Syringe
General#
The Syringe is the most valuable item a human can hold. It is the only thing that reliably cures infection, and it is the largest single heal and radiation dump in the game by a wide margin.
Stats#
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Health | +20 |
| Radiation | -50 |
| Cures infection | Yes, always |
| Fixes broken legs | No |
| Cooldown | 10 seconds |
| Uses | Single use |
The ten second cooldown is the longest of any item, so a Syringe is a considered decision rather than a reflex.
Getting One#
It cannot be bought. There is no Syringe in the Item Shop at any price or any rank.
Craftable from 1 Scrap Metal, 1 Alcohol and 3 Bandages, which is the route most survivors actually take.
Chance within the healing category of each chest tier:
| Common Chest | Rare Chest | Legendary Chest |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4% | 8.1% | 18.0% |
At under 2 percent of an ordinary chest's healing category, the Syringe is effectively a Legendary-chest item. You will craft far more than you find.
When to Use It#
Once you are infected your radiation climbs by 1 every second on its own, giving you roughly a hundred seconds before you turn. That sounds like plenty and is not, because the spasms make you an obvious target and everyone around you can see them.
Curing early wastes the radiation removal. Curing late risks dying to something else while you are stumbling. The usual advice is to cure as soon as you are somewhere safe, because the thing that kills infected survivors is rarely the timer.
The Exception#
The round's starting infected cannot be cured. Syringes are refused outright with a message saying the infection has already spread too far. Only players infected during the round can be saved.