Survival Log Walkthrough: Complete Route for First 10 Hours & Days 1-7

This is the main step-by-step Survival Log route guide. For system explanations instead of route order, use the Gameplay Systems hub.

Current Version Check

The September 4 update, version v1.0.15690, adds Shield of the Street, removes refrigerator weight limits for food ingredients, merges Radish into Carrot, and lets NG+ Front Door Advanced Repair and Advanced Reinforcement be used directly. The September 2 Operation Tips still matter while following this route because they show the command icon, name, and target after you issue an order.

First 10 Hours Shopping Route

The pre-disaster window is a prioritization test, not a challenge to empty every shop. Build a minimum viable safehouse plan before chasing rare upgrades.

First 10 hours priority checklist

Stop 1: food and daily survival

Buy enough shelf-stable food and water to avoid an immediate crisis, then add food you can refrigerate only if the power plan supports it. Do not fill the home with short-life ingredients you cannot cook or cool.

Stop 2: tools and repair

Secure materials or tools needed for the Workbench, doors, windows, and active objectives. Leave room for patch-specific items such as Sheet Metal, Wire, Electronic Components, and glass types.

Stop 3: medicine and contingencies

Carry a small medical reserve and preserve money, time, or inventory space for an unexpected objective. A perfect shopping percentage does not exist because character homes and current goals differ.

Stop 4: power and cold chain

Decide how refrigeration will stay online. In v1.0.15690, refrigerators no longer weight-limit food ingredients, but a refrigerator without dependable generation or storage still creates a delayed food loss.

Day 1–7 Checklist

Day 1: make the home usable

• assign daily food, medicine, tools, and materials to clear storage;
• inspect every door and window;
• identify the Workbench objective;
• verify the first power source and critical loads;
• place food ingredients in powered refrigeration when possible.

Days 2–3: unlock production

• complete Search for Manual and repair the Workbench;
• craft only the repair or exploration tools required next;
• establish reliable refrigeration;
• use Operation Tips to confirm that crafting, cooking, and repair orders target the intended object;
• keep paths to stairs, doors, and windows clear.

Days 4–5: build a repeatable loop

• schedule food, rest, repair, and production;
• start farming or cooking only when inputs are sustainable;
• scout exploration locations with one resource goal;
• keep fuel and batteries above emergency minimums.

Days 6–7: prepare for events

• read Radio, weather, and objective warnings;
• repair every defense layer before expanding;
• keep ready food and manual commands available for Tense state;
• review Planning Points against the failure you are actually facing;
• avoid spending late-run Drone, repair, and trap resources unless the next event is covered.

How to Repair the Workbench

Follow the Search for Manual objective rather than an unverified universal coordinate. An August 16 patch fixed a case where the task repeated after unlock. If the task is stuck, update and use the Workbench Manual guide.

How to Get Glass

Search results show players asking for glass, but “glass” can mean ordinary glass, Broken Glass, or tempered glass. The Electric Oven recipe specifically uses tempered glass. Check the exact item name in the current recipe before dismantling, trading, or exploring for the wrong material.

No official public note confirms one universal glass spawn. Use the active crafting requirement and target locations or objects that the current game identifies as material sources.

Generator and Power Setup

Put refrigeration first, then schedule machines rather than leaving everything on. Verify fuel, batteries, and auto-start after loading or an outage. Add solar and energy storage when current character progression unlocks them.

Use the Power guide for troubleshooting.

Food Spoilage

When food expires unexpectedly, check storage requirement, appliance power, active preservation effect, and the item-detail expiration value. v1.0.14911 fixed multiple refrigerator and display bugs. See the Food Spoilage guide.

When to Explore

Explore with a named purpose: manual, recipe clue, medicine, fuel, food, or a story objective. Leave when the resource goal is met or the return risk threatens the home schedule. The Abandoned Hospital is especially important because its paper pile unlocks the Ration Press recipe.

Important Events

Zombie horde

The Radio can provide advance warning. Repair doors and windows, test trap paths, stage materials, and meet survivor needs before Tense stops automatic routines.

Cold wave

v1.0.14911 adds a Heater crafted from Sheet Metal and Wire after a warning event. Prepare fuel and finish urgent outdoor work before the temperature falls.

Rebirth decision

Tear Up This Round and Rewrite returns the cycle to its first pre-disaster day, refunds that round's Planning Points, and does not consume a respawn chance.

Shield of the Street defense support

In v1.0.15690, Shield of the Street can appear after Day 50 when survivors at some trading posts send a distress message under zombie horde pressure. The official note confirms that Drones can lure the horde to your Home, that the challenge involves multiple waves that grow larger, and that all three protagonists can trigger it.

Do not force this event with an unverified hidden checklist. If the distress message appears, treat it like a high-risk late-run horde chain: repair openings first, confirm trap paths, stage materials near defense points, stabilize food and rest, and make sure the Drone action matches the current objective.

Ending and Character Progression

Survival Log has branching endings for three playable characters. If no character-unlock mission was completed during the run, completing any ending unlocks the next available character. Do not assume a fixed character order or copy an exact ending day without current objective evidence.

For confirmed ending-specific details, see the Endings guide.

FAQ

What should I buy first?

Cover daily food and water, repair capability, medicine, and dependable power before specialized equipment.

What should I do on Day 1?

Organize the home, inspect defenses, select the Workbench objective, and verify power and refrigeration.

Where is the manual?

Follow the active Search for Manual objective. A universal coordinate is not confirmed in official notes.

How do I survive longer?

Build repeatable daily routes and respond to warnings early. Most long-run failures begin as neglected food, power, repair, or schedule problems.