Survival Tips

[RimBlock]

With the impending arrival of Survival for our PS4 comrades and with a little experience of playing it post PST, I thought it may be good to get a thread up on Survival tips and tricks.

Here are some from me.  I generally run solo so these may not be all appropriate for group runs.

• Apartment blocks usually have clothes in to help against the cold.
  
• Some apartment blocks have bad guys inside.
  
• If you are close, go for the downed chopper, if not then don't bother.
  
• Every safe house has pills and a fabric piece.  If you rush to the close safe houses you can sometimes find some not yet looted.
  
• The pistol is ok against red AI but Craft a green weapon (or even better a blue one) as soon as you can.
  
• The closer to the DZ you go, the harder the AI.
  
• If you are finding everything looted on your path then jump up or down a road and see if you are any luckier.
  
• Avoid the 'special locations' unless you have a better weapon.
  
• You can craft medkits at the safe houses.
  
• Different safe houses offer different items available to craft.
  
• Craft the first aid skill asap. 
  
• The turret skill can also be very helpful.
  
• Run to the bottom of the DZ then run up its side hugging the wall as you are less likely to aggro the AI then coming from a side road.
  
• Craft any blue / purple weapons before you go in to the DZ as you can only craft gold weapons there and need Div Tech to do so which is not common.
  
• Craft two different weapon types so you have a fallback if ammo runs dry.
  
• LMGs are my go to gun for most of the run.  M60 / M249 / RPK.  I tend to have an AR as my secondary (LVOA-C or G36) where possible.
  
• Craft an extended mag if you can.
  
• Avoid AI in the DZ where you can.
  
• The chopper can only carry 4 people.  If a team of 4 are waiting then either know you are not getting that chopper or try to pinch a seat and force one of them to stay behind (depends on your arsehat level I guess  :10_wink:  ).
  
• If you join an extraction you do not need the anti-virus or flare gun but you do get points (possibly bonuses) for collecting them.
  
• Every DZ entry has a loot item near by.  If there isn't one then someone has been there.
  
• Light the barrels to keep warm.  The barrels go out after some time.
  
• There are big AI outside the DZ.  I have seen a heavy flamer and MG guy.  There is a heavy flamer guy at the subway morgue but he didn't drop anything special for me.
  
• Hunters have only 3 medkits.  After 3 heals, they should not be able to heal anymore, give or take support stations etc (confirmed on a Massive podcast).
  
• Don't forget your grenades if the AI starts grouping up on you.
  
• Water / soda helps you find things.
  
• Food / snack bars regen health over time.
  
• Syringe / pills stop virus counter for a time (amount of time is said to reduce the more you take but I have not confirmed).
  
• Fire barrels (alight) flaming cars and buildings and even being on fire :51_scream:  warm you up :5_smiley: .  If you are super desperate you can fire grenade yourself  :31_neutral_face: .
  

What other tips have people got ?.

 

[Oh. daesu]

Thanks @RimBlock, this good. I have only attempted Survival once due to time constraints, and then I had to stop to pick up my better half from the station.  :19_kissing:

How long do you think one should allow to make it worthwhile entering Survival?

Is it best to take your time moving towards the DZ? Or are you more likely to miss loot/resources if you mosey along? I not sure if there is any refreshing of resources once someone finds.

When you solo, do you pve/pvp?

 

[RimBlock]

I do PvE.  Dont need to contend with the DZ ganking gangs outside of the DZ as well  :12_slight_smile: .

Some people run, get mats to craft the filter then straight in to the DZ.

I go a bit slower, craft 2 guns if I can and two skills if I am also quite lucky.  My last run I crafted a RPK that had preditory that I could prop.  Made a bit difference.  AI can also drop some good blue loot (one piece per mob) outside the dz but watch your ammo as they dont always drop any and you can run out fast.  Purple AI can sometimes drop purple items but have armour so much harder to take down and eat in to your ammo a lot deeper.  A turret can be awesome due to its force multiplier effect and multi-direction attack and distraction.

I seem to spawn a lot in the bottom left of the map.  I am now mapping out key locations so i can go straight to them rather than just blundering around.

I tend to use water when in high loot areas like apartment buildings.

If i find lots of opened loot containers then i move vertically to the next road.  Usually down as lower level enemies.  Finding nothing but empty loot boxes is very frustrating.

Lots of ai around usually means loot is still around although not always is someone gas been sneeky.

