The world of 7 Days to Die is brutal, and as time goes on, it onlybecomes more and more dangerous. One way you can increase your chances of survival is by giving your character perks. Without them, you’ll face a rough time in a world filled with zombies and dangerous animals.
I’ve played 7 Days to Die for years, even back when it was first released into Early Access, and there are a few perks Ialways focus on unlocking first. They not only make it harder for zombies to destroy your character, but they’re also helpful for surviving the harsh environment.
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While all the perks are worth unlocking over time, a few stand out. In most cases, players should focus on unlockinga specific few perksbefore making their way down the list. Since the developers also introduced their progression system via magazines, having the right perks to buff the character is even more important.
Take a look at the10 best 7 Days to Die perksto make your next excursion in Navezgane just a bit easier.
To determine the best perks in 7 Days to Die, we looked for perks that the majority of players would find useful rather than perks that are specific to a certain player build.
10Charismatic Nature
Buff Your Friends So Everyone Kicks More Zombie Butt
Skill Level
Level Name
Effect Description
Intellect Needed
Inspirational
People find your survival stories inspiring. Allies and Party Members regenerate lost health 50% faster.
Team Leader
You are a team leader that empowers others. Allies and Party Members gain 20% more Block and Melee Damage.
Motivational Speaker
You are a strong motivational force. Allies and Party Members take 10% less damage from all sources, take half damage from bleeding and stop bleeding twice as fast.
Your leadership abilities are top shelf. Allies and Party Members find 10% better loot.
You’re a true hero. Allies and Party Members find 20% better loot and gain +1 to all attributes.
If you’re playing 7 Days to Die with friends or a loved one, then at least one of you needs to focus on unlocking Charismatic Nature as soon as possible. The perk providesa massive buffto everyone in your party or who is an ally.
Once you max out the entire perk, you provide healing, looting, and damage boosts. They’ll also receive+1for all their attributes, making them more effective at basically everything. Now, the caveat here is that the perk doesn’t stack.
This perk is not effective for solo players, which is why it’s last on the list.
As such, it’s ideal if at least one other person has the perk, so you can enjoy its benefits, too, but it’s not something thata party of three or higher should all have unlocked.
However, the perk can make your team more effective, which is crucial during the Blood Moon or when clearing a high-value place of interest.
9Advanced Engineering
Avoid Bottlenecks And Craft Crucial Traps
Blacksmith
You are now out of the stone age and an apprentice Engineer! Gain 15% XP from electrical trap kills. Items craft 20% faster in the forge. Craft glue cheaper.
The long hours tinkering on projects is starting to pay dividends! Gain 30% XP from electrical trap kills. Items craft 20% faster at workbenches and cement mixers.
You really know your way around the workshop and can build about anything you set your mind to! Gain 45% XP from electrical trap kills. All forge recipes cost 10% less, crafting Forged Steel and electrical devices costs 15% less.
You are the da Vinci of the apocalypse with all your amazing inventions! Gain 60% XP from electrical trap kills. All forge recipes cost 15% less, crafting Forged Steel and electrical devices costs 25% less.
Advanced Engineer
You are now an Advanced Engineer and would make MacDyver jealous. Gain 75% XP from electrical trap kills. All forge recipes cost 20% less, crafting Forged Steel and electrical devices costs 35% less.
I’ll admit, whenever I play 7 Days to Die, I’m typicallythe builder and farmer. My partner often takes on the crafter role, and since crafting is essential in 7 Days to Die, she always focuses onthe Advanced Engineering perk.
The reason is that this perk removes a bottleneckthat can completely cripple your production. Smelting items in the forge can take a long time, and when you have seven days until a huge zombie horde threatens your base, you don’t have time to waste.
The Advanced Engineering perk reduces how long it takes to smelt things in the forge while also reducing the material cost of items made in it. Add on the fact that electrical traps are more effective,which is crucial for stunning zombiesand giving you a chance to take them down before they reach your Blood Moon base, and this perk is a must-have for everyone.
8Master Chef
Fight The Hunger Pangs And Eat Well
Strength Needed
Cooking is not your thing, but you know some basics. Use 20% less of a recipe’s main ingredients. Cook 40% faster. Find more cooking magazines in loot.
Dumpster Diver
Don’t let good food go to waste! Adds a chance to find salvageable food in dumpsters. Cook 60% faster.
Cooking for an Army? Use 40% less of a recipe’s main ingredients. Cook 80% faster.
