How to survive in the beginning of the game? Seven Game Guide

Last update: 01 December 2017

The following pages will include a list of advice on how to survive the first few hours of Seven: The Days Long Gone. The game can cause some trouble, mainly due to its high difficulty level and unusual gameplay mechanics. The advice is divided into a general chapter and specific chapters, dedicated to the various problems you are likely to encounter while playing the game.

• General advice
• Advice on specific situations and locations

General advice

1. How to quickly get a better weapon and armor? After you're moved to the penal colony on Peh, you'll be unarmed and clothed in a standard issue convict rugs, which provide about as much protection as a wet tissue. Your best option would be to kill the bandit who's picking on Egon in the intro. This will allow you to acquire basic daggers and some pieces of bandit armor (see the picture). Better armament can be acquired after you reach Lewmer. Look around for locked crates and hidden containers (use the search mode). A bit better items can be found e.g. by killing one of the stronger bandits near a wayside shrine north-east of Lewmer or taking down the solitary soldier near one of the checkpoints.
2. Rely on stealth when completing quests. Seven is a game that, no matter the circumstances, rewards acting in stealth. It's even more important at the beginning of the game, when the protagonist is unable to compete with most enemies in open combat. Fortunately, the construction of many quests allows for efficient sneaking and avoiding enemies who guard access to important locations or story items.
3. Hoard food and medications. Teriel's health bar does not regenerate automatically, which means that you'll always need to have a supply of food, injections, and other health-restoring items. Stock up on those from the very beginning. Many of them can be found in containers or on defeated enemies and monsters. You don't have to rely on theft to get them, but you can use it to increase you reserves. Leave the most powerful stuff for when you really need it. Note - if an enemy is standing between you and the objective, think hard whether you really have to take them out. You'll gain no experience points for it, but risk having to spend some of your precious medical supplies.
4. Explore a lot and steal. Leave thorough exploration aside until you've reached the Lewmer settlement. Don't waste your time during the prologue, as you'll lose your entire inventory either way when it ends. Use the fact that many crates that contain items are freely accessible, but don't waste a chance to pick a lock or clear somebody's pockets when you have it. Focus on items that will be useful to you (e.g. consumables), and those that can be sold for decent amounts of auryte (for example weapons and armor that are weaker than those you already own).
5. Do not provoke the guards and other powerful enemies. You'll notice, as soon as you reach Lewmer, that there's a clear division between freely accessible areas and those that cannot be entered by prisoners and unauthorized persons. Don't break those regulations in plain sight if you want to avoid problems with the guards. You can enter those locations if you are sneaking, but even then you have to be careful and ready to escape if an alarm goes off. When traveling between villages and checkpoints avoid encounters with powerful bandits and monsters, at least until you acquire significantly better weapons and armor.
6. Save your game often. There are no limitations when it comes to saving your game progress. Use it, so you don't have to repeat large portions of the game in case of an untimely death.

Advice on specific situations and locations

1. Don't spend too much time on completing the prologue, because either way you'll lose most of your inventory at its end. The first main quest in the game, The Job, was prepared mainly so you can familiarize yourself with basic gameplay mechanics and show you the skills your character may be able to use. Take special note of the latter. Try to use each of the skills at least once (and gadgets if possible), so you have the hang of your tools once you get sent to Peh and know what to look for. Don't waste any time for exploration during the prologue, as you'll be returned only the most essential elements of your gear (such as the drill for opening door and crates) after it is confiscated.
2. Get level 2 and 3 visas. You start your exploration of Peh with the "weakest" Visa Pill (see the picture) which works only during your exploration of Lewmer village. Try to get Visa Pill level 2 before you visit other parts of the world. You should also try to find Visa Pill level 3 before reaching Mortbane. This step isn't mandatory but it will make travelling to other starting locations easier. The chapter called How do I get better visas? contains information on how and where you can find them. Just to remind you, you can e.g. buy them with auryte from vending machines located near security checkpoints (sell items to merchants and search for gold) in the starting location).
3. Deplete auryte resources of all merchants in Lewmer village. In Seven, each merchant has a limited amount of auryte (gold) which means that you can't sell everything to one person. However, this doesn't mean that this method isn't a good way to get rich. Collect a few valuable items and try to visit all merchants in Lewmer as well as in other locations that you already discovered. Choose items that you want to sell in a such way that you will leave all merchants with no auryte. Also try to not lose any gold. Thanks to that you can accumulate a few hundreds of auryte and, e.g. buy new visas with it.
4. Don't sneak into Port Horizon nor into the bases near security checkpoints until you get a guard disguise. Port Horizon is next to Lewmer village, the first location that you reach after Teriel arrives to penal colony. Regardless of what you may think, Port Horizon ISN'T a location that you should sneak into at the first opportunity. The port is full of guards which means that you can die easily when you are detected. Explore that place (find treasures and complete a few side quests) after acquiring a guard disguise. More information can be found in How to infiltrate Port Horizon? And Where and how to get a good disguise? chapters.
5. Explore Lewmer cliffs slowly and carefully. They are located near Lewmer village. There are several reasons for visiting them in the beginning of the game: completing some side quests, avoiding security checkpoints that require Visa Pills level 2 or using an alternate route to Mortbane village. This location is very treacherous because it has many layers. One mistake and you can fall down to your death. Always check the area carefully, search for ladders, ramps or stairs that will allow you to travel between floors safely. If this isn't possible you can search for places with SMALL drops - a fall from a high place can cost you death or can deal you a lot of damage.