Here are 10 tips to help you survive the early game of Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead.
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is an extremely involved survival game that has been in development by a small team for years now. With the game recently being released on Steam, lots of new players who have never been exposed to Cataclysm are experiencing it for the first time.
Cataclysm is punishing, unforgiving, and sometimes confusing as a hardcore survival roguelike. These traits make it a great addition to the genre but can also make it difficult for new players to get started. That is why we made a list of ten tips to help new players survive in the harsh world of Cataclysm: DDA.
- Make yourself a bag
- Keep the curtains closed
- Knowledge is power
- Craft a better weapon
- Abuse the weapon
- Learn to sneak
- Be patient
- Plan ahead
- Make sure they stay down
- Assume the worst
1. Make yourself a bag
Assuming your character doesn’t start with a backpack, it can be annoying to try and carry around tools and loot without a decent bag. Fortunately, you are craftier than you might think. All you need is some sheet, and you can tie a makeshift sling.
Whether it’s a blanket, quilt, or a curtain, you can tie it into an over-the-shoulder sling to carry your hard-earned loot. However, don’t be too enamored with its impressive carrying capacity, as the makeshift sling is unwieldy and will increase your torso encumbrance significantly, especially when it’s full. Swap it out for a proper backpack as soon as you can.
2. Keep the curtains closed
While it’s entirely possible that you may be attracting zombies due to scent or noise, chances are they will see you before they hear you. Whether it’s your home base or just some house you’re looting, closing the curtains on the windows cuts off a line of sight and can help keep the zeds in the streets off your back.
It is usually better to keep the curtains closed, but like everything else, a few negatives come with the territory. Closed curtains mean less daylight and prevent you from seeing outside. This can mean slower crafting and limited awareness if you don’t have an alternate light source.
3. Knowledge is power
Read EVERYTHING. Your character does not level up in Cataclysm like in a typical RPG. Instead of getting experience for killing monsters and completing quests, you grow stronger by improving skills and obtaining better equipment. Both of these activities can be significantly streamlined by reading manuals.
Sure, there is a difference between theoretical and practical skills. However, an improved theoretical skill will unlock new crafting recipes and greatly increase the chance of succeeding in certain actions like lockpicking, crafting, and even fighting. Some recipes can only be learned by reading specific books found in the world. There is a reason why illiteracy is one of the most dangerous traits in Cataclysm.
4. Craft a better weapon
It might be a while before you can really forge or find an effective weapon with which to defend yourself. In the meantime, you’ll have to make do with what you can scavenge. But don’t settle for swinging around that wooden plank like a lunatic. Carve a handle into it to make it more effective!
Thousands of crafting recipes are available to players in Cataclysm, and many don’t require advanced proficiencies to fabricate. The mundane materials you can easily find can be turned into (slightly) better weapons with a little time. That broom you found? Tape a knife to the end to make a spear. You can even make a slingshot with a stick and rubber hose! Check your crafting menu often; you may be surprised by what you can do with a little creativity.
5. Abuse the environment
Life’s not fair, and neither is combat. On almost every occasion, enemies will be stronger, faster, and more deadly than you. If you want to survive, you need to even the odds. If they aren’t going to fight fair, why should you? All of those environmental hazards that are so annoying to deal with? They affect enemies too.
Forcing an enemy to stand on unstable terrain while they fight you will slow them down and give you a leg up. Zombies and other brainless enemies can be tricked into walking into physical hazards such as broken windows, spiked pits, and even fires. Setting a patch of brush on fire and leading an enemy into it is a great way to decrease their available action points and deal damage to them simultaneously.
6. Learn to sneak
It might not be obvious initially, but crouching, crawling, and sprinting in Cataclysm: DDA is possible. You won’t be able to handle all of the enemies present on the map at a time without extreme firepower, and even then, it’s questionable. When starting out, you want to attract as little attention as possible. Don’t be ashamed to crawl through the street if it keeps you alive.
Crouching will cause you to move more slowly but also makes it harder to be seen, while crawling will move you much more slowly and limit your vision, significantly reducing your visibility to enemies. These positions can also increase your accuracy with certain firearms, such as rifles and guns equipped with bipod modifications.
7. Be patient
Cataclysm: DDA is a turn-based game, meaning nothing will move until you do. That means you can take as long as you need to decide on each action and even carefully weigh each step’s options if you want to. While that might be a little excessive, living in the end times means you have the right to consider each action carefully since one wrong move might mean you end up as lunch.
Take the time to prepare before heading out on scavenging runs. Eat, exercise, read, train, and maintain equipment. How often the console informs you of a nearby enemy might be frustrating, but don’t ignore it. It repeats the warning once an enemy has spotted you, so if you don’t check, you may not notice that an enemy is approaching until it’s too late.
8. Plan ahead
Hope for the best, and prepare for the worst. Every scavenging run has the potential to put you in the ground or seriously injure you. Take the time to scout a location before diving through the window, and consider your options.
- How many enemies are nearby?
- Could there be enemies inside that you can’t see?
- Is there an unlocked entrance?
- How many exits are there?
All of this needs to be considered before you even approach a building.
Getting trapped inside a structure is one of the worst things that can happen to a survivor, be it your own base or a scavenging target. Prepare ahead of time and keep a stash of necessities such as food, clean water, and maybe a spare weapon outside your base in the event you are overrun. Finally, above all else, always have an escape route.
9. Make sure they stay down
Zombies are resilient and difficult to kill. What’s worse is that, with enough time, a dead zombie can get back up and start fighting again. Don’t panic. There are several ways to ensure they don’t get back up once you knock them down. If you see an enemy corpse marked with a yellow caution sign, it means they can still reanimate.
To ensure they stay dead, zombie corpses must be butchered or smashed to a pulp. We recommend butchering whenever possible, as this doesn’t tire you out as much and is less likely to damage whatever weapon you use. However, these actions will take time and energy, so don’t cut up a zombie until you are clear.
10. Assume the worst
You might be the protagonist of this story, but you’re no hero. As the game will remind you, you are just one among millions lost in the cataclysm each time you perish. With this in mind, it’s perfectly reasonable to be extremely paranoid. Assume everything has the potential to kill you—because it does.
- If a location sounds like it might have zombies there, expect a horde.
- If your Geiger counter is going off, you’re already irradiated.
- If you think fungal spores might be a hazard to your health, you don’t know the half of it.
- If an enemy sounds dangerous, they’re probably lethal. If an enemy doesn’t sound dangerous, they probably still are.
Know your limits, and never leave anything to chance.
Final thoughts on getting started in Cataclysm DDA
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead is far removed from the typical modern survival game and speaks more to those who favor brutal realism over graphical style. The systems are varied and complex, and even experienced survival game players like us always learn new things about the game.
The advice here doesn’t aim to cover everything, but hopefully, it can help you stay alive in the difficult days of the early game. Chances are, you’re going to die. Each time you do, learn from your mistakes, and you can only return stronger.
