Have you ever had a Screamer (the screaming female zombie) suddenly show up at your base and call in a horde with her scream? The cause is almost always your base’s “heat.” To cut to the conclusion, the single best countermeasure is to avoid running heat-generating equipment “around the clock.”
Where Does Heat Come From?
The following equipment and actions generate the most heat.
- Running the Forge
- Cooking/smelting on campfires and hearth-type stations
- The Chemistry Station
- Placing large numbers of torches
- Firing guns in rapid succession
When these concentrate within a certain radius and heat exceeds the threshold, a Screamer spawns. When a Screamer spots a live player or your base, she lets out a scream that calls in additional zombies. Leave it unchecked and the horde snowballs.
Tips for Keeping Heat Low
- Batch your work, then shut it down when finished: Run the Forge with the mindset of turning it off once smelting and crafting are done, rather than leaving materials sitting in it.
- Don’t cluster your heat sources / keep them a little away from your base: Combining your workshop with your living quarters makes heat easy to concentrate in one spot.
- Electric lighting over torches: Lighting up lots of decorative torches quietly builds up heat. Use lanterns or electric lights for illumination.
- If one shows up, deal with it as the top priority immediately: The iron rule is to take down a Screamer before she screams. Aim for a one-shot kill with a ranged weapon or a sneak attack from a crouch.
Summary
Screamers aren’t an “accident” — they spawn as a result of how you operate your base. Don’t leave the Forge or cooking running, don’t cluster your heat sources too tightly, and silence a Screamer as your top priority the moment one appears. Just following these three points will greatly improve the safety of an early-game base.
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