In post-apocalyptic survival games like 7 Days To Die, players need two things (apart from luck) if they want to survive. Players survive based on their tools and their talents. Tools in this game include firearms and melee weapons - along with actual tools such as pickaxes and augers.
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The talent part comes down to how players allocate the points they get into the various perks. Choosing the wrong perk can make this game a lot more difficult than it needs to be, and consequently a lot less enjoyable. Picking the right perks will not only make playing 7 Days To Die a lot less stressful, but much more rewarding.
Updated on June 13, 2024, by Jeff Drake: In 7 Days to Die, the key to survival lies not just in finding (or crafting) the best weapons or scavenging every receptacle and body. No, it's important that your character learns how to get the most out of their weapons and scavenging forays. To do this, players must invest in the right perks, and not all perks are created equal. There are some perks that should only be selected if the player is trying a specific build. Then there are perks that should be selected during every playthrough; this list focuses on the latter perks. This update has added a few of the better perks gained from the perk books located in the wasteland.
31 Tech Junkie
Become A Robotics Expert
- Attribute: N/A
- Group: Perk Book
- Max Level: 7
The Tech Junkie perk is obtained from reading the Tech Junkie perk books that can be found while exploring the game world. With this perk, the player can improve robotic weapons, as well as craft special ammunition for them. This perk also improves the performance of stun batons.
Robotic turrets are an often overlooked tool for survival in this game. Once deployed, robotic turrets can eliminate a group of zombies in seconds. It helps that they automatically target the head. The Tech Junkie perk increases turret damage and rate of fire.
30 Shotgun Messiah
Make Your Boom Stick Better
- Attribute: N/A
- Group: Perk Book
- Max Level: 7
If there's one thing shotguns excel at in 7 Days to Die, it's performing headshots with ease. This form of firearm is also great for taking out tightly packed groups of zombies. The downside to shotguns is they are loud, and also a bit slow to reload. These two drawbacks can be a liability when out scavenging for supplies.
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The Shotgun Messiah perk is obtained from reading perk books. There are several bonuses granted by this perk as it rises in level. The best of these bonuses include an increase in damage against targets at full health, and the ability to craft special shotgun shells in bulk quantities.
29 Ranger's Guide to Archery
The Daryl Dixon Build Is Effective
- Attribute: N/A
- Group: Perk Book
- Max Level: 7
Using a bow, while stuck in a zombie apocalypse makes sense. For starters, bows are much quieter than firearms. This means the player has a much smaller chance of attracting attention when using a bow versus a gun. Bows also force the player to aim each shot, so there are fewer missed shots.
The Ranger's Guide to Archery perk is acquired from reading the perk books of the same name. As this perk increases in level, it causes bows to degrade slower, allows for the crafting of special arrows (eventually in bulk), causes leg shots to slow the target, and increases the chance to knock the target down.
28 Batter Up!
Swing A Bat Like A Pro
- Attribute: N/A
- Group: Perk Book
- Max Level: 7
The Batter Up perk is attained from reading the Batter Up perk books. There are seven volumes the player needs to read before getting the perk to the maximum level, where things get interesting. This perk, of course, only makes sense for those who wish to invest in making the bat one of their main weapons.
At levels one through six this perk increases the damage of bats, makes bats degrade slower, reduces stamina usage when using bats, allows the player to improve bats, and staggering and rag-dolling enemies. At level seven, this perk refills stamina if the player kills the target with a power attack.
27 Run And Gun
Move Faster While Reloading
- Attribute: Agility
- Group: Athletic
- Max Level: 3
The Run and Gun perk does two things, though one is much better than the other. The lesser of the two benefits is a small increase in accuracy when firing from the hip (not aiming down the weapon's sights). Firing from the hip isn't that much faster than aiming, considering when a player aims they are much more likely to get a headshot.
The main reason for choosing this perk is that it reduces the movement penalty while reloading a weapon. At max level, the movement penalty while reloading is negated altogether. This allows the player to stay mobile during their most vulnerable moments.
26 Light Armor
Increase Mobility And Durability While Decreasing The Stamina Penalty
- Attribute: Agility
- Group: Athletic
- Max Level: 4
Heavy Armor is the commonly preferred armor type among players. In a world full of flesh-eating zombies, it pays to have the stoutest armor available. That being said, there are benefits to a build using light armor versus heavy armor. Light armor gives the characters better mobility, and it's better for stamina regeneration.
