Aim of this page is to collect some MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION everybody (especially complete beginners) should know if he or a team wants to have fun with devast.io instead of earning too much frustration either at the very beginning or even in the late game. And chance is high that you get deeply frustrated sooner or later, due to some game mechanics that I mention below in detail.
But since it´s an interesting anarchy game with a mix of strategy, much luck and also crucial action, combined with neat graphics, and good variety in game courses, you might get addicted, even if you get killed a hundred times in the craziest ways. Someone might be consoled by listening to Rocky Balboa´s Speech, not to blame others and there is always something you can do after you got finished (e.g. don´t play again for a long time until your "wounds" are healed and/or you have thought-out a better strategy). At least it´s a game and reality is for heaven´s sake different. NEVER TAKE A GAME TOO SERIOUS, even the reality ;-)
A least point to the long foreword: You are encouraged to make this wiki-page a better one - feel free to make it a pro-page. I don´t want to claim to be a pro (cause I am NOT) who has a monopoly on the truth, though I´ve been playing this game for a long time, meanwhile you can say over a couple of years then and when (even up to 12 hours per session, me idiot!) - it´s likely that others like you can do better and find new/better strategies and hints and are willing to share your secrets!
[1.] IT´S A WAR GAME
The very first thing you should know about: Although the game looks at first sight like a "build up"-game (build a base, develop in options, craft more sophisticated items and equipment, make friends to survive ghouls in a team,...), in the end it will always turn out as a war game. If you ever get high developed (stable base(s), weaponry and armory of highest tier) AND have enough time left to do something NOT related to fight against other hostile players, your options are poor. The best you can do is help other players to develop by spending stuff and killing hostile players, but that´s all!
Game options like building up positive perceived cultural values (medicine, science, fine arts of any kind, building clubs/universities, etc.) or any reward for being social responsible or making something meaningful is sadly NOT implemented in this game. To not get misunderstood: In an anarchy game simulation, it is essential, that hostile players have all options to do so (unless it wouldn´t be anarchy!) , but if you need a simulation of what could be after establishing enough shelter against barbarism, anything is leftout in this game realisation.
Conclusion: If you are not into fighting, do not begin to play this game ever. Play other games but not this one. If you don´t follow this rule, you will always end up in deep frustration. I also recommend reading the Least Investment Strategy for better understanding what anarchy means and before starting any game trials by yourself, or by using other strategies described in (meanwhile) several Wiki-pages.
[2.] THIS IS A FINITE TEAM GAME
Second thing to know: This is basically a TEAM-GAME, so DO NOT get frustrated if you won´t be too successfull playing by yourself. The reasons:
- A (advanced) team is always stronger than a single player in any fight. Since it´s an anarchy survival game, this simulation shows clearly, why teams in real life have evolved and are so powerful, no matter if hunter (wolves, attack-power) or prey (school of fish, defence-power).
- You won´t be able to protect yourself against everything (pro players, nr-1-killer-gangs, ghouls, hunger, coldness, radiation, lag!!, server reset, bugs/glitches, urgency to have a bigger session on the toilet in real life...) for all times. Certainly in a good team, you get some support.
- Finality: And least to say here, to again avoid any illusions: There is no way to get on top and stay there forever, regardless of being a team member or not.
Some further words now to THE SINGLE PLAYER PROBLEM: After a few days ghouls attack you TOO. The end always comes, when armoured ghouls begin to attack your base, unless you have a neat base design and sniper ready. If you stay in houses other players (and often advanced players) will meet and finish you there (although you do can survive in metal-wall houses). You can also adapt houses (with own doors, etc.). But you only have 2 hands and the SINGLE PLAYER PROBLEM persists no matter. So what can you do?
- Solution 1: One genious guy has invented the "resetting"-technique. He crafts items and doesn´t care about a base. When the ghouls get too strong, he stores his loot somewhere in the irradiated city and dies. After respawning he rushes to the city, gets his loot back and begins to craft better stuff, until the ghouls are "petting" him again.... and so on, and so on. You can watch a video on YouTube where a pro was able to craft tesla after only 3 "resets"! Though the video looks easy, do NOT think it is easy! Every single move must be planned/trained carefully/often, and without a good portion of LUCK you always get nowhere in this game.
- Solution 2: Maybe others have invented this one before me, but I got to this by my own: You can be yourself the second player´s helping hand by starting a second browser on your strong multicore gaming machine. You can keep one player always in the base (unless he has some sleeping bags) and the other player always dies, but can bring him the stuff he needs without beeing bothered by ghouls - see the Two Noobs Strategy (that works for single players too, if you spend an insane amount of time). Or you do the "resetting" by simply switching between the players - a handover of the loot from time to time without the hassle of getting back your stuff from the city.
- Solution 3: Already linked to it prior: Build a base in this style, and go for a sniper.
[3.] IMPORTANT GAME MECHANICS TO BE AWARE OF
And again some important things to know, hopefully saving you from illusions and frustration:
- Sadly you still CAN´T SAVE PROGRESS, because cookies don´t store such information (only identification). There´s no password to receive after dying, no chance to get back all your investment.
