Zombie

Zombies are the primary threat of 7 Days to Die and are currently found all around the world, especially in the game world of Navezgane County, Arizona. An unknown virus is transforming human beings into blood-thirsty Zombies. Nobody knows how, nobody knows why, and nobody knows how to stop it. Now most of the population has turned into these monsters. They shuffle across the land looking for survivors to kill and eat.

Note: Information provided using default game settings and Nomad difficulty.

Zombie Types

Normal Zombies

Note: Zombies have been placed in the Normal List, until information regarding their Uniqueness comes to light. Uniqueness is defined by difference in damage that they can do, or some special feature or attack. A full List of Zombies is available. All zombies now have the possibility of being or becoming Feral, Radiated or both.

• Festering Corpse
• Reanimated Corpse
• Infected Survivor
• Motivated Cheerleader Zombie
• Plagued Nurse
• Risen Woman Zombie
• Skater Punk Zombie
• Walker Male Zombie
• Putrid Girl
• Zombie Cowboy
• Infected Mom
• Zombie Farmer
• Departed Woman
• Zombie Stripper
• Infected Survivor

Tough Zombies

Tough Zombies have more health and resistence; thus making it harder to stun them, and drop better loot.

• Bloated Walker
• Disturbed Tourist
• Hungry Female Zombie
• Frozen Lumberjack
• Utility Worker Zombie
• Fallen Soldier Zombie
• Hazmat Male Zombie
• Zombie Biker

Special Infected

Most zombies differ only in appearance. However, the some zombies have special features and abilities:

• Crawler Zombie is one of the earliest special infected within the game, and unlike most zombies, it'll always crawl all their way and it may use it's advantage to ambush unsuspecting player, or to reach low gaps. It's also Immune to being stunned
• Screamer Zombies are the advance scouts of the undead. When you produce a certain amount of "heat", a Screamer or two will spawn and investigate. If they detect you, they will scream and a horde will spawn in. Kill them quickly to avert the hordes. Your heat map rises when you perform various activities. Campfires and forges may raise it, as can cutting trees, mining, or even crafting. Using weapons and explosives can also draw them in. However, the heat level drops if activity in the area ceases.
• Burn Victim can set the player on fire if contact is made and if it attacked the player, this zombie spawns commonly around the burnt forest biome
• Infected Police Officer has a high amounts of hit points like the Bloated Walker, but also possesses a deadly ranged attack. Once it spots a player from a decent range, it will release a stream of acid towards them, which can destroy blocks and instantly kill unarmored players. When damaged, but not killed instantly, it will attempt to sprint towards the player in a feral rage and will cause a self-inflicted explosion once close enough to the player, unless it's killed. An Infected Police Officer tends to have good loot, but if it has killed itself by exploding, no body will be available to loot.
• Feral Wight is a very tough zombie. It takes more effort to kill it and Is not affected by sunlight as this zombie will always spawn as feral and will run regardless of the setting. These zombies will only spawn in cities, Blood Moon hordes every 7 days, caves, or via screamers during later days. Once killed they give the highest amount of experience points and carry the best loot of all zombies, such as exclusive gun parts/schematics and other rare items.
• Spider Zombie, as the name implies, can climb walls. Currently it is believed that it can only scale vertical walls, but not horizontal ceiling, Spider zombie are also capable of spitting it's "webs' dealing low damage and may occasionally stuns the player
• Team Z Player Football Zombie has a unique attack pattern, first it will back down a little from their target and start charging on with full speed, this may prove difficult for melee weapon user to avoid their charging attacks.

Animal Zombies

The zombie infection doesn't stop with humans; animals can turn too. Throughout the game, you'll come across these undead beasts that are deadlier and faster than normal zombies.

