In a world overrun by walkers and rival survivors, every choice you make in The Walking Dead: Survivors can mean the difference between life and death. This officially licensed strategy game immerses players in the harsh realities of survival, where securing resources, fortifying your base, and assembling a powerful army are the key to staying alive. You’ll need to build alliances, fight off walkers, and defend against hostile players as you carve out a stronghold in a ruthless, post-apocalyptic landscape. Got questions about guilds, gaming, or our product? Join our Discord for discussions and support!

Whether you’re a fan of The Walking Dead franchise or a newcomer to strategy games, this guide will help you navigate the early game, optimize your resource management, train effective troops, and prepare for both PvE and PvP battles. By following these survival strategies, you’ll have a strong foundation to thrive in this dangerous new world.

For more expert strategies, check out our The Walking Dead: Survivors Tips & Tricks Guide.

Building and Upgrading Your Settlement

Your settlement is your home base, and keeping it fortified is crucial for survival. Constructing the right buildings and upgrading them efficiently will provide you with a strong foundation to expand your influence in the game.

Key Structures to Prioritize

• Town Hall – The heart of your settlement. Upgrading it unlocks new buildings and gameplay features.
• Resource Buildings – Farms, lumber mills, and water towers ensure a steady supply of food, wood, and water.
• Barracks, Range, and Stables – Essential for training troops to defend your base and engage in battles.
• Hospital – Helps heal wounded troops after battles, reducing permanent losses.
• Walls & Watchtowers – Defensive structures that protect against walker invasions and enemy raids.
• Research Lab – Unlocks critical upgrades that enhance combat effectiveness, resource production, and defensive capabilities.

Balancing the development of these structures will make sure your settlement remains secure while enabling further expansion.

Upgrading Strategies

Instead of upgrading everything randomly, focus on a structured approach:

1. Upgrade the Town Hall first to unlock advanced features.
2. Prioritize resource production to ensure you have enough supplies for future upgrades.
3. Strengthen defenses by reinforcing walls and unlocking better traps.
4. Upgrade military buildings so you can train higher-tier troops for combat.

The sooner you build a well-rounded settlement, the better your chances of long-term survival.

Gathering and Managing Resources

Resources are the backbone of your settlement. Without enough food, water, wood, and metal, you won’t be able to train troops, upgrade buildings, or sustain your community.

Ways to Gather Resources

• Production Buildings – Farms, lumber mills, and water towers generate resources over time.
• Scavenging Missions – Send survivors to collect resources from abandoned locations on the map.
• World Map Resource Nodes – Occupy resource sites to extract materials.
• Raiding Other Players – If you’re feeling aggressive, attacking rival settlements can be a high-risk, high-reward strategy.

To avoid running out of supplies, always keep your production buildings upgraded, and store excess resources in a safe place to prevent enemy raids. Managing resources efficiently is critical to your survival. Learn how to maximize your economy in our The Walking Dead: Survivors Resource Guide.

Recruiting and Utilizing Survivors

Survivors are more than just characters; they are the leaders of your settlement, each with unique abilities that can help in combat, resource gathering, and base development.

Types of Survivors

• Combat Survivors – Best for leading troops in battle and defending your settlement.
• Development Survivors – Boost production rates, enhance construction speed, and improve research efficiency.

Best Survivors to Prioritize Early

• Rick Grimes – A strong leader with excellent combat buffs.
• Michonne – Specializes in walker combat, making her essential for clearing out threats.
• Glenn – Focuses on gathering resources efficiently.
• Negan – A powerful survivor with skills that boost offensive troop capabilities.

The key to success is upgrading your best survivors and strategically assigning them to roles that maximize their strengths.

Training and Managing Your Army

Building a formidable army is essential for both offense and defense. Your troops will be needed to protect your settlement, raid enemies, and control valuable resource points on the map.

Troop Types and Their Roles

• Infantry – Acts as a frontline defense, absorbing damage and protecting ranged units.
• Ranged Units – Deal high damage from a distance but require protection.
• Cavalry – Fast-moving units perfect for quick strikes and scouting missions.

To maintain a balanced army, always have a mix of these troop types. Prioritize upgrading your military buildings to unlock higher-tier units, and never leave your base defenseless when sending troops on missions. For more advanced combat mechanics, refer to our The Walking Dead: Survivors Combat Guide.

Forming and Managing Alliances

Survival in The Walking Dead: Survivors is nearly impossible alone. Strong alliances provide protection, strategic advantages, and economic benefits.

Benefits of Joining a Clan

• Protection – Allies can reinforce your settlement when under attack.
• Shared Resources – Clan members can exchange supplies, helping you survive tough situations.
• Group Attacks – Team up to take down powerful enemies and control important locations.

If you’re serious about progressing in the game, find an active and well-organized clan as soon as possible.

Exploring the World Map: Opportunities & Dangers

The world map is full of threats and opportunities. Understanding how to navigate it is key to expanding your settlement’s influence.

Key Points of Interest

• Resource Nodes – Valuable locations that can be occupied for steady resource income.
• Walker Hordes – Defeating them grants experience points and valuable loot.
• Enemy Settlements – Raiding rivals can weaken opponents and boost your supplies.

Before venturing out, always scout locations first to assess potential risks.

Surviving in The Walking Dead: Survivors isn’t just about brute strength—it’s about strategic thinking, careful resource management, and building strong alliances. As you expand your settlement, train your troops, and fend off relentless threats, adapting your approach will be key to long-term survival. Working with allies, scouting enemies, and upgrading your base efficiently will ensure you stay ahead of the competition.

With constant updates, competitive events, and new challenges, the world of The Walking Dead: Survivors is always evolving. By mastering these beginner strategies, you’ll set yourself up for success in both PvE walker battles and PvP territorial conflicts.

For the best gameplay experience, play The Walking Dead: Survivors on pc with BlueStacks for enhanced graphics, better controls, and a seamless interface. Now, go forth and lead your survivors to victory in the apocalypse!