Survivors
Survivors are people you rescue and bring back to your Stronghold. They can be developed into specialists and sent on timed jobs to collect rewards, support the camp, recover, or study. Your own player character and your recruited survivors have separate levels and stats.
Unlocking survivors
Follow Quests to rescue your first survivors and introduce the system. Open Stronghold > Survivors to see everyone you have recruited.
Your survivor count is limited by your stronghold's capacity. Build and upgrade Survivor Camps to increase that limit. The top of the Survivors page shows your current count and capacity, together with the number of idle and active survivors.
Reading a survivor card
Each card gives you a quick view of that survivor:
- Level and progress toward the next level.
- Attack and Defense.
- Engineering, Charisma, and Scouting.
- Health, Morale, and Insanity bars.
- Their current status and, while working or resting, a timer.
A survivor with no current assignment is shown as Idle. A finished assignment is shown as Waiting until you open it and finish collecting the result. Survivors with no health are Injured, while survivors whose Insanity has reached its maximum are Insane; either condition prevents them from being assigned.
Select a card to open that survivor's details. From here you can set a nickname, inspect their full stat breakdown, see their current assignment or recovery timer, review missions completed, and open their personal journal.
Stats, levels, and traits
The five working stats are Attack, Defense, Engineering, Charisma, and Scouting. Jobs can require one survivor or a team and may set minimum totals for one or more of these stats. When building a team, the assignment screen compares the team's combined totals with the job's requirements.
Survivors earn XP from their work and level independently. Every level after level 1 provides an attribute point. A level-up marker appears on the survivor card when points are waiting to be spent. Open the survivor, choose Stats, then use Level Up to assign available points.
A survivor's displayed total can combine several sources:
- Their base stat.
- Attribute points you have assigned.
- Bonuses or penalties from traits.
- Magazine bonuses for Engineering, Charisma, or Scouting.
Traits can also change maximum Health, Morale, or Insanity. The detailed Stats view separates these sources so you can see why each total has its current value.
The Reset Survivor option returns spent attribute points and lets you remove eligible traits. Traits marked DNA are permanent and cannot be removed. A reset may require the resources shown in its confirmation window, or it can consume one free survivor reset when you have one. Resets are subject to the cooldown displayed on the Stats page, and a busy survivor cannot be reset.
Assigning survivors
- Select Assign Survivors at the top of the Survivors page.
- Choose a job. Available work is organised into Missions, Camp, Med Bay, and Library tabs. Tabs only appear when they contain available work.
- For a mission, expand its difficulty and location, then select the job. You can mark frequently used jobs with a star so they also appear in your favourites.
- Select the required survivor or survivors.
- Choose the number of mission attempts, check the total time and item cost, then select Assign.
Read the job card before choosing a team. It shows the time, stat and team-size requirements, required items, possible rewards, and any location recovery timer. An unavailable job cannot be selected.
Some jobs need a team of a specific size. Survivors are grouped into teams in the order you select them, and every team must be full and meet the displayed combined-stat requirements. The team indicators turn valid only when those conditions are satisfied. You may assign more than one complete team to the same job at once.
Only available survivors can be selected. A survivor who is already active, has no health, or has reached maximum Insanity must first become available again.
Current survivor jobs
The tables below come directly from the current game definitions and update automatically. They include field missions grouped by difficulty as well as work available from the Camp, Medical Bay, and Library.
Required stats are combined team totals. Items required are the base cost for one team and one attempt; the assignment screen calculates the final cost when you select more teams or attempts. Possible rewards show the quantity and chance band defined for each job. Your game may show fewer jobs until you have access to the relevant location, item, or feature, and a location can temporarily be in recovery.