• Zombie Dog is faster than other zombies and is not affected by sunlight, making it a dangerous predator at all times. They typically spawn in packs, and can thus maul a survivor into shreds. They are currently one of the most dangerous zombies.
• Zombie Bears have more hit points and are stronger than regular Bears. They are covered in blood and will attack anything on sight. At later days screamers can call them.
• Zombie Vulture can fly around and attack the player from above, and It will attempt to make range after it successfully attacked the player to avoid retaliation, those who want to avoid these creature should hide under a shelter

Unimplemented Zombie

• Behemoth to be added in Alpha 17

Removed Zombie

• Feral Walker - removed in Alpha 2
• Decayed Cheerleader - removed in Alpha 13
• Nude Walker - removed in Alpha 13
• Infected Lady - removed in Alpha 13
• Infected Survivor - removed in Alpha 13
• Frostbitten Worker - removed in Alpha 13
• Frigid Hunter - removed in Alpha 13
• Infected Woman - removed in Alpha 13
• Miner Zombie - removed in Alpha 16

Alpha 13 Features

Mocap

Zombies have Mocap rigger to their animations, making them appear more realistic and harder to hit as they tend to twitch and lurch around. They also react to pain in certain areas. For example, if hit in the leg, they will hold their leg and be stunned for a couple seconds. If hit in the torso, the zombie may be stunned, causing them to fall to the ground. Note that this does not kill them, and they get up a few seconds later and resume their assault.

Dismemberment

You can now dismember zombies. If enough damage is done to a zombie's limb, it can fall off. Direct hits to the head have a chance to decapitate them, killing them instantly. If their legs are disabled, zombies will crawl along the ground like regular Crawler Zombies. This new feature is still a work in progress. Wood Spikes and Wood Log Spikes can make zombies into crawlers as well if they walk over them and take enough damage.

Behavior

Zombies move slowly and are easier to kill during the day. However, once night comes, they start running. Once a zombie senses or begins hunting a player, they will generally move in a straight line towards their prey, destroying any blocks in their way. Feral Zombies, Infected Police Officers, Plagued Nurses, and Bloated Walkers drop the best loot, although the rest of the zombies all have a chance to drop any Recipe Book.

Zombies move slowly during the day and will not chase after you if the player stays far enough away. They will mostly stay idle around their position. At night time zombies start running and wandering around. They will attempt to detect survivors at night, using proximity, smell, sight and light. Zombies will try to occupy the space directly above or below the players' location. If the 'Feral' difficulty is enabled, zombies will be this aggressive at both day and night, and can also detect a survivor through walls at night. During the night, zombies appear to be more active the closer a player is to them. For example, if a player stands directly on top of a wall, no matter the material, the zombies will destroy the blocks in the wall very rapidly. However by contrast, if the player is standing in the middle of a room, and is 15 or more spaces from all the walls, zombies will not congregate in one spot to destroy the wall and it will take them much longer. This being considered, larger bases are usually more effective than smaller ones.

Any zombie will not notice any version of hatch and or wooden poles. This is very useful for long pits to trap and or harm a zombie for a clever death trap.

Zombies can climb ladders. If a player and a zombie are on a ladder and a player is below the zombie, with the zombie having no movement options besided going up and down the ladder, the zombie will be unable to attack the player. It is unknown if this is intentional or not.

Combat

With the exception of the Infected Police Officer, all zombies have a single style of attack, which is a melee swipe, slash or punch. All attacks have a chance of causing an Infection, Stunned or Bleeding debuff, the latter being more prevalent when fighting against Zombie Dogs. Melee combat against zombies is be simple - aim for the head and walk in and out between strikes. However, against a horde, this can lead the player to being surrounded which is be extremely dangerous, especially at night. Melee combat with zombies should be avoided at all cost as a single stun, bleed, or infection will most likely be fatal. Against hordes or when safety is of the ultimate priority, guns are the safest in this regard, but they heavily rely on ammunition. The wooden bow is an excellent choice for fighting zombies as both it and arrows are easy and inexpensive to craft and it makes little to no noise, thus attracting no zombies.

Headshots, with all weapons, inflict the most damage to zombies.

