Last updated: . Values were checked in-game unless marked as estimates.
Survivors are workers you assign to buildings in Z Route: Redemption. Each one boosts the building they work in: more Food from a Farmer, faster healing from a Medic, faster research from a Researcher. Only SSR and UR survivors can gain stars, and stars are expensive: taking one survivor to 5 stars costs 575 of its shards and 25,405 Survivor Tokens. The best return comes from a UR Farmer, Miner and Oil Worker raised to 2 stars first.
Quick Answer
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What do survivors do? | Each survivor boosts the building they are assigned to |
| How many jobs? | 17: 15 regular jobs plus 2 unique survivors |
| Which qualities can gain stars? | Only SSR (purple) and UR (orange). Lower qualities, shown under Other, have a fixed bonus |
| Survivors per building | 4 in every building, so each of your Farms holds 4 Farmers |
| Max stars | 5, each reached in 5 upgrade steps |
| Cost to 5 stars | 575 of the survivor’s shards and 25,405 Survivor Tokens, the same for SSR and UR |
| Best first upgrades | UR Farmer, Miner and Oil Worker to 2 stars |
How Survivors Work
You get survivors from Survivor Recruit Tickets, the free recruit (it has a cooldown), events and Radar rescues. Open the Survivor List to see who you own, then use Dispatch or Quick Deploy to put them to work. A survivor only gives their bonus while assigned to a building that matches their job. Every building has 4 survivor slots, and each copy of a building has its own 4, so five Farms take 20 Farmers. The 4 bonuses in a building add up; the Overview tab shows the totals.
Every survivor has two kinds of bonus:
- Main bonus. Active as soon as the survivor is assigned. For SSR and UR survivors it grows with every star step.
- Star bonus. An extra effect that unlocks at 1 star and grows at each full star. Lower-quality survivors don’t have one.
The Survivor List sorts survivors into UR, SSR and Other. Only UR and SSR can be upgraded, so recruit tickets are mainly a hunt for those two.
Every Survivor Job and What It Boosts
Values are at 0 stars → 5 stars. The star bonus is shown at 5 stars.
Resource production
| Job | SSR | UR |
|---|---|---|
| Farmer Food Output |
35% → 55% Star bonus +26% |
49% → 100% Star bonus +52.5% |
| Miner Metal Output |
35% → 55% Star bonus +26% |
49% → 100% Star bonus +52.5% |
| Oil Worker Oil Output |
35% → 55% Star bonus +26% |
49% → 100% Star bonus +52.5% |
Resource protection
| Job | SSR | UR |
|---|---|---|
| Food Manager Food Protection |
3% → 8% Star bonus +3% |
12% Star bonus adds Food Protection Capacity |
| Metal Manager Metal Protection |
3% → 8% Star bonus +3% |
12% Star bonus adds Metal Protection Capacity |
| Oil Depot Manager Oil Protection |
3% → 8% Star bonus +3% |
12% Star bonus adds Oil Protection Capacity |
Military and heroes
| Job | SSR | UR |
|---|---|---|
| Instructor Soldier Training Limit |
3.5% → 6% Star bonus +2.6% |
4.9% → 17.6% Star bonus adds Training Quantity |
| Advisor Drill Ground Capacity |
3.5% → 6% Star bonus +2.65% |
4.9% → 17.6% Star bonus adds more Drill Ground Capacity |
| Medic Healing Speed |
5% → 7.5% Star bonus +2.7% |
11% Star bonus adds Hospital Capacity |
| Mechanic Hero Gear Crafting speed |
5.2% → 10% Star bonus +5.5% |
8% → 20% Star bonus +11% |
Speedups, help and recruiting
| Job | Main bonus | Star bonus |
|---|---|---|
| Researcher | Tech Research Speed: SSR 15%, UR 24% (does not grow with stars) | Free Tech Research Speedup Time |
| Builder | Free Building Speedup Time | More free building speedup time |
| Diplomat | Alliance Help Limit: SSR +2, UR +3 | Longer Help Time |
| Bartender | Shorter cooldown on the free Advanced Recruit | Shorter cooldown on the free Survivor Recruit |
| Explorer | Total Loot Time | UR: Loot Output up to +26% |
Where each job works
| Building | Job |
|---|---|
| Farm, Metal Smelting Plant, Oil Extraction Well | Farmer, Miner, Oil Worker |
| Barn, Metal Warehouse, Oil Tank | Food, Metal and Oil Managers |
| Soldier Training Camp | Instructor |
| Drill Ground | Advisor |
| Hospital | Medic |
| Gear Craft Center | Mechanic |
| Alpha and Beta Research buildings | Researcher |
| Engineering Department | Builder |
| Alliance Center | Diplomat |
| Highway Tavern | Bartender |
| Armored Transport Truck | Explorer |
| Base (2 slots) | Giles and May |
Unique survivors
- Giles (Survivalist). Adds extra chests to Radar missions and can upgrade common Radar chests to deluxe ones.