Missions — Easy
| Job | Location | Time per attempt | Team size | Required stats | Items required | Possible rewards | Effects / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scout the area | Open Meadow | 5 seconds | 1 | None | None | None | Health −0.01; Morale −0.2; Insanity +0.01; Survivor XP +0.35; A quick scouting job that earns a small amount of Survivor XP. |
| Trap local wildlife | Open Meadow | 45 seconds | 1 | Scouting ≥ 5 | 1 × Logs | Hide × 1 (8%) | Survivor XP +3-5; Morale −0.5 |
| Hunt local wildlife | Open Meadow | 10 minutes | 1 | Scouting ≥ 25 | 10 × Arrows | Animal Meat × 1 (1%); Hide × 1 (50%) | Health −1-2; Survivor XP +35-40 |
| Hunt local wildlife | Open Meadow | 10 minutes | 2 | Scouting ≥ 50 | 10 × Arrows | Animal Meat × 1 (1%); Hide × 2 (50%) | Health −1-2; Survivor XP +40-45 |
| Hunt local wildlife | Open Meadow | 10 minutes | 2 | Scouting ≥ 75 | 10 × Arrows | Animal Meat × 2 (1%); Hide × 3 (50%) | Health −1-2; Survivor XP +45-50 |
| Hunt local wildlife | Open Meadow | 10 minutes | 2 | Scouting ≥ 100 | 10 × Arrows | Animal Meat × 3 (1%); Hide × 4 (50%) | Health −1-2; Survivor XP +50-55 |
| Collect scrap materials | Reclaim Zone | 2 minutes | 1 | Engineering ≥ 5 | None | Scrap × 1 (25%) | Morale −0.2; Insanity +0.1; Survivor XP +2-3 |
| Separate Scrap | Reclaim Zone | 10 minutes | 1 | Engineering ≥ 25 | 2 × Scrap | Dirty Water × 1-2 (10%) | Survivor XP +40-45; Morale −2; Insanity +2 |
| Use Recycler | Reclaim Zone | 10 minutes | 1 | Engineering ≥ 50 | 2 × Scrap | Fuel × 1-2 (0.45%) | Survivor XP +45-50; Morale −2; Insanity +2 |
| Mechanical Separator | Reclaim Zone | 10 minutes | 1 | Engineering ≥ 75 | 2 × Scrap | Dirty Water × 3-4 (0.45%) | Survivor XP +50-55; Morale −2; Insanity +2 |
| Mechanical Recycler | Reclaim Zone | 10 minutes | 1 | Engineering ≥ 100 | 2 × Scrap | Fuel × 3-4 (0.45%) | Survivor XP +55-60; Morale −2; Insanity +2 |
| Relax in Springs | Fishing Reserve | 6 minutes | 1 | None | None | None | Survivor XP +0.1; Morale +1.1; Gradually removes Heatstroke and Frostbite. |
| Set Fish Basket | Fishing Reserve | 2 minutes | 1 | Scouting ≥ 5 | 1 × Logs | Bass × 1 (30%) | Survivor XP +10-12; Morale −0.05 |
| Send out fishing | Fishing Reserve | 6 minutes | 2 | Scouting ≥ 20 | 1 × Wooden Fishing Rod | Bass × 1 (90%) | Survivor XP +1-2; Morale +0.5; Catch fish, with a chance to remove the Lonely trait. |
| Send out fishing | Fishing Reserve | 6 minutes | 2 | Scouting ≥ 50 | 1 × Wooden Fishing Rod | Bass × 1 (90%); Carp × 1 (10%); Perch × 1 (1%) | Survivor XP +2-3; Morale +0.5; Catch fish, with a chance to remove the Lonely trait. |
| Send out fishing | Fishing Reserve | 6 minutes | 2 | Scouting ≥ 75 | 1 × Steel Fishing Rod | Carp × 1 (90%); Perch × 1 (10%); Angelfish × 1 (1%) | Survivor XP +3-4; Morale +0.5; Catch fish, with a chance to remove the Lonely trait. |
| Send out fishing | Fishing Reserve | 6 minutes | 3 | Scouting ≥ 100 | 1 × Pro Fishing Rod | Perch × 1 (90%); Angelfish × 1 (2.5%); Barnaclefish × 1 (1%) | Survivor XP +4-5; Morale +0.5; Catch fish, with a chance to remove the Lonely trait. |
| Chop Brambles | Logging Camp | 10 minutes | 1 | Scouting ≥ 5 | 1 × Hatchet | Logs × 1 (100%) | Health −0.01; Morale −0.5; Survivor XP +40-50; Repeated attempts can cause the Blisters trait. |