While zombies are certainly a threat that players must face, they must also deal with other standard survival mechanicslike hunger and temperature. Hunger, especially, can be hard when you rely on pre-packaged food early in the game.
The Master Chef perkbecomes a huge help, which is why I always attempt to unlock it as early as possible in the game. Not only can you cook food faster, but you also use fewer ingredients.
That means your food will last a bit longer, and when you have a big group to feed,reducing ingredient and material costs is a huge help. Additionally, since you can only unlock new cooking recipes through skill magazines (still not in love with the change), having this perk makes it just that much easier to discover those magazines.
7Well Insulated
Survive The Cold And Heat No Matter What The Weather Throws At You
Fortitude Needed
Mild Weather Tolerant
You like mild weather, but can handle a bit of temperature fluctuation. Gain 10 insulation against both heat and cold, and lose 15% less food and water when cold or overheating.
Intense Weather Resistant
You are resistant to some pretty intense weather and lose 30% less food and water when cold or overheating. Grants 20 insulation against both heat and cold.
Extremely Weather Hardened
You can now handle severe weather and typically could care less what the weather conditions are. You will never have the more severe stages of temperature status effects.
You will never suffer from the effects of Sweltering or Freezing.
Remember when I said you have more than zombies to worry about? The weather outside can bejust as brutal as any horde of zombies. Stepping out in the middle of winter or into the desert without the proper clothing can be a ticket straight to death.
That’s why theWell Insulated perkis one of the best perks in 7 Days to Die. It may not be overly glamorous, but this perk is a great one-size-fits-all buff that reduces food and water drain as well as temperature effects.
For example, once you max out this perk, you’re able to walk out into the freezing temperature with just a T-shirt on and be fine. Having this perk meansthere’s one less thing to worry aboutwhile you’re out looting or harvesting resources.
6Treasure Hunter
Ideal For More Than Just The Loot Goblins
Perception Needed
For every 7 blocks dug up the treasure search radius is reduced by 1m. Without the perk you have to dig up 10 blocks each. Find 10% more items in Buried Treasure.
For every 5 blocks dug up the treasure search radius is reduced by 1m. Find 20% more items in Buried Treasure.
Treasure Hunter
For every 3 blocks dug up the treasure search radius is reduced by 1m. Find 30% more items in Buried Treasure.
One of the most useful perks in 7 Days to Die isTreasure Hunter, and I’m not just saying that because I’m a self-confessed loot goblin. Treasure Hunter makes finding treasure chests a lot easier, andit also boosts how much treasure you find.
Digging for treasure is a quest that the local traders can sometimes give you as a job. Without this perk, taking onthis job can be a nightmare. The radius to dig is large, and you might spend a really long time trying to find the darn thing.
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Meanwhile,you have zombies spawningand trying to stop you. Not to mention, there are probably a lot of other things on your to-do list aside from digging a hole in the ground.
Once you max out the Treasure Hunter perk, finding treasure takes hardly any time at all. The radius is small, and after only a few digs with a shovel, you’ll be able to find that pesky chest and lay claim to its goods.
No Longer Fall Prey To Fall Damage
Agility Needed
You can do a few moves but mostly you are just used to falling on your face. Increase safe fall distance by one meter and reduce stamina cost of jumping by 10%.
You’ve pulled off some stunts, but sometimes your hospital bills are larger than your paycheck. Reduce stamina cost of jumping by 20%. Increase safe fall distance by 2 meters and jump 1 meter higher.
Adrenaline Junkie
You’re an adrenaline junkie and capable of death defying acts of insanity. Reduce stamina cost of jumping by 30%. Increase safe fall distance by 4 meters and never get a broken leg when falling.
Parkour Master
You are now a parkour master and can navigate difficult situations easily. Reduce stamina cost of jumping by 40%. Increase safe fall distance by 5, can jump 2 meters higher, and never get a sprained or broken leg when falling.
While 7 Days to Die is noDying Light, theParkour perkstill remains one of the best in the game. I don’t know about you, but fall damage is one of my greatest nemeses.Parkour helps me vanquish it.
Not only does it reduce stamina costs, which is essential for survival in 7 Days to Die, but you can also jump higher without hurting yourself. While 7 Days to Die isn’t exactlyone of the best parkour gamesout there, this perk can come in clutch when you’re navigating a city with tall buildings.
