PC V2.0 Storms Brewing Dev Diary

[Adam the Waster]

A lot of that has done nothing in code for years and probably even less so now.

Rip temperature 🌡

 

[schwanz9000]

Is Area 7 meant to be questable yet? I can get quests for it, but the ! doesn't appear anywhere on the surface - it's way down in (not under) the ground. There's no zombies around either.

My buddy used no collision to phase through the ground until finding the quest marker, which did activate the quest, but yikes. If this POI isn't ready yet, it probably shouldn't appear on the traders' quest lists.

If you started a map at the start of V2.0 Experimental, Area7 wasn't setup for quests yet. It has now been updated with the quest system.
Would be interesting if now that you have hit the rally marker if it is now reset and good to go for now.
If not, I'm wondering if a chuck reset would fix it.

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! Make sure no one's base is nearby and use the

cr f

command.

 

[Adam the Waster]

I’ve been around the block with 7 Days to Die—over 15,000 hours, and counting. When I first fired it up, I’ll admit, I thought it was just another zombie survival grind. But after that first brutal night, I realized there was something special here. Sure, the PvE is great for learning the ropes and getting your bearings, but let’s be honest: once you’ve mastered the basics, the real heart-pounding moments come from PvP.


PvP isn’t just some side mode for thrill-seekers. It’s where the game’s systems—crafting, base building, stealth, and survival—actually come alive. Every wall you build, every trap you set, every silent crossbow shot matters when you know there’s another player out there plotting your downfall. The tension of a raid, the adrenaline of a last-ditch defense, the satisfaction of outsmarting a rival group—these are the moments that keep me coming back night after night.


But here’s the thing: it feels like PvP is always playing second fiddle. Updates come and go, and while the PvE side keeps getting polish, PvP still feels like it’s stuck in the past. We need better weapon balance, real clan systems, territory control, maybe even some structured events. Give us more tools to create our own stories, our own rivalries. The foundation is already solid—the potential is massive. All it needs is a little more attention.


I’m not asking to turn 7 Days into some hardcore esports title. I just want the PvP side to get the same care and innovation as everything else. This game has been my go-to for years, and I know I’m not alone. The community is hungry for more. Give us the tools, the systems, and the support, and we’ll do the rest.


7 Days to Die could be the ultimate PvP survival sandbox. It’s already close. Let’s take it the rest of the way.

There's two of them... great

Post automatically merged: Monday at 10:55 AM

I have to disagree with this. They should definitely be less common than what I've seen so far. The mutated is the wasteland's special zombie and while common in that biome, you never turn a corner and that's all you see. I feel like in the desert and snow I see 5 of the new specials for every normal zombie. Doesn't make them feel very "special".

The spawns should be like 25% or even 15% frost claws especially are just everywhere and it's like Detroit. You get rocks thrown at you at random for no reasons

Mutated Zombies aren't really a threat imo. Unless your close corners but out in the open when he queffs then its just a easy shot

 

[Callum123456789]

can confirm my area 7 was completely fine and as it should be once i hit the quest marker when i got it from the trader, also that poi is pretty damn cool.

 

[Morloc]

I'm going to agree with those that suggest that the new special zombies spawn rate should be tweaked down a bit. They are AMAZING (thank you!), but I don't want to get tired of them.
They can't be ignored in the same way as a coyote or lumberjack off in the distance can be, so they start to become aggravating given how frequently you see them.
No more than 10% would seem reasonable.

Note: If they are already at 10% or less, I may need to eat my hat

 

[Adam the Waster]

I'm going to agree with those that suggest that the new special zombies spawn rate should be tweaked down a bit. They are AMAZING (thank you!), but I don't want to get tired of them.
They can't be ignored in the same way as a coyote or lumberjack off in the distance can be, so they start to become aggravating given how frequently you see them.
No more than 10% would seem reasonable.

