All Items Guide - Build a Bunker
Build a Bunker lives or dies on inventory management. Every five minutes a nuke clears the surface, and the window between blasts is your only chance to grab weapons, ammo, food, medicine, and building materials that power bunker rooms. Items spawn across town—often randomly—but certain shops skew toward specific categories. This overview maps the entire item ecosystem, links to specialized guides, and explains how loot connects to the [room priority build order](build/room-priority).
Item Categories at a Glance
Items fall into five practical buckets: combat gear, ammunition, sustenance and healing, construction materials, and sellable junk. Combat covers melee weapons like the Rusty Pipe and Fire Axe plus ranged weapons such as the Revolver and Worn Sawn Off. Ammunition splits into Pistol, Shotgun, and Rifle types. Survival consumables live under food and medicine, while planks, metal, and electronics stack under building materials.
Press F to store items in your sack and E to equip food or weapons. Interact with bunker systems using B. Full keybinds are listed on the controls page. Your sack starts with eight slots; upgrade at the Sack Shop for twelve or sixteen slots using Scrap from the Sell Room.
Items placed inside your bunker do not despawn. Hoarding early—even gear you cannot use yet—is correct because town RNG may not repeat the same spawn next cycle.
| Category | Examples | Best Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Melee weapons | Rusty Pipe, Machete, Fire Axe | Grub & Go |
| Ranged weapons | Revolver, M1911, Worn Sawn Off | Jet's Firepower |
| Ammo | Pistol, Shotgun, Rifle | Rust & Recoil |
| Food & medicine | Canned food, first aid kits | Nuke Mart / Pharmacy |
| Building materials | Wood, metal, electronics | Hardware areas / recycle |
Where Items Come From
Most items appear while exploring town between nukes. Mutants and raiders drop loot when defeated—mutants sometimes leave ammo piles, making combat a resource loop when you are low on Pistol Ammo. Traders spawn randomly after explosions and sell gear for Scrap, offering another path when shops were wiped by the blast.
Shop specialization is the fastest routing knowledge in the game. Jet’s Firepower stocks guns; Pharmacy stocks medicine; Nuke Mart stocks food; Grub & Go stocks melee; Rust & Recoil stocks ammo. Combine this with the loot route planner and town map to minimize wasted sprint stamina.
Classes alter starting items: Chef spawns with food, Builder with materials, Sheriff with a Revolver and Pistol Ammo, Soldier with rifle gear. See class costs in Krush farming guides under farm Scraps.
Items and Bunker Progression
Items are not just for personal survival—they are inputs for rooms. Building materials construct the Power Room and beyond. Duplicate loot feeds the Sell Room and Recycle Room. Late mats flow through the Boiler Room into the Data Room.
Combat items support optional Armory and Med Bay organization when raids intensify. Even if you prioritize economy first, keep one viable weapon and food stack so a mutant ambush does not end your run before you reach the hatch.
Consult the loot priority tier list when your sack is full and you must drop something. The tier list aligns with this overview but ranks borderline picks for sweaty optimization.
Inventory Habits That Win Runs
Rotate weapons before they break. Every weapon lasts about 150 uses; a Rusty Pipe on its last swings is a liability during a raider push. Upgrade to Shovel, Machete, or Fire Axe tiers via Grub & Go runs.
Separate personal carry from bunker storage. Return each cycle, deposit everything, then pull only what the next build queue or combat role requires. Multiplayer squads should agree who carries demolition ammo versus construction mats.
When unsure where to dive deeper, start with the weapons guide for combat basics or building materials if you are stuck on room construction.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do items despawn in Build a Bunker?
Items inside your bunker persist. Items left in the open town are subject to nuke resets, so haul loot underground before the timer ends.
What is the most important item type early on?
Building materials and a basic weapon plus food. You need mats for the Power Room and survival gear to reach the bunker safely each cycle.
How do I carry more items?
Upgrade your sack at the Sack Shop. The Great Sack costs 500 Scrap and offers sixteen slots.
Which shop sells guns?
Jet's Firepower specializes in ranged weapons. Grub & Go specializes in melee weapons.
Where can I read about each item category?
Use the dedicated guides for weapons, melee, ranged, ammo, food and medicine, and building materials linked from this overview.