Overview
In this guide we’ll go over some must-grabs when looting. You’ve only got so much backpack space after all.
Firstly, Grab Everything
An empty backpack is a useless backpack. everything you grab can be turned into materials or used, so before you leave the area just grab whatever junk you can carry. Ideally you just grab every single piece of junk you run into, and then later drop lower priority items with higher ones.
Item Priority and Inventory Management
Certain items have priority over others, based on materials earned or rareness. A broken gun is worth more than an empty can any day of the week. Sometimes your priority might shift depending upon what upgrades you’re going after.
Your default priority list of loot should look something like this
Medicine > Box of Stuff > Broken guns > Material dense items (Firewood, Egg timers, PWNBOT, etc) > Food stuffs > Matches > The rest.
Medicine is super high on the list because it’s almost entirely gone by day 5, and diseased walkers get really common past day 10. you want to stock up on it big time. This list is very susceptible to change though, like if you’re needing a push for the food bench, it’d look more like
Medicine > Box of Stuff > Broken guns > Food stuffs > Material dense items > Matches > The rest.
Early on the three big things you’re going to want for everything is: wood scraps, workable metal, and nuts&bolts. But certain things require specific materials, protein and sugar is much needed to get up to herbal medicine, and
To Scrap or not to Scrap?
Sometimes, you’ve gotten some loot that you’re not sure what to do with, such as weapons. here’s a quick rundown:
Pistols: Unload and scrap
Rifles: Keep one, scrap extras.
Shotguns: If it’s not the Nova scrap it.
Knives: Scrap, shiv is better than any found knife.
Axe/Crowbar: Keep 1, scrap rest.
Transmutation, Create crafting materials from other materials!
Sometimes recipes don’t quite add up in terms of craft/recycle values, allowing you to turn one type of item into another.
Here i’ll list out the gains and losses of transmuting materials. Keep in mind i’m going to be tracking net gain and loss after items are crafted and recycled. For example, while the Nutria Stew gives 4 Fiber, it still cost 2 Fiber to craft. therefore no Fiber is lost, and 2 is gained.
I don’t have the Tourist edition, so i’m not sure if i’m missing things included in that pack.
It’s worth noting that crafting a gun like the FS92M or the .30 cal revolver Gives you ammo for free.
Salvage materials for all items (WIP)
Facts to Improve Resource Gathering
Fact: You don’t need an axe to break boarded openings. any firearm hold will do.
Fact: Boards from boarded openings can be broken down into 4 wood and 1 metal, plus you can carry 3 at a time if you have upgrade backpack + no long weapons.
Fact: You can carry bottles in your holsters, allowing for an 2 extra metal and 8 extra sharp objects.
Fact: Any armed NPC will drop their gun when killed (it may break) plus an extra item. sometimes it’s food or matches.
Fact: Any unarmed NPC will drop a Box Of Stuff when killed
Fact: The Nova shotgun can 1 hit anything at close range with a body shot. use this + corner camping to take out reclaimed/tower squads for their loot.