do after failing a mission is get back out there and try it again!!
  
• Shop gear & money resets at 7:30am
  
• Gear unlocks are presently a function of character XP level alone. Faction reputation is not yet implemented, so your rep with the Green Army and Crimson Corp will be the same as your character's XP level. Thanks to player charlotte whose comment inspired this tip!
  
• Sleeping is important. When setting the sleep slider, the top number is how many hours you are sleeping, and will turn green if it's enough to get Stamina back up to nominal. The bottom number is what time of day the player will awaken.
  
• In the early game, water is critically lacking, with only ONE sure source: The Barman. Each day, make sure to buy everything drinkable and use the crafting station to turn the irradiated water into drinkable water. In the early game, this will BARELY be enough, so don't miss each day's buying opportunity. NOTE: Player Chogus commented that they drink irradiated water regularly because it doesn't really apply that much radiation to the player.
  
• On the subject of the Barman, you can't progress to The Abandoned Camp area without completing his High Quality Toilet Paper mission. Go the the Important Map Locations section of this guide for a spoiler if you're struggling to find this item.
  
• Decide what constitutes success for an away-mission, and leave when that is achieved. If you complete a couple missions or get some decent loot, it is probably best to head for the exit straightaway. It's very disheartening to die 10 meters from the extraction point -- with a completely full inventory -- simply because you saw ONE LAST SHINY THING to loot, and didn't notice the soldier in the trees just beyond. It happens. Don't be greedy. Get what you came for and bug out. ESPECIALLY in the early game. Thanks, =M$= Oroberus, your comment inspired this tip!

Controls

The E, Q & C keys are unused by default. These keys are immediately adjacent to the ASDF movement keys, so important time-sensitive actions should probably be moved there. Thus, some easy rebinds to consider:

• Map: rebind to E
  
• Night Vision / Lights: rebind to Q
  
• Change Ammo Type: rebind to C

Note on NVG's: I consider the ability to toggle Night Vision pretty important. When doing night missions, there will be a lot of external light sources like burning barrels, etc. These burn brightly in night vision and can obscure easy-to-see items (like bodies). It's also nice to click them off and see what the world looks like to other people. Long night missions might go into morning, and you won't be able to tell the difference with the NVG's on. Turn them off and you might be shocked to realize it's morning and you're not hidden at all!

Death & Progression

Early missions will result in a lot of deaths. A LOT of deaths. What happens when the player dies?

Lost

• All loot is lost
  
• All quest progress is lost

Retained

• (some) XP from combat is retained (about 25% is my guess)
  
• Skills learned from skill books might be retained. Not 100% sure. Regardless, if you find a skill book USE IT IMMEDIATELY. There is no good reason to risk carrying it around.
  
• Skill upgrades gained while using skills like Stealth & Shooting are retained.
  
• XP levels determine what you can buy in stores. Higher level gear is unlocked, and new items may appear.

After death, the player will re-appear at the Trainman. Both time-of-day & player inventory will revert to what it was before the failed mission. The player can immediately leave on a mission again without re-equipping. All loot & quest progress from the mission will be lost but skills are retained. Thus, the player can die, and die, and DIE (this is a certainty) without losing existing inventory, progress toward the next XP level, or skill levels.

Skills & Specialization

The main skills have 10 points each and they upgrade automatically when you use them. When all 10 points have been filled, you can choose a specialization. How to do it:

• Click J to open the "pipboy", then click the 4th button from the left (looks like 3 squares making a V shape). Some may not find that icon to be particularly intuitive. It will show you your skills in guns, medicine, etc.
  
• Hover over the skill and you should see 3 options for specialization. Click & hold the one you want.

Once you have the specialization, it will get it's own level-up bars. Once those start to level up, you get really powerful. For my main game, I chose Mule, Stealth, Sniper, Storage, Field Medic, Gear Lover, & Nutritionist. Here is a list of the specializations I've used and what they're for:

• Strength: "Pack Mule" will almost double your carry weight.
  
• Stamina: "Stealth" decreases enemy sight range, enemies take longer to detect you, and you do more damage if undetected.
  
• Shooting: "Sniper" massively improves the scope's ergonomics, stability, and speed.
  
• Charisma: "Storage" causes shops to have more of the same inventory items: more water, more ammo, more meds, more everything. The same exact inventory options will appear, but there will be more of each item for sale. This will more than solve any ammo, food, or water shortages.
  