No point engaging with heavies outside the DZ as you dont get better loot in my experience.

Let me know if you want to team up sometime.  I am taking Christmas hols so may be arou d a bit during daytime (your evening) more.

 

[quinch1199]

• Apartment blocks usually have clothes in to help against the cold.
  
• If you are close, go for the downed chopper, if not then don't bother.
  
• If you are finding everything looted on your path then jump up or down a road and see if you are any luckier.
  
• Different safe houses offer different items available to craft.
  
• Craft any blue / purple weapons before you go in to the DZ as you can only craft gold weapons there and need Div Tech to do so which is not common.
  
• Avoid AI in the DZ where you can.
  
• Light the barrels to keep warm.  The barrels go out after some time.
  
• Water / soda helps you find things.
  
• Syringe / pills stop virus counter for a time (amount of time is said to reduce the more you take but I have not confirmed).
  
• Fire barrels (alight) flaming cars and buildings and even being on fire :51_scream:  warm you up :5_smiley: .  If you are super desperate you can fire grenade yourself  :31_neutral_face: .
  

To add to the ones above firstly:

-          You only need cold resistance to -17 before entering the DZ. Normal Houses also have sometimes massive clothing caches inside.

If you want to go to the chopper, go right there! Don’t even pause to take a tablet. Iconic/landmark locations are better but have gangs of Elite enemies.

When looking for loot, think in 3 dimensions. Go up, go down…rooftops and subways are often unlooted areas. Subways also have enemies so be careful. Some in-game safehouses are open and contain good loot but are also overrun with enemies.

Available blueprints in Safehouses depends on location. Closer to DZ = better quality blueprints.

Would also say seeker mines are good, especially against Hunters so you can at least locate them but be wary of your tech being hacked and used against you!

Learn your Dark Zone maps! Div Tech isn’t THAT rare but you need to know where to find it. Remember you can craft anything out of Div Tech if you have excess.

“Avoid AI in the DZ where you can” - Yes, fight only to get materials (Div Tech). Caches are plentiful enough if you need upgrades.

Arriving near the tail end of someone elses extraction is usually the best idea. Make sure you get there when they’re still alive so you have more of you to take the Hunters down.

Unlit barrels do not show up on the map so make sure you look for them if you’re getting cold.

“Water / soda helps you find things.” Yes, it increases your Perception range so you can “see” loot even through multiple walls.

The more you use Pills the less effective at stopping the disease they are. Syringe seems to be unaffected by this “diminishing return” mechanic.

No fire barrels but near a Cleaner zone…look for them and the cars on fire etc. They keep you warm too.

 

[Oh. daesu]

I'm away for a few weeks @RimBlock so won't be logging in at all in for a while. Not even for this pass supply drops (nervous twitch, twitch..).

So, how long does Survival take to complete?

 

[quinch1199]

How long do you think one should allow to make it worthwhile entering Survival?

Its very dependant on a few things - Finding sufficient cold weather gear, finding good enough materials to craft blue/purple weapons.

Minimum start to finish is 45mins, the ideal time is 1hr to 1hrs 15mins. 

You need about 30mins of life when you enter the dark zone so you don't have to worry.

Is it best to take your time moving towards the DZ?

Best is to move "generally" via safe points towards the DZ. Entrances are the climb over points so finding them can often lead you on a big detour! Remember that loot points are the same or logically in the same places as the normal map so if you are near housing for example and need clothing...go there...if you're near garages, shops etc and need tools, fabric etc then detour. 

Found clothing is mostly always better than crafted.

I not sure if there is any refreshing of resources once someone finds.

Resources do not refresh in a session, that's in open map and DZ. Onces its gone, its gone. 

BUT...loot locations don't change so you can memorise them based on your spawn point.

 

[quinch1199]

Tip - Use the poor conditions to your advantage. Don't just engage enemies when you see them, move past and get the loot. Its very possible they won't even see you! I've walked past an Elite within 3 feet ... in the open ... he never saw me, I barely saw him!

 

[quinch1199]

How long do you think one should allow to make it worthwhile entering Survival

A completed run, with good stats can get you 10+ Sealed Cache's in one go. Most have multiple (up to 4) items inside. Its a good time investment and the time flies by! You really don't realise you've been more than an hour until you look at the clock! 

 

[Oh. daesu]

A completed run, with good stats can get you 10+ Sealed Cache's in one go. Most have multiple (up to 4) items inside. Its a good time investment and the time flies by! You really don't realise you've been more than an hour until you look at the clock! 