- May (Tactician). Raises all heroes’ Command and boosts hero ATK.
Both work in your Base and are bought through the VIP packs, and so are their upgrades.
Values from the game’s survivor tables (October 2026), checked against in-game survivor cards.
Star-Up Costs
SSR and UR survivors cost exactly the same to upgrade. Each star takes 5 steps, and each step costs the survivor’s own shards plus Survivor Tokens:
| Star | Shards | Survivor Tokens | Total so far |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 star 25 |
310 | 25 shards, 310 tokens | |
| 2 stars 50 |
1,400 | 75 shards, 1,710 tokens | |
| 3 stars 100 |
4,280 | 175 shards, 5,990 tokens | |
| 4 stars 150 |
8,415 | 325 shards, 14,405 tokens | |
| 5 stars 250 |
11,000 | 575 shards, 25,405 tokens |
The token cost climbs steeply. The first 2 stars use 7% of the tokens needed for 5 stars; the last 2 stars use 76%.
Who to Upgrade First
1. UR Farmer, Miner and Oil Worker to 2 stars
A UR producer goes from 49% to 60% output at 2 stars and unlocks a +20.5% star bonus, for 1,710 tokens. Going on to 5 stars adds a further 40% plus 32% of star bonus, but costs 23,695 more tokens. Bring all three to 2 stars before pushing any one of them higher.
2. Your military survivors
A UR Instructor and Advisor grow from 4.9% to 17.6%, more than three times as much. If you fight a lot, a UR Medic’s healing speed and hospital bonus are next.
3. Mechanic, when you are crafting gear
Hero gear crafting speed matters only while you are building gear. A UR Mechanic reaches 20% plus an 11% star bonus.
4. Skip stars on Researchers
A Researcher’s research speed does not grow with stars. Stars only add free research speedup time, so assign the best one you own and spend tokens elsewhere.
Tips
- Keep every building staffed. An empty slot gives nothing. Use Quick Deploy after each recruit.
- Replace, don’t upgrade, low qualities. Survivors under Other can’t gain stars, so swap them out as soon as you get an SSR or UR for that job.
- Recruit on the right Alliance Competition day. Survivor recruits score points on Base Construction day (Tuesday), so save your tickets for it.
- Survivors add power. Higher stars also raise your total power. See How to Increase Power for where it fits.
Survivors FAQ
What are survivors in Z Route: Redemption?
Workers you assign to buildings. Each job boosts one thing, such as Food output, training limit or healing speed.
Can I upgrade any survivor?
No. Only SSR (purple) and UR (orange) survivors can gain stars. Survivors under Other have a fixed bonus.
How many Survivor Tokens do I need for 5 stars?
25,405 tokens and 575 of that survivor’s shards. The cost is the same for SSR and UR.
Which survivor is the best?
A UR Farmer, Miner or Oil Worker. At 5 stars they double their building’s output, plus a star bonus of up to +52.5%.
Does a Researcher get better with stars?
Only a little. Their research speed stays the same; stars add free research speedup time.
