If you want to survive more than a few nights in Survive the Apocalypse on Roblox, you need to master supply crates. These loot containers are your primary source of base-building materials, ammunition, fuel, and even premium currency like emeralds. Without them, your base falls apart, your generator dies, and the zombie hordes overwhelm you in no time.
In this guide, I will walk you through everything you need to know about how to get and open supply crates in Survive the Apocalypse. I have spent weeks testing different strategies, farming routes, and class setups to figure out what actually works. By the end of this article, you will know exactly where to find crates, how to open them safely, and which types give the best rewards.
Whether you are a brand-new player building your first shack or a veteran prepping for your 50th Blood Moon, this guide has something for you.
Supply crates are loot containers scattered throughout the game world in Survive the Apocalypse. When you break them open, they drop a random selection of items based on the crate type. These items range from basic construction materials like scrap metal, stock wood, and nails to rare finds like emeralds, refined fuel, and automatic firearms.
They are the backbone of your survival economy. Every base needs a generator running on refined fuel. Every weapon needs ammunition. Every fortification needs building materials. Supply crates are the most reliable way to get all of these without spending real money on premium currency.
The game features several distinct crate types, each with different spawn locations, difficulty levels, and reward pools. Common wooden crates show up at gas stations and abandoned buildings, while rare military crates drop from airdrop events that happen on a specific schedule. The rarer the crate, the better the loot, but the harder it is to open and the more attention it draws from nearby zombies.
One important mechanic to understand is the day multiplier. As you progress further into the game and reach higher day counts, the quality of items inside supply crates improves. This means a crate you open on day 40 will generally give better rewards than the same crate type opened on day 5.
Finding supply crates comes down to three main methods: exploring Points of Interest, waiting for Supply Drop events, and completing daily quests or world events. Each method has its own advantages, and experienced players use all three to maximize their haul.
Points of Interest are specific locations on the map where supply crates naturally spawn. These include gas stations, military bases, abandoned buildings, power plants, and other structures scattered across the game world. Each POI has a chance to spawn one or more crates when you enter the area.
Gas stations are the most common POI and typically spawn wooden crates and food crates. They are great for beginners because they are easy to find and usually have fewer zombie spawns nearby. Military bases are the jackpot for rare crates. They tend to spawn weapon crates, ammo crates, and occasionally military crates with high-tier loot. The catch is that military bases attract brutes and larger zombie hordes, making them dangerous to approach without proper gear.
Abandoned buildings and power plants sit somewhere in the middle. They offer a decent mix of crate types and moderate danger levels. Power plants in particular can spawn framed crates with construction materials you need for base upgrades.
Crates at POIs do respawn over time, but the exact timers vary by location. From my experience, most POI crates respawn every 10 to 15 minutes of real time, though military base crates seem to take longer. If you find a POI with no crates, try checking back after exploring other areas.
Supply drops are timed events that happen every 5 days, directly before the Blood Moon event. When a supply drop is incoming, a notification appears at the top of your screen reading: “A supply crate is being dropped! Check your map!”
At the same time, a map marker appears showing exactly where the crate will land. These airdrop crates are always military-grade or higher, meaning they contain the best loot in the game. Think refined metal, refined fuel, automatic firearms, and occasionally emeralds.
The timing is critical. Because supply drops happen right before the Blood Moon, you are racing against the clock to reach the drop, open the crate, and get back to safety before the Blood Moon begins. The Blood Moon spawns massive zombie hordes, brutes, and special enemies that can easily overwhelm unprepared players.
Here is what I recommend: when you see the notification, immediately check your map. Note the location, grab your crowbar, and head straight there. Do not stop to fight zombies along the way. Get in, break the crate, grab the loot, and sprint back to your base before night falls.
The day multiplier also affects supply drop rewards. Drops on day 30 or beyond tend to give noticeably better items than early-game drops, so these events become increasingly valuable as you progress.
Daily quests sometimes reward supply crates upon completion. These quests typically involve tasks like defeating a certain number of zombies, gathering specific resources, or visiting particular POIs. The crates from quest rewards are usually standard wooden or food crates, but they are essentially free loot you should never skip.
Random world events can also spawn crates in unexpected locations. These events include bandit raids, emerald rain, and other special occurrences that pop up without warning. While these are less predictable than POI spawns or scheduled supply drops, they are worth pursuing when they appear. I have picked up some surprisingly good loot from random event crates, especially during emerald rain events where green crates occasionally appear.
The key takeaway here is to always keep an eye on your screen for notifications. Missing a supply drop because you were not paying attention to the message bar is a mistake you only make once.
Opening supply crates is straightforward mechanically but dangerous in practice. You approach the crate, press the interaction button (E key on keyboard), and wait for the loading bar to fill up. Once the bar completes, the crate breaks open and drops its items on the ground for you to pick up.
