Learn how to build and use Electric Fence Posts.
Once you have a functional power grid in 7 Days to Die, you may wonder how to use this advancement beyond just powering light bulbs. Installing some Electric Fence Posts is a great way to use electricity to help protect your base. These techy traps run power from your generators through an exposed wire to electrocute anything that crosses it.
This guide will walk you through how to craft and set up Electric Fence Posts and offer advice on how they can be used to defend your base.
How to craft Electric Fence Posts in 7 Days to Die
Electric Fence Posts are an advanced trap requiring a functioning electrical grid, a wiring tool, and the skills to set up. To craft them, you’ll only need at least level 25 in the Traps crafting skill and to bring two materials to a Workbench:
Forged Iron can be salvaged from certain machines or crafted at a Forge. Electrical Parts can be scavenged from parts containers or salvaged from electrical equipment and appliances.
The Traps crafting skill can only be improved by finding and reading copies of the Electrical Traps skill book.
How Electric Fences work in 7 Days to Die
Unlike other traps, how electric fences function may not be immediately obvious. Here we will quickly run you through the basics of how to make your fence work.
When holding a wiring tool, wires typically have two visible states: Active and inactive. Active wires are marked by the flow of yellow electricity from the source to its destination, while inactive wires remain black. Electric fences introduce a third wire state: live.
Wires running between two powered fence posts will be marked with a flow of blue electricity, indicating it is a live wire. Live wires will shock any entity that crosses or touches it, dealing damage and inflicting the shocked debuff. Live wires will also remain visible even for players not wielding a wiring tool.
How to use Electric Fence Posts
Now that you know how these traps function, it’s important to think about how best to set them up. Electrified wires only affect enemies who cross them, so we’ve compiled some tips to help make sure you have them running across areas where they will have the most impact:
1. Doorways and Gates
Electric fences only deal damage when powered, meaning you can safely block your entrances with live wires as long as you power them down when you want to pass through or they aren’t in use. This is a great way to protect your doors without limiting your own use of them.
2. Kill Chutes
One highly effective base defense method relies on using kill chutes. Forcing enemies into a tight space limits how many you have to handle at once and lets you line that chute with deadly and debilitating traps.
Electric fences deal area-of-effect damage when shocking targets, and the shocked debuff temporarily stuns those afflicted. This makes them useful for dealing damage to crowds, hinders their mobility, and allows you to utilize guns and turrets more effectively.
3. Tripwires
While you needn’t actually use tripwire posts, setting live wires at ground level has several benefits. Not only does this make the wires of your fence more difficult to spot, but makes them effective against smaller targets like zombie dogs and crawlers. Electric shocks deal the same amount of damage regardless of where the target touches the wire, so there isn’t any downside to setting them at ankle height.
Pros and cons of Electric Fence Posts
Cons
- Electric Fence Posts are fragile and can be easily destroyed by gunfire, explosions, and zombie attacks.
- This trap requires a constant supply of electricity to remain functional.
- Electric fences take several seconds to recharge between each shock.
- Getting zapped by your fence is painful, embarrassing, and deadly if zombies are around.
Pros
- Live wires will be visible even if a player is not holding a wiring tool.
- Electric shocks can spread to several enemies nearby.
- Shocked enemies are temporarily stunned, slowing them down and making them vulnerable.
- Wires do not block passage, meaning they can be strung over a doorway and passed through.
Tips and tricks for using Electric Fence Posts
- If possible, set your posts somewhere out of sight. This makes it harder to notice a live wire and can help protect the post.
- Remember that live wires will always be visible to players; consider setting them in dark or low-to-the-ground locations to help conceal them.
- Attaching your fence posts to a switch can control the flow of electricity and toggle whether your wires are safe to cross. This makes them great for protecting doorways.
- Electric Fence Posts can be planted on the sides of walls to discourage climbers or raise the wire to a higher altitude.
Final thoughts on Electric Fence Posts
A staple of modern property protection, The Fun Pimps knew they couldn’t make a base-defense game without including some kind of electric fence. It may not be the most deadly, but the painful shock imparted by these devices won’t soon be forgotten by any intruder foolish enough to cross the line.
Looking for some other tips to help you get started in 7 Days to Die? Check out our 10 Tips for Getting Started and 7 Days to Die Beginner’s Guide.
