Games

7 Days To Die: The Best Perks, Ranked

Published

2 weeks ago

November 3, 2024

Christoph Rediske

Key Takeaways

Spend points wisely – some perks stand out more than others, like Grease Monkey for faster vehicle crafting.
Better Barter is crucial early on – gain a 5% discount from traders for essential items like a Cooking Pot.
Consider Parkour – jump higher, fall further, and avoid injuries with this essential perk for survival.

The release of 7 Days To Die 1.0 has seen lots of new players trying out the game for the first time. As they progress, they’ll need to make smart decisions about which perks will best suit their needs. During the mid to late stages of the game, players will be able to use Grandpa’s Forgettin’ Elixir to re-distribute their perks. However, during the early days, selecting the right perks is crucial for survival.

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Players should spend their points wisely. While there are lots of great perks in 7 Days To Die, there are some that stand head and shoulders over others. This article will go over the best perks in the game.

11 Grease Monkey

Craft Vehicles Faster

Grease Monkey is a great early perk. By placing just a single point into Grease Monkey, the player will find considerably more vehicle magazines while out looting various POIs. The faster the player reads 20 vehicle magazines, the sooner they’ll be able to craft the minibike.

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Players will be able to pick up the bicycle upon completing the first set of missions and unlocking the second mission tier. While the bicycle is pretty useful, vehicles with an engine are always the better choice. The Grease Monkey perk will dramatically increase the speed at which players will unlock all vehicles, including the Gyrocopter.

10 Better Barter

Save Some Dukes Early On

Dukes are easy to come by during the late stages of the game. However, during the first few weeks, players may struggle to gather enough Dukes to buy items from traders. Initial trader prices are steep. It’s very unlikely that players will be able to afford much from the traders during the first week or so of their playthrough.

By investing a point into Better Barter, the player will gain a 5% discount when purchasing items from traders. While it’s not much, it can be just enough to allow the player to buy some important early-game items like a Cooking Pot and some meds.

9 Salvage Operations

Start Saving Up Resources From Day One

7 Days To Die is a game that encourages players to hoard everything they see. As soon as the player finds a Wrench, they should consider putting a point into Salvage Operations. Rank one of this perk will give the player the ability to find more tools and parts in loot.

This can help to not only build a nice stockpile of resources but also to make some extra Dukes by selling excess items to traders. This perk also increases the amount of damage that salvage tools deal while also reducing their stamina cost.

8 Pain Tolerance

Take A Hit Like A Pro

One thing that players will struggle with during the first few days is stun damage. Stun damage can be deadly. When stunned, the player’s movement speed is virtually reduced to nothing for a few seconds. This allows enemies to get in a few extra swings before the player is able to run away.

The first rank of Pain Tolerance does two things; reduces HP loss by 5%, and it reduces the chance of the player being stunned by an enemy by 20%. This can be incredibly helpful during the first Blood Moon, as the player is most likely going to take several hits throughout the night.

7 A Weapon Perk

An Option For All Preferences

Fighting A Zombie With A Machete In 7 Days To Die

Selecting a weapon perk is very important. Players should try to stick to one melee and one ranged weapon. In the early stages, it will most likely be a bow and one of the lower-tier stone weapons like the spear or a Bone Shiv. The weapon perk options can be seen below:

Spear Master
Pummel Pete
Skull Crusher
The Brawler
Deep Cuts
Electrocutioner
Archery

The most beneficial ones early on are Electrocutioner, Cuts Deep, and Spear Master, as they offer some pretty great boosts to weapon damage. A boost to damage means fewer hits are required to take down an enemy. The fewer hits the player needs to make, the longer their weapon will last before needing to be repaired.

6 Daring Adventurer

Gain Better Rewards For Completing Missions

Most players will complete missions on a daily basis. Getting through each tier as fast as possible is great for finding out the locations of all the traders in the game. Upon completing a mission, the player will be given an array of reward options to choose from.

For the most part, the early rewards are rather lackluster. The Daring Adventurer perk increases the amount of Dukes the player gets for completing a mission. It also improves traders’ inventory quality. The first tier of this perk gives players 5% more Dukes upon completing a mission. While this doesn’t sound like a lot, it adds up over time.

5 Physician

Heal More Efficiently

Players will sustain countless injuries while exploring and taking down enemies. Players will end up with sprained and broken bones, bleeding damage, and more. Each rank of Physician greatly improves the effectiveness of aid items. Not only that, but players will get more XP for using aid items after investing a point in this perk.

Rank one of Physician, allows the player to heal faster, gain more health from medicinal items, gain 100% more XP for using aid items, and it makes splints and casts cure sprains instantly. This is a must-have perk, no matter the type of build the player is going for.

4 Cardio

Run Like The Wind

Player Holding A Machete In 7 Days To Die

On day one, the player will have a shockingly poor level of fitness. They’ll barely be able to run more than a few feet without needing to stop to catch their breath. If the player runs out of stamina, then they will become much more vulnerable during a zombie attack.

Stamina is required to perform almost every action in the game. Running, swimming, aiming, hitting, and mining all cost stamina points. The first rank of Cardio will increase the player’s stamina refresh speed while sprinting by 20%. While 20% may not sound like a lot, it makes a very big difference to the player’s athletic abilities.

3 Motherload

Harvest More Materials

The player will always be stuck in a never-ending cycle of gathering resources, crafting, and upgrading their defenses. Because of this, players will spend a large chunk of time mining for materials like stone, iron, and brass.

The first rank of Motherload gives the player a 20% boost to the amount of materials they harvest while using tools. This applies to everything from stone to wood. The faster players can gather resources, the faster they can build a good quality base that can withstand attacks from the undead.

2 Miner 69’er

The Perfect Addition To Motherload

It’s impossible to talk about Motherload without mentioning Miner 69’er. Each rank of this perk greatly reduces the stamina cost involved with tools. Players can chop down trees and mine rare minerals for longer periods of time thanks to this perk.

Just the first rank of this perk increases tool damage by 10% and block damage by 30%. It also reduces the amount of stamina it costs per swing. Players will get an 8% reduction per standard swing and a 15% reduction for power attacks with tools. Players will also find more tools and parts in loot containers which can be useful for upgrading and modifying their tools.

1 Parkour

Jump Hire, Fall Further, And Much More

Player Standing On Top Of A Building In 7 Days To Die

Parkour is the number one must-have perk in 7 Days To Die. This perk gives players several abilities. This includes being able to jump higher, jump for less stamina, fall further before sustaining an injury, and it can even completely eliminate the chances of the player breaking a leg.

Rank two of Parkour grants the player the ability to jump higher than the undead. This is ideal for escaping dicey situations. If the player can jump higher than the enemy, then they can easily jump out of harm’s way. No matter what build the player is going for, it’s always worth investing at least two points into Parkour.