Alrighty let's dive on into this:

You will spawn in a post apocalyptic world that revovles around being able to kill every single other survivor you see.

You will spawn with a Kitchen Knife which does 200 damage and considering that every player got at least 1000 health points ít isn't a lot. You will also have the smallest backpack in the game.

And then it starts.
You will die and die and die and die and guess what? DIE!
Learning how not to die every 20 minutes is surprisingly difficult.

Travelling alone is always more safe than joining up with random people. If you insist on playing with others then bring friends you trust.
Also a basic thing you need to understand before reading anymore of this guide is NEVER TRUST PLAYERS!

As you "progress" throughout the city you realise you earn experience and those points go towards the skill tree. The skill tree is something you should discover on your own but I will give a quick rundown of the basics.


Here is the skills I use everytime I play and they have served me good at all times. I personally think it have just the right mix of the needed bonuses. As a newcomer who's main goal is survival I recommend my skill set. It have worked against players as well as Nethers of all types.


Then after you get the hang of the game and skills then mix and match to find your own play style.
If you like guns the max out the gun tree and if you like melee you should go after melee perks and movement bonuses for the maximum output.
There is also account levels which are permanent level bonuses you keep through death. You can in no way lose account levels.


But currently I am using this build as I discovered I liked the increased melee damage when I tried to sneak without making a lot of noise.

Safe Zones are player hubs where you can buy equipment such as food, ammo, flares, melee weapons and firearm parts. The hub is also where the bank is and it is one of the most important things for a newcomer to Nether. In the beginning you want to store everything extra you find and as you level up and get better loot you can swap out your banks inventory for better quality items.
You are also able to pick up and deliver courier packages to other safe zones. These packages awards you with experience and money upon delivery. However they weigh a lot and cannot be stored in the bank and if you log off Nether you lose them permenantly. So only pick them up if you got enough time to make the whole trip.
Vlad the weaponsmith is a very if not the most important character in the Safe Zones. All the weapon parts you find throughout the city should be brought back to him. If you got just the right parts you can build anything from "Small Handguns" to "Military Assault Rifles."
The Order of the Cull is a cult of mysterious characters that will trade you weapons and supplies for Nether parts. I highly recommend that newcomers loot all the parts they can since they can be traded for ammo, guns, food, equipment, and melee weapons.

One last thing regarding Safe zones is always be careful when you leave it, because some players will camp/follow you out and then put a bullet in your brain for a pack of crisps.
That ain't right.

Tribes quickly became a big deal for most people who play Nether, and it is easy to see why. Enlisting in tribes have a lot of benefits and a lot of consequences.

Benefits:
Being in a group of tribe members increases the chance of survival by miles.
It can be used to discuss trading.
It can be used to warn fellow tribe members of dangers in certain places like a enemy tribe at a landmark.
It becomes way easier to form groups and taking over the server.


Consequences:
Installing false hope into tribe members and killing them.
You lose tribe rep every time you kill a member of your own tribe.(Each level of tribe reputation gives experience boost to account level progression)
You will honest to god piss of everyone on the server when you tribe kill and they will most likely band together to hunt your sorry ass down.(100% scientifically proven.)


If you however prefer to just kill everyone on sight which is okay too then I recommend you don't enlist in any tribe at all and just go ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ crazy and murder everyone.
If you prefer to play alone and want to decrease the chances of getting shot the join the tribe called Stalkers They are a clear majority on most servers and a lot(not all) don't tribe kill. Always stay alert.

Food and nutrition is a crucial part of Nether because surprisingly enough you need food to stay alive. huh DUH

Food ranges from "QuikSpeed Energy Bar" which restores 30 Nutrition and 30 Stamina to "Army Rations" which restores 100 Hunger and 90 Stamina.
Food can most often be found in supermarkets which can be identified by their glowing neon sighs most of the time. You will for the most of the time find cruchy bens(Chips) and Canned food.
You can also find food in rundown malls and before cashiers desks in abandon stores.

The complete list of all foods accessible in-game:

"QuikSpeed Energy Bar" Restores 30 Nutrition and 30 Stamina.
"Crunchy Ben's" Restores 30 Nutrition
"Canned Food" Restores 45 Nutrition
"BroMAX" Restores 50 Nutrition, and 40 Stamina.
"Bottled Water" Restores 90 Nutrition
"Army Rations" Restores 100 Hunger and 90 Stamina.

However by the introduction of chest and containers in the world you pretty much have small chances to find food and generally supplies everywhere in the world. So be sure to check every room you see if you got the time and dare.

