How to Get Clay in 7 Days to Die

Clay is one of the most common resources in 7 Days to Die, but how you get clay has changed over the years, which can cause a little confusion for anyone who’s taken a long break from the game, missing several of the changes from the game’s recent alpha updates.

Where to Find Clay

Unlike previous versions of the game, where clay could be found by searching for a darker spot of terrain on the map, clay is now found literally everywhere in 7 Days to Die.

To get clay in 7 Days to Die, all you need to do is dig up the ground. Of course, if you go down too far, you will start to hit rock, so make sure not to dig too deep.

At the start of the game, with no perks and lower-quality stone tools, farming clay can take some time, so make sure to go prepared with a weapon to defend yourself, food, and plenty of water. Depending on how much clay you need, you may be out digging for a while. The world of 7 Days to Die is unforgiving, so never leave your base unprepared.

Crafting a Shovel

The most effective tool for getting clay in 7 Days to Die is the Auger, but that requires a bit of leveling up first to unlock, so you will want to start with a shovel. There are three types of shovels you can craft in 7 Days to Die:

Stone Shovel

To craft a stone shovel, you will need the following resources:

• 5 Small Stone
• 3 Plant Fiber
• 3 Wood

You won’t need to find any Tools Digest magazines, as you can craft the stone shovel at the start of 7 Days to Die without adding any points to tool crafting.

Iron Shovel

The iron shovel is much more effective at gathering clay but is also harder to craft. To craft a level-one quality iron shovel, you will need the following resources:

• 16 Forged Iron
• 10 Wood
• 2 Leather
• 2 Duct Tape

Before you can craft the iron shovel, you will need to find Tool Digest magazines and reach level 11/100 in tool crafting. If you want to make level five iron shovels, you will need to reach 26/100.

As you collect more Tools Digest magazines and get your tool crafting level up, you will start to unlock better quality iron tools; however, the higher quality iron shovel requires much more resources to build, but it will collect clay much quicker.

Steel Shovel

The steel shovel is the most effective of the shovels, but also the hardest to craft. To craft a level one steel shovel, you will need the following resources:

• 1 Steel Tool Parts
• 10 Forged Steel
• 10 Wood
• 3 Leather
• 3 Duct Tape

You will also need to obtain enough Tools Digest magazines to raise your tool crafting skill to 27/100 for a level one quality steel shovel and 59/100 for a level five quality steel shovel. As with the iron shovel, crafting higher-quality level steel shovels requires more resources than a level one.

Unlock Resource Gathering Perks

There are several perks in 7 Days to Die that can help you gather resources quicker, build a better base, and increase the chances of your survival.

If you’re looking to gather as much clay as possible, you’re going to want to unlock the Miner 69er and Mother Lode perks.

Miner 69er increases tool damage, meaning you bring down resources such as rocks, trees, and clay much quicker, whereas the Mother Lode perk increases the amount of resources you gather when farming resources such as clay.

Using both perks together makes farming in 7 Days to Die much quicker. It’s also a great way to get quick XP, as gathering resources generates XP, so being able to gather quicker increases the speed at which you obtain XP.