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SCUMis a hardcore survival game that can be pretty overwhelming for first-time players. However, once you get used to mechanics, it’s one of the best online survival experiences out there. Getting used to things is easier said than done, though, because even if the game has a tutorial at the beginning, it won’t hold anyone’s hand when it comes to actually surviving on the island.
This guide is all about teaching players what to do on their first time dropping onto the island. There areplenty of things to remember inSCUM, but if all you’re concerned about is not dying in the first five minutes, then this guide should help you out.
Best Things to Do First in SCUM
If you’re dropping in for the first time, you’ll likely have nothing but the clothes on your back and DEENA, the AI who’ll teach you the game’s basic controls. DEENA’s tutorial should give you a good idea on how to gather and craft items as well as how to navigate the game’s menus, and if you finish her short chain of tutorial tasks, you should now have a basic grasp of how to do the very basics.
Still, you’ll likely be left wondering what to do next after the tutorial.SCUM’smap is huge, and with your hunger and thirst meters constantly depleting, you’ll be pressed for time. Here’s what you should do after completing the tutorial.
Craft Basic Tools Fast
After the tutorial, you should have a Stone Knife, an Improvised Wooden Spear, a basic wooden bow, and anImprovised Courier Bagon you. The latter two are alright for beginners, butwe strongly recommend ditching the knife and spear for a Stone Axe.
To get a Stone Axe, you’ll need the following:
The Stone Axe can cut down trees and other small objects, and it’s a decent starting melee weapon too. More importantly, it’ll only save you some precious inventory space.
As a reminder, before venturing deeper into the island, make sure to have these items:
Look for Food and Water
Once you have a basic kit, it’s time to find some food and water. The latter should be easy enough — open your map and look for a nearby body ofinlandwater, like ponds, lakes, and rivers. Do not drink seawater.
Food, on the other hand, is trickier. You can try the following if you’re getting peckish:
For new players, your best bet at early food isbushes and fruit trees. If you’re lucky, you might find a farm that has a variety of crops already planted. In any case, once you find a food source,make a campfireand cook whatever you find.
Claim Land
Ideally, you should look for food and waternear some trace of civilization like a village or town. You’ll want to find these traces of civilization as they’ll have the materials you need tocraft a Flag, which acts as a land claim block. In order to build bases, you need set a Flag down first — doing so will also prevent hostile NPCs from spawning nearby.
To place buildables, open the Crafting menu and select the Base Building tab on the upper-right.
To craft a Flag, you need the following:
You can craft Rags by cutting clothes dropped by Puppets. Meanwhile, Scraps and Bolts/Nails can be found inside warehouses, offices, or anywhere you’d expect pieces of construction hardware would be.
As for the Tool Box, you can eitherfind a regular Tool Box or a Small Tool Boxwhile exploring, or you can craft an Improvised Tool Box using the following:
Once you’ve planted a Flag, you can now start building a base. We recommend setting up a Flag in an abandoned village or homestead and just claim a nearby building as your shelter.
What to Do Next?
The steps outlined above should be enough to give you a basic idea ofhow to get a foothold inSCUM. At this point, you’re free to explore the map and create more camps using the steps above. If you’re not sure where to go, we recommend doing the following:
