This page aims to give a quick-start guide to character building in DF.
More Links[]
Zombie Hunter University - A much more in-depth guide to DF, covering various aspects of the game like character builds, stat progression, mission walkthroughs and more. Unlike most guides, this one introduces the concept of Scientific Minimalism, which analyzes each task and determines the minimal equipment necessary to complete that task, allowing survivors to choose the optimal gears while saving precious resources. This guide is recommended for those wishing to move through the game at a more gradual pace, instead of rushing to the Bunker.
DFP Stat Calculator - A powerful calculator that automatically calculates the amount of stat available based on level and profession, allowing you to play around with stats and visualize your character build. Use this to plan out your stats for later levels.
The Goals[]
- Provide newcomers with a guide that allow them to start the game on a relatively stable footing, and allow then to move to later outposts with stable player population (Fort Pastor, Secronom Bunker) as soon as possible.
- Explain some basics behind the character building process.
General Information[]
Explanation of Stats[]
Read more on Stats and Levels.
TL;DR:
- Equip Stat: Requirement to wield certain weapons and armors. Does not affect your character's performance.
- Strength - Is an equip stat, does not increase damage. Notable breakpoints are
- 30 (requirement for most SMGs)
- 50 (requirement for several end-game Strength guns and chainsaws)
- 100 (requirement for the heaviest MGs/Shotguns and armour, the maximum).
- Weapon Proficiency - Another equip stat, boost your proficiency in order to access more powerful equipment along the path you are upgrading. This does not increase the damage of weapons. Weapon proficiency does have some "breakpoints" for weapons of unique strength:
- 40 (Rebellion, HK69)
- 50 (X-/Dusk Kris, Bloody Machete
- 100 (Dusk weaponry)
- 110 (Corpse weaponry
- 120 (All other guns, the maximum)
- Strength - Is an equip stat, does not increase damage. Notable breakpoints are
- Non-equip Stat: Boosts your character's survival ability and weapon performance.
- Endurance - Allows you to take more damage, and sprint longer. 51 Endurance will allow you to survive a bite from a Flesh Hound without dying and without armor, if you have full health. Usually the last stat to max.
- Agility - One of the most important stats, it determines how fast you move, both for sprinting and for walking. It's often recommended that players max this first or after 55 base Critical Hit.
- Accuracy - Determines the spread of your firearm. Without sufficient accuracy, firearm strength does not matter as you can't hit anything in the first place. Different weapon types require different levels of Accuracy investment: (Low accuracy gets close to perfect offscreen, Very Low accuracy weapons still have a decent spread even at 124)
- 44 (Perfect Very High accuracy , Rifles)
- 79 (Perfect High accuracy, Rifles and Carbines)
- 119 (Perfect Average accuracy, Pistols)
- Critical Hit - Due to Criticals dealing 5x the damage of a regular attack, Critical Hit is likely the most important stat for any build using looting weapons. Rather than being a random chance, it determines the pattern of your critical hits. The only breakpoints for this stat are:
- 79 (Melee, Pistols, Rifles)
- 112 (Sub-Machine Guns, Chainsaws, Rifles, 1-2% Crit for Rifle-Caliber Machine Guns)
- 114 (2% Crit for Rifle-Caliber Machine Guns)
- Reloading - Self explanatory, it determines how fast you reload your firearms. Without enough of it, you will quickly get overwhelmed if you are using a weapon with a low capacity. Becomes less relevant later on as gun capacity increases, but players still regard it higher value than Accuracy overall. Low Capacity endgame weapons such as the Crossbows and Bucktooth Blaster also benefit greatly from max Reloading.
What Stat to Add First[]
In order of importance, non-equip stats generally follow the bellow pattern:
Agility ≈ Critical Hit > Reloading ≈ Accuracy > Endurance
You should try to raise your stats in this order:
- Prioritize getting both Agility to 100, and Critical Hit to your looting weapon of choice's breakpoint. Newcomers are recommended to max Agility first before Critical Hit.
- Get Strength, Accuracy and Reloading according to your second/third weapon of choice. Try to get them to a "comfortable" stat point first, before focusing on maxing them:
- Shotguns require up to 100 Strength and decent Reloading, but can work with little Accuracy investment. An alternative is to follow the Mannberg -> Ace Barrel -> X-Mannberg upgrade path, which only requires 50 Strength.
