SCUM is a very intuitive game. The developer, Gamepires, have gone to extraordinary lengths to account for realism when it comes to character management. It can bring you unstuck, there’s no instruction manual, just trial, and error – but it’s addictive!
Beginner’s Tips And Tricks
If you’re new to SCUM, here are ten handy things I learned the hard way that you should know!
1. Don’t commit suicide until you’ve banked a heap of fame points.
Fame points are awarded to your character in-game and are collected from completing objectives like crafting, killing zombies, looting, or killing other players. These points are what help you climb the leader-board in the server. If you find yourself miles away from your team or just want to respawn in a different area, you can opt to commit suicide however it will you cost you fame points. I tried it 5 minutes in and respawned on -35.
2. Be careful what kind of food you create.
The cool thing about SCUM when it comes to crafting is that you can do it wrong. If you craft food the wrong way or use poor ingredients it can have an adverse effect on your character. Aim for fresh ingredients and simple recipes. An apple a day keeps the zombie away!
3. Rags/strips are your new best friend.
If you get injured, the quickest and easiest way to heal yourself is to apply bandages. Bandages themselves are bloody hard to come by, however, you can tear almost any item of clothing including gloves, into strips. These strips can be applied as bandages!
4. Unless they’re dirty rags, don’t use dirty rags.
When you kill a zombie you can steal their clothing, which is fine if you’re just going to wear it. If you tear the clothing into strips you’ll get “dirty” rags/strips – these are unhealthy and can attribute to a loss of health if applied on a wound.
5. Find a backpack – asap!
You don’t have much room without it. I found the game easiest to play when I had plenty of space to craft. You can spend ages looking in every nook and cranny and coming up with items – find that backpack first!
6. Try and die near a landmark or take a screenshot.
When you die in SCUM it’s rough, especially if you have a heap of loot on you – you’ll lose it. However, you can retrieve it if you know where to look. If death doesn’t come as a painful surprise at the hands of a zombie or another player, but rather as something you can see coming, hit ‘M’ to bring up your map and take a screenshot, or try and die near a landmark so you can remember where to get to and retrieve your gear. Just be mindful, when you respawn it will probably be at the other end of the map – which brings me to my next point.
7. It will take you a long time to get anywhere.
The map is HUGE. It takes a long time to get from one cell to another so make sure you are well stocked if you have a long way to travel. You also need to account for your stamina wheel which will slow you down when it hits 0. I found it best to holster your weapon to get max running speed, run until you hit 1 on your wheel, then lay prone to replenish it really quickly. Why?
8. You refill stamina quicker when you’re prone.
That’s why.
9. You can have too much to eat.
You thought the odd poo video you’ve seen from people playing SCUM is fun – try smashing as much food as you can in one hit, it’s not hard if you can find a town with a heap of houses and kitchens. You can monitor your stomach to make sure you’re not getting over-full, which I obviously wasn’t doing at the time. My character puked his guts up, which was hilarious, if not for the fact that it meant I lost a heap of nutrients, not good.
10. You will sink if you have too much gear on while swimming.
Fun fact, getting wet actually does something to you in this game, it makes you heavier. If it’s raining you will use more energy as your clothes become increasingly soaked. If you want to cross that river and you’ve stacked on a heap of clothing full of gear, you will sink.