Note: If they are already at 10% or less, I may need to eat my hat

No way they are 10% they are everywhere

 

[Elwynne]

I really like them. Scary enemies are good. They do also have their kryptonite, too...spears. The penetrating strikes book is a wonder for them as your thrust kills the swarm and goes through it to impale the spitter behind.

The fact they can hit you on a vehicle is just something to adapt to. The flying bike dismount and skewer a spitter in the head is becoming a staple of desert travel.

Oh I like a challenge and or hard opponents - my point was simply about the infection rate from the bugs. That said a machete chews both the bugs and the mummy up like butter.

 

[faatal]

Starting to sound like a snarky Joel over there. Re-reading my post, I realize I got too snarky myself, so I apologize for that. After 5000+ hours in this game, I'm fully aware of how to move a base, and I do every time I switch traders, I never once complained about that, in fact, I look forward to it! I voiced my feedback, and yes, I'm a bit frustrated at the implementation of storms. Sorry if I'm a bit grumpy, I suppose my expectations were higher since that was a feature I was really looking forward to. If you've already made some changes, I'll look forward to them since I just restarted on the latest experimental today and haven't had time to venture past the forest yet or even get a storm at all. I think the framework is great and hope for expansion of it, either by TFP or modders, honestly. Even with my few negatives about how storms mechanics function, overall, 2.0 seems pretty good, and the positives far outweigh the negatives IMHO. I even complimented you all on how much better performance has been in this version, but it seems like you only focused on my criticisms and none of the positive feedback. I'll try to be less toxic about it, my bad. I get too passionate about my favorite game.

I should emphasize what I meant by "managing it" not being possible -- not due to technical reasons, but due to design choices, WHICH IS FINE. Just say so, and as usual, I'll look to see if a modder adds the systems I'm looking for and continue having fun without it regardless. My point was simple -- I do wish some things I want were in vanilla, but by no means do I expect TFP to do it. All I can do is ask. If you thought I was criticizing your abilities, you're mistaken, but I could see how it might be taken that way.

By the same token, it's why I asked if wetness would return in a new form since it was a system that worked well and I was quite used to, but now it doesn't exist at all -- it was jarring. Had I been visiting the forums every week like I used to (in a busy time of my life rn), I would have asked about it months ago when it was first mentioned to be removed. I'll adjust to it being gone, just like I've adjusted to every other thing TFP has ripped out for not being in line with whatever the game design choices are (jars, cans, LBD, etc). You said it's gone and not returning, so I have no expectation for it in vanilla, and can still hope a modder finds a way to recreate it in an immersive way. Nothing wrong with that at all.

Have a great day!

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 11:45 PM

This is great!! I can't wait to be destroyed by speedy zombies in a storm -- this is a compliment, btw. Seriously, I this.

Sorry, I do sometimes get tired by all the back and forth too easy/hard, too fast/slow, performance is great/bad, that was boring/fun and then get ticked off. Everyone has an opinion and it is easy to express it over the internet when you don't have to say it to their face. People will also treat TFP like it is a hive mind, when in reality even we have different opinions in the company and argue with each other. Trying to guess what appeals to our typical player is not easy.

Thanks for your clarifications. I am glad you found more positives than negatives. I will try not to rip off your head in the future

 

[faatal]

They probably shouldn't have shown off remote explosives in the trailer then.

And trust me, people have noticed. The effect storms have on vehicles is pretty excessive right now. Hope it's going to be tuned.

I spent quite a bit of time tuning it so it felt good to me, but we had people on the team thinking it was too hard and others thinking you should not even be able to drive in the storm, so I will leave it be in the middle ground.

Post automatically merged: Monday at 12:35 PM

We may be unusual, but in our latest co-op game, it "seems" that in the snow and desert biomes, we are mainly seeing frosty and spit respectfully. Is this something everyone else is seeing as well? If our observation is not incorrect, are there any plans to reduce the percentage of new zombies so that we get a better mix, or is this intended to be the case?

