--- title: ZED ZONE Survival Basics: Starting Out, Skills and Fixes description: First days, skills and attributes, traders, controls, saves, crashes and what 1.0 costs. 7 pages. url: https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/ --- # ZED ZONE survival basics Start here if you just crawled out of the helicopter. These pages cover what to do first, how characters grow, how traders and loot work, and how to fix the things that stop you playing: key bindings, lost saves and crashes. ## Every ZED ZONE survival basics page - [guide Beginner guide What to do after the helicopter crash in ZED ZONE 1.0: follow the tutorial, pick a starting weapon, loot quietly, find a shelter, sort water and food, and avoid the early killers. New Standard worlds start with a tutorial (since Beta 0.9.99.9.7). Noise wakes Dormant Hordes; sneak and use melee early. Make a bigger backpack and a water source before you roam far.](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/beginner-guide/) - [entity Skills & attributes How ZED ZONE characters grow: Strength, Agility and Constitution, attribute points from levels, use and serums, the four skill tree branches, starting perks and the Red, Green and Blue Doses. Three attributes: Strength, Agility, Constitution. Points come from levels, from doing things, and from serums. Skill tree: Melee, Ranged, Physical, Technology branches.](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/skills-and-attributes/) - [guide Traders & loot How ZED ZONE traders restock every 3 days, what the trading camp doctor does, whether loot respawns, where guns still spawn after the 1.0 loot cuts, and how the Loot Abundance setting works. Traders swap their whole stock every 3 days. The camp doctor heals every wound for one payment. Random loot was cut by about a third; gun shops are unaffected.](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/traders-and-loot/) - [fix Controls & keybinds Can you rebind keys in ZED ZONE? Where custom key bindings live, what players still report about WASD, controller and Steam Deck support, Sprint Mode, HUD size and the settings that remove blur and kill cam. Custom key bindings arrived in Beta 0.81 (January 2026). Full controller support; menus work on a pad since 0.9.99.9.1. Kill Cam is off by default; Sight Renderer and HUD Size are settings.](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/controls-and-keybinds/) - [fix Save files Where ZED ZONE keeps its saves and logs on Windows, how Steam Cloud sync and backups work, why character saves are now separate from worlds, and what to do when a save or building disappears. Saves and logs live under AppData\LocalLow\LevenLiu. Steam Cloud auto-sync can be turned off; manual sync is in the pause menu. Back up the folder yourself before big updates.](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/save-files/) - [fix Crashes & stutter ZED ZONE will not start, crashes while driving or stutters in towns? What the developer has fixed, the graphics settings that cost the most, how to send logs, and the checks players found useful. Most stutter fixes landed in Beta 0.9.98 and 0.9.99.8. 2D real-time point light shadows are the heaviest setting. Report with the in-game Feedback Center: it attaches your log.](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/crashes-and-performance/) - [info 1.0 release & specs ZED ZONE left Early Access on 6 November 2026. Who makes it, the launch discount, the 12 store languages, minimum and recommended PC specs, Steam Deck, offline play and the review score. 1.0 launched 6 November 2026 after three years of Early Access. 40% off for the first two weeks of 1.0. Store lists 12 languages and Windows only.](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/game-info/) ## Survival Basics: ZED ZONE FAQ What should I do first in ZED ZONE? Follow the tutorial, pick a starting weapon you can feed, loot the crash site quietly and sort out water before food. Avoid firing near hospitals, where Dormant Hordes sleep. [Details →](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/beginner-guide/#first-hour) Does ZED ZONE have an ending? Yes, since 1.0. Repair the boat, reach the Far Island, beat three Area Guardians and the Area 61 boss, then escape. You can keep playing afterwards. [Details →](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/beginner-guide/#goal) How do I get more attribute points? From levelling, from doing related actions (attributes gain experience with use), from some skill nodes and from the Lizard Serum, which gives +1 permanently up to 10 times. [Details →](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/skills-and-attributes/#points) Does loot respawn in ZED ZONE? Shelves do not refill. Traders swap their stock every 3 days, and new enemies keep bringing loot on their bodies. [Details →](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/traders-and-loot/#respawn) Can you rebind keys in ZED ZONE? Custom key bindings arrived in Beta 0.81, but players still report the WASD movement keys cannot be changed. [Details →](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/controls-and-keybinds/#rebind) Where are ZED ZONE save files? Under %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\LevenLiu\ on Windows. Back up the whole folder before big updates. [Details →](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/save-files/#location) How do I fix lag and stutter? Update first, then turn off 2D real-time point light shadows, the heaviest graphics option. Report crashes through the in-game Feedback Center so your log is attached. [Details →](https://zed-zone.wiki/survival/crashes-and-performance/#settings) Other hubs: [Building & Power](https://zed-zone.wiki/building/) · [Enemies & Bosses](https://zed-zone.wiki/threats/) · [Survivors & Pets](https://zed-zone.wiki/survivors/) · [Modes & Co-op](https://zed-zone.wiki/modes/) · [Items & Mods](https://zed-zone.wiki/data/) · [Updates](https://zed-zone.wiki/update/)