# 7 Days to Die 2.5 Survival Revival Update

- Product: 7 Days to Die (https://whatsnew.fyi/product/7-days-to-die)
- Vendor: The Fun Pimps
- Date: 2025-12-09
- Original notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/251570/view/517480275699042103
- Permalink: https://whatsnew.fyi/product/7-days-to-die/releases/2025-12-09-2.5-survival-revival-update

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Reuse: the summaries, labels and curation here are © What's New. Quote freely with attribution and a link back; wholesale republication of the corpus is not permitted — terms: https://whatsnew.fyi/terms. The vendors' own release notes remain their publishers'.

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- **added** — Improved water survival system with empty jars that can be filled from natural water sources and boiled for drinking
- **added** — Jar refund menu option with configurable chance settings from 0% to 100%
- **added** — Ability to craft jars at a forge and crucible with 31 sand and 6 clay, reduced to 25 sand and 5 clay with Advanced Engineering 5/5
- **added** — Vehicle storage mods that increase any vehicle's storage capacity by 1 row (10 slots) with up to two mods installable per vehicle
- **added** — Default additional storage capacity for all vehicles: 1 slot for bicycle, 3 for minibike, 4 for motorcycle, 5 for gyrocopter, and 9 for 4X4 truck
- **added** — New Rancher zombie replacing the Plague Spitter with a desert lore-friendly design while retaining the swamp spitting attack
- **added** — New Chuck zombie replacing the Frost Claw with a snowy mountains lore-friendly design while retaining the boulder throwing attack
- **added** — New smell system where carrying 5 or more raw meat creates a smell with distance displayed on HUD that grows over time
- **added** — Raw meat packaging feature using paper and plant fibers in bundles of 5 to prevent smell
- **added** — Smell distance stat for consumable food items with combined smell effects from eating multiple items
- **added** — Dysentery flatulence now causes smell
- **added** — Water submersion ability to clear current smell
- **added** — Apiary station to produce honey
- **added** — New honey-inspired recipes
- **added** — Third person camera support toggleable in-game
- **added** — New character window rendering
- **added** — New free cosmetic skins
- **added** — New Trader Jen model
- **added** — New food and water bars with stats
- **changed** — Dew collector now unlocks at workstation crafting level 16 and is crafted on the workbench with additional resources required
- **changed** — Default controller layout has been adjusted and all input bindings will reset to new defaults on first game start after updating
- **changed** — Jars are one-time use by default and not refunded
- **changed** — Indoor or sheltered areas reduce smell distance to 20% of full distance
- **fixed** — Workstation progression changes may clear crafting queues and recipe unlocks during update, so players should clear all crafting queues before updating

The V2.5 Survival Revival Experimental Update will be out soon! This feature-rich update focuses on community feedback and the return of some long awaited features. The Stable update for all platforms will be out before the holidays. The update includes:

- Improved Water Survival with Empty Jars

- Vehicle storage improvements and mods

- The new Lore Friendly Rancher Zombie (Replaces the Plague Spitter)

- The new Lore Friendly Chuck Zombie (Replaces the Frost Claw)

- A brand a new Smell System with some great surprises

- Distant storm rendering

- Updated Biome Hazards, Storms, Temperature & Protective Clothing

- A new Apiary Station to produce Honey

- New Honey inspired recipes

- Third Person Camera support (Toggleable In-Game)

- Turret Ammo Improvements

- Quest Improvements

- A new character window rendering

- New Free Cosmetic Skins

- New Trader Jen Model

- New Food and Water Bars with Stats

**Warning to players before upgrading to V2.5**
**
**_With changes made to the workstation progression, if a player is in the middle of crafting a workbench, the update may remove that recipe unlock and clear the crafting queue. This will NOT refund the crafting ingredients back to the player. Be sure to clear all crafting queues before updating to V2.5._

_Please note that we have adjusted the default controller layout to accommodate some new and reworked controller inputs. The first time starting the game after updating all input bindings will be reset to their new defaults._

##### **2.5 Survival Revival Update Official Release Notes**

**Improved Water Survival (Empty Jars)**

We know this is a topic of great interest to the community, and we have taken extra care to listen and read hundreds of posts and polls. What stood out the most is that people liked the old empty jar system for the immersive feeling of rummaging through loot to find an empty jar, locating a water source, filling the jar, and boiling it to drink it safely.

With that in mind, we combined the best of the old and new systems and made it balanced. Here's how it works:

- In the early game, you scavenge for jars and fill them with murky water from natural lakes, rivers and ditches, or from other man-made bodies of water. Murky water is boiled for use as normal. Toilets, sinks, and other water fixtures are all dried up.

- Early to mid-game, you can choose to craft dew collectors or continue only to use the jars that you find.

- To balance gameplay, jars are one-time use, not refunded by default. _(See Jar Refund Options Below)_. The dew collector unlocks at Workstation Crafting level 16, is now crafted on the workbench, and additional resources are required for crafting. Murky water and other drinks still have a chance to be found in loot.

- Jars can be crafted once you have a forge and a crucible.

- With no perks, the recipe will be 31 sand and 6 clay

- With Advanced Engineering 5/5, the recipe gets reduced to 25 sand and 5 clay

- A Jar Refund menu option has been added which can change the chance to get a Jar Refunded after use. The available settings are: 0% Default, 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%

**Vehicle Storage Improvements & Mods**

Each vehicle by default will now support one additional storage column for more storage slots:

- Bicycle: 1 extra storage slot

- Minibike: 3 extra storage slots

- Motorcycle: 4 extra storage slots

- Gyrocopter: 5 extra storage slots

- 4X4 Truck : 9 extra storage slots

We are adding vehicle storage mods that will increase any vehicle's storage capacity by 1 row which will increase a vehicle's storage capacity by 10 slots. Each vehicle can hold up to two vehicle storage mods for a total increased storage capacity of 20 storage slots. When you install a vehicle storage mod you will see your vehicle visibly change. For example: you would see new saddlebags on a bicycle when a vehicle storage mod is installed.

**The New Rancher Zombie**

The 2.0 Plague Spitter model has been replaced

_[Truncated at 4000 characters — full notes: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/251570/view/517480275699042103]_