Noob here need help with my first trader reward option

[keesio]

Hello folks, I 've just started playing this game. I find it pretty challenging, especially since I a playing blind. I finished my first quest and trying to figure out which reward to pick. My choices:

 

• 9mm ammo (100)
• Sawed-off shotgun mod schematic
• Armor plating mod
• Scope x2 mod
• Cobblestone rocks (100)

 

Which is most useful in the long run? I guess I am trying to go by how hard it is to find any of the above but I have no idea. I'm leaning towards the scopex2 mod since I tend to play ranged snipers in other FPS games I play but no idea how this game will pan out (right now I' just running around with a spear lol)

Thanks!

[theFlu]

The scopes are sometimes rare, esp in early game, so it's a good option. Cobble you can buy or make yourself; armor plating won't help you at all (1% less total damage taken) .. schematics mostly need a workbench and that one is really meh. Ammo is always useful, but you should be fine not taking every bit of it.

 

I'd absolutely go for the scope, but I wouldn't blame you for taking the 9mm if you want it.

Edited July 22, 2023 by theFlu (see edit history)

[keesio]

1 minute ago, theFlu said:

The scopes are sometimes rare, esp in early game, so it's a good option. Cobble you can buy or make yourself; armor plating won't help you at all (1% less total damage taken) .. schematics need a workbench and that one is really meh. Ammo is always useful, but you should be fine not taking every bit of it.

 

I'd absolutely go for the scope, but I wouldn't blame you for taking the 9mm if you want it.

 

Thanks! I was leaning towards the scope but wasn't sure. Your breakdown of the rewards is much appreciated!

[OneManStanding]

9mm ammo and make a pipe pistol - that's what I think I would do.

[Scyris]

I'd take the ammo, mods are cheap to buy, 100 rounds of ammo is going to cost more than that 2x scope to buy. Plus its your first quest, make a pipe pistol and get the ammo so you have a backup. Once your more used to the game, you'll learn you can mostly melee (other than blood moons) till like day 30+ and not really use guns much.

[hiemfire]

Misread. disregard.

Edited July 23, 2023 by hiemfire (see edit history)

[warmer]

A 2x and a crossbow is such a deadly combo for a stealth build. I get that as early as I can. Crossbows are very effective because headshots are super easy due to low bolt drop at distance due to the speed of the projectile.

[Fox]

When in doubt, use the price value in upper right corner as an influence. It's not always a best outcome, but it does often help at least narrow it down.

[ElCabong]

I agree with the scope. They can be difficult to come by and finding one this early is very lucky. 

[Riamus]

It's interesting to see so many suggest the scope.  I find so many 2x scopes, even in the early game, that I would never take it as a reward.  Besides, if you don't already have a gun to use it on and ammo to use with the gun, the scope isn't much use unless you use archery.  So starting with ammo to go with a gun you craft would be the better choice, imo. 

[Vaeliorin]

The pipe pistol is such utter trash I never use it, so I'd definitely take the scope.  If it was almost any other schematic, I'd probably take the schematic, but the sawed off shotgun might be the worst mod in the game.

[Riamus]

5 minutes ago, Vaeliorin said:

The pipe pistol is such utter trash I never use it, so I'd definitely take the scope.  If it was almost any other schematic, I'd probably take the schematic, but the sawed off shotgun might be the worst mod in the game.

I don't disagree with this as I almost never use any pipe weapons.  I'll wait until I have a pistol (usually ends up being a toilet pistol).  But I still don't worry about a scope until I have a decent amount of ammo.  And by then, I've usually found at least one.  Besides which, I don't use guns in the early game even if I have them unless I need a quick kill because I'm being swarmed (or it is a dog).  And in those cases, a scope isn't needed.  But it seems like the scope is the priority for most people.

[Vaeliorin]

1 minute ago, Riamus said:

I don't disagree with this as I almost never use any pipe weapons.  I'll wait until I have a pistol (usually ends up being a toilet pistol).  But I still don't worry about a scope until I have a decent amount of ammo.  And by then, I've usually found at least one.  Besides which, I don't use guns in the early game even if I have them unless I need a quick kill because I'm being swarmed (or it is a dog).  And in those cases, a scope isn't needed.  But it seems like the scope is the priority for most people.