Medical Supplies is yet another extremely crucial part of Nether.
As you crawl your way through your first few turbulent hours you realise how important medical supplies are. You can buy MS at Hubs but they are quite expensive and I recommend you go scavenge for them out in the city. You are most likely to find them in broken down ambulances, white medical tents and on the higher floors of sky scrapers. Also look out for red boxes on roof tops as they usually contain bandages and pain killers.




The complete list of current medical supplies in-game:
-Bandages Restores 100 Health.
-Pain Pills Restores 275 Health. Restores 40 Stamina.
-First Aid Kit Restores 400 Health
-Doctor's Bag Restores 1000 Health.

However if you get required food perk you will heal yourself upon comsuming food while the hunger meter is full. I also recommend always carrying atleast enough supplies to heal 500 health points.

This is a rather old picture and if I stumble over a updated version I will replace this one. However the spawns portrayed on this picture still remains releveant.









Dirt Bike spawn locations. It is extremely buggy and I cannot recommend using one at its current state. They are also Cars but no map is avaliable for them yet.

Nether gold is a currency bought with real life money. It can be used to buy uniforms, helmets, armguards, and various other items. However it is not a must-do way to play the game and here is why.
You can buy Nether gold at https://www.playnether.com/

All the items except for the uniforms can be obtained without ever purchasing Nether gold. All the helmets, armguards and items have a certain drop chance everytime you loot a container or basically any kind of storage. Of Course certain items are harder to obtain. Such items are rare cosmetic helmets and armguards. However if you are patient they will probably drop at one point or another. To get the proper chances for proper items you need to unlock the golden chest which are scattered all across the city. To open said chest you need golden keys. Golden keys can be bought for 2 Nether gold or for 2500 in-game cash. You will get 5 keys per purchase. But keep in mind that not every golden chest contain something, you can get nothing at all if you are unlucky. But you can also be very fortunante in your findings. I once got around 500 cash, 2 guns and 2 mask, 1 was actually a rare drop. So think twice before buying keys.

So Nether gold is kind of for the elite player in the sense that you should probably only buy it if you play Nether a lot.



I for one have bought Nether gold so I could get the uniforms as I play the game a lot. Again it is not necessary to buy Nether gold. I can't stress that enough.

Melee weapons is the bread and butter required to kill Nether without alerting everything with a pulse within 5 blocks. Melee weapons will range from the Kitchen Knife which you spawn with all the way to the Skullcleaver which is the best melee weapon in game with the insane damage of 530 without any special perks effect.
Melee weapons can be found pretty much everywhere. From the death of a Nether to the drone at the loot drop melee weapons can spawn. You should always have the best possible melee weapon you can since the recent patch made ammo even more scarce.



The complete list of all current melee weapons in-game:

-Kitchen Knife Damage: 200| Size ??| Weight: ??
-Baseball Bat Damage: 290| Size 10| Weight: 1.50LBS
-Crowbar Damage: 290| Size 10| Weight: 5:00LBS
-East Sword Damage: 330| Size 10| Weight: 2.00LBS
-GRIMM Reaper Damage: 330| Size 10| Weight: 1.50LBS
-Battle Axe Damage: 375| Size 10| Weight: 6.00LBS
-Machete Damage: 375| Size 10| Weight: 1.00
-Katana Damage: 450| Size 10| Weight: 2.50LBS
-Bonespur Damage: 390| Size 10| Weight: 4.50LBS
-Shovel Damage: 220| Size 10| Weight: 5.00LBS
-Skullcleaver Damage: 530| Size 10| Weight: 6.00LBS

Guns are important. Guns are the most needed survival requirement when regarding hostile players. If you are foolish enough to attack a armed player while not having a gun you deserve to loose all your stuff.
The most average guns are small 9mm handguns and KB-12 Combat Shotgun(Spas 12 for most people) However there are military grade weapons throughout the city that are fully automatic high powered, high damage assault rifles, sniper rifles and shotguns.
They can most likely be found in sky scrapers, military trucks, abandon factory's and sometimes subways. Lootdrops will almost always contain military weapons, but these drops are frequently visited by players.

