Introduction
A quick glance on how to begin.
Welcome to SCUM! You have the honor of being one of the worst prisoners alive. That gets you the chance to live on The Island. It provides a bunch of useful things like rocks and sticks, and that's all you really need! Here is a quick introduction to some of the basics; you can learn everything else in other categories of the Codex or by simply trying to survive. Good luck!
Survival 101
Even though the various systems can be very complicated to grasp, the core of everything is very simple. The bottom left part of the HUD shows you the most important things, and these are:
Keep it as close to 100% as possible, and everything will be fine! Fighting off enemies, jumping from high ground or many of the various diseases can cause health to decline. If you notice any blood drops or highlights on the prisoner model, it's time to check out the Health category. Reach 0% and you're dead.
There will be a lot of running, crouching, and crawling around, and that's what the stamina is for. The more you move, the more you lose it, and the more you don't move, the more of it returns. If it reaches 0%, the prisoner will stop and take a breather.
Eat! You can be delicate about your diet, but anything will do in order to survive. Plunder houses and fields, track animals, cook something yourself, or take food off of dead bodies. The lower your reserves become, the worse will your body perform.
Drink! The more you run around, the thirstier you get. Find a freshwater source, go to the local water pump, or buy a bottle of water, but don't let this gauge fall. Running while dehydrated is not fun.
Starter Gear
There is no need to go around with just the clothes on your back and fighting off threats with just your hands. To avoid immediately running out of inventory space while looting, we suggest crafting an Improvised Courier Backpack which will surely help to gather a few more essentials.
If you're someone who likes to get up close and personal in a fight, craft a Big Stone Axe or a Small Stone Axe to quickly dispatch anyone in swinging range.
If you want to take a more stealthy and ranged approach, an Improvised Bow #20, a handful of Wooden Arrows, and an Improvised Quiver to store them will go a long way.
There is a possibility that you will be dropped on The Island in the middle of the night. To help you travel in the dark, a small Torch with some Tinder to ignite it will brighten up your vicinity and stop you from bumping into all these trees.
To find out how this can be crafted, head to the crafting category in the Codex.
Official SCUM in-game content (the game’s own text, translated by the studio).