Choose a job that solves an early problem
Occupations provide starting expertise, while traits change daily actions and learning. The March 2026 balancing update reworked starting skills and point costs, so the examples below describe capabilities rather than a supposedly universal points build. Choose the occupation in your installed game, then spend the remaining points shown there.
| Occupation | Useful strength | A practical first project |
|---|---|---|
| Carpenter | A head start in Carpentry | Collect a hammer, saw, nails, and wood for needed storage or barricades. |
| Construction Worker | Blunt-weapon experience, split across long and short blunt in the 2026 rebalance | Practice with a suitable tool-weapon on isolated threats. |
| Nurse | First Aid and Night Owl in the 2026 rebalance | Organize a shared treatment kit; medical skill does not cure Knox infection. |
| Burglar | Vehicle hotwiring and quieter movement skills | Locate a functional car, then solve its fuel and battery needs. |
| Electrician | Electrical expertise and generator knowledge | Secure an outdoor power setup and a recurring fuel route. |
Trait benefits have a daily use case
Choose a benefit you expect to use during this run. A character whose advantage depends on books, vehicles, or a large stockpile still needs a route to obtain those things.
| Trait | What it helps | Tradeoff to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Dextrous | Faster inventory transfer | Useful for repeated looting; it does not make a crowded room safe. |
| Organized | More container capacity | More space can tempt you to carry too much total weight. |
| Fast Reader | Less time spent reading | Most valuable when books are part of your routine. |
| Brave | Reduced panic response | It does not replace safe spacing or stamina. |
Decide whether you can manage a drawback
Try one unfamiliar disadvantage at a time. Stacking several daily obligations can make it hard to tell which decision caused trouble. Keep the final point total legal in the character screen; a role outline is not a complete points preset.
| Trait | Practical cost | Ask before selecting |
|---|---|---|
| Slow Reader | Books take longer | Will safe reading time be available, especially on this server? |
| High Thirst | More frequent water demand | Can I reliably carry and replenish drinking water? |
| Smoker | An ongoing tobacco need and stress management | Do I know where to obtain tobacco and a way to use it? |
| All Thumbs | Slower inventory transfer | Will longer container stops fit the routes I plan to run? |
Three playable plans to build toward
Save the final occupation, trait list, game version, and sandbox preset with your run notes. Everyone in a group should still carry water, treatment supplies, and a usable weapon; a specialist role does not cover those fundamentals.
- Carpenter with a short house-and-hardware loop: secure a room, obtain basic tools, then build the storage or barricades you actually need.
- Burglar with a transport plan: scout a usable vehicle, bring fuel, and keep a walking fallback before making a heavy supply trip.
- Electrician in co-op: coordinate books and spare electronics, then arrange generator access and refueling while teammates handle food and scouting.