| Chop Softwood | Logging Camp | 10 minutes | 1 | Scouting ≥ 25 | 1 × Hatchet | Logs × 2 (100%) | Health −0.01; Morale −0.5; Survivor XP +45-55; Repeated attempts can cause the Blisters trait. |
| Chop Hardwood | Logging Camp | 10 minutes | 1 | Scouting ≥ 50 | 1 × Hatchet | Logs × 3 (100%) | Health −0.01; Morale −0.5; Survivor XP +55-60; Repeated attempts can cause the Blisters trait. |
| Chop Pine Tree | Logging Camp | 10 minutes | 1 | Scouting ≥ 75 | 1 × Hatchet | Logs × 4 (100%) | Health −0.01; Morale −0.5; Survivor XP +60-70; Repeated attempts can cause the Blisters trait. |
| Chop Grand Oak | Logging Camp | 10 minutes | 1 | Scouting ≥ 100 | 1 × Hatchet | Logs × 5 (100%) | Health −0.01; Morale −0.5; Survivor XP +65-75; Repeated attempts can cause the Blisters trait. |
| Siphon fuel | Fuel Depot | 1 day | 1 | Scouting ≥ 50; Engineering ≥ 75 | 5 × Lockpick | Fuel × 5-7 (100%); Car Parts × 25 (10%) | Health −1-10; Morale −2-6 |
| Clear out Bandits | Fuel Depot | 1 day | 3 | Attack ≥ 90; Engineering ≥ 90; Scouting ≥ 90 | 1 × Green access pass; 10 × Rifle Ammo | Fuel × 12-35 (100%); Old Survivors Journal × 1 (100%); Modern Survivors Journal × 1 (12%); Military Survivors Journal × 1 (6%); Prisoner × 1 (75%) | Health −100-125; Morale −2; Insanity +1; Survivor XP +55 |
Missions — Medium
| Job | Location | Time per attempt | Team size | Required stats | Items required | Possible rewards | Effects / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade With Nearby Camp | Construction Yard | 1 day | 1 | Charisma ≥ 10 | 10 × Brick | Money × 20000 (100%); Hiking Magazine × 1 (25%) | Survivor XP +150 |
| Raid Nearby Camp | Construction Yard | 12 hours | 2 | Attack ≥ 10; Engineering ≥ 10 | 100 × Pistol Ammo | Prisoner × 1 (25%); Old Survivors Journal × 1-2 (35%); Money × 10000-20000 (100%); Beer × 1-3 (100%) | Health −1-150; Morale −1-150; Survivor XP +150; Completing this raid makes the area unavailable for 4 days. |
| Trade With Nearby Camp | Demolition Site | 1 day | 1 | Charisma ≥ 25 | 1 × Explosives | Money × 52000 (100%); Hiking Magazine × 1 (30%) | Survivor XP +150 |
| Raid Nearby Camp | Demolition Site | 12 hours | 2 | Attack ≥ 10; Engineering ≥ 10 | 1 × Explosives | Prisoner × 1 (20%); Old Survivors Journal × 1-2 (35%); Money × 25000-50000 (100%); Beer × 3-6 (100%) | Health −1-175; Morale −1-200; Survivor XP +150; Completing this raid makes the area unavailable for 4 days. |
| Trade With Nearby Camp | Oil Refinery | 1 day | 1 | Charisma ≥ 50 | 1 × Fuel Container | Money × 52000 (100%); Business Magazine × 1 (30%) | Survivor XP +150 |
| Clear out Oil Baron | Oil Refinery | 10 minutes | 2 | Attack ≥ 90 | 1 × Blue access pass; 10 × Rifle Ammo | Oil × 10-100 (100%); Old Survivors Journal × 1 (100%); Modern Survivors Journal × 1 (12%); Military Survivors Journal × 1 (6%) | Health −100-125; Morale −2; Insanity +1; Survivor XP +55 |
| Trade With Nearby Camp | Research Facility | 1 day | 2 | Charisma ≥ 75 | 10 × Reinforced Pane | Money × 50000 (100%); Science Magazine × 1 (30%) | Survivor XP +5000-6500; Morale −1; The location is freezing cold. Travel can cause Frostbite. |