I'll always use a scope for a crossbow, but I usually stealth as much as possible.  Personally, I'll use (at least occasionally) the pipe weapons aside from the pistol.  The rifle mostly for shooting some game from a long distance, the machine gun is my early game "Oh Sh!t" weapon, and the pipe shotgun if I haven't found a pipe machine gun yet.

 

It's really not that the scope is a priority, it's just, to me, the least bad option.  But I almost never take ammo as a reward from the trader.  I usually end up with a few thousand 9mm by day 14 anyway.

[keesio]

Thanks for all the feedback. I got the scope awhile ago but appreciate the continued feedback. It is good info to know for the further.

 

On a side note I realize I'm pretty bad at this game! I move to slow. I'm at day 9 and still using a level 1 stone spear as my main weapon! I do have a pipe shotgun with some shells as a backup. Still lol.

[Rotor]

3 hours ago, keesio said:

On a side note I realize I'm pretty bad at this game! I move to slow. 

 

Welcome to the club.

[Riamus]

6 hours ago, keesio said:

Thanks for all the feedback. I got the scope awhile ago but appreciate the continued feedback. It is good info to know for the further.

 

On a side note I realize I'm pretty bad at this game! I move to slow. I'm at day 9 and still using a level 1 stone spear as my main weapon! I do have a pipe shotgun with some shells as a backup. Still lol.

You did good to get through the first horde night then.  Unless you were just hiding on a roof that had no access. 

 

You should have found enough magazines for making at least another couple of levels of stone spears, if not more, by day 9 even if you are going slowly.  And stone weapons are cheap to make.  You might want to consider making a new stone spear of whatever level you are able.  It'll make things far easier.   

Edited July 24, 2023 by Riamus (see edit history)

[keesio]

Nah, I got smoked on horde night. I was totally unprepared for it!

[Ray Garraty]

17 hours ago, keesio said:

I move to slow. 

Needn't worry. After 2-3k hours you'll have fun fighting horde nights out in the open, jumping over cops, ferals and zombie bears

[Fox]

8 hours ago, keesio said:

Nah, I got smoked on horde night. I was totally unprepared for it!

Yup, sounds about right. Everyone going into this game blind will have that outcome for sure. First horde night is supposed to be the easiest too... it can only get a lot more difficult from there as you progress.

 

The easiest way to survive horde nights in the early stages are many layers of spikes, and slowly upgrade them to metal once you have a forge and eventually electric fencing to compliment the spikes during late stages. I was on day 36 and had 9 layers of metal spikes, 4 layers of barbed wire fence both around the whole base, a ramp up to my base entrance with a large jump gap as well as a removable ramp block (which gets placed on top of the base landing so it acts like a wall) to make it very unlikely for them to ever jump what is essentially a 4 block jump gap (spider zombie is the only one that can do it but never does for some reason). My base is essentially a cramped 5x5 tower where the bottom floor is 3 blocks above the ground (solid core) which is where I shoot zombies from, and upper levels is where I store stuff and craft. My next base defense move would have been several layers of electric fencing with concrete around each to protect them from being attacked (in addition to the spikes), but as a kickstarter and long time veteran of this game, I got bored before that could happen which seems to be happening more and more. There's a lot in this latest update I didn't like which contributed to the issue. But that's irrelevant to this topic.

 

My setup is probably the most ideal as I've never had a single zombie reach and attack my tower base at all... ever, in all of the 21 Alpha versions. It may not be the cheapest in materials, but it's the easiest to make happen because RNG can screw anyone over when relying on other methods of base defense.

Edited July 24, 2023 by Fox (see edit history)

[Jihh]

On 7/24/2023 at 8:20 PM, Fox said:

Everyone going into this game blind will have that outcome for sure.

I survived my first horde night unharmed. But it was more luck than skill. It's difficult to explain my (really bad) setup. It was basically a spiral staircase with a door on top and a way to shoot whatever is behind it. But because there wasn't enough space behind the door the zeds tried to stack up and jump on my floor. With their occasional hits they destroyed the blocks that lead to my position before other zombies managed to destroy the door, because I repaired it occasionally. Thus they left me with nothing to do but shoot them from a safe position.