• Medical: "Field Medic" greatly reduces medication usage time.
  
• Guns: "Gear Lover" greatly decreases weapon & armor durability loss.
  
• Medical: "Nutritionist" passively gives bonus health & stamina boosts for being fully fed & hydrated.

Loot Priority

Loot priority will change as you progress. In the early game, drinks are VERY hard to come by. Anything related to keeping alive should be top priority, with making money coming in second place. Here is an idea of what will be most important in the early game and how to prioritize your limited inventory space:

• Skill Books (use immediately)
  
• Drinks
  
• Medical
  
• Food
  
• Quest items
  
• Weapons
  
• Crafting materials

After food & water is no longer a scare resource, bring double the food and drink necessary for away missions. I like to go out with at least 2 water sources, 2 stacks of sandwiches, a couple chocolate bars, and assorted other needs. It might seem like excessive weight to carry, but if a mission gets long, you'll eat & drink it all to keep your indicators green. Note: The medical "Nutritionist" specialty gives bonus health & stamina if you keep yourself well fed & hydrated.

Important Map Locations

Here is where to find the most important map locations in the Forest, Makeshift Camp, Industrial Area, and Swamp. Sometimes quests refer to these locations without mentioning what map to go to. This should remedy that. I've included details about some key locations, but others have been intentionally left blank. I've also skipped discussing the Mall. The fun is in finding out.

The Forest

• Sawmill - Probably a death sentence for the new (read: barely equipped) player. There will be 5-6 guards outside, 3 inside the main building. There are multiple ways to assault this location, so be sure to scout around. The primary danger is a frontal assault, which can easily result in a firefight against multiple enemies, all shooting at you simultaneously. Not good. A very deathy situation to be in, and should be avoided until well armed.
  
• Police Station - Found at the center of the cluster of homes that spawns in the middle of the map. Lazar's gang can be found here, guarding the outside of the Police Station. There is a locked gear room inside the station. Lazar has the key.
  
• Igor's House - Appears after a certain quest.
  
• High Quality Toilet Paper - Barman quest item needed to progress to Abandoned Camp level. Search the cluster of homes that spawn in the middle of the map around Lazar's camp. Look for a fenced section with a pair of homes on the L and R side. Examine the fence-line between the two homes and find the green box with the TP. It's OUTSIDE, not in the homes.
  
• Ghoul Cave - Appears after a certain quest. Lots of ghouls (which move very quickly) in very tight corridors. Be sure to bring extra meds for staunching bleed damage. If they even touch you, expect bleed damage.

Makeshift Camp

• Mr. Junk's Sewer - The small entrance to Mr. Junk's underground home is little more than a silo entrance with a ladder sticking out of it. It will appear in random locations, making it hard to find the first time. After completing the mission, Mr. Junk's location will be marked on future maps with a little circle. Complete a quest for Mr. Junk and he becomes a highly useful vendor, selling large stacks of scrap metal, scrap ammo, scrap weapons, and a few random items like the Game Boy.
  
• Motel - The entrance to the Motel is blocked by cars and will likely have several ghouls nearby. Unblocking the entrance is done by way of completing quests for The Green Army general in the main base.
  
• Laboratory - In the upper right side of the Radio Tower area is an inaccessible building. The front door is open, but just inside that door is a security door that requires a Laboratory key card.

Industrial Area

The industrial Area can be very dangerous. Lots of soldiers and mercenaries. Keep in mind that the Green Army and Crimson Corp soldiers are friendly to the player by default and there are plenty of both in this map. Being a little too itchy with your trigger finger might start an accidental fight, with many of them against one of you.

• Cargo Center
  
• Oil Refinery
  
• Crimson Corporation Camp - Pay 5000 credits to get in the camp. Do a couple missions for them and they will let you in for free. In the camp is a small building with a gun vendor. They sell some REALLY excellent guns like the SKOP-H (assault) and Marauder 700 Modern (sniper), my personal favorites. When you start to feel you are outgrowing the guns sold at the Green Army vendor, come here.
  Location: Finding the camp is pretty easy. The map for the Industrial Area looks like two rows with 3 "boxes" in each row, with dark-grey lines (roads) separating the boxes. It's in the top row, far right box, the one that looks like a ship pier surrounded by water. The camp is in the bottom right of this area, below the pier.
  Make More Cheddar: If you're really confident, here's a solid way to increase your haul on a single run. Go to the Industrial Area and find a couple good fights to get in. Some of the interior buildings have lots of fights going on inside with 6-8 heavily armed enemies. Mop up everything, and take your haul to the Crimson trader on the same map. Sell. Repeat until they run out of money (vendor starts with 10k roubles), then take a final load of gear back to the extraction point and finish the mission.