It is very random. I was hunting for spitters while testing changes to them and sometimes you see a bunch and other times I would find 10 zeds before finding 1 spitter.

 

[jdm311]

EDIT: What if Frostclaws didn't damage terrain blocks? Oh, I guess people would start building horde bases from terrain blocks.

This is what I was thinking when the topic of storms doing damage to building was brought up.

 

[Khalagar]

Everyone has an opinion and it is easy to express it over the internet when you don't have to say it to their face

AYYY WE GOT A WISE GUY OVER HERE. WHY DON'T YOU COME AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE

Completely related, but has anyone made a Oubliette style horde base yet? I've had good luck making a base that has a 1 block high 1 block wide tunnel leading to a set of bars, so the zombies have to crouch walk through a tunnel of death and come stand at the bars while I beat them over the head with a stick

Quite effective so far because it makes headshots easy to line up and makes the penetrator perk actually quite strong. It worked quite well until they broke the main load bearing pillar and the entire base collapsed and I nearly died. Up to that point it was A+ in concept

 

[faatal]

AYYY WE GOT A WISE GUY OVER HERE. WHY DON'T YOU COME AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE

Completely related, but has anyone made a Oubliette style horde base yet? I've had good luck making a base that has a 1 block high 1 block wide tunnel leading to a set of bars, so the zombies have to crouch walk through a tunnel of death and come stand at the bars while I beat them over the head with a stick

Quite effective so far because it makes headshots easy to line up and makes the penetrator perk actually quite strong. It worked quite well until they broke the main load bearing pillar and the entire base collapsed and I nearly died. Up to that point it was A+ in concept

LOL x2

 

[Uncle Al]

Sorry, I do sometimes get tired by all the back and forth too easy/hard, too fast/slow, performance is great/bad, that was boring/fun and then get ticked off. Everyone has an opinion and it is easy to express it over the internet when you don't have to say it to their face. People will also treat TFP like it is a hive mind, when in reality even we have different opinions in the company and argue with each other. Trying to guess what appeals to our typical player is not easy.

Thanks for your clarifications. I am glad you found more positives than negatives. I will try not to rip off your head in the future

Reminds me of a great point made in a presentation by Chris Bourassa (Red Hook founder - Made Darkest Dungeon) that software development is hard, but game development is doubly hard. The reason he gives is 'You're not making accounting software. Even if you nail your requirements exactly, you still can't be sure it's going to be fun until you build it and try it.'

As someone who works in software development, although I've never gone near games, I found this very relatable. 'What does good look like?' is a really hard question when the desired outcome is 'fun'. Peoples' idea of fun varies a lot, and at the end of the day you want to make the game that matches your vision, but it's also got to be a commercially viable product.

 

[Vaeliorin]

The problem with reducing the number of spitters/frostclaws is that it will make the Kill X challenges way harder. If it took 40-50 minutes to even find 10 spitters, that would be really annoying.

Now, if there was a way to alter the spawn rate based on whether the player had completed the challenge or not, that would be ideal to make them less common after completing the challenge.

But yes, I had initially intended to move to the Desert once I got the badge, but after encountering the plague spitters, I decided that would be far too annoying.

 

[meganoth]

Glad to see a patch so fast.

I really hope they keep patching the perks, since some are still super jank. The Int mastery perks especially need a VERY solid pass over again. Perk 4 of Int Mastery lets your Stun Baton charge in 2 hits, then Perk 5 makes it always charged

That means Int literally only has 4 mastery perks because one replaces the previous perk completely.

....

No, it means perk 4 improves the baton and perk 5 improves it some more. Just like 90% of the perks in the game.

Example Archery perk Rank 1 gives 10% more damage and is 10% faster at aiming, Rank 2 gives 20% more damage and is 20%faster at aiming.

