Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Guide | How to Manage a Massive Survivor Team

In Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days, running a big shelter is more difficult than running a small group. Needs to stack more quickly. Food goes away faster. Beds turn into a fight every day.

But a big list can be very helpful if you organize it properly. In this guide, you will learn how to regulate the situation, use expendable survivors, and recruit additional individuals to ensure a steady supply and a safer exploration. 

The Real Pros and Cons of a Large Team

A big team gives you lives that you can lose. You can send people with bad passives into dangerous places to take risks without losing your best units.

A big team also gives you more help. If you have the resources, you can keep important systems like the Garden and the Distillery, as well as any Water Collector, going. At the same time, you scavenge, craft, and take things apart.

One drawback is all. With more people trying to stay alive, fewer resources will be left. Extra nourishment is necessary for you. Extra sleeping quarters are required. Extra inactive individuals may also appear, wasting resources and giving the impression that the shelter is not stable.

Use Expendable Survivors to Take the Worst Risks

Expendable survivors are the safest way to push into dangerous zones. Lester is a strong example. Lester can have Bad Back, which is one of the worst passives in the game. Deep Sleeper does not change much, even if it boosts rest. 

Determination does not fix the core problem. That makes Lester perfect for high-risk clearing. If a mistake happens and Lester dies, the run can still be worth it as long as valuable gear gets recovered, like a Gun or a strong Melee Weapon.

Always Manage Conditions Before Sending Anyone Out

It is important not to disregard even the most fragile survivors. When the weather is bad, it might lead to sluggish movement, bad battle, and a jumble of blunders. One easy case in point is Hudson.

You can put Hudson to bed or give him coffee to help him get through the day if he's not feeling well. If the roster has to keep going and exploration can't wait, coffee is a clean choice.

Exploit the Three-Explorer Limit for Maximum Loot

You can send up to three survivors out per day. This is what makes large-team play work. The more survivors you have, the more important it is to keep those three exploration slots active. A large shelter only stays stable when steady loot keeps flowing back in.

If one of the most dangerous regions needs to be cleared, Mitchum Powell Plaza is a strong target for an expendable run.

A Simple Loadout for Clearing High-Risk Areas

Even a disposable survivor requires real gear. Sending a Revolver with six or twelve rounds is a usual way to do things. Then, you can back it up with a stealth option and a formidable open-combat weapon.

Lockpicks are important because locked passageways are widespread in dangerous places. Three Lockpicks is a good starting point. If the map has many blocked paths, adding a Bolt Cutter can also be helpful.

Prevent Breakdowns With Alcohol and Better Stations

Some survivors will spiral if conditions and morale are ignored. Alcohol can be used before someone loses control. This matters when a survivor needs several issues fixed at once. Miguel is a good example of a survivor who may need multiple fixes. 

When this happens often, station strength becomes a big deal. Upgrading stations to maximum makes it easier to remove several debuffs without losing momentum.

Build the Shelter Around Core Roles

When critical roles are consistently filled, a large shelter runs more smoothly. As the list of things to do expands, cooking becomes more important. That's why Frank is a good cook. Dismantling also becomes a key part. Joe is significant because he scrapes the best, which means he gets better results when he takes things apart and has more materials to use for improvements and crafts.

A role in making Medkits is also important in the long run. The shelter remains stable when healing and recovery are reliable, especially when exploration is frequent and dangerous. 

Make Barb Your Ammo and Weapon Engine

Barb is one of the best survivors when it comes to bases. Barb can get Gunsmith, which makes it cheaper to construct ranged weapons and can change the price of ammo.

Barb can also get Whittler, which makes melee weapons cheaper to build. This combination makes Barb a never-ending source of guns and ammo, such as 9mm and revolver ammo.

Eating vegetables or meals made with vegetables can make Barb feel less motivated. This is easy to handle because Goulash is a meat supper. You need one meat, one bottle of water, and one vegetable to make Goulash.

Goulash is also a great dish for the middle to late game, so the bad part doesn't matter as much. It's usually best to keep Barb in the shelter instead of sending her out. 

Use Backpack Survivors for Big Hauls

Extra room for carrying things influences how quickly you can scale. Isabelle is useful because she can carry a backpack, even though it takes longer for her morale to go back up. Joe can also have a backpack, but he's often too crucial to risk because the whole shelter depends on dismantling output.

A 9mm with fourteen bullets is a simple battle kit for a strong looter. Fourteen rounds are good for long fights, and they fit two full magazines because the 9mm holds seven rounds per magazine.

For a safe and reliable loadout, use it with quiet tools like the Tomahawk and a backup that can change shape, like the Makeshift Bat.

Turn Extra Survivors Into Extra Value

Often, large teams leave one or two people without critical tasks. That is still helpful. Extra survivors can build barricades to be safe, take a break to deal with problems, or work on making things.

Coffee and alcohol can help keep a survivor's performance stable and relieve stress if they are about to get a debuff. In a robust base, spare survivors can also manage operations like the Distillery, which keeps valuable supplies coming in while the explorers are away.

Also, check our Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Review and other guides below:

• Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Beginner's Guide | Gameplay Tips & Tricks
• Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Guide | Best Early Weapons
• Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Guide | How to Move Your Base (Best Time to Relocate)
• Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Guide | Relationships & Romance System
• Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Guide | How to find the Revolver
• Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Guide | All Survivor Locations
• Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Guide | Best Loot and Item Priority
• Into the Dead: Our Darkest Days Guide | Best Shelter Upgrades Order