Hectar CarsonEvery seven days, players must prepare to defend against a relentless wave of zombies that are not only more numerous but also more determined to find and attack players. The Blood Moon Horde represents one of the most exhilarating and challenging events in the survival game “7 Days to Die”. This guide is just for that. We delve deep into understanding the Blood Moon Horde, equipping you with strategies to enhance your survival chances.
Understanding the Blood Moon Horde
The Onset of the Blood Moon
The Blood Moon is a recurring event that signifies a night of heightened zombie activity. The game alerts players to the approaching horde through several cues:
- Early Warning: At 08:00 on the day of the Blood Moon, the day number in the heads-up display (HUD) turns red, signaling the start of the event.
- Approaching Darkness: By 18:00, players hear thunder and see the sky begin to turn red, intensifying by 21:00 as the storm peaks.
Initial and Subsequent Zombie Waves
The actual attack begins at 22:00 with a nondirectional scream, followed by the spawning of zombies who will aggressively make their way towards players. The number of zombies and the intensity of waves are influenced by:
- Game Stage: A critical determinant dictating the number and strength of the zombies.
- Multiplayer Dynamics: The presence of more players affects the number of zombies spawned.
Concluding the Blood Moon Horde
At precisely 04:00, the onslaught ends. The environment transitions back to normal, with zombies reverting to their standard behavior, showcasing slower movements and no special tracking abilities.
Key Mechanics of Horde Management
Blood Moon Frequency and Settings
Players have the option to customize the frequency of the Blood Moon events through in-game settings:
- Blood Moon Frequency (
BloodMoonFrequency): Defaults to every 7 days, but can be adjusted or completely disabled. - Blood Moon Range (
BloodMoonRange): Allows variability in the occurrence of the Blood Moon, adding unpredictability to the survival gameplay.
Horde Spawning Dynamics
Understanding the spawning mechanics is crucial for effective horde management:
- Spawn Configuration: The game utilizes a
gamestages.xmlfile to determine the specifics of each wave, including the number of zombies spawned and the duration of each wave. - Wave Management: Each wave has a set number of zombies and continues until either all zombies are defeated or the wave’s time expires.
Adjusting Game Settings for Customized Challenges
Players can tweak various settings to either increase the difficulty or ease the conditions of the Blood Moon Horde:
- Zombie Count Adjustments: Increase or decrease the number of zombies spawned during the horde by adjusting the
BloodMoonEnemyCount. - Speed and Behavior Modifications: Modify zombie speed during the Blood Moon for added challenge.
If you want to tinkle with the settings further…
The configuration file which controls Blood Moon Horde spawning is gamestages.xml. Here is an example for Game Stage 60 which we will walk through. Each <spawn … /> line identifies a single wave of the overall horde.
<gamestage stage=”60″> <spawn group=”feralHordeStageGS49″ num=”24″ maxAlive=”20″ duration=”2″ interval=”9″/> <spawn group=”feralHordeStageGS54″ num=”24″ maxAlive=”20″ duration=”2″ interval=”8″/> <spawn group=”feralHordeStageGS59″ num=”24″ maxAlive=”20″ duration=”7″/> </gamestage>
Here is how to interpret the parameters in that block.
| Parameter | Meaning |
|---|---|
| stage=”60″ | Your Game Stage must be at least 59 for this rule to take effect; the next rule is for GS 64, so this GS 59 rule will apply for GS 59-63. |
| group=”feralHordeStageGS49″ | This identifies the horde group (list of zombies) which will be pulled from for this wave (found in entitygroups.xml) |
| num=”24″ | This is the ‘bucket size’ for the wave – the total number of zombies that can spawn during the wave (not all at once though) |
| maxAlive=”20″ | This is the per-player maximum number of zombies that will spawn at once; note that you might not actually see this many due to other restrictions (see below) |
| duration=”7″ | This is the maximum duration of the wave in in-game hours; if you kill the whole wave before 2 hours, the next wave will start after the ‘interval’ |
| interval=”9″ | This is the time between waves in real-world seconds; if you kill a wave or its timer runs out you will have a breather for this many seconds before the next wave |
Strategies for Surviving the Blood Moon Horde
- Base Preparation: Fortify your base with robust defenses and strategic layouts to manage the influx of zombies effectively.
- Resource Management: Ensure ample resources such as ammunition, weapons, and healing items are available before the horde night.
- Team Coordination: In multiplayer scenarios, coordinate roles and responsibilities to cover different defense points effectively.
By mastering these mechanics and strategies, players can significantly enhance their survival odds during the Blood Moon Horde in “7 Days to Die”. Understanding and manipulating the game’s settings to your advantage can turn a night of horror into a manageable, albeit intense, challenge.
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