Equipment

Many other items are just as important as your melee weapons and firearms. Let’s go over those next!

Outfits

Early in the game, you gain access to your Player Stash. That’s where you store and retrieve items, but it’s also a place that lets you shift your appearance. Switch outfits to customize the feel of your character. You unlock more and more outfits as the game goes on, so come back periodically to see what’s new. There aren’t any in-game benefits to the various outfits, but they are fun.

Medical Supplies and Boosters

Medkits restore 100 Health to your character with only a few seconds of work. They’re made with Gauze and Alcohol, and you get the recipe for them automatically by going through the very earliest portion of the story. These never become obsolete. Make them often, and keep at least five on hand when embarking on a quest.

Stores almost always carry a unit of Gauze. Buy these at every opportunity to ensure you have a good supply of this component on hand. Alcohol is found more frequently as you scavenge, so the Gauze is usually the limiting factor for your Medkit creation.

Boosters are craftable potions that have a variety of effects. Use them to remove fatigue, see in the dark, and hide from the Infected.

You learn how to make some potions from the Survivor Skills (Boosters). Others are gained from side quests during the game. Work with the Witch to learn more!

Thrown Weapons

Thrown Weapons are amazingly useful, especially if you don’t have firearms or lack a substantial number of bullets. Use Throwing Knives and Throwing Stars to kill enemies when you’re higher up or have plenty of room to back away. They’re also great tools when you’re fleeing and have the Lookback skill (this lets you turn and use tools on the enemies behind your character).

As you learn more recipes, you even start to make explosives (like DIY Grenades). These give you the ability to unleash area of effect attacks at range. Throw them into large groups of Biters for a substantial amount of damage without any real risk to yourself!

Valuables

You find Coffee, Cigarettes, Cosmetics, Pouches of Valuables, and Jewels when you explore the city or loot bodies of your enemies. Keep these until you get to a store, and then sell them for profit. If you take the Survivor skill Hard Bargain, these get you even more cash!

Flares and UV Flashlights

Light sources have their own value when you’re dealing with the Infected. Your Flashlight already deals with exploration in dark places, but UV Flashlights and Flares create light that temporarily blinds and disrupts some of the Infected. This is your best line of defense against Volatiles (and incredibly powerful form of Infected that come out at night to hunt)!