The Light Armor perk reduces movement penalties associated with light armor, reduces the stamina penalty, and increases light armor durability. One might think that this perk simply makes light armor a little better. It does, but it also increases the chance of finding armor and parts in loot.
25 Parkour
Jump Higher And Increase Safe Fall Distance
- Attribute: Agility
- Group: Athletic
- Max Level: 4
Players often find themselves jumping from rooftop to rooftop, or blindly hopping down holes in the floor to escape advancing zombies. It's amazing how fast stamina can be depleted just from running and jumping. Additionally, falls from too high can result in sprained and broken legs. In 7 Days To Die, a broken leg is probably a death sentence, especially at night.
Parkour reduces stamina usage when jumping, and allows the character to jump higher. Jumping higher is useful for clearing high fences, or jumping onto low-hanging rooftops. The safe fall distance also increases with this perk. At max level, the safe fall distance is increased by five meters and falls never result in a sprained or broken leg.
24 Advanced Engineering
Boosts to Crafting and Experience Gains
- Attribute: Intellect
- Group: Craftsmanship
- Max Level: 5
In the wasteland, being able to craft one's own tools and operate heavy machinery with proficiency are valuable skills. Advanced Engineering makes the player quite the tinkerer. Electrical trap kills grant the player extra experience; at level five, this is a 75% increase in experience.
Items can be crafted much faster with this perk. This perk also makes crafting recipes less costly and crafting Forged Steel begins to cost considerably less at the higher levels. Being able to craft glue is another aspect of this perk.
23 Robotics Inventor
Improved Turrets
Attribute: Intellect
- Group: Combat
- Max Level: 5
Robotic turrets are useful tools in 7 Days To Die; some would say they are a bit overpowered. This perk, unsurprisingly, makes robotic turrets better in many ways. First and foremost, this perk allows players to deploy additional turrets. A shotgun and SMG turret deployed at a strategic location can clear a large group of zombies.
This perk also increases the damage of turrets, beginning at 10% and maxing out at 40%. Turrets also have increased range, have a faster rate of fire, reload faster, and gain additional ammunition when reloading.
22 The Penetrator
Blast Through Enemy Armor
- Attribute: Perception
- Group: General
- Max Level: 4
Players choosing to go with firearms will probably want to pick up The Penetrator perk. The primary effect of this perk allows the player to ignore some of their target's armor. At level one, the player ignores 10% of the target's armor; at level four, the bonus is 20%. This only affects firearms and archery.
Perhaps more importantly, The Penetrator lets armor-piercing rounds strike targets behind the primary target. This makes standoffs in narrow passages much easier. This only affects shots from hunting, marksman, and sniper rifles.
21 Iron Gut
Food Poisoning Begone
- Attribute: Fortitude
- Group: Recovery
- Max Level: 5
With so many great perks in 7 Days To Die, it's easy to overlook Iron Gut. This is a very useful perk since it affects several aspects of the game instead of just one. For starters, this perk lets the player eat potentially toxic food with less risk of getting ill. Iron Gut also lessens the need for food and water.
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Buffs given from consumables have their duration extended if the player has Iron Gut. This starts at 10% and improves to 10% per level. Iron Gut is one of those perks that players seldom regret selecting.
20 Pummel Pete
Bludgeon Enemies to Death
- Attribute: Strength
- Group: Combat
- Max Level: 5
Pummel Pete increases the damage of clubs and bats and deals additional damage to stunned enemies when using those weapons. As this perk improves, it gains an increasing chance to knock enemies back and knock them down with a hit. Successive hits will cause +100% damage; the number of hits decreases as the perk is leveled.
Pummel Pete also allows players to craft better bats. The bat is a decent weapon without this perk, but with it, a player can take down zombies with ease. There are also numerous mods for the baseball bat to further improve its performance.
19 Deep Cuts
Slash Enemies to Death
- Attribute: Agility
- Group: Combat
- Max Level: 5
Guns need ammunition. Even bows and slingshots need ammunition. Blades, on the other hand, can't run out of ammo. Sure, the character will run out of stamina at some point, but blades don't have to be reloaded. Also, blades are not just weapons; they are indispensable tools in the zombie wasteland.
