Summary
7 Days to Dierecently had its full release after almost 12 years of being in early access. Now, even after its long development period in early access, the game will continue to grow with a thrivingmodding community for7 Days to Die, as well as several planned post-launch updates.
The most recent updates for7 Days to Diehave attempted to address a massive hurdle for the game, drawing out progression by making crafting and looting much more impactful. While this is a big step in the right direction, it might be worth7 Days to Dietaking a look at another early access game for further inspiration for its future updates. By learning fromValheim’s balance of progression and exploration,7 Days to Diemight just find the key to finally solving its progression crisis.
What 7 Days to Die Could Learn From Valheim’s Biome Bosses
Valheimhas been in early access since February 2021, and while the game is much younger than7 Days to Die, it offers plenty of great content from which7 Days to Diecould take inspiration. More specifically,7 Days to Dieshould look at how the game encourages players to explore the different biomes inValheim.
7 Days to Die’s Biomes are Underutilized
As it currently stands, there is arguably little to no reason for visiting the different biomes in7 Days to Die, considering that almost every resource and quest in the game can be found in the Pine Forest biome where players start by default. The different biomes offer slightly increased difficulty andloot stages in7 Days to Die, as well as a unique type of trader, but again, most resources can be found in any one particular biome. Consequently, the different biomes throughout the game are often underutilized.
Thedifferent NPC traders in7 Days to Dieeach specialize in a specific type of resource/tool, including, food, healing items, vehicles, firearms, and armor. Traders also have a general loot pool of common resources and items.
Boss Fights Could Be a Fun Addition to 7 Days to Die
One way that7 Days to Diecould address this problem and encourage players to explore the different biomes is to double down on the different biomes having exclusive resources. However, this type of change this late in the game’s life cycle might risk some backlash among fans. Consequently, it might be best for7 Days to Dieto take a more subtle approach to differentiating its biomes, hence whyValheim’s biome bosses could be a great source of inspiration.
The differentbiome bosses inValheimeach serve as major progression milestones, offering players key resources and special abilities for defeating them. While some of these bosses are technically optional, players are encouraged to defeat these bosses before moving on to the next biome inValheimto get access to the next threshold of equipment upgrades. Considering the difference between the difficulty in each biome, it’s in the player’s best interest to defeat every boss in the game, consequently encouraging players to explore each biome.
In the case of7 Days to Die, introducing biome-specific bosses that reward players with passive stat bonuses or unique buffs could be a fun way to encourage players to explore each biome without the need for a major progression overhaul. For example, bosses in7 Days to Diecould give players permanent buffs like the chance to not consume ammo, increased gear durability, improved vision in dark areas, or similar effects.
This way, players who prefer to hunker down andbuild a base in7 Days to Diein only one biome wouldn’t be missing out on anything by not hunting down these bosses. Meanwhile, players who are looking for a new challenge could put their builds to the test.
7 Days to Die
WHERE TO PLAY
How long will you survive? With over 18 million copies sold, 7 Days has defined the survival genre, with unrivaled crafting and world-building content. Set in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by the undead, 7 Days is an open-world game that is a unique combination of first-person shooter, survival horror, tower defense, and role-playing games. It presents combat, crafting, looting, mining, exploration, and character growth, in a way that has seen a rapturous response from fans worldwide. Play the definitive zombie survival sandbox RPG that came first. Navezgane awaits!
