Refresher Course

A Guide to explain mechanics for new players and refresh the memories of returning players.

Mechanics and General Knowledge

• Late game the radio will tell you about rampant looting and scavenging, loot piles will will be looted off screen, reducing the amount of loot in them (By about 60-80%). This only happens to loot piles you have not opened. If you open a loot pile and close it, this will lock the loot inside of it, protecting it from this event. It also means if you Fill a single pile with all the loot in a stage it will be safe from looters.
  
  
• Snow destroys loot piles. If you leave loot in a loot pile in the open, or on a roof, 80-90% of the loot inside of it will be destroyed. Mostly low value items like Materials and Wood, But if it has only high value items like food and ammo then those will be destroyed. Leave loot indoors or underground to prevent this from happening.
  
  
• Quality Roll ups are worth more then cigarettes. Before the Final cut & anniversary edition, Quality roll ups were worth less, or just equal to, cigarettes. This was fixed in later versions so now they are worth more.
  
  
• You can make your own loot piles. By opening your inventory when scavenging, you can drop items. This allows you to make loot piles anywhere you want. These loot piles act like game generated piles and are affected by snow and will not despawn.
  
  
• When scavenging, Hatchets do more damage then knifes against enemies. However, when your house is raided, knifes provide a higher defense rating. If you can board up your house or get a gun and ammo skip knifes. If you can't spare the materials to boarding up your house or are low on ammo get knifes.
  
  
• Boarding up your house does not provide any warmth bonus.
  
  
• Anything under 15*C has a chance of getting your survivors sick, with the chance increasing as the temperature gets lower. Anytime the temperature gauge is a blueish red instead of a bright red you have a chance of getting sick.
  
  
• If you put more fuel in a heater, it will burn hotter but also faster. a heater with (6) fuel in it will lose about (1-2) fuel over the course of one day, a heater with 1 fuel will last about one and a half days

Traits

Fast Runner

• Runs 15% faster then average.

Good Mathematician

• Does nothing.

Skilled Scavenger

• Has 15 slots.

Strong But Slow

• Has 17 slots.
  
• Has more Health.
  
• Moves (insert %) Slower.

Bug Workarounds

• Sometimes when first entering a location you will not have the option to use your hatchet to breakdown furniture, this can be fixed by interacting with a loot pile. If you go into your inventory and drop your hatchet, this will create a loot pile you can interact with, picking it pack up will now allow you to break furniture.

More to be added as it comes to mind.