The complete list of current firearms in-game:

-Can Gun
Damage: 800 (1000 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 1
Firing Mode: Single shot
Ammo Type: 12 Gauge

-Cru Z3R-14
Damage: 800 (1000 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 4
Firing Mode: Semi automatic
Ammo Type: 7.62mm

-Gravedigger
Damage: 225 (281 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 35
Firing Mode: Semi automatic
Ammo Type: 5.56mm

-Uzi
Damage: 155
Magazine Capacity: 40
Firing Mode: Fully automatic
Ammo Type: 9mm

-Heartburner
Damage: 1000 (1250 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 6
Firing Mode: Semi automatic
Ammo Type: Bone Shards

-KB-12 Combat Shotgun
Damage: 600 (750 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 8
Firing Mode: Semi automatic
Ammo Type: 12-Gauge

-Lopez 45-S
Damage: 180 (225 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 30
Firing Mode: Fully automatic
Ammo Type: .45 acp

-MACH-9
Damage: 180 (225 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 25
Firing Mode: Burst of 3 bullets
Ammo Type: 9mm

-MAG DR-15 Assault Rifle
Damage: 300 (375 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 30
Firing Mode: Fully automatic
Ammo Type: 5.56mm

-Pipe Sniper
Damage: 700 (875 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 1
Firing Mode: Single shot
Ammo Type: .45 acp

-Rab-47
Damage: 375 (469 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 20
Firing Mode: Semi automatic
Ammo Type: 5.56mm

-Smith & Risley Pistol
Damage: 225 (281 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 19
Firing Mode: Semi automatic
Ammo Type: 9mm

-TFC Special
Damage: 800 (1000 with max Guns)
Magazine Capacity: 12
Firing Mode: Fully automatic
Ammo Type: 12 Gauge

-Warren .50
Damage: 400
Magazine Capacity: 8
Firing Mode: Semi automatic
Ammo Type: 50 Cal Magnum

Crafting in Nether is fairly deep and specific parts are harder to get than our parts.
The places the parts spawn is completely random and I can therefore not tell where to look for them. However the city holds the most chests and containers so if you need parts then stay inside Chicago.

I could honest to god, go on about it for days but instead I will show you this picture.

This picture shows all the different recipes for all the craftable items in-game.

There are many types of diffrent Nethers in the city and I will provide a list below of them and the attacks/patterns they use.

-The Lost
The Lost are a pitiable side-effect of the Cull. These sad mutants are half human, half nether and 100% unstable. The rapidity of their mutation combined with their unfinished genetic changes have made them very volitile. Violence against these creatures will result in a rapid, fatal genetic unravelling that creates a dangerous explosion of biomass and toxins. The death throes of the Lost can be devastating to unfortunate nearby survivors.
Keep your distance and they will pose little threat.
Unique Drops: - Lost Tumor
XP for Kill: 10 XP
"Hit them with something, step back and collect whatever bits of chunky salsa seem most appealing." - Dr Adzy's End Times Almanac



-Crawlers
The Crawler is the most common variant of nether that you will come into contact with. These nethers sniff the ground looking for traces of humans to hunt and devour.
Like most nether, they have the ability to teleport to any location they wish, so you will find it rather hard to escape them once they have you in their sight.
Tread lightly, and leave no trace for them to follow.
Unique Drops: -Crawler Spine
XP for Kill: 50 XP
"Nasty little beggars but they die easy enough. Don't waste ammo on them, let them get close and shank them. Gunfire will only attract the bigger beasties." - Dr Adzy's End Times Almanac



-Shriekers
Shriekers are frail, swift moving nethers with a loud screaming voice. This scream will summon other nethers to their location. They usually shriek upon discovering a player or dying. They also posses the ability to spit toxic chemicals. This spray attack will mess with a player's vision, temporarily causing blindness. Shriekers prefer to keep their distance, and upon being engaged they will often flee from you and teleport elsewhere.
Kill them quickly and watch out for other nethers or sneak past them.
Unique Drops: -Shrieker Tongue
XP for Kill: 50 XP







-Golems
Golems are giant brutes that will rush you down and attempt to crush you with brute force. Don't take their slow speed to mean they are easy to take down. If they get their hands on you the amount of damage they can inflict is unmatched even by the Reaper.
Keep your distance from them and do your best to whittle down their enormous health pool and above all, STAY BACK.
Unique Drops: -Golem Skull
XP for Kill: 105 XP
"If you see one, walk away. If one sees you, run away!" - Dr Adzy's End Times Almanac


-Hunters
The hunter is one of the deadliest nether types that you will come into contact with. The hunter has a special ranged ability to shoot needles from their chest cavity towards you. While it may have limited range, the effects of this ability are devastating. Couple that with the fact that they will often teleport behind you, and you have a recipe for disaster. They also tend to hunt in packs.
Remember to watch your back, comrade.
Unique Drops: -Hunter Ribs
XP for Kill: 65 XP
"For every hunter you see, there are three you won't. Don't start a fight with one unless you're ready for the other two." - Dr Adzy's End Times Almanac