Yeah my attempt, was about 40-60 mins. Mainly clothing up. Killing reds, running from elites (dz solo training helps there).

Mostly unlucky with drops and too many looted containers. Figured i either needed more time, or needed better efficiency. Not close to any rewards for my time left me disappointed lol

 

[quinch1199]

Yeah my attempt, was about 40-60 mins. Mainly clothing up. Killing reds, running from elites (dz solo training helps there).

Mostly unlucky with drops and too many looted containers. Figured i either needed more time, or needed better efficiency. Not close to any rewards for my time left me disappointed lol

My "Spidey-Sense" seems to help me but I don't have much problem getting loot...I sometimes have problems getting clothing though but that's spawn dependant sometimes. If loot seems sparse head for the Landmarks if you can, they often claim the lives of several less careful agents and if you get their fast enough you can pick the loot from them even if you avoid combat with the guards of the landmark itself! 

Like I said above, head to the roofs or into subways if available as they're not always looted. The MAJORITY of players go right for the Helicopter crashes, then to the landmarks so another tactic is to just hide-out hop to a landmark...loot as you go...killing some red mobs on the way might get you a decent AR for example and if you're very careful you can clear the landmark first. 

Remember downed agents expire after only 5mins so make sure you check their time of death before diverting to loot the "corpse".

 

[quinch1199]

Tip - Remember to look for office buildings, especially with high level entrances ... for example offices that have entry points (broken windows) accessed by a flat roof point. These often have 2-3 Ai inside but also have large loot stashes that are ONLY on the upper levels. This means unless a player has deliberately gone through the building and up several flights of stairs it will be unlooted. 

Tip - look and listen for traps. If there's a LIVE trap, its a good indication there's an UNLOOTED area it leads to. Players don't leave traps live. Likewise, if you go to a loot area and the trap ISN'T live, don't waste your time...the loots gone.

 

[RimBlock]

Whilst the 'Give yourself 30 mins DZ time for a more relaxed experience' is very sound, I have never entered with more than 20 mins on the clock.

Another tip, don't give up...

I had a terrible run last night where most stuff was looted wherever I went.  I found pills everywhere but not decent clothing or much of anything else but tools and electronics (had plenty of those).  By the time I fashioned the mask, I had 8 minutes left on the clock but ran for the DZ to try and get a bit of extra credit for XP at least.  I jumped the wall with 6 mins left, popped pills and syringes (3 / 2 receptively) when I could, found the AV fairly close to my entry point so managed to get that fairly easily but could not find weapon parts to craft the flare gun.  Went to a point of interest and found another player taking on the AI.  we were shooting from the outside scaffold in to the building and 2sec in the line of fire and I was down to a slim sliver of health, no health kits but had first aid skill (took time to recharge).  Turns out the guy had a friend and we cleared the building, I got 4 div tech but with 2 mins left, had no hope and then they rushed to the LZ and popped a flare.  I chased after them, helped with the hunters (they did most the work TBH) and then extracted with them with 1 min on the clock.

Keep going, you never know what may happen in the DZ.

 

[quinch1199]

Remember your Open World Map and the general areas they are. Mentally block them into rough areas of classification based on the following.
Example:

Light Industrial – Garages, parking lots, bus depots, overpasses etc are generally located nearer the more “industrial” areas such as near the docks or hospital.
Retail – Shops & Offices. Located usually nearer the DZ, more centrally placed in Manhattan. 
Residential – Town houses, roof top apartments, blocks of apartments. Located in clearly recognisable blocks close together.

The TYPE of area strongly indicates the TYPE of materials you are more likely to find in abundance in these areas. 

Light Industrial = Tools, weapon parts

Retail = Electronics, Fabric

Residential = Pre-made clothing, fabrics, weapon parts

Whilst these are generalisations, it’s a good rule to plan a route by. Need clothing, head more towards housing areas. Need tools, seek out those garages. 

This doesn't include items such as micro-caches you find as they're not so much stuck or prevalent in certain areas and seem equally to be found in all areas but more likely in upper levels such as roof top gardens.
 

 

[quinch1199]

NOTES: Like to Have's & Some essentials we forget.

1) Remember to craft the BASIC (i.e. green) Extended magazine BEFORE you convert all your materials to Blue. There are no higher level extended magazine blue prints the closer you get to the DZ and more ammunition trumps most things.

