The TLDR survivor guide.

[quakephil 0]

* Food, Meds, Weapons, in that order

* ALWAYS stick to trees/concealment unpredictably

* NEVER EVER be seen or heard, stop only with your back to something solid

* Heres the hard part: if made and approached by a player that you don't personally know in real life, shoot him. If player is approaching with weapon lowered and you don't need to kill him, you may fire a single warning shot near him first, and be prepared to kill him with the next shot.

edit: To clarify: the above is a survivor guide. I define survival as not dying. If you define survival as dying a bunch of times and respawning and learning from those mistakes, then this guide is not for you.

[LanceUppercut 7]

if your just starting out, try to group up with people and make some trusted allies, it will come in handy and make the game a lot more fun

[oilman 72]

Haha, you've got to be kidding me. If you want to be labelled as a bandit and a dickhead, yeah, go for it.

In my experience, unless you're:

- In Chern or Elektro

- Above the 'equator' of the map

Anyone you run into will be just as likely to be friendly as you. Shooting first is a sure way to make sure they shoot back.

Frankly I don't know how long you've survived, but you survive much longer with a friend by your side.

[LanceUppercut 7]

Haha' date=' you've got to be kidding me. If you want to be labelled as a bandit and a dickhead, yeah, go for it.

In my experience, unless you're:

- In Chern or Elektro

- Above the 'equator' of the map

Anyone you run into will be just as likely to be friendly as you. Shooting first is a sure way to make sure they shoot back.

Frankly I don't know how long you've survived, but you survive much longer with a friend by your side.

[/quote']

pretty much, if you just start shooting everyone, expect to play alone forever

[oilman 72]

Even in Chern and Elektro it can do you good to find some friends, just to provide the snipers another head to shoot at. On the other hand, up north, all bets are off. As soon as you see someone, shoot first, ask questions later.

[quakephil 0]

I'm on my 2nd life, been playing for about a month. I do play with a group of people I know in real life. Otherwise, the risk is too great. If you read carefully, you will see I am not advocating "just start shooting everyone."

[Drake Sigar 9]

If someone shot near me I'd assume they missed unintentionally and shoot back before they correct their mistake. Warning shots are on par with running directly at a player without announcing yourself, they'll both get you killed quick.

[quakephil 0]

(didn't actually read the op)

You will be unable to shoot back in time because your weapon was lowered, and by the you stop moving, get your weapon up, and line up a shot (as opposed to heeding the warning shot and running for your life) you will be dead.

[boneboys 7988]

"Heres the hard part: if made and approached by a player that you don't personally know in real life, shoot him."

This attitude is ruining the "spirit" of the game.

[quakephil 0]

If the spirit of the game is something other than survival, then yes :)

[BlackAlpha 12]

Ugh... This survival guide basically comes down to: Kill everyone you see.

Warning shots are pointless. They have the same effect as aimed lethal shots, the other party will try to kill you for it. You are better off actually hitting the other guy with the first shot, but aim low, so not to kill him. That way you have a much higher chance of him trying to flee.

Also, "stop only with your back to something solid" will most likely get you killed, since it's inevitable you'll run into a bad situation while trying to reach that something solid. Rushing is a bad idea.

If you've truly played for a month and you really are only on your second character, then you've been using strategies that are not described in the original post...

[oktyabr 53]

Shots attract zombies and other bullets.