Outbound \u2014 Starting Area (Chapter 1)
The tutorial biome. Set up your first base, find the axe, hit the first signal tower, and survive night one.
Chapter at a glance
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Biome | Starting Area |
| Tier range | T1–T2 |
| Headline resources | Lumber, Fibre, Scrap Metal, Water |
| Total resource nodes | ~20 |
| Signal tower | 1 (introduction beacon) |
| Reward at completion | First Homing Boots, Workshop Tier 1 schematic |
Objectives in order
- Wake up at the van. Open the gear menu, equip the starter clothing.
- Find the axe. It is in the van toolbox \u2014 driver-side storage panel. Move it to inventory. See How to Use the Axe.
- Chop 12 Lumber + 6 Fibre. Both within 100m of the van. Fibre comes from the tall grass at the riverbank.
- Build the Saw Bench if not already placed. Convert Lumber to Planks (see How to Make Planks).
- Mine 8 Scrap Metal + 4 Common Minerals. Use the starter pickaxe \u2014 same contextual auto-equip as the axe.
- Build the Workshop Tier 1. Unlocks Solar Panel Mk1 and Storage Crate.
- Install Solar Mk1 + Storage Crate. Park van facing east overnight for max next-morning power.
- Sleep night 1. 19:00 in the bed. Skip the dark safely.
- Locate the introduction beacon. Mapped on screen automatically; ~250m south. Interact at the signal tower base.
- Receive Homing Boots reward. Equip them and follow up with the boots guide.
Resources to collect (Starting Area)
- Lumber \u2014 every visible tree. Densest cluster east of van.
- Fibre \u2014 tall grass along the riverbank and meadow.
- Scrap Metal \u2014 small grey rocks; ~12 nodes in the chapter.
- Common Minerals \u2014 boulder deposits; need to break with pickaxe.
- Water \u2014 walk to the river with a bucket; free refills.
What to skip in Chapter 1
- Do not drive the van \u2014 Biofuel is scarce until Canyons.
- Do not fight night fauna \u2014 sleep through it.
- Do not over-collect Coal \u2014 Canyons is the better Coal biome.
Transition to Chapter 2 (Canyons)
Once you have Workshop Tier 1 + Homing Boots + ~10 Planks stockpiled, drive south to the Canyons entrance. The signal-tower waypoint from the introduction beacon points to the Canyons boundary by default.
Common Chapter 1 questions
How long is the Outbound Starting Area chapter?
Roughly 3–5 in-game days, or 60–90 real-time minutes for a thorough run. Speed-runners clear it in ~30 minutes, but you miss the first signal-tower blueprints if you rush.
What should I build first in Outbound?
Saw Bench → Workshop Tier 1 → first Storage Crate → first Solar Panel. In that order. The Saw Bench is on the driver-side of your van by default — most new players miss it.
Can I die in the Starting Area?
Yes — hypothermia and dehydration are the main risks. Hostile fauna does not spawn for the first 24 in-game hours. Sleep at 19:00 night 1 if you don’t have a Stove yet.