In fact, this perk allows you to avoid the crushing debuffs given to you by a broken leg. You’llno longer break your legwhen you have this perk maxed out, which means you no longer have to worry about being unable to run away from a horde of angry zombies.
It even eventually does away with sprains, too, soyou can fall from great heightsand be able to just walk it all off.
4Healing Factor
Shrug Off Zombie Bites And Embrace Your Mutant Genes
Fast Metabolism
You must have a fast metabolism.
Quick Healer
You seem to be a quick healer.
What are you part animal?
Regeneration
You seem to just regenerate health super fast.
Mutant Genes
You must have mutant genes from all the radiation.
Let’s face it, at some point,you’re going to lose healthin 7 Days to Die. It may come from a zombie attack, a fall, or even just eating bad food.
However it happens, you’re doomed to wait until your health regenerates to face danger once more.Unless you have a death wish, of course.
TheHealing Factor perkboosts your healing regeneration significantly. As you max out the perk, you can regenerate your health quickly, which meansyou can get back into the fight even sooner.
This perk is essential for surviving a Blood Moon or clearing a building infested with zombies. Being able to tuck yourself somewhere safe and wait for a few moments, rather than a few minutes, reduces the overall risk to you and your companions.
Ifyou want to survive the post-apocalyptic worldin 7 Days to Die, then you need the Healing Factor perk.
3Animal Tracker
Watch Out For Animal Enemies And Make Hunting Easier
Trail Finder
Crouch down and use your keen eyesight to find the tracks of small animals like Rabbits, Snakes or Chickens. Tracked animals are marked on your compass and map.
Big Game Hunter
Become the ultimate tracker. Your senses are unparalleled. You can detect predators like Mountain Lions or Bears.
As a hunter, I always get theAnimal Tracker perkfirst. It lets you see where animals are scurrying off to on the HUD.
Some animals, like rabbits and chickens, are so small that they can be really hard to see on their own. With the Animal Tracker perk, all you need to do is crouch down, and the perk will tell you whether there’s an animal of interest around or not.It saves you time and effort.
Besides making it easier to hunt, which is essential for supplying food for yourself and your friends, the perk also makes you aware of anydangerous animals in the area. They show up as a red icon, allowing you to determine how you want to face the threat.
The perk even shows you high-level dangers like mutated creatures. So, ifyou don’t want to be caught unawarewhile exploring the wilderness, you might consider focusing on this perk in 7 Days to Die.
2Lucky Looter
Don’t Settle For Mediocre Loot
Slim Chance
You’ve got a slim chance to find better loot.
Your luck is improving and no matter where you look you seem to find something good.
Good Fortune
Adds 15% to loot bonus. Looting is 40% faster.
You just seem to be blessed with finding great loot everywhere you look.
Lucky Looter
The Lucky Looter. You are on a roll and the dice are loaded.
Loot goblins must take this perk as soon as possible. It’sespecially powerful in the game’s early stages,when most of your time is spent gathering loot.
Lucky Looterbasically increases the chance of finding more and better loot each time you access a container. Keep in mind that this doesn’t affect containers that your allies open.You have to be the one to do it.
Thepercentage of loot that you find increasesby the following amounts based on what tier of the perk you have unlocked:
It also decreasesthe time it takes to open a containerby the following percentages:
So, if you want more loot, have a higher chance of finding high-quality loot, and want to take less time searching for loot, then grab the Lucky Looter perk as soon as you have a skill point available.
1Pack Mule
Carry All The Things Without Zombies Catching Up To You
Disorganized
Who has time to organize their stuff perfectly?
You know it’s in there somewhere.
Neat and Tidy
You know exactly where everything is.
You just passed inspection, private.
Now you are just showing off, you are either part mule or a strongman.
One of the most annoying aspects of the early game experience in 7 Days to Die is not having enough room to carry items. The carry capacity in 7 Days to Die is unique in that while you can technically put items in inventory slots that aren’t unlocked yet,it makes you slower.
Encumbrance can be a real problem in a world where you may needto move fast to escape some zombies. ThePack Mule perkincreases the number of inventory slots in which you can carry items.
This perk is one of the most essential in the game because everyone is going to be carrying something at some point in the game. Whether you’re moving items to a new base, running home after a day of looting, or just turning in some items from a quest, having enough inventory slots is goingto make all those tasks a lot easier.
You gain the following number of inventory slots based on the tier of the perk that you unlock:
No matter if you’re a looter, fighter, farmer, or builder, all these perks can make surviving 7 Days to Die a bit more achievable.
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