However, the opening process takes time, and that time attracts zombies. Every second you spend standing next to a crate is a second where nearby zombies are drawn to your position. This is the core risk-reward tension of crate opening in Survive the Apocalypse.
Follow these steps to open crates safely and efficiently:
Step 1: Clear the area first. Before you even think about touching a crate, kill any zombies within sight. I cannot stress this enough. Opening a crate while zombies are nearby is the number one way players die in this game. Take 30 seconds to secure the perimeter.
Step 2: Equip your best breaking tool. You have three options for breaking crates: punching, hitting with a rusty metal bar, or hitting with a crowbar. The crowbar is the most effective by a wide margin. Always carry one.
Step 3: Approach the crate and press E. Walk up to the crate and press the interaction button (E key). A loading bar will appear on screen showing your progress.
Step 4: Hold still and wait. Do not move while the loading bar fills. Moving or taking damage can interrupt the process, forcing you to start over. Stay alert for incoming zombies.
Step 5: Collect your loot. Once the crate breaks, items drop on the ground nearby. Walk over each item to pick it up. Grab everything quickly, because the items despawn after a short time and you do not want to lose rare drops.
Not all breaking methods are created equal. Here is how they stack up:
Punching: This is the slowest method and should only be used as a last resort when you have no tools. It takes a long time and leaves you exposed to zombie attacks for much longer than necessary.
Rusty Metal Bar: A solid middle-ground option. It breaks crates faster than punching and is easy to find early in the game. If you have not found a crowbar yet, the rusty metal bar is your go-to tool.
Crowbar: The best tool for the job. The crowbar breaks crates significantly faster than either of the other methods. Multiple experienced players on the community forums have confirmed that the crowbar is the only tool worth using once you find one. If you see a crowbar in any loot container, pick it up immediately.
Your class choice has a direct impact on how efficiently you can open supply crates. Two classes stand out above the rest:
Explorer Class: The Explorer is widely considered the best class for crate-focused gameplay. The community consensus on Reddit and gaming forums is clear: Explorer reduces crate opening time noticeably. When you are standing next to a crate with zombies closing in, that extra speed is the difference between getting your loot and getting killed. If you plan to farm crates regularly, Explorer should be your first class unlock.
Scavenger Class: The Scavenger does not open crates faster, but it improves the quality of items you find inside them. Think of it as the quality-over-quantity option. Players who prefer to visit fewer POIs but get better items from each crate tend to favor the Scavenger. It is especially useful for farming emeralds from green crates.
Both classes are viable. I personally switch between them depending on what I need. When I am prepping for a Blood Moon and need lots of resources fast, I go Explorer. When I am looking for rare items like emeralds or automatic firearms, I switch to Scavenger.
Not all supply crates are equal. The game features several distinct types, each with different rarity levels, spawn conditions, and loot pools. Understanding what each crate type offers helps you prioritize which ones to chase.
Wooden Crate: The most common crate type in the game. Wooden crates spawn at nearly every POI and contain basic crafting materials. Expect scrap metal, stock wood, nails, and occasionally small amounts of food. They are easy to break and attract fewer zombie spawns than rare crates. Every wooden crate is worth opening because the basic materials add up fast. You need hundreds of scrap metal and stock wood to build even a modest base.
Food Crate: These crates are essential for survival, especially in the early game. Food crates contain various food items that keep your hunger bar topped up. Some experienced players suggest planting carrots for a constant food supply instead of relying on food crates, and that is solid advice for long-term sustainability. However, food crates are still worth grabbing when you find them, especially if you are far from your farm.
Framed Crate: Framed crates focus on construction materials. They drop higher quantities of building supplies than wooden crates, including materials needed for base upgrades and fortifications. If you are in the middle of a major building project, prioritize framed crates over wooden ones. They tend to spawn at power plants and larger POIs.
Ammo Crate: Ammunition is one of the most valuable resources in Survive the Apocalypse. Ammo crates drop pistol ammo, rifle ammo, and long ammo in varying quantities. These crates become increasingly important as you progress to higher day counts, where zombie hordes grow larger and stronger. Running out of ammunition during a Blood Moon is a death sentence, so stockpile whenever you find ammo crates.
Weapon Crate: Weapon crates can contain firearms, melee weapons, and weapon attachments. The quality of weapons inside depends on the day multiplier, with later-game crates having a higher chance of dropping automatic firearms and other high-tier weapons. Finding a good weapon early can completely change your survival strategy, making weapon crates high-priority targets.
Airdrop Crate / Military Crate: These are the cream of the crop. Military crates only appear during supply drop events before Blood Moon nights. They have the best loot tables in the game, dropping refined fuel, refined metal, high-tier weapons, ammunition, and occasionally emeralds. They are also the hardest crates to break, taking significantly longer than common crates. Combined with the time pressure of an incoming Blood Moon, opening a military crate is one of the most intense moments in the game.
