Built from the official 1.0 notes and patches through 1.0.15. It tells you what to do and what to avoid; exact recipes and controls come from your installed build.
Before you start: pick a Standard world and check two settings
Create a new Standard Mode world: the tutorial comes with new Standard worlds. In settings, choose a Sprint Mode (hold, press once, or toggle) and leave Zombies Run at Night off. When it is on, zombies and hordes move 30% faster from 20:00 to 06:00.
NoteThe key bindings list shows your current bindings, and since patch 1.0.13 the on-screen hints follow your rebound keys.
Finish the tutorial before exploring
You start beside a crashed helicopter, and the area around the spawn point is laid out for the tutorial. Work through it before heading off. It is the quickest way to learn movement, interaction, inventory and equipping a tool.
NoteIf you skip ahead and get lost, the PDA map is the way back: click the minimap to open it.
First supply run: one goal, a short route, a way back
Leave with one goal: food, a water container or tools. Right-click the PDA map to set a waypoint before you go, and come back once you have it. A short trip with the essentials is worth more than a full bag of parts you cannot use yet.
NoteUnderground, the minimap and PDA map show the current level’s stairs and exits. Check them before going deeper.
Do not wake a Dormant Horde
Groups of zombies lying on the ground near hospitals and in the wild are Dormant Hordes. Noise or attacks wake them. Once woken, a horde is marked on your PDA map, and the marker turns gray after you clear it.
NoteHospitals are tempting for medical supplies. Approach quietly and plan your exit before you start looting.
Set up a shelter that actually keeps you dry
A room counts as indoors when it is enclosed on all four sides, has a roof, and the door is closed. Indoors you no longer get wet in the rain. In build mode, the floor under you is tinted green or yellow to show whether it keeps out rain, and a red frame marks gaps.
NoteClose the door. Hordes look for open entrances first and only break walls when every entrance is sealed, so they will go for the weakest wall.
Mistakes that cost new players a run
Old stealth advice can mislead you: since patch 1.0.13, enemies spot you from half the distance while you crouch, and you can circle behind an enemy that has not noticed you to execute it. Recipes that used to require Contaminated Water now accept Water as well, using the contaminated kind first. And your character is saved separately from the world: your backpack, gear and skills go with the character, and you choose which character enters a world when loading.
NoteBefore trying console commands or mods, back up your saves. See the saves and backups guide.
When you are ready for more
Once you have a shelter, a food source and a weapon you can keep supplied, the next goal is the boat on the main island and the Far Island beyond it. The progression guide lists each stage in order.
NoteThere is no rush. The same save continues after the ending, and Cataclysm Mode unlocks only after you finish Standard Mode.
Sources & references
- Official 1.0 launch announcement
- Beta 0.9.99.9.7: tutorial, Dormant Hordes, waypoints, settings
- Patch 1.0.5: indoors and rain
- Patch 1.0.13: recipes, key hints, crouching
Reviewed against published documentation on 12 Nov 2026. Advice is editorial unless identified as a documented game behavior; no in-game testing is claimed.