Swamp

• Sewer
  
• Abandoned Village

Tips for "The Forest" Map

• The Forest is the only map needed for the first many hours of game-play. Get to know this map, what types of camps & structures that can be found, and how many enemies to expect at each type.
  
• After arriving, hit M to open the map, then find and mark the exit waypoints. Also, note where the main structures are located. The Forest has two that show up on the map: (1) the Sawmill, which shows up as a grey rectangle, and (2) the village, which should always be at the center of the map.
  
• The Sawmill is very dangerous, with 5-8 armed enemies. Avoid it until more experienced. The main building also has 3 more enemies. However, there are plenty of looting opportunities here, once gear is leveled up a bit. Avoid in the early game.
  
• The village is a great place to raid, early game. It has two "areas": the outer "ring" of houses, and the Police Station in the center. The area directly around the police station is dangerous. Lazar and his gang hang out there. However, the houses around the station can be looted without alerting the gang. Most of the houses have 1-3 ghouls hanging about, but shooting them never has attracted any attention from the gang in the middle. Most of the stuff needed for base upgrades can be found looting this area.

Tips for All Maps

• Be aware that regardless of what is seen on the map, lots of unseen houses, forts, and other waypoints can be found all over the place. None will be marked, and some can spawn right next to each other. RNG changes each map, each time, so each run can be very, very different.
  
• Need guns & attachments? Hit up any camp you find with Green Army or Crimson Corp soldiers. They often have loot boxes that specifically spawn weapons & attachments. Get expensive items like silencers and hard-to-find attachments for free. Remember they will be friendly unless you shoot first, and they don't mind you looting anything you find in their camp.
  
• When exploring, go slow, and be stealthy. From time to time, sight out as far as possible (right click) with a non-scoped weapon. Scoped weapons may not be optimal for exploring because right-click limits visibility to ONLY what the scope can see.

Combat & Weapons Tips

• Put laser sights on all assault weapons. Turn on with the L key at the beginning of a mission, and leave it on. Absolute game-changer for run & gun situations where there is no time to aim carefully.
  
• Put laser sights on scoped rifles, too. When scoped in you can't necessarily tell if you have actual line-of-sight on the target because the scoped-in view blanks out everything except what the scope sees. It's possible for something to be in the way of the bullet's path, even though you can center your scope on the target. The laser sight lets you know for sure: if the laser makes it all the way to the target, you have a clear shot.
  
• As a general rule, don't put scopes on both weapons. The stats given by a scope can be great for accuracy, but when the player holds the right mouse button to scope-in, the scope limits the field of view to just what can be seen in the scope. Put your favorite "red dot" sights on assault weapons. The right-click sight-distance is the same as the scope, but you can see everything at that expanded range.
  
• Ever run out of ammo with most of a wolf pack still chasing you? Instead of dying, RUN with the SHIFT key. You can run while reloading, too.
  
• Running & Stamina. Habitually running everywhere can get you killed if find yourself low on stamina when you really need it for a quick escape. Stamina appears to be ignored while in the base, you can run everywhere on that map. Update: This guide previously reported that running also causes higher food & water usage, but player BlueSpark has done some tests which show otherwise: running only affects stamina.
  
• Be careful of creatures. A pack of wolves or even a couple pigs can present a real danger, even to a well-outfitted character. If you run out of ammo while actively fighting creatures at melee range, they will probably take you down before you have a chance to reload. Make your shots count and don't underestimate the melee enemies. If they get inside gun range, you're likely dead.
  
• Learn how many enemies normally spawn in certain areas, and then make sure you get them all before looting. Most small camps have 2-3 enemies, so if you see less than that, look for bodies. If there are no bodies, someone is likely hiding nearby.
  
• After killing one bandit, the others will often run off into the woods, or around behind a structure. Circle around and look for them.
  
• Be patient and smart. If you just killed one bandit from below their position, circle around to another location and hit them from there. The AI is better than most games. They will look for you. They will move to new locations and hide. They will fire off exploratory shots where they think you might be or saw you last. Try to imagine what you would really do and do that; barging in from the same direction as before is a certain way to take a bullet to the face. Be unpredictable.
  