- Sub-Machine Guns require only 30 Strength and 112 Critical Hit, and can work with little Accuracy. Several early-game SMGs require a decent Reloading investment to compensate for their low capacity however.
- Rifle-caliber Machine Guns require up to 100 Strength, plus as much Accuracy as you can afford. Reloading is less of a concern with their sizable capacity.
- Grenade Launchers need a bit of Accuracy to work; early-game GLs also need near perfect Reloading due to their single-digit capacity.
- Chainsaws require 50 Strength and 112 Critical Hit.
- Dump all remaining points into Endurance.
Weapons and Armor Mastercrafting[]
Frequently, you will see higher level players with stats (usually Agility) higher than the maximum of 100 that can be acquired by leveling up. This is achieved by using mastercrafted weapons and gears:
- Weapons can be mastercrafted up to a maximum of 8/8/8 (+8 Accuracy/+8 Reloading/+8 Critical Hit), for a total of 24 for 3 weapons.
- Armor can also be mastercrafted up to a maximum of 24/24 (+24 Agility/+24 Endurance). Armor endurance acts as damage reduction to simulate an HP increase equivalent to the gained Endurance; see Stats_and_Levels#Endurance for more information.
- Stat increase applies even if you are not actively using the weapon, or if your armor is broken. For this reason, it is recommended to try to bring "stat boost" weapons and armor to fill in empty equipment slots, even if you would never use them in combat.
Weapon and armor mastercrafting are very important, as they greatly improve the performance of your survivor just by being equipped. The 2 most important stats to note regarding mastercrafting are:
- Critical Hit: Always try to get weapons with 7 or 8 in Critical Hit, if possible. All build guides on this site assume that you get 8 Critical Hit on 2 stat booster weapons and 1 clean weapons (IE: Adding more points into your base Critical Hit stat than what is strictly required for perfect MC gear).
- Agility: Any increase in agility is appreciated, but generally, try to get 20-24 Agility on your armor. As a result, armors with lopsided Agility MC will always sell higher than ones with lopsided Endurance MC; a good Endurance MC can still help survivors with low Endurance base however.
An Introduction to The DF Build Framework[]
With 3 weapon slots available, it is important to find weapons that each can fulfill a different tactical role in order to deal with as many situations as possible. As a result, regardless of where you ask for build advice at, almost all builds recommended will use the following framework:
- Looting Weapon
- Knockback Weapon
- Explosives
Looting Weapons[]
Looting weapons will be your mainstay weapon in this game. They are primarily used to move quietly in between loot spots, protect yourself while travelling, and cost efficiently kill boss infected, although this is only recommended if you can get the boss by itself, or to group up in multiplayer.
- Melee Weapons: The only truly silent weapons in the game, they can be used to dispatch any enemy in the game without using ammo or alerting zombies from afar, but caution should be taken when approaching Leaper and Sirens. While they will not blow up exploding enemies, playing in multiplayer carries the risk of other players shooting an explosive zombie that you were approaching.
- Pistols: The more cost effective version of quiet ranged weapons, pistols often offer better crowd control than rifles, but tend to suffer from lower capacity and accuracy. Some of the higher end pistols are good enough to handle groups of zombies by themselves, but only if you are careful.
- Rifles: While generally slightly more expensive to use than pistols, they offer unrivaled damage per hit, often killing weaker infected in a single shot. The main drawback to this is that once aggro becomes apparent, you will likely need to switch to a different weapon or risk being overrun.
Knockback Weapons[]
Knockback weapons are what you want to use when you are put in a situation that you can not handle with either your looting weapon, or explosives. If your back is to a wall, and you've got zombies coming from all sides, these weapons are going to be your best friend. Most weapons in this category also function well as grinding weapons that are less cost efficient and slower, but safer than explosives.
These weapons can be used to kill bosses in single player as well as multiplayer, and while chainsaws may not be very good for this role, it can be done if you get the boss by itself like with looting weapons.