- Watchers
The watcher is the king of perception, and you will likely find yourself spotted by one if you are not careful around them. Their eyes emit a red flashlight-like beam, allowing the player to see where they are looking. These nether take roost on the tops of buildings, waiting for anything to pass through their watchful gaze. After spotting a victim, they will either jump down or teleport from their roost and spray noxious liquid towards their prey. They are most commonly seen when the Lakeside Safe Zone comes under attack.
Keep out of their sight and you'll keep out of their mind.
Unique Drops: -Watcher Eyes
XP for Kill: 65 XP


-Reapers
Reapers are a rare form of nether that you will only encounter during certain events. They lead an onslaught of nethers in their quest to feed, and it will take quite a few shots to take this one down. If you do happen to spot a reaper, you should probably take a moment to examine your situation, as they will have lots of company. It is advised that you form a group before you take on this sub-boss and its allies. If you don't you will likely die trying to take it down. they are the most dangerous of all nethers.
Remember that there is strength in numbers, so long as you trust those around you.
Unique Drops: -Reaper Blades
XP for Kill: 200 XP
"If you're ever spotted by a reaper, don't run. You'll only die tired." - Dr Adzy's End Times Almanac



-Mantis
Mantis are kings of the high ground. They have massive wings that allow them to fly over buildings and other obstacles. They can be found flying above rooftops or even on the ground as a way to make sure that none of the survivors are able to hide behind objects or in the bushes. They can lick you from a distance as well as strike any survivors in front of them. They also have a fire breath attack that is brutal.
Strafe the Mantis and try not to stay in front of them for too long or else they will attack for immense damage.
Unique Drops: -Mantis Membrane, Incendiary Gland, Mantis Jaw
XP for Kill: 95 Xp




Credits to the Nether WIKI for this one!

Handling hostile players is the hardest thing besides fighting a Reaper.
They usually travel in small groups of 2-5 and they are on the hunt for fresh players most of the time, and aquiring your hard earned loot is their deepest desire.
But let's take it from the beginning.

If you are on street level I recommend hugging the side of a building and generally making yourself as invisible as possible. If you see unknown players in the distance keep your head down and pray they wont see you. If you are keen to engage a player always make sure it's 1 versus 1 or you have a friend with you.

Assuming a good vantage point and whipping out your sniper rifle is a recommended strategy for taking down a group larger than your own. Beware muzzle flash is a major factor in ambushes and relocating after every shot is a good plan if possible.




If you do however get caught with your pants down, you can if you're very lucky just get robbed.
The infamous bandites from the game DayZ might have migrated over to Nether.
I haven't personally experienced it but I have heard tales of people being robbed of everything they got. And if that ever happens to you, have so dignity and charge the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ robbing you and hope you do some serious damage.

The story is always the same.
You manage to survive breaking your record time for being alive. You manage to scavenge supplies and weapons, maybe even a mask if you are that fortunate.

And then you die. Dying in Nether sucks because it comes with certain penalties.

You lose everything in your inventory besides cosmetic items such as helmets and armguards.
You lose 10% of the total amount of cash you have.
You lost all levels and perks you had.
However you do not lose your account levels or the experience within them. The account levels are 100% permanent at all times.
The items you drop on your death disappears after a certain amount of time(roughly 5 minutes) some unspecified items disappear at a faster rate. So if you spawn close to where you died, its properly a good idea to go back for all your stuff.

Escort Missions are quest that requires a package that spawns randomly to be brought back to its Safe Zone, but as you will surely notice the package beeps every few seconds. Not only can other players hear this but Nether can hear it and they can it from far far away.
I can't recommend trying this mission without a group since you will be tracked down by Nether.
But with high risk comes high reward and the package will pay off at delivery in form of a lot of Experience and Money.
If you intend on completing the mission alone, I recommend bringing at least five bro maxes for extra stamina. Also escort packages found in the city all goes to Lake Side Safe Zone and all those found in the wasteland goes to High Rise Outpost.
Last thing though, you want to keep in mind the package is marked on the map at all times for everyone everywhere in-game. They can when you move it and which direction it moves it.
Always keep that in mind.

I have written this guide all by myself
and if you feel I've missed something you think should be in the guide then let me know in the comments. As the updates from the developers roll in, I will update the guide if needed.
And yes I know I have not included a lot of PvP information since it takes a lot of time to write properly. It will be in the guide later on if people seem to like it.

If you want to join my Nether group then feel free to add me on steam. However check out the requirements first.

http://steamproxy.net/groups/NetherWolfPack