Viridium Tech Case: The Viridium Tech Case is one of the rarest crate types in the game. It contains premium-tier loot including rare crafting materials, advanced components, and sometimes emeralds. These cases do not spawn at normal POIs and are typically only found during special events or admin-triggered supply drops. If you see one, prioritize it above everything else.
Green Crate: Green crates are special because they have a chance to drop emeralds, the premium currency in Survive the Apocalypse. Emeralds are used for high-end purchases and crafting, making green crates extremely valuable. They appear occasionally during random events like emerald rain and are sometimes found at rare POI spawns. The Scavenger class appears to improve emerald drop rates from green crates, though the exact mechanics are debated in the community.
Players on the forums have consistently reported that green crates are worth going out of your way to find. Even a single emerald drop can be the difference between affording a critical upgrade or not.
After weeks of crate farming, these are the strategies that have made the biggest difference for my survival runs.
Always clear before you crack. I said it in the step-by-step section and I will say it again because it is that important. Zombie spawns increase when you start opening a crate. If you do not clear the area first, you will get swarmed mid-animation and lose your progress. Take the extra 30 seconds to kill everything nearby.
Time your farming around Blood Moons. Supply drops happen every 5 days before the Blood Moon. Plan your farming routes so you are already in position when the notification hits. Having a crowbar ready and knowing the fastest route to the drop zone is critical.
Use the Explorer class for farming sessions. The faster opening speed means less time exposed to danger. For pure crate farming efficiency, nothing beats Explorer. Switch to Scavenger when you specifically want better loot quality from rare crate types.
Bring a friend for military crates. Opening military crates alone during a supply drop is risky. The crate takes longer to break, and the incoming Blood Moon adds time pressure. Having a teammate cover you while you crack the crate makes a huge difference. One player opens, the other watches for zombies.
Do not ignore wooden crates. It is tempting to skip basic crates and chase military drops, but wooden crates provide the steady stream of materials you need to keep your base running. I make it a habit to open every crate I pass, even if it is just a wooden one. The materials add up over time.
Watch the day counter. Higher day counts mean better crate rewards thanks to the day multiplier. If you are deep into a run, every crate you open has the potential for significantly better loot than early-game crates. Do not slack on farming just because you have a well-established base. Those late-game crates can drop items you cannot get any other way.
Know when to run. Sometimes a crate is not worth the risk. If you see brutes or a large horde approaching and you are low on health or ammunition, abandon the crate and retreat. No amount of loot is worth losing your inventory and spawning back at base with nothing.
Approach the crate, clear any nearby zombies first, then press E (interaction button) and wait for the loading bar to fill. Using a crowbar makes the process significantly faster than punching or using a rusty metal bar. Once the bar completes, the crate breaks and drops items for you to pick up.
Supply drops occur every 5 in-game days, directly before the Blood Moon event. A notification appears at the top of your screen reading ‘A supply crate is being dropped! Check your map!’ and a map marker shows the exact landing location.
The Explorer class is the best for crate-focused gameplay because it reduces crate opening time. The Scavenger class is a strong alternative if you want better loot quality from each crate. Most experienced players recommend Explorer for general farming.
Crates at Points of Interest generally respawn every 10 to 15 minutes of real time. Military base crates tend to have longer respawn timers. If you find an empty POI, explore other locations and return later.
The green crate is a rare crate type that has a chance to drop emeralds, the premium currency in the game. Green crates appear during special events like emerald rain and at rare POI spawns. The Scavenger class may improve emerald drop rates from these crates.
No, supply crates cannot be crafted by players. They only spawn naturally at Points of Interest, appear during scheduled supply drop events before Blood Moons, or are rewarded from completing daily quests and random world events.
The crowbar is the most effective tool for breaking supply crates. It is significantly faster than both punching and using a rusty metal bar. Always carry a crowbar when going on crate farming runs.
After a crate breaks open, the items drop on the ground nearby. Simply walk over each item to pick it up automatically. Collect items quickly because they despawn after a short time, and you do not want to lose valuable loot.
Learning how to get and open supply crates in Survive the Apocalypse is one of the most important skills you can develop as a player. These crates provide the resources you need to build, defend, and progress through increasingly difficult nights.
The key takeaways are simple: explore POIs for steady material income, watch for supply drop events every 5 days before the Blood Moon, always carry a crowbar, clear the area before opening any crate, and choose the Explorer class for farming efficiency. Master these basics and you will have a fully stocked base, plenty of ammunition, and the resources to survive whatever the zombie hordes throw at you.
Now grab your crowbar, pick your class, and start farming. Your base is not going to build itself.