Or if we keep looking at Masteries, Fortitude Mastery rank 4 gives 50 hit points more, rank 5 gives another 50 hit points more. We could easily say rank 4 is replaced with one that gives 100 hit points more. Wouldn't that be silly?

Someone else posted that step 5 may even make the stun baton too strong and on that ground the perk should be about something else. That would be an argument I could get behind.With every hit a stun you could probably keep up to 4(?) zombies in stun lock indefinitely, no matter how strong they are.

 

[jdm311]

Wait no more as those changes are in b289. It was bigger before, but I don't know what actual released build it was first shrunk in.

Post automatically merged: Sunday at 10:22 PM

Maybe. Allan and I have been discussing and possibly up near the version number. Small squares.

What about small versions of the biome badges with a lightning over it? And only show them if you have been warned about the storm for that biome.

 

[Adam the Waster]

No, it means perk 4 improves the baton and perk 5 improves it some more. Just like 90% of the perks in the game.

Example Archery perk Rank 1 gives 10% more damage and is 10% faster at aiming, Rank 2 gives 20% more damage and is 20%faster at aiming.

Or if we keep looking at Masteries, Fortitude Mastery rank 4 gives 50 hit points more, rank 5 gives another 50 hit points more. We could easily say rank 4 is replaced with one that gives 100 hit points more. Wouldn't that be silly?

Someone else posted that step 5 may even make the stun baton too strong and on that ground the perk should be about something else. That would be an argument I could get behind.With every hit a stun you could probably keep up to 4(?) zombies in stun lock indefinitely, no matter how strong they are.

My only issue that it's a mastery. Maybe 50% chance if dismemberment or change to fling without a Charge or even a repluseer

 

[jdm311]

The problem with reducing the number of spitters/frostclaws is that it will make the Kill X challenges way harder. If it took 40-50 minutes to even find 10 spitters, that would be really annoying.

Now, if there was a way to alter the spawn rate based on whether the player had completed the challenge or not, that would be ideal to make them less common after completing the challenge.

YES!!! If you can reduce the spawn rate after the challenge is completed, that was be best.

 

[Khalagar]

No, it means perk 4 improves the baton and perk 5 improves it some more. Just like 90% of the perks in the game.

Example Archery perk Rank 1 gives 10% more damage and is 10% faster at aiming, Rank 2 gives 20% more damage and is 20%faster at aiming.

Or if we keep looking at Masteries, Fortitude Mastery rank 4 gives 50 hit points more, rank 5 gives another 50 hit points more. We could easily say rank 4 is replaced with one that gives 100 hit points more. Wouldn't that be silly?

Someone else posted that step 5 may even make the stun baton too strong and on that ground the perk should be about something else. That would be an argument I could get behind.With every hit a stun you could probably keep up to 4(?) zombies in stun lock indefinitely, no matter how strong they are.

Those are all completely different because they compound on each other and you know it. Each stage of Archery gives +10% , where as the Int Mastery just flat out invalidates the previous perk entirely. It's not compounding to build on the prior one, it just out and out replaces it

Also the difference is it's a mastery, so losing one of your main capstone abilities hurts extra hard too. I definitely agree the full mastery is hilariously strong and will almost certainly get nerfed

They should replace the 5th level int mastery with something else like "Robotic Turrets now stagger enemies" or at least slow them or *something*. Currently they don't really do anything because enemies run through, and if you have a set up so that the enemies can't just run past them, they don't do enough damage to justify all the time spent mining.

 

[jdm311]

Photographic memory, the intellect mastery perk that gives reading a magazine a 50% chance to give 2 skills, gives a notification sound when successful, which is much appreciated. However, when I complete a magazine series the noise is meaningless. Can the noise be disabled after the magazine series is complete? Same idea as when a particular perk book series is completed and we don't keep getting fanfare after reading any book in that series afterward. Ideally, I would like similar functionality to bookworm if the book/magazine added to loot is already read.