Outbound Beginner Guide
Everything you need in your first 60 minutes: where to land, what to harvest, when to sleep, and the five mistakes that will cost you a full in-game day.
Step 1 — Read the Starting Area
The game spawns you in the Starting Area, the most forgiving of the four biomes. Lumber, Fibre and Scrap Metal cluster within 100 m of the van. Don't drive yet — Biofuel is scarce until you reach Canyons.
Step 2 — Read your van
Open the van status panel (default Tab). Four meters matter from day one:
- Power — drains at night, refills from solar by day.
- Water — refills from lakes or the Water Recycler (T3).
- Heat — drops below 0 at night; a simple stove fixes it.
- Hunger — foraged plants are enough for day one.
Step 3 — First 30 minutes checklist
| Priority | Task | Why | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chop 12 Lumber | Unlocks Plank x6 — input for the Workshop | 6 min |
| 2 | Mine 8 Scrap Metal + 4 Common Minerals | Required for Workshop T1 | 8 min |
| 3 | Plank up at the Saw Bench | Universal building input for everything next | 2 min |
| 4 | Build Workshop T1 | Unlocks Copper Wire, Solar Mk1, Storage Crate | 3 min |
| 5 | Craft Solar Panel Mk1 | Ends the night power crunch | 5 min |
| 6 | Sleep (Comfort ≥ 2) | Skips the first night safely | — |
Step 4 — Surviving the first night
Temperature in the Starting Area drops to −8°C around in-game 21:00. A Stove with 2 Coal in the hopper will hold the van at +12°C until dawn. If you haven't built it yet, sleep early (19:00) and skip the night.
Top 5 mistakes new players make
- Over-driving on day one. The van burns biofuel fast — stay within 300 m until you have a Storage Expansion.
- Skipping Workshop T1. Without it you can't craft Solar, Storage Crate or Copper Wire — the three foundations of every later build.
- Ignoring solar orientation. Solar Mk1 produces 40 % more if the van faces east at dawn.
- Not filling water before dusk. Lakes freeze at night on most biomes.
- Saving Coal for later. Coal is abundant in Tier 1 — burn it.
Continue reading
Common beginner questions
What is the best starter van setup in Outbound?
Stick with the default chassis for the first 60 minutes. Spend your first refined parts on Storage Expansion (more cargo) and Solar Panel Mk1 (ends night power crunch). Engine upgrade is not worth it until you have a Workshop.
What is the best starting biome in Outbound?
You don't choose — the game spawns you in the Starting Area, the easiest of the four biomes. It has the densest Lumber, Fibre and Scrap Metal within 100 m of the van and mild night temperatures. The other three biomes (Canyons, Coast, Mountains) unlock through driving, not through a starter pick.
How long is the first 60 minutes meant to take?
Roughly 50–70 in-game minutes. If you are still chopping wood by minute 30, you are over-collecting — push to Workshop T1 first, refine your stack later.
Do I need to fight anything in the first hour?
No — hostile fauna only spawn at night (21:00+). Sleep at 19:00 on night one and you will never see them in the first hour.