• Scout & control an area completely before looting. The bodies aren't going anywhere, but anyone close by who heard or saw the firefight might come looking for you. Secure the area first.
  
• Before starting a fight, especially with bandits at a camp or structure, scout the surrounding area. You should have an idea if there are any (1) obstructions, like water, (2) areas of cover, (3) high radiation areas, and (4) areas with hostiles. This way, if you have to run, you already know which ways to go and (more importantly) not go.
  
• Ammo types matter a lot. Soldiers and other armored enemies cannot easily be damaged with normal rounds. Make sure to bring a stack of ammo with a higher "Piercing" value. To change ammo hit Y to see a list of ammo types in inventory for the current weapon, use scroll wheel to choose the correct one, then hit Y again to reload with the new ammo type. If nothing happens, you probably selected the same type that is already loaded.
  
• When encountering random bases, make sure you ID the faction inside before shooting. Green Army is a friendly faction by default, so you can freely enter their bases and take all the loot you want without firing a shot.
  
• The newer version of the game tracks faction relationships. Be careful who you shoot on missions. Don't shoot friendlies unnecessarily.

Early Gear Goals

The game changes a lot after leveling up skills & gear. Here are some practical early targets to aim for:

• Important Specializations: Mule, Stealth, Sniper, Storage
  
• Weapon #1: F90 with silencer, red-dot, and laser sight (obtain from the Green Army vendor)
  
• Weapon #2: Mozin with silencer & scope. This is a good weapon, but if you can find the Carbon Fiber stock, it becomes a really serviceable weapon. There's a naughty way to get one by killing Igor, who has a fully kitted out Mozin and also a Boulder shotgun, but they also can potentially be found in Attachment boxes at Green Army or Crimson Corp camps.
  
• Armor: Police is a good starter armor; Lv1 Green Army armor is almost identical. Lv2 & Lv3 Green Army is definitely better, but expensive. Keep an eye out for better armors when out on missions, it's possible to get LV4 & even LV5 armor from dead Green Army soldiers, then bring them home and repair them using (a) your own workshop, or (b) repair kits purchased from the Doctor.
  
• Light source: Using a headlamp at night is as about as stealthy as firing a cannon. It will attract unwanted attention from hunters & other dangers. They will come and find you. Save up for NVG's and avoid being out after dark until then. The Military grade-2 & 3 night vision goggles are a complete game changer.

With better weapons, armor and night vision, start going out on night missions. With the Stealth perk and silencers on all weapons, away missions will transform and become highly profitable. Take down enemies without them even being aware of your presence. In the dead of night, you become the hunter. You'll want to bring double food & water for such missions, as they can start in the dead of night and still be going on after daybreak.

Base Upgrades

Base upgrades are a three-stage process: (1) Use the J key and then click the building icon. Choose a location for the component you plan to build, and install it. (2) Craft the component at the workbench. (3) Open inventory, right-click ("Use") the component. New base equipment should appear.

• Choose room locations wisely. If the player uninstalls a room, the installed component is destroyed and must be rebuilt using new materials.
  
• Early game suggestions: (1) Weight room (passively increase carry weight), (2) Shooting range (passively increase combat stats), (3) Bedroom (passively increase skills), (4) Ammo (allows ammo crafting), (5) Workshop (mod weapons, self repair weapon & armor).
  
• Rooms activate new capabilities in one or more of the following ways: (1) Rooms like Ammo can be interacted with to acquire resources; (2) Rooms like the Shooting Range, Bedroom and Weight-room passively perform their function without requiring player interaction; (c) Rooms like Workshop and Ammo unlock features of the workbench.

Guns, by Vendor

This is a list of the buyable guns, with their default stats & no mods. Other guns exist. Such guns are not in these tables. Currently organized by Vendor then by Type. They're basically in the same order you find them in the vendor UI.

