15 — Survival Mechanics
Last updated: May 18, 2026
The systems keeping you alive between gunfights. Temperature, hunger, thirst, animals, healing — the unglamorous mechanics that decide if you make it back to base.
Health, hunger, thirst
Three vitals at all times. They interact.
- Max HP: 100 (default). Some teas push higher.
- Hunger: drops over time and after exertion. Below 50 you stop regenerating HP. At 0 you start losing HP slowly.
- Thirst: drops faster than hunger. Below 25 you take periodic damage.
- HP regen rate: ~0.5 HP/sec when hunger > 50 and thirst > 50. Slower if hunger/thirst low.
Pro tip: keep hunger above 60 and thirst above 50 at all times. Carry 10 cooked meat and refill water at every river/lake.
Food
| Food | Calories | Water | Health regen bonus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw fish | 10 | 0 | None | Eat raw or cook |
| Cooked fish | 40 | 0 | Mild | Cook over campfire |
| Raw meat | 5 | 0 | Penalty (food poisoning) | Don't eat raw |
| Cooked meat | 40 | 0 | Mild | Animal meat, cook first |
| Cooked human meat | 50 | -10 | Mild | Cannibal route |
| Pumpkin | 70 | 5 | Mild | Best calorie-per-slot |
| Corn | 35 | 5 | None | Mid-tier |
| Potato | 20 | 5 | None | Low-tier |
| Apple | 20 | 6 | None | Loot drop, decent water |
| Mushroom | 5 | 10 | Mild | Cave loot, hydrating |
| Berries (any color) | 5 | 5 | Tea ingredient | Plant-grown |
| Granola bar | 100 | 0 | High | Rare loot |
| Chocolate bar | 100 | -5 | High | Rare loot, slight dehydration |
| Tuna can | 50 | 0 | Mild | Common food crate |
| Black raspberries | 5 | 5 | None | Found in fields |
Pumpkin is the calorie king for farmers. One pumpkin = 70+ calories. Three pumpkins keeps you fed for a day.
Granola/Chocolate bars are stockpile food. Carry 5-10 for raids; they refill fast and don't degrade.
Water
| Source | Effect |
|---|---|
| River / freshwater lake | Drink direct, fills thirst |
| Ocean (salt water) | -5 thirst (dehydrates), -5 HP per drink |
| Snow biome ice | Same as river |
| Water jug | Carry up to 5,000 mL. Drink slowly. |
| Small water bottle | 250 mL. Easy carry. |
| Water purifier | Convert salt to fresh. WB2 craft. |
| Pump jack on water tile | Steady supply piped into base |
Pro tip: never drink ocean water unless you have no choice. Carry a jug filled from a river.
Temperature
Each biome has a temperature range:
- Forest (temperate): 10-25°C, no concern
- Field: 15-30°C, no concern
- Desert: 25-40°C daytime, 5-15°C nighttime. Hot biome stress at day, cold at night.
- Snow / Arctic: -20 to 5°C. Cold biome stress year-round. Fire required.
- Tundra: -5 to 10°C. Mild cold.
Cold damage
If your character's effective temperature is below 0°C:
- HP regen halts
- HP loss begins (~1 HP/sec at extreme cold)
- Movement slightly slower
- Hunger drops faster
Clothing temperature
| Item | Cold protection |
|---|---|
| Burlap top/legs | Minimal |
| Hoodie / pants | Moderate |
| Snow jacket | High (snow biome ready) |
| Boots | Minor (helps feet) |
| Wolf headdress / hat | Moderate head warmth |
| Hazmat suit | Some cold + 50% radiation |
| Full snow jacket + pants + boots + gloves + hat | Snow biome capable |
Fire and heaters
- Campfire: wood-fueled, warmth + cooking + light. ~1 wood per 10 sec.
- Furnace: warmer than campfire when running, doubles as smelter.
- Ceiling heater: electric, 2 rW, keeps a room above 10°C.
- Wood barrel/pile: decorative warmth source.
Pro tip: in snow biome, place a campfire inside your base at all times. Run it during sleep. Or use an electric heater wired to your battery.
Hot damage
Above 35°C effective temperature:
- Thirst drops 2x faster
- Hunger drops slightly faster
- Stamina regenerates slower
Less common to die from heat than cold. Just stay hydrated in desert biome.
Animals
| Animal | HP | Damage | Drops | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken | 30 | Minor peck | 1-2 raw chicken | Easy starter food |
| Boar | 100 | 15-20 melee | 4-6 raw meat, fat | Aggressive when wounded |
| Deer | 80 | None (flees) | 4-8 raw meat, leather | Best food yield |
| Stag | 80 | None (flees) | Same as deer | More elusive |
| Wolf | 150 | 25-30 | 2-3 raw meat, wolf head | Aggressive pack hunter |
| Bear | 250 | 50-70 | 8-12 raw meat, large skull | Highly aggressive |
| Polar Bear (snow only) | 350 | 70+ | 12-15 meat, polar skull | Most dangerous |
| Shark (ocean) | 200 | 40 | 6-10 raw fish, shark meat | Attacks swimmers near oceans |
Killing animals
Hatchet or pickaxe at melee range for small animals. ~10 hits to kill a deer.