- Shotguns: They offer the highest knockback per shot in the game, and often per second as well (Second only to Miniguns). Overall, shotguns are great in terms of cost efficiency and self defense capability, although their DPS potential tends to leave much to be desired.
- Sub-Machine Guns: A bit of an oddball among the knockback weapons, they offer decent knockback, decent damage and accuracy, and they tend to not make enough noise to generate much aggro. A nice choice for newcomers due to their low stat requirements and reasonable price for their performance.
- Rifle-caliber Machine Guns: The highest damage per second weapons in the game, bar none. If you are looking to make it dead fast, this is what will get it done. The downside is that it might kill your bank account faster than it will kill the zombies.
- Chainsaws: Another oddball, they do around the same damage as Rifle-caliber Machine Guns and also do not make much noise. The catch being that you have to get dangerously close. If you can get good at dodging, chainsaws can be quite rewarding due to not requiring any additional costs for ammo. Chainsaws, just like melee, won't cause exploding zombies to explode, but still also carry the same risks when playing in multiplayer.
Why Always Explosives for 3rd Slot?[]
Explosives can play a role in almost any build. While they are not that useful in the Wastelands, they can be used quite effectively to power level in the Inner City, or they can be used to clear out an aggro spike from behind walls while you are inside of a building. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination.
Recommended Stats For Weapon Types[]
In order for your weapons to function properly, you should try to get your stats close to, or exactly like the ones listed here. The value for Accuracy listed here is of subjective nature, and Reloading will simply not be listed due to variations in playstyle/weapon capacity; ultimately, you should try to aim for at least 100 total Accuracy/Reloading for most types of firearms.
A range (80-119) indicates recommended minimum to the highest effective maximum.
Recommended Stats | ||
---|---|---|
Melee | Base Stats | Boosted Stats (+24 MCs) |
55 Critical Hit | 79 Critical Hit | |
Chainsaws | 50 Strength | 50 Strength |
88 Critical Hit | 112 Critical Hit | |
Pistols | 56-95 Accuracy | 80-119 Accuracy |
55/88 Critical Hit | 79/112 Critical Hit | |
Rifles | 25/55 Accuracy | 44/79 Accuracy |
55/88 Critical Hit | 79/112 Critical Hit | |
Shotguns | 50/100 Strength | 50/100 Strength |
56 Accuracy | 80 Accuracy | |
SMGs | 25/30 Strength | 25/30 Strength |
88 Critical Hit | 112 Critical Hit | |
76-100 Accuracy | 100-124 Accuracy | |
HMGs | 50/100 Strength | 50/100 Strength |
100 Accuracy | 124 Accuracy | |
Explosives | 36 Accuracy | 60 Accuracy |
Choosing Your Armor[]
Armours are split into 2 types:
- Non-Strength Armour (aka Meshes)
Meshes do not have any Strength requirement to wield, thus you can wield the strongest ones right away from level 1. On the other hand, they are less durable than Reactive and also offer lower absorption, requiring you to put a few points into Endurance to not go critical before they break.
These armors are great for newcomers who are struggling to get their stat points to wield their weapons of choices. As you get to higher level (around 120+) and can get 100 Strength while not sacrificing weapon performance, Meshes become mostly obsolete in direct combat. Due to the speed boost they offer however, they are still good for traveling long distances and looting, as less time spent getting to the next loot node is less time that it takes to fill up your inventory.
- Strength Armour (aka Reactives)
Reactives are superior to Meshes in both durability and absorption level; endgame Reactives with a good MC are capable of fully protecting a base 25 Endurance character until they are broken, without the character even going into Critical. The catch is that, all Reactives require up to 100 Strength to use.
These are the go-to armor for higher level players, as well as those going for 100 Strength Shotguns/Rifle-caliber Machine Guns at lower levels. While they may not have the speed boost of Meshes, they offer far better survivability in direct combat. If you are wearing a Mesh while you are looting, you may want to consider packing a Reactive in your inventory just in case things start looking a little grim (Provided that your build allows for having 100 Strength).
In short, Strength armor usually offers superior absorption, and durability equivalent to roughly 50 points of endurance, but requires up to 100 strength to use. Generally, you should always choose weapons first, then choose armor depending on what build you are using with. Regardless of the build however, it may be worth it to carry at least one of each type of armour on you at all times to allow for more flexibility.
