Aftermath — Your first minutes after spawning
About
OverviewThis guide covers how to survive your first runs, understand the game's status effects, pick the right gear, and avoid mistakes that will get you killed fast.
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Contents
Your first minutes after spawning
Step
You spawn unarmed somewhere on the map. Before you do anything else, check your surroundings for zombies and other players. Then start moving into buildings to find weapons, ammunition, and food. Stay away from major military locations until you have a gun — those areas spawn Sprinter zombies that are faster than you.
- Check your surroundings look for zombies and other players before moving
- Enter the nearest building loot shelves, cabinets, and containers for a weapon and ammo
- Grab food immediately apples, canned goods, or anything you find keeps your hunger and health up
- Avoid military areas for now Military Zombies and Civilian Zombies in hoodies are Sprinters and will outrun you
- Pick up a melee weapon as a backup axes and knives cost no ammo and fit the Tertiary slot
- Find a backpack even a Daypack gives you 12 kg of carry capacity and 12 inventory slots
Zombie types and how to handle each one
Table
There are three movement speeds among zombies. They all react to gunshots, explosions, kicked-down doors, and spotting you. Once they lose sight of you they wander randomly until something triggers them again.
| Crawler | slowest variant, injured legs, lower health than others; walk past it if you have a clear path |
| Walker | the standard type covering most zombie varieties; survivors can outpace them, but a crowd of Walkers is still dangerous |
| Sprinter | faster than you, always Civilian Zombies in hoodies or Military Zombies; found heavily at Radio Tower, Nuclear Powerplant, Airfield, and similar military locations |
Dealing with hordes
TipsWhen several zombies converge on you at once, fighting them head-on burns through your ammo quickly. Use the environment and a couple of specific tools instead.
- Break their line of sight using trees, wrecked vehicles, fences, or buildings to slow them down
- Throw an explosion into a large horde to scatter and distract them so you can reposition
- The T13 Crossbow pierces through several zombies at once and one-shots all variants except Military Zombies, which need two hits
- Vehicles can mow through large groups — keep a Wrench in your inventory to repair the vehicle afterward
Status effects you need to know
Check
Aftermath tracks several conditions that stack on top of each other and drain your health or stats. Check yourself after every fight.
- Bleeding has ten stages of increasing health drain per second stop it with a Bandage, Healing Salve, Dressed Bandage, Medkit, Large Medkit, or Tourniquet
- Bacterial infection drains health over time and speeds up your hunger, thirst, and energy loss cure it with Antibiotic pills or a Jar of Honey
- Broken leg drops your movement speed, gives you a bacterial infection chance every second, and makes every jump deal heavy damage fix it with a SAM Splint or Makeshift Leg Splint
- Radiation hits you the moment you enter the toxic gas at Quarry or Nuclear Powerplant wearing a full Hazmat set (shirt, pants, and gas mask) is required to counter it
- Dysentery drains 0.25 hydration and 2.0 hunger every second only comes from Dirty Water (80% chance) or Stagnant Water (50% chance)
- Concussion briefly whites out your screen and muffles sound it fades on its own and cannot be removed early
Armor and clothing tiers
Table
Vests and helmets each have a Protection rating that translates directly to a percentage of damage blocked. Clothing tiers determine how much loot weight you can carry and how many inventory slots your shirt and pants provide.
| Item | Type | Damage Reduction | Durability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police Kevlar Vest | Vest | 25% | 50 HP |
| Makeshift Vest | Vest | 37.5% | 50 HP |
| Military Vest | Vest | 50% | 100 HP |
| Ratnik Vest | Vest | 75% | 200 HP |
| Assault Vest | Vest | 75% | 200 HP |
| Football / Construction / Motorcycle Helmet | Helmet | 25% | 50 HP |
| Makeshift Helmet | Helmet | 25% | 75 HP |
| Military Helmet | Helmet | 50% | 100 HP |
| Altyn Helmet | Helmet | 50% | 100 HP |
Weapon slots and armor penetration
SummaryEvery weapon occupies one of three slots: Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary. Armor penetration decides how much damage gets through when a target is wearing a vest or helmet. Shotguns have 0% armor penetration, so they are weak against armored players. Anti-materiel rifles chambered in .50 BMG have the highest penetration in the game at 75–80%.
