Every seven days in 7 Days to Die, the sky turns red and the entire game shifts into something else entirely. The Blood Moon Horde is not just another night of zombies. The zombies spawned during a Blood Moon know exactly where all players are, regardless of quiet, lack of heat, sneaking, or any defenses. They will climb or dig as needed to reach you. There is no hiding, and there is no running. The only real answer is preparation.
If you just got your 7 Days to Die Steam Key from LootBar and are heading into your first Blood Moon with no idea what to expect, this guide covers everything from picking the right location to building a base that actually holds up as the weeks get harder.
What Happens During a Blood Moon
The Blood Moon Horde is comprised of an early morning indicator at 8 AM where the day counter is colored red, late-afternoon warnings, an initial attack followed by subsequent attacks, and a conclusion at 4 AM where zombies despawn at dawn.
During this window, zombies are faster, hit harder, and keep coming regardless of what you do. The horde also scales with your game stage, so Day 7 is manageable while Day 35 is a completely different problem.
Where to Set Up Your First Blood Moon Base
Location is the decision that matters most before any building happens. Beginners should set up a first base near a trader. The forest region offers plenty of good space and some natural elevation, which helps significantly.
Grain Silos and Gas Stations are some of the best places to survive your first Blood Moon because they have height and protection, so you can take on the horde one by one. Both can usually be found in Forest areas near Trader Joel.
If in an existing building, remove any ladders or stairs leading up to the roof. All you have to do is destroy any ladders or stairs that lead up, and they have to work much harder to get up to you.
Elevation is the most important thing when it comes to surviving the horde in your own base. The horde climbs up, but you can slow them down or distract them from the goal and pick them off.
How to Build a Base That Survives
Use Cobblestone not Wood
Concrete has 5000 health, whereas cobblestone only has 1500. However, wood is in much worse shape. If you have a double layer of cobblestone at the base where zombies attack, it will buy you significantly more time than wood.
Switch your walls from wood to cobblestone as soon as possible, starting from the ground up, where zombies focus their attacks. Cobblestones can be obtained at Pallets in Points of Interest, making them readily available in the early game. You can also craft Cobblestone using Clay Soil and Small Stone, which is readily available all over the map.
Build a Funnel Not a Box
The biggest mistake beginners make is building a square base and waiting for zombies to attack from every direction. What you want is a funnel. It’s a good idea to have a hallway with a chokepoint, because this way you can filter the zombies and pick them off with ease. You can use walls, spikes, and all other barriers to seal all the entrances except for one, which should be a hallway where your traps do all the work for you before they even get to your walls.
Spikes Are Never Wasted
There is no such thing as too many spikes. Have a base, then have a horde base; they do not need to be in the same place. Place spike layers in rings around your perimeter. The outer ring slows them down, and the inner rings damage them before they get to your walls. Upgrade your spikes from wood to reinforced wood, to iron, as you can.
What to Bring Into Every Blood Moon
Preparation is what gets you through the night, not waking up in your sleeping bag with nothing.
- Excess Ammo: Bring twice the ammo you think you need; focus on headshots, and reserve high-caliber ammo for armored opponents.
- Repair Kits: Have these bound to your hotbar so you can use them in the heat of battle.
- Medical Supplies: Bring First Aid Kits for health, Vitamins for immune system support, and Honey for emergency medication.
- Explosives: Bring Pipe Bombs or Molotov Cocktails to deal with "clumped" groups at your choke points.
- Buffs: Use Coffee or Red Tea for stamina regen and Meat Stew to keep your stats peaked.
- Reinforcement Materials: Carry stacks of Cobblestone or Iron to live-repair your walls as they take damage.
Mid and Late Game: When It Gets Serious
Demolishers are the biggest threat to any base design. Never use shotguns against them because the pellets trigger their chest explosion. Use single-shot weapons from a safe distance and make sure there is enough space between you and the demolisher when it goes down. Defense is key to stopping them from causing damage.
This is where skills such as Robotics Inventor and Advanced Engineering come in handy. It allows you to design the appropriate traps and deployable weapons to fight off the horde before they get too close to you.
After you get your electric fences and your SMG turret going, the game changes completely. Your automated defenses handle the regular zombies while you focus on demolishers and special enemies that need direct attention.
If You Keep Getting Wiped
Consider creating a separate horde base after starting the game with your LootBar game key, rather than defending your main home. If you are not fond of building from scratch, then find a fortified Point of Interest and fill in whatever holes there are and reinforce the weak points. A dedicated horde base with no crafting stations inside also removes heat sources that attract zombies toward the wrong part of your base.
You can also change the settings if things are just too difficult. There is no shame in toning down the difficulty of the game, the number of zombies in the horde, and the Blood Moon frequency. It is your game and you can play it as you wish.
Conclusion
Survive the night in 7 Days to Die, scavenge what the horde dropped in the morning, repair your walls, and start building towards the next one. Days go faster than you think.
If you are just starting your journey or planning to jump back into the game, set it up reliably and quickly using the steam key provide by LootBar. Then get ready for building, surviving and conquering every Blood Moon coming into your way.