| Raid Nearby Camp | Research Facility | 1 day | 3 | Attack ≥ 75; Engineering ≥ 25 | 1 × Explosives | Prisoner × 1 (40%); Modern Survivors Journal × 1 (30%); Water × 5-10 (100%); Mixed Vegetables × 5-10 (100%); Beer × 5-8 (100%) | Health −1-200; Morale −1-200; Survivor XP +6000-7000; Completing this raid makes the area unavailable for 4 days. Travel can cause Frostbite. |
| Trade With Nearby Camp | Abandoned Quarry | 1 day | 1 | Charisma ≥ 100 | 1 × Explosives | Money × 55000-75000 (100%); Science Magazine × 1 (30%) | Survivor XP +7000-8000; Travel can cause Heatstroke. |
| Raid Nearby Camp | Abandoned Quarry | 1 day | 3 | Attack ≥ 100; Engineering ≥ 100 | 1 × Explosives | Prisoner × 1 (40%); Military Survivors Journal × 1 (25%); Water × 5-10 (100%); Cement × 1-5 (100%); Beer × 5-10 (100%) | Health −1-250; Morale −1-200; Survivor XP +7500-9000; Completing this raid makes the area unavailable for 4 days. Travel can cause Heatstroke. |
Missions — Hard
| Job | Location | Time per attempt | Team size | Required stats | Items required | Possible rewards | Effects / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear out Crawlers | Data Center | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 10 | 1 × Pistol Ammo | Zed Juice × 1-2 (10%); Pistol Ammo × 1 (25%) | Health −10-25; Morale −0.1; Insanity +0.5; Survivor XP +15 |
| Clear out Zombies | Data Center | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 20 | 2 × Pistol Ammo | Zed Juice × 3-4 (10%); Pistol Ammo × 1-2 (25%) | Health −10-25; Morale −0.1; Insanity +0.5; Survivor XP +20 |
| Clear out Bloaters | Military Base | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 30 | 1 × Shotgun Slug | Zed Juice × 5-6 (10%); Shotgun Slug × 1 (25%) | Health −25-50; Morale −1; Insanity +0.5; Survivor XP +25 |
| Clear out Undead Soldiers | Military Base | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 40 | 2 × Shotgun Slug | Zed Juice × 6-7 (10%); Shotgun Slug × 1-2 (25%) | Health −25-50; Morale −1; Insanity +0.5; Survivor XP +30 |
| Clear out Spitters | Industrial Foundry | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 50 | 1 × Rifle Ammo | Zed Juice × 7-8 (10%); Rifle Ammo × 1 (25%) | Health −50-75; Morale −1.5; Insanity +0.5; Survivor XP +40 |
| Clear out Lurchers | Industrial Foundry | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 60 | 2 × Rifle Ammo | Zed Juice × 8-9 (10%); Rifle Ammo × 1-2 (25%) | Health −50-75; Morale −1.5; Insanity +0.5; Survivor XP +45 |
| Clear out Undead Workman | Junkyard | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 70 | 3 × Rifle Ammo | Zed Juice × 9-10 (10%); Rifle Ammo × 1-3 (25%) | Health −75-100; Morale −2; Insanity +1; Survivor XP +50 |
| Clear out Undead Supervisor | Junkyard | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 80 | 4 × Rifle Ammo | Zed Juice × 11-12 (10%); Rifle Ammo × 1-4 (25%) | Health −100-125; Morale −2; Insanity +1; Survivor XP +55 |
| Clear out Junkyard King | Junkyard | 10 minutes | 1 | Attack ≥ 90 | 1 × Yellow access pass; 10 × Rifle Ammo | Zed Juice × 50-100 (100%); Old Survivors Journal × 1 (33%); Modern Survivors Journal × 1 (12%); Military Survivors Journal × 1 (6%) | Health −100-125; Morale −2; Insanity +1; Survivor XP +55 |
Camp
Medical Bay
| Job | Time per attempt | Team size | Required stats | Items required | Effects / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apply First Aid | 1 minute | 1 | None | 1 × Small Med Kit | Health +500; Uses a Small Med Kit to treat Deep Cut and Blisters. |