2) Try to craft the extra Medical slot.

3) Max out on Medical kits before you go to extraction. Make sure if you craft First Aid that you REPLACE the medical kit you used to craft it. 

4) Blue Weapons are needed. Purple are inviting but ultimately insufficient to the task at a basic level. You CAN manage an extraction with just Blue weapons but try to craft High End when in the DZ if you have time and materials SPARE (or, more likely, find one dropped by a dead agent). 

Bottom line, the Hunters have three medical kits. You need to out-DPS them AND out-self-heal the Hunter.

5) Numbers = more chance of success. Team up with Agents in the DZ if you can at all. They bring more Hunters but there is still strength in numbers and co-operation.

6) Ultimately remember its still Dog-eats-Dog. It may even be PvE but you can get killed and its always a 60/40 chance when in the DZ if you get picked up or kicked whilst down by another player. Outside the DZ its UNLIKELY someone will pick you up, chances are you are dead.  

 

[DaKillaOfDreamz]

What do I or anyone else need to defeat the Hunters?  I have no problems getting what I believe is good gear.  I enter the DZ and can even engage elite bosses and survive, however;  the Hunters make short work of me.   I have even tried the cowardly hide and wait just outside the extraction so they can't see me.........it didn't work.  I have tried solo and missions with friends, didn't matter, we all became Swiss Cheese very quickly.  Any gear or weapon ideas for those lucky enough to have extracted or is it just that.......luck.

 

[quinch1199]

What do I or anyone else need to defeat the Hunters?  I have no problems getting what I believe is good gear.  I enter the DZ and can even engage elite bosses and survive, however;  the Hunters make short work of me.   I have even tried the cowardly hide and wait just outside the extraction so they can't see me.........it didn't work.  I have tried solo and missions with friends, didn't matter, we all became Swiss Cheese very quickly.  Any gear or weapon ideas for those lucky enough to have extracted or is it just that.......luck.

Have you spent your time in the DZ crafting HE weapons? What skills have you equipped? Things like Turret for example make good skills to add (and first aid). 

 

[Oh. daesu]

I'm away for a few weeks @RimBlock so won't be logging in at all in for a while. Not even for this pass supply drops (nervous twitch, twitch..).

So, how long does Survival take to complete?

back again. let me know if you're interested in a survival run.

 

[quinch1199]

Well I've had a string of being a dumb-ass in Survival these past few days! 

Deaths that have just been all down to me being an idiot and you know what? I LOVE THAT! I can look back at a run and say "why the hell did I engage those guys at all?" or "Why didn't I look better to see where the Hunter was before dashing to revive another agent?" or "Why didnt I at least set off a ping and drop my seeker mines to cover myself BEFORE I made a lunatic dash for that fallen agent?"

I'm loving Survival still...its the best DLC by far.

 

[quinch1199]

Just to say that I realised that as soon as I get into the Dark Zone .... NO MATTER HOW LONG I HAVE LEFT ON MY DEATH-COUNTER .... I always start to panic and rush!?! 

...what's up with that! Last night I had a good 25mins left yet as soon as I'd picked up the virus data I was off to an extraction. I HADN'T EVEN COLLECTED ANY DZ CACHES!! 

*facepalm*

 

[RetLeo99]

Thanks everyone, for all the tips!

I love/hate the Survival expansion. Made my first extraction last night.........sort of. This was one of those missions that I almost exited right after I started it. Upon exiting the starting Safe House [PvE] there's 2 other players running past. Needless to say, everywhere I went, everything had been looted. I did manage to craft some decent clothing, but forget much else. I managed to get 2 blue armor pieces, courtesy of a dead player, but little else. With time getting low I entered the Dark Zone with just the handgun I had when I started. In the DZ, everything was like outside; everything empty. I found some medicine to use with just a little over 3 minutes left. Another player started an extraction while I was just outside the area. I waited until the chopper arrived and ran like hell for it. I hadn't had time to get the anti-virals so I didn't know if it would let me get on, but it did. Also, no Hunter. I guess they only come out when you have the anti-virals. But I got credit for it in my Survival Daily Mission.

I really get frustrated in these type missions. I go everywhere and know pretty much where the loot is, but to find it taken is really frustrating. I know that's realism, but it's also a game. I've heard talk that a new patch is coming out that is going to do something with the supplies, but I don't know what it will entail.

Also, I've found some Hideouts that only have a Crafting Station, and no Painkillers or Fabric. Another frustration