- THE XP THING: There are 2 things you have to know about the xp/level system:
- When you die and respawn, you only have half your level, even rounded down! E.g. level 21 results in level 10. This is really a knock down, because you lost a lot of work. When you respawn unluckily and therefore die soon, your game session and motivation is over for today, mabye for more than one day. This is a fact about the game design, and I still have no clue, where the fun should be there about it.
- Someone might think it´s not so crucial what items you unlock with your skill-points (level-points). But you have to know another xp villainy: The higher your level the lower you chance to get to the next level! E.g. it takes you 1000 points from level 6 to 7, but it takes you 2500 points from level 16 to 17. That becomes a problem when you have spent all your points in basic things (e.g. extended view, walls, repair hammer, etc), levelled up to around 20, and then you want to start developing better weapons. You won´t be able to get to enough needed xp points in that stage! That´s also mainly a single player problem, because a team can be aware of this fact, and split not only roles (builder, getter) but item-unlocking too. As a single player you are driven to obscure strategies like those mentioned above.
- CHOSE YOUR SERVER CAREFULLY: There´s 2 things here you have to consider here:
- Even pro players won´t get too far on servers with dozens of players on it. Sure, with much luck they might make it, but when a big savage team rules the server you can forget everything. So the advise is to use a server with low player amount (e.g. less than 15). That won´t guarantee success for beginners, but they have a real chance that otherwise they don´t even get.
- Check your lag on this server: Lag is extremely crucial and often decides if you survive or are beaten. That´s because the difference between e.g. armoured against non-armoured PVP fight is less than the difference the lag produces. If your avatar moves slow, even a pro with genious strategy won´t live long.
So you see that real game fun is not only a matter of strategy and training and to have a team. No, it´s also a matter of the presence of a useful server. By knowing all this you will be able to save yourself from unneccessary frustration.
[4.] COLLECTION OF USEFUL HINTS OF ALL KIND
You should also know about some nasty tricks/bugs in this game, to save you from some disillusionment. I list here only a few, that I think of are most important to know for the first. Certainly it would be great if someone could make the list longer and more complete.
- It´s a big advantage to know the timing of the server: the daytime - day/night rhythm. Write it down! Always try to respawn a few seconds until it gets daylight. Also have a countdown timer ready, set to 15 minutes. That´s the time you have left, until the first ghouls will attack you.
- Hammer+dynamite/grenades: holding a hammer while blowing up something makes the explosion more powerful. (Untested: Don´t know if you can kill armoured ghouls this way easier.)
- Nail machine+dynamite/grenades: holding a nail machine (no nails needed) while "blowing up" something actually REPAIRS it fast (you can find a video on youtube showing this)
- Don´t think your lapabots are invincible behind full metal walls: grenades reach through (like spears, that also can reach through full walls, to activate metal plates and so open doors - see big wire room trick somewhere in this wiki). So with a bunch of grenades any lapabot protection can be taken down.
- Another trick to destroy enemy´s lapabots: If you destroy the corner block of the base (hammer, dynamite), you can slay then all lapabots coming there with a simple steel axe, or even spears. There´s no way to automatically protect base-corners from getting broken, except an untested variant: lots of lapabots dedicated (fixed by wooden low doors/walls) to the corner only.
- For those who don´t want to have too much stress and evolve more slowly, you can build a base by double setting half walls. Half walls have the same strenght as full walls, but you can shoot through them (like through firepits) and so safely kill ghouls behind for nice xp progress. Certainly other players can shoot you down, but your base will be lost anyway when the armoured ghouls get interested. In one hour you can get to around level 20 without the need to be quick and trained and super-pro. When you respawn then, you might want to use the be-yourself-the-2nd-player-trick mentioned above to develop lapabots in time.
- A nice weapon to kill ANY ghoul is the underrated nailing machine, because you only need (lots of) nails. Usually you are faster to make some nails than to make arrows. And nails are easy to fire, because you don´t have to aim like a pro. Sadly the nailing machine can´t repair the very useful low walls (e.g. by holding the right shift-key whilst fire) and they take a lot of resources to be build.
- Winning by first hit: What beginners also should know - it´s often the situation of a cockfight: one vs. one with SAME weaponry and armour. The first one who hits takes away the victory often only because of that single primitive fact. And keep in mind it doesn´t count how evolved the players are! Only very little things decide the outcome of such fights.
- You should also never underrate other players skills! A pro player with only 3 spears, a quick internet connection to the server, and good preparation (knows where you come along, knows when your energy is lower, etc.) can wipe you out, at least hurts you that much, so a random watching noob can give you the rest with his toy hatchet afterwards. So I advise beginners to keep away from other players and if a fight can´t be avoided always do the first hit if you are not 100% sure he is the friendly type.
- Another advise: Never fight too long, because it´s likely you get exhausted by intention of the enemy.
- Never go outside your base at night unless you are 100% fit and equipped with heavy weaponry. A fast ghoul finishes you in two winks of an eye, and chance is big to face more than only one of these... On the other hand it might be useful to use the night outside, when only normal ghouls attack you, and when you have at least the steel axe.
Feel free to make this list longer!