The Stealth System can be used to avoid zombies. Crouching (by default 'Ctrl' key) makes less noise while moving and searching, but is slower than walking. Zombies will detect a player if the player is in their line of sight, or external factors have drawn their attention (e.g. using tools, looting containers, carrying food with an odor, etc.). Sneaking while scavenging has a greater chance of going undetected. The Crossbow and Wooden Bow can be used for stealth kills without drawing much attention from other zombies and both get double damage from stealth shooting. Some attacks will stun zombies, after which they fall to their knees, or to the ground. Attacking stunned zombies will give a stun bonus of 3 times the normal damage, making it easy to finish them off. However, this feature also means that zombies the player believed dead may stand up again and keep fighting, having only been stunned. A player should always check if the zombie is lootable as that means that it is dead. Some objects, such as Small Stones and Empty Cans, can be thrown to create a distraction, or to lure zombies to other areas.

Defenses

Generally, a base is never perfectly safe from zombies. Repairs are a normal duty; fixing blocks, replacing traps, etc. Even the most fortified bases can fail when under siege by wave after wave of zombies, particularly during the 7-Day hordes. The following tips can help extend the longevity of a base:

• Use traps. For static traps, there are only two options: Wood Spikes or Wood Log Spikes. The former does more damage but breaks down faster, while the latter does less damage but will last longer before breaking. Other forms of traps include land mines or pitfalls, but require extensive pre-building or restocking. Wood Log Spikes can now be upgraded all the way to a fourth stage of steel as of Alpha 15.
• Build walls at least two block higher than the zombies can jump (usually three blocks high) to prevent them from breaking an upper block on a two-high wall and jumping over it. Wood Log Spikes underneath an overhang are a particularly strong defense design.
• Build double layer walls to rely on more than one layer of defenses should a zombie siege occur. This is especially true if the player wishes to fortify their base, but does not want to break down their original layer of walls.
• Make frequent repairs. It is wise for a player to always check for damages whenever possible, especially after a siege. The Claw Hammer, Wrench, Nailgun, and Stone Axe can all repair broken or damaged blocks. Also, most blocks can be upgraded to be more durable.
• Allow visual sight of your entrance from inside your base. This is most commonly achieved by having a 'balcony' or a roof access, so as to make it possible for a player to shoot at zombies while remaining more or less safe.
• Have a way to attack the zombies through your defenses where they can't attack you. Whether by Wood Spikes or Wood Log Spikes, a high wall with a direct line of sight, or Iron Bars inset into the walls, you need a way to clear out large numbers of zombies safely.
• Moats and ditches. These take time and planning to build and as such should only be attempted once a base has other defenses. Combined with spike traps these are very effective defenses, though hinder attempts to farm food or any escape routes. If building near water, the banks of the water body will cause problems for the ditch. Note: having a moat or ditch requires strong defenses at the "bridge" of your moat since this is the easiest access point.
• Escape routes. A base should have an easy access escape route that zombies or other players cannot enter. One suggestion would be to build a tunnel out of the base and then block up the entrance with one layer of Dirt, thus making it inaccessible to zombies or enemy players whilst allowing for easy escape should your defense become over run. An escape kit can be maintained near the exit to the passage so that it is possible to survive until your base can be reoccupied Food, Bottled Water, medicines, and weapons are recommended. As of Alpha 12 the Minibike could also be used for a quick escape.
• Underground bases can take quite a long time to make and require the player to have pre-existing resources, but are extremely easy to fortify and defend in both PvP and PvE.

Zombies also have no regards for their own safety and will attempt to charge even through Wood Spikes or other traps even if it means certain death. However as swarms of zombies die, defenses slowly degrade and eventually zombies will clear the path to the player.

Fall damage for any zombie at any height will only reduce its health by half and will stun the zombie, making it vulnerable to double-damage while stunned.

Zombie Table

A list of all Zombies is available on the List of Zombies page.