- ## Before You Start
- If you played during Early Access, know your old saves technically still work, but the developers themselves recommend a fresh campaign to avoid strange behavior or bugs carried over from earlier save versions.
- Positioning matters more than raw firepower -- since cover material and firing angles genuinely affect combat outcomes, scout a defensive position before committing to an engagement rather than treating any nearby cover as automatically safe.
- ## Managing Your Early Priorities
- Balance scavenging trips against Shelter development from the start -- food, medicine, fuel, and building materials all compete for your limited early manpower, and neglecting any one of them for too long creates real, compounding problems later.
- ## Choosing Factions Deliberately
- Since your alliance with the National Guard, Church of Second Chance, or Shady Lady genuinely determines which high-tier recruits and equipment you can access, research each faction's general leanings before committing rather than picking arbitrarily.
- ## Preparing for Day 20
- Since the Atlanta Horde's final siege is confirmed to arrive on in-game Day 20, treat that as a real, fixed deadline -- prioritize shelter defenses, weapon and armor repairs, and squad readiness with that date in mind rather than assuming you have unlimited time to prepare.
- ## Common Mistakes
- * Relying purely on loud firearms -- melee options and stealth takedowns exist specifically because gunfire attracts unwanted attention.
- * Ignoring the learn-by-doing skill system -- deliberately using varied skills in combat, rather than always defaulting to the same tactic, helps your survivors develop more rounded capabilities.
Related guide: How to Prepare for Day 20 and the Atlanta Horde Siege