Recommended Builds[]
Melee Based[]
Melee Weapons require 79 Critical Hits for optimal performance, and don't care about Accuracy/Reloading at all. They are popular with new players due to their low cost and simple stat requirement, and can fit well with any knockback weapon type.
Melee + Shotgun + Explosives[]
Quite possibly one of the cheapest builds to run in the game. With Melee you are able to loot silently and without spending money on ammo, with Shotguns you have a great "Oh shit!" button you can switch to or as a boss hunting tool, and of course Grenade Launchers to either grind EXP with or to fire from a defend-able position. There isn't much you can't take on with this build, although you should make sparing use of the Shotgun while looting. Highly recommended for both new players and veterans alike.
Melee + Sub-Machine Guns + Explosives[]
One of the more effective critical builds, this build offers unparalleled looting potential. With Melee to kill everything silently, SMGs to quickly deal with small groups that have noticed you, and a GL to fire from over walls from a defended position it will be very easy to loot nearly any building you get into. Even if you are caught in a bad area, SMGs offer just enough damage to kill whatever happens to be in between you and the exit, provided you don't get too careless.
Melee + Rifle-caliber Machine Guns + Explosives[]
Rifle-caliber Machine Guns are mighty grinding machines, but require large amounts of Strength and Accuracy to be effective. This build aims to skirt around that issue by pairing it with Melee Weapons that only requires 79 Critical Hit, and using machine guns with large capacity to reduce the need for Reloading investment.
Rifle Based[]
Rifles are excellent looting weapons with high accuracy, large capacity to compensate for their sluggish reload speed, and a damage progression that starts off far ahead in the early game and scales well into late game. Their high Critical Hit requirement and lack of ammunition early on may prove intimidating to new players however, and a well-thought plan is needed to circumvent these challenges.
Rifle + Sub-Machine Guns + Explosives[]
Rifle + Rifle-caliber Machine Guns + Explosives[]
Rifle + Assault Rifles + Explosives[]
Rifle + Shotguns + Explosives[]
Pistol Based[]
Pistols are split into 2 types: Revolvers which require 79 Critical Hit and high amount of Reload due to their poor capacity and reloading speed, and Semi-Autos which require 112 Critical Hit and much less Reload. Compared to the 2 other looting weapon types, Pistols are considerably harder to start with, due to early game Pistols having relatively low power and accuracy.
Pistol + Shotgun + Explosives[]
Pistol + Sub-Machine Guns + Explosives[]
Other Builds[]
These builds are technically possible, but not recommended for new players:
Melee + Pistol/Rifle[]
A relic of the 2D era, this build used to be the norm for every player for various reasons: Pistols/Rifles were capable of raising aggro, and Melee Weapons were required to destroy barricades. Even in the early 3D era where you could destroy barricade without any tools, Pistols/Rifles were also required to deal with explosive zombies safely. As of 2020 however, Melee Weapons no longer causes exploding zombies to detonate, making the choice of pairing it with another looting weapon mostly redundant.
Melee + Chainsaw[]
It is possible to create an account based around Chainsaws, utilizing the fact that Melee Weapons and Chainsaws use the same proficiency to fill 2 of their weapon slots earlier than others. In practice, Chainsaws are rather not ideal weapons to start with for newbies, requiring large amounts of Strength, Critical Hit, additional protection and/or skill (end game armor + extra Strength or Endurance) to work, having poor stat synergy with any type of firearm, as well as performing rather poorly against bosses. Generally, we only recommend using Chainsaw-based builds for players aiming to create alt characters and level them for a low cost.
Pistol + Rifle-caliber Machine Guns + Explosives[]
While this build seems great on paper, it is a stat hog. Due to Rifle-caliber Machine Guns needing high Accuracy, and Revolvers needing high Reload, along with needing a minimum of 79 Critical Hit all at the same time, you won't really start to see this build shine until you are at least level 105. Combine all of that with the expensive costs of running an MG to grind with until you are a high enough level to use Explosives with it and you'll soon go bankrupt. It is highly advised that if you are going to go with this build, do so with a Stat Reset once you are a high enough level to have enough points to allocate for it.