Bow + arrow at range. Headshot multipliers apply to animals. A bow headshot one-shots most prey.
Firearms are overkill on small game (wastes ammo) but necessary for bear/wolf/polar bear.
Pro tip: never melee a bear. Use a bow from a high rock, or run. Bears outrun unarmored players.
Radiation
Found at certain monuments (Power Plant, Launch Site, Train Tunnels deep) and roaming the world in patches.
Effects
- Radiation accumulates while in a rad zone
- Above 100 rads: you start taking HP damage
- Above 500 rads: you die quickly
Protection
| Gear | Rad protection |
|---|---|
| Hazmat suit (full) | 50% |
| Wolf headdress | Minor |
| Snow jacket | Some |
| Hoodie / pants | Minor each |
| Heavy plate armor | Almost none — designed for kinetic, not rads |
Always wear hazmat for radiation runs. Power Plant, Train Yard, Launch Site, Military Tunnels.
Anti-rad pills
Found in medical loot. Reduces your accumulated radiation gradually. Carry 5-10 if you live near a rad monument.
Healing items
| Item | HP restored | Use case | Crafting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bandage | 5 over 5 sec | Stops bleeding, basic regen | 1 cloth |
| Syringe | 35 immediate | Mid-fight burst heal | WB2: 1 syringe loot + 1 pistol body |
| Large Medkit | 100 over 8 sec | Full heal, slow application | WB3: 5 cloth + 1 medkit loot |
| Apple (or food) | Trickle | Light regen via hunger | Direct |
| Berry | Tiny | Like apple, smaller | Plant |
| Anti-rad pill | Reduces radiation | Rad zone recovery | Loot only |
| Blood | Regen + hunger | Drink directly from animals | Hatchet animal kill |
Healing pattern
In a fight: hit syringe immediately if injured. After fight: bandage if bleeding, then food + water for slow regen. Save large medkits for raid defense scenarios.
Sleeping bags and beds
Two respawn options:
Sleeping bag — cloth craft, 5-min respawn cooldown after using. Place anywhere in your base or hidden in bushes.
Bed — wood + cloth, 2-min respawn cooldown (faster). More expensive but lets you respawn faster mid-fight.
Strategy: place one bag in main base, one bag in forward outpost (near a frequent monument), one hidden bag in bushes near a raid response location. Always have multiple options.
Bleed mechanic
Hatchet, knife, and certain melee weapons cause bleed:
- Bleed deals 1 HP/sec until bandaged
- Cleared by any bandage / syringe / medkit
- Can stack up to ~5 HP/sec from multiple sources
Pro tip: carry 5+ bandages anywhere you go. Bleeding deaths are stupid avoidable.
Fall damage
Fall damage scales with height:
- 5m or less: zero damage
- 5-10m: ~10 HP
- 10-15m: 20-30 HP
- 15m+: 50-100 HP, often fatal
Vault over edges with crouch + sprint to reduce minor drops. For longer falls, use ladders or land in water (no fall damage if you hit water).
Drowning
Underwater past ~30 seconds: you start losing HP from drowning. Surface every 30 seconds, or use scuba gear (loot).
Sound and stealth
Your character makes sound when:
- Sprinting (loudest)
- Walking (moderate)
- Crouching (quiet)
- Eating (chomping, audible to nearby players)
- Reloading (specific weapon-reload sound)
- Crafting (workbench-tap sound)
- Opening doors / hatches
Pro tip: crouch-walk when scouting. Eat before fights, not during. Don't reload in the open.
Common survival mistakes
- Letting hunger drop below 30. You stop regen, can't recover from a fight.
- Drinking ocean water. Always negative; carry fresh water or find a river.
- Wearing no clothes in snow biome. Hypothermia damage kills you fast.
- Approaching a bear with a bow at 5m. Always 30m+ or run.
- Forgetting bandages. Bleed deaths are entirely preventable.
- Falling into a chasm without checking depth. A 15m drop is lethal.
- Sleeping naked. Wake up to a raid, no armor on, instantly dead.
- Carrying all your loot in one trip. Split high-value into multiple jugs and don't lose it all.
Pro tips
- Cook food at base in bulk. 30 cooked meat lasts a day.
- Always carry 3 bandages, 1 syringe, 1 jug of water.
- Sleep in armor in snow biome. Wake-up hypothermia is real.
- Plant berries in your greenhouse. Tea + food + decent water content.
- Take anti-rad pills before a rad-heavy monument run — pre-deplete accumulation.
- Build a campfire in your base even with electric heater backup. Power outages happen.
- Stack hatchets and pickaxes by category — wood tools, ore tools, etc. Doesn't degrade as fast as one overused tool.
- Skin animals fully. Get bones, leather, fat, meat all from one kill.