The Deep Cuts perk allows for better-crafted blades, causing bleeding damage, and eventually causing bleeding enemies to move 20% slower. Combining this perk with the machete will allow the player to cut down whole groups of zombies quickly.
18 Archery
Essential for Stealth Builds
- Attribute: Agility
- Group: Combat
- Max Level: 5
There are three things a character needs for a successful sneak build. The first is high Agility, which increases damage from headshots and leads to a higher chance of dismembering the target. The second is a character that is good at sneaking around unnoticed.
The third key element for a sneak build is having a quiet distance weapon. A player can sneak up close to an unsuspecting zombie, hit them in the head with an arrow for massive damage, and not alert any nearby zombies in the process. Archery is one of the best skills in 7 Days to Die.
17 Flurry Of Blows
Boost Stamina and Speed
- Attribute: Agility
- Group: Athletic
- Max Level: 3
This is one of the best perks to take early. For starters, Flurry of Blows' max level is only three, so it can be maxed out quickly (with a Dexterity of 7). Stamina plays an important role in 7 Days to Die, and at level three, this perk restores 30 Stamina per kill. Players can exploit this by using the power attack-retreat tactic.
Flurry of Blows also increases the player's attack speed with some weapons. This list of weapons is limited to smaller melee weapons but includes the baseball bat and machete. At level five, a character swings affected weapons 25% faster.
16 Heavy Armor
Build a Good Defense
- Attribute: Strength
- Group: General Strength
- Max Level: 5
This Strength perk reduces the penalties associated with wearing heavy armor. In addition, Heavy Armor allows the player to craft heavy armor of their own. At a higher perk level, the heavy armor gained from crafting turns the player into a highly mobile tank.
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Many players favor light armor due to the way that it makes sneaking easier. However, when the From the Shadows perk is fully leveled, even heavy armor is quiet enough to get within bow range. Heavy armor turns an encounter involving less than three zombies into more of a chore than a fight.
15 Hidden Strike
Power Up Sneak Attacks
- Attribute: Agility
- Group: Stealth
- Max Level: 5
Hidden Strike increases the damage of Sneak attacks. This isn't a small bonus either. At level one, the bonus is +50% and at level five it's +250%. Using this perk, the player can quickly and quietly bring down enemies, then move on to the next enemy and repeat.
The problem with this perk is that the player must invest in another perk, From the Shadows, to ensure its success. That being said, sneaking around and engaging the enemy on one's own terms is the absolute safest strategy to survive a scavenging run in the wasteland.
14 Master Chef
Stay Well Fed
- Attribute: Strength
- Group: General Strength
- Max Level: 5
An important part of staying alive in this game is keeping the Fullness meter from dropping below 50%, at which point the character begins suffering penalties for movement and attack speeds. Cooking better meals is the key to keeping stamina high. Maintaining high stamina allows the player to spam power attacks, as well as run further and faster when it's time to retreat.
Master Chef gives the player access to new recipes at every level. At level one, the Master Chef perk makes the Bacon and Eggs recipe available to the player. This is one of the best early-game food options. Master Chef also reduces cooking times and the number of ingredients used for a recipe. The cooking time reduction improves with each new perk level as well, to a maximum of -50% at level five. This is quietly one of the best perks in 7 Days to Die.
13 Machine Gunner
Shoot Enemies to Death
- Attribute: Fortitude
- Group: Combat
- Max Level: 5
Starting players won't have too much need for this perk; however, investing a few points into this perk once a player starts getting better guns will make a noticeable difference. The M60 is one of the best weapons in the game, and the Tactical Assault Rifle and AK-47 aren't bad either.
These weapons have their damage significantly boosted via this perk. At the higher levels, this perk also restores stamina for each hit with a machine gun. Encounters go from, "Oh no! Zombies!", to, "Oh...zombies".
12 From The Shadows
Stealth 101
- Attribute: Agility
- Group: Stealth
- Max Level: 5
This is an important perk early on. As a player gets higher in level, the need to be sneaky becomes less important but is no less effective. This perk grants a list of benefits that will help a player stay unnoticed and alive. There are also some great perks, like Hidden Strike, that work much better if the player invests a few points into this perk.
From the Shadows makes hiding in shadows much more successful. It increases the player's crouching speed, muffles the sounds a character makes, and reduces the time enemies will search for the player.
