Base, Vehicles, and Loot Priorities | Not Quite Dead

Not Quite Dead is built around survival tradeoffs: scavenge, carry what matters, use your base to prepare, and only spend fuel when the trip has a clear payoff.

Quick Answer

Use this priority order:

1. Loot survival-critical supplies first.
2. Return valuable items to base before pushing into higher-risk areas.
3. Craft and upgrade around your next expedition.
4. Save vehicles for distance, heavy loot, or dangerous zones.
5. Mark exact recipes, coordinates, fuel costs, and loot tables as unknown until verified in-game.

Loot Priorities

Steam specifically names weapons, ammunition, food, medical supplies, crafting materials, and rare survival gear as scavenged resources. That list gives the guide a reliable order of importance without inventing spawn rates.

For a new player, the best question is not "what is the best item?" It is "what problem am I solving next?" Food and medicine solve survival. Ammunition solves immediate threat. Crafting materials solve base and equipment readiness. Rare gear solves deeper-risk goals after your basic loop is stable.

Base Priorities

Steam describes the base as a place to store loot, craft equipment, and prepare for dangerous expeditions. That points to three practical rules:

1. Store supplies you cannot afford to lose.
2. Craft around the next trip rather than every possible future plan.
3. Upgrade when it reduces repeat danger or protects expedition prep.

Vehicle Priorities

Vehicles are confirmed, and Steam says they help players travel faster, carry more loot, and reach dangerous zones. Steam also says fuel is scarce, so the guide should treat vehicle use as a decision, not a default.

Good vehicle reasons: crossing long distance, hauling heavy loot, reaching a high-risk area after preparation, or extracting from danger. Weak vehicle reasons: casual scouting, short trips, or unknown routes where fuel loss would strand the group.

When To Push Dangerous Places

Do not rush Prison, bunkers, or radiation zones just because they sound like better loot. A stronger route starts with basic supplies, a backup weapon, and enough inventory room to bring value back.

Use this order:

Loot You Should Not Sell Blindly

Keep a reserve of medical items, food, ammunition, crafting materials, weapon parts, and anything tied to faction or quest progress. Early survival games often make ordinary materials important later, and Not Quite Dead is still in a launch window where prices, recipes, and reward paths can move.

Sell only when you know the item is replaceable or you need currency for a survival-critical purchase.

Related Guides

• Prison
• Weapon upgrades
• Trader
• Bunkers
• Gas mask and radiation

Source Notes

Sources used: Steam store page, Steam appdetails media, public Steam Community signals, and launch-week route questions checked on 2026-08-28.