DMG=Damage | ACC=Accuracy | REC=Recoil | ERG=Ergonomics
Note: DMR=Designated Marksman Rifle (a variant of the M14 in real-life US army)

Barman

Gun	Type	Vendor	DMG	ACC	REC	ERG	Rate	Mag	Caliber
PN Pokarov	Pistol	Barman	15	50	80	70	300	10	9x18
Spyder	SMG	Barman	9	70	50	60	720	30	9x18
BB 91 Kerr	SMG	Barman	11	65	40	70	1200	20	9x18
BBSH 41	SMG	Barman	12	54	68	21	900	35	7.62x25
Sawed Off Dbl	Shot	Barman	40	65	960	13	80	2	12x70
Tus 34	Shot	Barman	50	50	1140	12	180	2	12x70
EC 74U	Assault	Barman	14	49	102	36	600	30	5.45x39
EC 74	Assault	Barman	17	40	91	38	600	30	5.45x39
Nozin Makant	Sniper	Barman	52	17	90	14	Bolt	5	7.62x54R
MKM	DMR	Barman	24	35	100	25	300	10	7.62x39

Green Army

Gun	Type	Vendor	DMG	ACC	REC	ERG	Rate	Mag	Caliber
F90	SMG	Army	16	45	70	57	900	50	5.7x28
RP57	Pistol	Army	20	60	50	80	450	17	5.7x28
NB153	Shot	Army	48	47	102	20	200	6	12x70
Boulder	Shot	Army	45	55	156	26	180	6	12x70
ECM	Assault	Army	25	31	112	29	600	30	7.62.39
EC-101	Assault	Army	17	41	79	42	600	30	5.56x45
NC 47 Chimera	Assault	Army	22	34	82	54	720	30	7.62x39
VS-98	Sniper	Army	55	10	160	33	Bolt	5	7.62x54R
Batko MKM	DMR	Army	26	31	94	41	450	20	7.62x39
FRD	Sniper	Army	33	12	135	21	180	10	7.62x54R

Crimson Corp

Gun	Type	Vendor	DMG	ACC	REC	ERG	Rate	Mag	Caliber
Vlok 17	Pistol	Crimson	19	50	38	85	514	17	9x19
NB5	SMG	Crimson	9	50	62	74	900	20	9x19
Vrizz Sector 9	SMG	Crimson	10	62	42	75	1200	32	9x19
Vrizz Sector 45	SMG	Crimson	15	60	50	75	1200	21	0.45
Stas 12	Shot	Crimson	50	43	130	20	103	7	12x70
N401	Assault	Crimson	16	29	75	57	900	30	5.56x45
Fanaz	Assault	Crimson	16	42	38	69	900	20	5.56x45
G76	Assault	Crimson	16	33	63	66	720	30	5.56x45
Marauder 700	Sniper	Crimson	54	20	100	15	Bolt	5	7.62x51
EDL	Sniper	Crimson	56	10	122	69	Bolt	5	7.62x51
N10	DMR	Crimson	29	18	108	42	450	20	7.62x51
Marauder 700M	Sniper	Crimson	58	12	60	60	Bolt	5	7.62x51
SKOP-H	DMR	Crimson	25	30	109	41	600	20	7.62x51

* Marauder 700M = Marauder 700 Modern

Know Where Your Towel is Now?

Thanks for reading! Hope this guide helped you.

If you didn't know the towel reference, you may have missed out on the best guide ever written, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy..

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[Qassem Soleimonkey]

Grenades are op btw. Buy and spam them when you start a fight.

[rainbowHippos]

good guide, but slightly outdated. But I think adding tips about gun stats and armor stats would be a good addition. Also the skill progression should also be updated, RIP skill books.

[dirkdjently]

Started a new game a few days ago and have been making small updates to the guide as I find them.

[NvMe 令]

Guide is a bit outdated especially the part about shooting soldiers and corp people since that would drop your rep

[Wazouille]

Killing Mr Junk gets you his key, and his staff is refreshed every run, so you always have a good source available !

[Apophis]

When you die, you do not return to the conductor as a 'save point'. Time has passed and any money you spent (at Mr Junk for example) is still gone, and so are his supplies bought. He will have your money in his inventory though so you can sell him stuff now.

[Metalnailgun]

the scope edge turns red if you don't have a clear shot

[Bronte]

Allg, I found them, Mule mode activated.

Also, Is Seva the best armor from what you've seen or are there other armors that offer better protection?

Also am I right to assume the fragile meter measures how easily your armor is damaged? (Ie: low=damages faster than the higher numbered armor)

[dirkdjently]

It's been a minute since I played, so I don't remember exactly. There is a Crimson outpost in one of the maps, the Industrial one, I think. They have a trader.

[Bronte]

Wait you can buy from crimson corp too? Is that down the line after some quests or a static in the world?