The Experimental build of 7 Days to Die’s major update, V3.0 “Dead Hot Summer,” is now live. Its theme is player agency (the freedom to shape the world to your own liking). From 150 sandbox settings to item magnitudes, quality-bearing mods, the Combine Station, a reworked repair and degradation system, Sign-Tech signs, 60+ new POIs, and a UI overhaul, this is one of the largest system updates the game has ever seen.
For a deep dive into what’s inside V3.0, our separate complete roundup covers each feature in detail. This article focuses mainly on how to actually play the Experimental build and the changes in the latest update.
How to Join the Experimental Build
V3.0 is being released first as an Experimental build. On the Steam version, anyone can switch over with the following steps.
- Right-click 7 Days to Die in your Steam library
- Open “Properties”
- Select the “Betas” (Game Versions & Betas) tab
- Choose
latest_experimentalfrom the dropdown menu - Wait for the download to finish
Once the download is complete, V3.0 will launch when you start the game. When you want to return to the stable version, just select “None” (do not participate) from the same menu to switch back.
Before you play
The Experimental build is a version still in development. You may lose compatibility with existing saves or run into bugs. We recommend always backing up any save data you care about before switching over.
V3.0’s Main Highlights (A Quick Recap)
- 150 sandbox settings … Fine-tune, save, and share difficulty and rules. Includes many official presets
- Item magnitudes … The fun of hunting for a “winner” even among identical gear
- Quality-bearing mods … Mod parts now come with quality too
- Combine Station … Combine gear to enhance it
- Reworked repair and degradation system … A rethink of how repair kits are used
- Sign-Tech (animated signs) / clocks and calendars … New gadgets that broaden your base-building options
- 60+ new POIs and a full UI overhaul
For detailed explanations of each system, head to the V3.0 “Dead Hot Summer” feature page.
Latest Update: V3.0.0 b257 (June 22)
The Experimental build has continued to improve since its release. The b257 update on June 22 brought in numerous fixes and additions based on feedback (changes from b252). Here’s a selection of the main gameplay-related items.
Added
- An in-game FPS cap setting
- Zombies now take fall damage when they drop from high places (big damage from hard falls)
- A sandbox setting to adjust the spawn rate of books
- A “name only” option added to position info display
- Localization for animated clocks and calendars, and more
Changed
- Stun Baton: no longer ragdolls zombies while under the Nerd Tats buff (when the Repulsor mod is not equipped)
- Added the bone knife, pipe baton, stone spear, stone sledgehammer, and knuckle wraps to the limited backpack setting
- Adjusted trader stock for some sandbox settings (adding irradiated mushrooms, etc.)
- Removed penetration count from shotgun shells
- Adjusted the behavior of the Duke Note (intro message)
Bug Fixes
- An issue where changing ammo type mid-reload broke the animation
- An issue where items could be duplicated in vehicle inventory
- An issue where rally markers sometimes didn’t show up for other players
- Numerous inconsistencies in sandbox settings related to fall damage and stamina
- An issue where some sandbox settings weren’t localized
- An issue where the loot Abundance setting didn’t work properly for low-quantity items
- An issue where the trader’s “closed on Blood Moon” hours caused them to close on the morning of the Blood Moon day itself
- An issue where disabling the compass also removed the date and time display, and more
Many of the known bugs announced at launch (missing localization, trader hours on Blood Moon days, the abundance-setting bug, and more) have been resolved in this b257 update.
Summary
The greatest appeal of V3.0 “Dead Hot Summer” is that you can build the world’s rules to fit your own taste. Switch over to the Experimental build first and try out your own personal survival experience with 150 sandbox settings.
Detailed explanations of each V3.0 feature are compiled on the V3.0 feature page. Be sure to check it out as well.
*This article is a Japanese-language summary based on the official Steam news posts “V3.0 Experimental Is Live!” and “V3.0.0 b257 EXP Update.” For the latest details, please also check the official Steam news.