Darkness Falls is the flagship total-overhaul for 7 Days to Die by KhaineGB: a full class system, a tech tree that runs scrap → iron → steel → titanium → laser, and nights that actually want you dead. This is the straight-answer reference: which game version it needs, the eight starting classes, what changes vs vanilla, and how to stand up a server without EAC fighting you.
This is the question that trips up almost everyone installing Darkness Falls right now, and it's the one thing worth pinning down before you touch anything else:
DF is version-pinned and lags the base game. As of mid-2026 there is no V2.x / V3.0-compatible build. Khaine has said the forward port is a long effort, and V6 remains the current line. If your 7 Days to Die is on the newest build, the mod won't load until you roll the game back.
GamesOMG is not affiliated with Darkness Falls. The mod is created and maintained by KhaineGB (Khaine's Korner). All credit goes to them. Download it, read the official docs, and support the work through the links below.
Darkness Falls is the flagship total-overhaul for 7 Days to Die, built by KhaineGB. It bolts a full class system onto the game, stretches the tech tree well past vanilla (scrap tier below iron, then steel, then titanium, then laser and coilgun endgame), and makes the nights genuinely hostile -- ferals roam after sundown and a demonic enemy tier waits in the late game. Traders lose their god-mode protection, the backpack balloons to 96 slots, and progression is gated behind class quests and skill books instead of vanilla's flat perk menu. It ships its full Data/Config XML, so it is a fresh-world, EAC-off affair that will not load into a vanilla save.
You pick a starting class at the very beginning. It sets your early trajectory: starter gear, a class-specific quest line, and the recipes you unlock first. Crucially, you are not locked in: over time you can learn every class and hybridize builds by crafting the other class books at a Writing Desk. Mastering a class unlocks its signature recipes and gives a quality boost to items tied to it.
No mastery and no class abilities -- starter items are all basic.
Effectively the game's hard-mode setting. Not recommended for new players.
Farming recipes and the Blunderbuss; can snowball resources with the right setup.
Strong economy/self-sufficiency start.
Sneak speed/quiet movement, animal tracking and sneak damage; bows and hunting rifles.
The stealth specialist of the roster.
Advanced/giant forges and titanium block crafting; high-end tool and building recipes.
The stay-at-home builder; unlocks titanium construction.
Vehicle building/upgrading, engines and vehicle-related items.
Owns the vehicle tech and mobility lane.
Healing items and consumables such as anti-radiation pills.
The support/keep-everyone-alive class; vital in the radiated late game.
Machine guns, hand-to-hand combat, and high-end armor including military and titanium armor.
Ex-cop / ex-military; the frontline offense and defense class.
Charisma for better trader prices, better loot quality, easier buried-treasure finds, and multi-tool access.
Primary looter; starting kit includes radio, pickaxe and fire axe.
Exact starting kits and unlock lists vary by DF version and can be tuned between builds. Treat the "unlocks" above as the class's lane, and confirm the precise starter items in-game or against the official DF wiki.
Darkness Falls doesn't just add content. It re-tunes the whole progression curve. The headline shifts, grouped by system:
You pick a starting class at the beginning, which sets your early trajectory and grants a class-specific quest line, perks and recipes. You are NOT locked in -- over time you can learn every class and hybridize builds by acquiring the other class books.
Mastering a class unlocks its signature recipes (e.g. anti-radiation pills for Scientist) and gives a +10 quality boost to crafting items tied to that class (e.g. armor for Security).
There are books for all level-100 skills. Duplicate recipes are scrapped into 'skill notes'; at a Writing Desk you convert a batch of skill notes plus paper, ink and a quill into a fresh blank class book -- the path to learning additional classes.
Inventory is expanded to 96 slots and the crafting queue to 12 slots for the longer, deeper progression.
Adds a scrap tier between stone and iron, keeps steel, then adds titanium above steel for both building blocks and gear, ending in laser/coilgun endgame tech. Iron and steel are gated later than vanilla.
Adds laser weapons and coilguns as endgame options, plus re-added/new firearms like the P225 pistol and Winchester rifle, and tools such as the laser knife and stone hammer.
Advanced Forge (smelts steel without extra fuel), