WarMongerian
Scavenger
Spears are best. but you have to go all in.
How far have you gone this playthrough?
- Thread starter bobrpggamer
- Start date
I don't know how many game days I've spent in the game, as I play on a server. Level 291. I either entertain myself with building or bombard newbies with literature and weapons.
Riamus
Hunter
Not really. You can get through the fist 2-3 blood moons with only a few points in spear mastery and none in the other spear/melee perks. By the time you're at horde night 5, you should have enough levels to handle another point or two in it. But if you really don't want to put points into perception, there are other melee weapons in each of the trees. Shovels really aren't the best option for a weapon. You can do it, but you won't do as well.
WarMongerian
Scavenger
Respectively, I have to disagree with that. Stamina is a constant drain, and i never try to use a spear till I have a steel spear.
For the first 2-3 blood moons, my shovel works just fine, along with my wood and pick axes.
Oh, I have the points, I just choose to spend them elsewhere is all. for instance, I got 24 points tied up in light armor right now, and maxed out Fortitude, so I have a full 250/300 stamina/life, and each zombie gives me 10 life/kill. The problem is, I still burn through all my stamina despite coffee (not blackstrap, unfortunately), and spear fighting doesn't give you stamina stealing until lvl 4 and 5.
Oh, it isn't that I don't want to put the points there, I just wanted lvl 6 armor more. Now that I have achieved that, I'll use those 24 points to get my spear mastery maxed.
Riamus
Hunter
Everyone plays differently. I rarely use a normal attack. I'm almost always only using power attacks with my spear. I start with a spear and only use guns if I'm in a bad situation or if I want to take a long shot at an animal, kill a dire wolf or bear without being in melee with them, or on blood moon. Stamina isn't a big problem even though power attacks use more. It's about managing your attacks in a way that keeps you in good shape. One power attack to the head will almost always knock down a zombie, especially in the early game giving you time to regen stamina if needed. Once down, 1-3 to the head will usually kill it, or wait until it rises and kill it then in that many. You can do that without running out of stamina. You can even do that with a couple of them if you are willing to back off a little so you have a second or two for stamina regen. If you have more than a couple at once, you make use of your surroundings. Backing away, using doorways, etc. Anything that lets you regen stamina for a second or two between attacks. And I stick to a wooden spear until I have more points into Perception/Spear Mastery just because the iron or steel spears use extra stamina and then it becomes more difficult to manage the stamina.
Once you put 3 points into Spear Mastery, you start to regain stamina with each kill. Once you complete the spear books, you get full stamina back with each kill. And it is easy to complete that book set if you've put a few points into Spear Mastery. I will usually start with 1-2 points in it right away because it just helps to have a couple of points in your weapon skill right away. I don't always put more points into it until mid to late game because it's not normally needed unless you really want to start using iron/steel spears right away.
As far as the other perks you mentioned... I never put points into armor, even when I am at a high level with extra points that I don't really need. I play in a way that helps keep enemies from even hitting me (that's one benefit of a spear). I still get hit, but I limit it significantly. If I'm not being hit, armor has little value. The only benefit to me that armor perks have for my play style is for gaining armor magazines as you mentioned, and I admit to being somewhat tempted to put one point in just to increase that, but it's such a useless perk from my point of view that I've never felt like wasting a point just to speed up those magazines. But it's at least a reason to have at least one point in there. I definitely wouldn't max it, though. But again, that's just how I play.
I might put one point into Siphoning Strikes to get the +2 HP per kill if I feel like it, but that's all I really need. With only a couple of enemies, I'll probably not be hit at all, so it doesn't help. And if there are many enemies, I'm going to be killing a lot of them, so with each kill healing me by 2, I'm already recovering quickly and I still avoid being hit often. Getting another 8 HP per kill can be nice, but it just isn't really necessary for how I play.
I also never use blackstrap and only use coffee if I happen to have one and am thirsty and don't want to have it taking up inventory space. Never for any actual benefit from it. In the same way, I don't use other drinks or candies for their benefits.
Anyhow, that's just how I play.
WarMongerian
Scavenger
Day 38, 1700 hrs, jist finished BM 7.
WarMongerian
Scavenger
Day 39, 0808 hrs, lvl 176, Just finished BM 8.
bobrpggamer
Refugee
Thanks for the update.
I am day 207, I finished BM 29 and am at level 259. I spend 1 and 1/2 days repairing my base the rest of the time I have been working on other parts of the base. I found that at around level 200, I pretty much ran out of perks I actually want. I am all firearms in perks for fighting so all the melee perks don't really matter to me, although I use my flaming steel axe all the time though, love it that weapon, good for wood based things as well of course.
I am finally working on my fancy room with all of my favorite item storage and cooking equipment. I had it looking like a corporate office lobby, and decided to dial that down a bit. Problem is that the furniture and doors in game look like something you would find in a 1960s mobile home and looks weird in a really modern looking room.
Still work in progress. Still though, why am I making a shiny modern condo look in an apocalyptic game. Just can not help myself.
Here's the outside part that's finished.
This is why I have been in game so long, and I am not even finished with the rest of it yet.
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If you have pumped up your stamina so much, then why do you need spears - use brass knuckles. Yes, and health restoration for a kill occurs only when killed with brass knuckles.
theFlu
Hunter
Siphoning Strikes (Fort skill) seems to work fine with all melee, just tested with a pickaxe, baseball bat and knucks. (2.5 b32)
WarMongerian
Scavenger
Where in the world did you get that idea? Since v2.0, I get my lifesteal with any melee. I never used any version of 'knuckles', and, as far as I know, only the spear gives me stamina stealing, so life and stamina stealing only come together with spear fighting. Were you telling a joke?
theFlu
Hunter
Me from Suxar, and he's probably thinking of the Knuckles Book, which gives 1 HP regen per punch, punches only.
Looks like I misunderstood something. I'll have to check this evening. Either there's a localization error, or I looked in the wrong place.
Riamus
Hunter
Besides spears, Batter Up book completion gives full stamina after kills for bats/clubs, Sledge Saga completion also does for sledgehammers. Deep Cuts gives stamina stealing, Flurry of Blows gives stamina stealing, Brawler gives stamina stealing, Electrocutioner gives stamina stealing, Pummel Pete gives stamina stealing, Skull Crusher gives stamina stealing. So you can get stamina stealing for whatever melee weapon you want to use. Siphoning Strikes works for all melee weapons, so you can use whatever you want.
Yeah, Siphoning Strikes is for all melee.
bobrpggamer
Refugee
All the melee guys here. I always prefer any type of ranged weapon. I did use the spear early on but I really pumped points in things like:
Salvage Operations (when I get a wrench)
Miner 69’er
Mother Lode
Advanced Engineering
I know it does not help early bloodmoon, but my early bases usually do OK. It is of course always a bummer early game to figure out where to put points. Do you put points into the ones above knowing they will help a lot later on in game or do you just use combat perks to help bloodmoons.
My suggestion is to build a small horde base that is a set of walls with a ceiling and have a window like space on the sides to use your spears or guns or whatever. As soon as you can use concrete on the small base you will be OK for the first 5 bloodmoons, just keep a repair tool in your belt. Later on you really should get base defense items like electric fences, lots of spike traps and if you can some sort of a turret, also usually by this time you should have better than pipe ranged weapons as well.
Other than that if you do a lot of quests early on then I guess all the combat perks are the ones to put points into. I usually just scavenge and start building my first primitive base at about day 5.
But I am sure we all have our own preference for early game survival.
Salvage Operations (when I get a wrench)
Miner 69’er
Mother Lode
Advanced Engineering
I know it does not help early bloodmoon, but my early bases usually do OK. It is of course always a bummer early game to figure out where to put points. Do you put points into the ones above knowing they will help a lot later on in game or do you just use combat perks to help bloodmoons.
My suggestion is to build a small horde base that is a set of walls with a ceiling and have a window like space on the sides to use your spears or guns or whatever. As soon as you can use concrete on the small base you will be OK for the first 5 bloodmoons, just keep a repair tool in your belt. Later on you really should get base defense items like electric fences, lots of spike traps and if you can some sort of a turret, also usually by this time you should have better than pipe ranged weapons as well.
Other than that if you do a lot of quests early on then I guess all the combat perks are the ones to put points into. I usually just scavenge and start building my first primitive base at about day 5.
But I am sure we all have our own preference for early game survival.
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theFlu
Hunter
Well, everyone plays very differently; I generally put the first 4 points into a melee weapon 2/5. The optimal one on D1 is sledges, stats-wise it's the same as a baseball bat - on D1. But anything will do the job just fine. Often I go straight for 3/5, but I might grab a few other things depending if I have goals. Like the first points in cardio, pack mule etc.
Miner69er is a staple for me, makes the stone axe somewhat tolerable; and of course mandatory for an underground base -run
Never really bother with salvaging or AdvEngi until I'm a 30 hours in, at which point the respeccing potions are really cheap, and the spec no longer matters. Workstations are hardly necessary and are relatively cheap in a pinch; no real need to try to gather books for those.
bobrpggamer
Refugee
It would be almost pointless to pick salvaging unless you find a wrench, so I can sure see that. When you do find a wrench the parts from cars are worth quite a bit and a lot that you get from cars can also be useful in early crafting. This last play through I was trying to find a wrench more than anything else in the game. I did all I could do to get one early on, looked everywhere for books that let you craft one (I forgot which one) and I raided as many working stiffs as I could. I was also one of those guys that prior to V1.0, I put all my points in Int as fast as I could. At least until I made a vehicle anyway.
theFlu
Hunter
Very differently, indeed; I don't usually _use_ a wrench, even once. I don't need the parts, I don't need the money, and I can take that same car apart in 40 levels, in quarter of the time
A ratchet for a couple pieces of steel, should I need them for some mod or whatnot; impact driver if I'm planning to run a full generator or some such.bobrpggamer
Refugee
My thing is, I go with electrical items as early as I can on my temp base. The electric fence posts have saved my @#$ on many of occasion. It really is overpowered in some ways. When the zeds are being zapped, headshots are way easy. I like to put 2 posts together on top of each other and have a few of those next to each other as well.Very differently, indeed; I don't usually _use_ a wrench, even once. I don't need the parts, I don't need the money, and I can take that same car apart in 40 levels, in quarter of the time
I do not think I did a quest until after maybe day 80 to be honest. Its all base building with me. I have been into 3D graphics since my Amiga 500, although I just dreamed I had the money for the 3D packages for the Amiga. I could only afford a couple of Amiga games per month. I finally got a chance to try 3D with 3DS Max 3.2 in 1999 and I was in love. Later I did level design for Day of Defeat Source and Thief 3. So the idea that I can build bases in a game (unfortunately voxel) I fell in love with 7 Days to Die as well. Especially when I already love FPS games as well.
BTW voxel based creating is really hard for guys with OCD that needs things to be perfectly symmetrical.
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