KEY POINTS

  • Zombies will always travel down the path of least resistance
  • Zombies do not care about traps or turrets
  • Always make an escape route in case things go wrong

A good horde base should be able to withstand an entire night’s worth of zombies without crumbling into debris or compromising the players hiding inside. But given how the zombies work in “7 Days to Die,” this is easier said than done.

Zombie behavior is the most important thing to consider when building bases. To keep things brief, consider these two key points:

  • Zombies will always go toward the path of least resistance
  • Zombies will destroy blocks at random when players are unreachable

With these in mind, players can create bases that can funnel zombies into kill zones and make defending during horde night much easier.

One commonly-used horde base design is the fatal funnel setup, which uses elevated platforms and pathways to group zombies up into a nice conga line that is very vulnerable to traps and piercing ammunition

A simple funnel design for horde nights in 7 Days to Die
A simple funnel design for horde nights in 7 Days to Die 7 Days to Die

Setups like this can be made with normal blocks, thin poles, or powered doors placed horizontally. The latter can be used to divert zombies from one fatal funnel to another by flipping a switch that can open or close its door.

To guarantee that zombies will funnel toward the desired location, make sure that the funnel side has fewer blocks for zombies to break. Placing too many wall layers will force zombies to find a different path that’s easier to break.

Funnels can be littered with all sorts of traps, notably blade traps, electric fences and turrets. Ideally, players should also make sure that essential base components like power generators can be easily repaired or refueled.

Funnel bases are typically weak against Demolishers. If the main funnel gets destroyed, zombies will automatically go into smash mode, which might cause a base collapse if important structural pillars get destroyed. This weakness can be countered by creating a secondary path for zombies to move through, either by doing the powered door method mentioned above or by simply preparing a second funnel connected to the main base by adding a few extra blocks.

Lastly, be careful when building underground since zombies are likely to dig through points directly above players.

RELATED STORIES