How to Get Coal in 7 Days to Die

In the post apocalyptic world of 7 Days to Die, resources are scarce, and survival depends on your ability to scavenge for materials and craft useful items. One such crucial resource is coal, which plays an essential role in many aspects of gameplay, from creating gunpowder to repairing vehicles.

Here’s our comprehensive guide covering everything you need to know about finding, mining, and utilizing coal in 7 Days to Die.

What is Coal and Why is it Important?

Coal is a black, solid fossil fuel that forms when dead plant matter decays under intense pressure over millions of years. In 7 Days to Die, it is serves multiple purposes:

1. Crafting gunpowder: Combine nitrate powder with coal to make one of the most powerful explosives in the game, perfect for taking down hordes of zombies or blowing up obstacles.
2. Creating pure mineral water: Mix coal with other ingredients like water, goldenrod flowers, and chrysanthemums to produce purified drinking water, ensuring you stay hydrated during long treks across Navezgane or the randomly generated worlds.
3. Repairing vehicles: Keep your trusty automobile running smoothly by using coal to mend damaged parts. With enough coal, you can keep your vehicle operational for extended periods, making exploration and combat more manageable.

Moreover, potassium nitrate is a crucial resource for crafting gunpowder and other items. You can find it by mining nitrate powder deposits in caves, mountains, and snowy biomes. It often appears as white streaks on the surface or as underground veins. Keep an eye out for boulders and nodes that contain this valuable material to ensure your survival.

Finding Coal Deposits and Gathering Nodes

There are two primary methods for obtaining coal in 7 Days to Die: mining coal ore veins and collecting it from chopped burnt trees. Let’s explore both techniques in detail:

Mining Coal Ore Veins

Coal ore veins appear as dark rocks or boulders scattered throughout Navezgane and random generated worlds. These veins usually contain several smaller coal chunks within them, waiting to be mined by players wielding pickaxes. To mine it effectively, follow these steps:

1. Obtain a pickaxe – Before venturing out into the wasteland, ensure you have equipped yourself with a sturdy pickaxe. Early-game iron or steel picks work just fine; however, durability may become an issue if not repaired regularly.
2. Locate coal ore veins – Look around caves, ravines, hillsides, cliffs, mountains, and forests for signs of dark-colored rocks or boulders. Once spotted, approach carefully and take note of their location for future reference.
3. Mine the coal ore vein – Equip your pickaxe and begin breaking apart the dark-colored rocks until they yield small piles of coal. Remember to collect each piece before moving onto the next section of the vein. It’s advisable to store excess coal in storage boxes or chests near your base camp to avoid carrying too much weight while exploring.

Collecting Coal From Chopped Burnt Trees

Another way to obtain it in 7 Days to Die involves visiting specific biomes filled with charred vegetation – namely, the Burnt Forest biome. Here, you can chop down burnt trees and debris to release hidden pieces of it. Follow these simple steps to maximize your coal collection efforts in Burnt Forest areas:

1. Identify suitable regions – Open your map and look for large swaths of red terrain labeled as Burnt Forest biomes. Make sure to mark these spots for later reference.
2. Prepare appropriate tools – Pack a durable axe, preferably made from iron, steel, or higher quality materials, to efficiently cut through the burnt tree trunks and branches.
3. Travel safely – Be cautious when navigating through Burned Forest zones, as they often harbor dangerous creatures like feral dogs, bears, and even zombie variants. Ensure you are well-equipped with weapons and armor before entering these potentially hazardous environments.
4. Harvest from chopped woodpiles – After successfully cutting down burnt trees and clearing away debris, inspect the resulting woodpiles for hidden coal nuggets. Each pile should yield at least one or two small amounts of coal upon examination. Don’t forget to loot any nearby containers or POIs for additional supplies!

Additional Methods for Finding Coal

While mining coal ore veins and collecting charred woodpiles provide ample opportunities to acquire coal, there are a few alternative methods worth mentioning:

Killing Zombies

Occasionally, defeated zombies drop small quantities of coal alongside other miscellaneous items. Although this method isn’t very reliable compared to dedicated farming efforts, it does offer another means of acquiring coal without actively seeking it out.

Looting Containers and Points Of Interest (POIs)

Exploring abandoned houses, warehouses, factories, police stations, and other structures frequently yields valuable resources like coal. Always check cabinets, drawers, shelves, crates, barrels, and other containers for potential loot. Moreover, pay close attention to any objects resembling sacks, bags, or satchels since these often hide coal nuggets within them.

Crafting Recipes Using Coal

As mentioned earlier, coal plays a vital role in numerous crafting recipes in 7 Days to Die. Below is a detailed breakdown of each recipe requiring it as an ingredient:

Creating Gunpowder

To manufacture gunpowder using coal, complete the following steps:

1. Obtain necessary components – Gather two units of nitrate powder (crafted via chemistry station) along with two units of coal. If you possess a chemist station, you only require one unit of each component due to increased efficiency.
2. Navigate to workbench – Approach either a chemistry station or regular crafting bench to initiate the fabrication process.
3. Assemble gunpowder – Select the gunpowder icon from the list of available options and input the required resources to commence production. Upon completion, retrieve your newly created batch of highly volatile gunpowder.

NOTE: Remember always to handle gunpowder with care, as excessive contact with fire or sparks can result in catastrophic explosions capable of causing severe damage to both player characters and surrounding structures.

Producing Pure Mineral Water

Follow these instructions to make pure drinking water using mineral:

• Procure essential elements – Secure one unit of clean water sourced from freshwater bodies, springs, or rain collectors. Also, gather one unit each of coal, goldenrod flower, and chrysanthemum flower.
• Establish campsite – Construct a functional campfire at your desired location, ideally situated near a source of potable water.
• Commence creation – Activate the campfire interface and choose the option to prepare food or drink. Subsequently, select the pure mineral water icon and insert the collected resources to finalize the mixture. Enjoy your refreshingly pure H2O!

Repairing Vehicles

Finally, utilize coal to restore degraded vehicle conditions using the following procedure:

1. Accumulate necessary materials – Compile twenty units of scrap polymers, ten units of coal, two units of forged iron, two units of oil, and one bottle of acid. Note that some resources may necessitate advanced manufacturing processes involving chemistry stations or similar appliances.
2. Interact with broken vehicle – Engage interaction mode when standing adjacent to your disabled vehicle, selecting the repair option displayed onscreen.
3. Initiate restoration sequence – Input the specified amount of repair components into the designated slots, confirming once satisfied with your selection. Following successful implementation, observe as your chosen vehicle gradually recovers from prior damages.

Also, to make forged iron in 7 Days to Die, you’ll need to smelt iron in a forge. Start by collecting iron ore from mining and scrap iron from breaking down metal items. Place these materials into the forge along with clay and fuel, such as wood or coal. After smelting, you’ll have forged iron, which is essential for crafting advanced tools and weapons.

Conclusion

Coal remains an indispensable resource in 7 Days to Die, providing substantial benefits towards survivor progression and overall enjoyment. Utilizing our extensive guide on how to farm coal, adventurers can confidently traverse vast landscapes teeming with danger while securely stockpiling precious reserves for imminent challenges ahead. Whether extracting from rich ore veins or salvaging remnants of decayed foliage, never underestimate the power held within those humble blackened pebbles.

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