Combat Mutants and Raiders - Build a Bunker

Understanding Enemies

Mutants are PvE threats that patrol loot-rich zones and chase noise. They punish players who stand still in shops or farm crates without situational awareness. Raiders are hostile survivors—human opponents who ambush routes between Jet's Firepower, Rust & Recoil, and pharmacy alleys. In 14-player servers, Raider fights create the highest variance in loot run outcomes.

Both enemy types appear during surface windows between nuclear blasts. Neither survives as your primary concern once the siren enters the final minute—Mutants you can outrun become irrelevant if the nuke kills you first. Combat serves loot security, not kill counts.

Listen for footsteps and gunfire. Third-partying a Mutant pack already engaged by another player saves ammo, but looting their kills during a busy Raider push invites crossfire. Pick battles where the exit lane toward your bunker hatch stays open.

Weapons and Durability

Ranged weapons purchased from Jet's Firepower or Rust & Recoil typically last about 150 uses before breaking. Track shots fired mentally during long raids; nothing is worse than engaging a Raider squad when your primary silently fails mid-mag. Always carry a melee backup you equip with E.

Ammo types and weapon tiers are detailed on the weapons overview, ranged weapons, and melee weapons pages. Higher-tier guns kill faster but cost more to replace—budget accordingly if your Sell Room is not yet profitable.

Store broken weapons with F for recycling if your Recycle Room is online. Components returned from junk weapons fund replacements without another risky Jet's Firepower trip.

• Primary ranged weapon for Mutants at distance
• Melee backup when ammo or durability runs low
• Med kits from Pharmacy for post-fight recovery
• Food from Grub & Go to restore stamina for Shift escapes

Fighting Mutants

Mutants telegraph charges and swipes with audio cues learned after a few encounters. Kite backward while firing—standing your ground works only with high-tier shotguns at close range. Doorways and shop counters break line-of-sight and let you med up with B interactions on consumables.

Do not fight Mutants in the open street past the one-minute nuke warning. Even a quick kill chain eats seconds you need for bunker threshold. If mutant aggro triggers late in the cycle, break contact immediately.

In teams, one player draws while another finishes with clean shots—saving durability on the primary gun. Rotate who burns ammo so no single player arrives at the bunker with a broken weapon and empty bags.

Surviving Raider Encounters

Raiders hunt players carrying visible loot bags or leaving high-tier shops. Vary your route using the town overview so predictability does not turn you into an easy ambush. Sprint with Shift only when necessary; stamina debt from hunger makes you an easy tail.

If outnumbered, disengage toward the bunker or toward Mutant zones where chaos splits attention. Winning a 1v2 on the surface is possible with cover, but losing drops everything for the winners to sell at their own terminals.

Revive dynamics matter: downed teammates attract Raider camping. Secure the area or wait for nuke clear before attempting revive—do not feed sequential kills.

Loadout and Bunker Support

Pair combat gear with bunker infrastructure. The armory and med bay room line accelerates respawn readiness between cycles. Power must stay online—combat losses hurt less when replacement guns are stocked and charged.

Check the weapons tier list before spending scarce currency. Meta shifts after Piriyo patches can re-rank formerly weak guns. Codes from the codes page sometimes offset weapon costs during events.

Combat proficiency means knowing when not to shoot. A quiet loot run that banks materials for Power Room upgrades often outvalues a heroic Raider wipe that ends in nuke death.