- Primary slot most rifles, carbines, shotguns, LMGs, and bows go here
- Secondary slot pistols, the Uzi, the Sawed Off Double Barrel, and the Desert Eagle fit here
- Tertiary slot all melee weapons including axes, knives, and the Flashlight
- Low penetration (0–20%) 12 Gauge, .22 LR, Rem .223; fine for zombies, weak against armored players
- High penetration (50–80%) .50 BMG, 9x39MM, .300 Blackout, and .308 Win rounds punch through vests effectively
Backpack capacity and crafting basics
Table
Weight limits are real in Aftermath — every item you carry has a listed weight, and your backpack sets the ceiling. Craftable bags get you started, but looted bags fill the upper tiers.
| Makeshift Satchel | 8 kg capacity, crafted from Cloth Scrap |
| Daypack | 12 kg capacity, found by looting; cannot be crafted |
| Makeshift Backpack | 16 kg capacity, craft it from 1 Spool of Twine, 3 Sticks, and 2 Duct Tape |
| Rucksack | 18 kg capacity, looted only |
| Mulepack / Duffel Bag | 25 kg capacity, looted only |
| Assault Pack | 45 kg capacity, the largest available and looted only |
Combat tags and cheating rules
WarnAftermath uses a two-tier combat system that punishes disconnecting mid-fight. On top of that, the developers enforce a strict no-cheats policy with no appeals.
Glossary
Glossary- Armor Penetration
- A percentage that determines how much of a weapon's damage passes through a target's armor.
- Sprinter
- The fastest zombie variant, faster than a running player, always appearing as hooded Civilian Zombies or Military Zombies.
- Tier 2 Combat
- A combat state triggered by hitting a player while also having been hit yourself; leaving the server while in this state destroys your entire inventory.
- Armor Plate
- A repair component — Reinforced Armor Plates and Makeshift Armor Plates are used to restore a vest's durability.
- Floppy Disc
- A rare item dropped by special zombies that unlocks locked locations or calls in an airdrop.
- Bacterial Infection
- A status effect that drains health over time and accelerates hunger, thirst, and energy loss; cured by Antibiotics or Jar of Honey.
- Carry Capacity
- The maximum total weight in kilograms that your backpack allows you to hold.
Common questions
FAQWhat should I do the moment I spawn?
Check that no zombies or players are nearby, then head straight into the nearest building and search for a weapon and food. Stay out of military zones until you have a gun, because Military Zombies and hooded Civilian Zombies there are Sprinters that will outrun you.
Why do I keep dying to zombies even after I find a gun?
The most common cause is getting surrounded. Use doorways and terrain to limit how many zombies can reach you at once, and keep moving so they cannot pile up behind you. If a horde is already on top of you, an explosion can scatter them and buy you time to escape.
What happens if I get a broken leg?
Your movement speed drops sharply, sprinting deals 0.90 health damage per second to you, and even jumping hurts you. You also have a chance every second to develop a Bacterial Infection on top of it. Fix it immediately with a SAM Splint or Makeshift Leg Splint.
Do shotguns work against armored players?
All shotguns in the game have 0% armor penetration, meaning none of their damage passes through a vest. Against an unarmored player or a zombie they are effective, but switch to a rifle cartridge like .300 Blackout or .308 Win when you expect to face armored opponents.
How do I open the Bunker or Bomb Shelter?
The Bunker requires a Mysterious Floppy Disc 3, which drops from Chinese Military Zombies or can be found inside the Chinook Helicopter. The Bomb Shelter requires a Mysterious Floppy Disc 1, which drops from the rare Tactical Zombie that has a 0.1% chance to spawn in place of a Military Zombie.
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