Neutral people

Not everyone out there wants you dead. Neutral people travel the open world and live at the outposts. They trade, flee from danger and remember what you did through their faction’s reputation. Everyone carries a gun, even if a refugee’s pistol is nearly empty.

Kinds

Kind	Faction	Fights?	Flees from a threat within	Carries
Survivor	Survivors	Yes; a hit makes it hostile for 30 s	10 tiles	Rifle, Shotgun, Double-Barrel Shotgun or .357 Revolver 75%, Bolt-Action Rifle or Bow 25%
Refugee	Survivors	No, it runs	15 tiles	Pistol or .357 Revolver 100%
Trader	Survivors	No, it runs	8 tiles	Pistol 100%
Scavenger	Scavengers	Yes; a hit makes it hostile for 60 s	10 tiles	Pistol, Shotgun, Double-Barrel Shotgun or .357 Revolver 75%, Bow or Double-Barrel Shotgun 25%
Outpost guard	Survivors	Yes; a hit makes it hostile for 30 s	10 tiles	Rifle or Shotgun 100%

• Survivors stand guard at outposts and travel in small groups. They fight back.
• Refugees never fight. They run from danger and from gunfire they hear.
• Traders keep the outposts’ shops and also run.
• Scavengers fight back when shot at and pick over bodies within 20 tiles. They stay neutral until you shoot at them.
• Outpost guards hold an outpost’s yard and gate and do not chase out into the dark. They keep fighting until 8 enemies show, then fall back inside the walls. Within 7 tiles of the middle they stand and fight however many come.

People who fight still give up when outmatched: when they are badly hurt or face too many enemies, they flee to a safe distance.

On the road

Groups of wanderers travel the open world: 1–2 groups by day, 0–1 at night, at most 8 people around you. They appear 28–44 tiles away. At night, wanderers (refugees and survivors) may camp in a house of an intact village, with a chance of 50% a night.

Group	Size	Share	Trades?
Refugee	2–4	37.5%	Yes, a little
Survivor	1–2	25%	Yes, a little
Scavenger	1–2	37.5%	No

See trading for what wanderers sell.

At the outposts

An outpost is a small walled Survivor camp in the open world. When you come near, its trader and 1–3 residents are there, with 4 guards. You can trade with the trader and hire a resident as a companion. Raiders can take an outpost; see outposts.

Outposts shut their gate from 18:00 to 06:00 and keep spike barricades and barbed wire outside the walls, so zombies must break in.

Residents carry a Flashlight, a Leather Vest and 3–4 spare magazines.

Guards carry a Flashlight, a Leather Vest, a Helmet and 3–4 spare magazines.

The visitor at home

On 35% of days a trader visits your home. They arrive between 08:00 and 12:00, stay 3–6 hours and leave by 17:00. They never come at night or during a horde.

People picking over the dead

What you leave behind does not stay untouched. A body or cache left in a raid site has a 25% chance per raid of being picked over, and one in the open world 15% per day. A picker takes up to 4 stacks (12 cells’ worth). Get back to your things quickly.

Hunters

Some survivors and scavengers are hunters. They hunt Deer and Boar by day, shooting from 3 tiles–13.1 tiles, then butcher the kill. A hunter who butchers within 48 tiles of an outpost brings the meat, hides and fur to its trader. They compete with you for game.

Hunter	Weapons	Wears
Survivor hunter	Bolt-Action Rifle 66.7%, Bow 33.3%	Brown Shirt, Blue Pants, Leather Boots, Leather Vest and Backpack
Scavenger hunter	Bow 66.7%, Double-Barrel Shotgun 33.3%	Brown Shirt, Blue Pants, Black Shoes, Fur Hat and Backpack