| Relax by Fire | 15 minutes | 1 | None | 150 × Logs | Insanity −15; Relax by the fire to reduce Insanity. |
| Tend to wounds | 10 minutes | 1 | None | 1 × Bandage | Health +25 |
| Therapy | 10 minutes | 2 | Charisma ≥ 25 | None | Insanity −100; Reduces Insanity and gradually removes the Traumatized and Depressed traits. |
Library
| Job | Time per attempt | Team size | Required stats | Items required | Effects / notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read Business Magazine | 1 hour | 1 | None | 1 × Business Magazine | Gain +1 Charisma from reading this magazine. |
| Read Free Survivors Journal | 15 seconds | 1 | None | 1 × Free Survivors Journal | Survivor XP +250 |
| Read Hiking Magazine | 1 hour | 1 | None | 1 × Hiking Magazine | Gain +1 Scouting from reading this magazine. |
| Read Military Survivors Journal | 30 seconds | 1 | None | 1 × Military Survivors Journal | Survivor XP +1115 |
| Read Modern Survivors Journal | 30 seconds | 1 | None | 1 × Modern Survivors Journal | Survivor XP +550 |
| Read Old Survivors Journal | 30 seconds | 1 | None | 1 × Old Survivors Journal | Survivor XP +250 |
| Read Science Magazine | 1 hour | 1 | None | 1 × Science Magazine | Gain +1 Engineering from reading this magazine. |
Attempts, time, and required items
Mission Attempts repeats the selected job for each assigned team. Increasing the attempt count increases the total duration and multiplies consumable item requirements. Equipment with durability is treated as reusable for the assignment rather than consumed once per attempt. The selector automatically limits the number of attempts to what the job and your available items allow.
Check the final item list carefully before assigning several teams: item requirements apply to each team, while consumable costs also scale with the number of attempts.
Finishing, cancelling, and recovery
An active survivor's card shows the assignment and its remaining time. When the timer ends, open that survivor and use the job's finish button to collect the result. The Completed Jobs panel on the main Survivors page records recent results, and each survivor's Journal shows their own history. The Stats page also totals how many times that survivor has completed each kind of job.
You can cancel an active job from the survivor card or the survivor's detail page. Long jobs ask for confirmation. Cancellation completes the job early, so review the confirmation and current rewards before proceeding.
Some outcomes reduce Health or Morale or increase Insanity. Use suitable Med Bay work and recovery options when a survivor needs attention. A resting survivor shows the time until their next recovery.
Useful tips
- Rescue survivors through quests before investing heavily in extra capacity.
- Build or upgrade Survivor Camps before reaching your current limit.
- Match the whole team's combined stats to a mission instead of judging one survivor in isolation.
- Spend attribute points toward the jobs you want that survivor to perform.
- Compare possible rewards with time, item costs, and risks before repeating a mission many times.
- Check completed-job notifications and journals so finished work does not get overlooked.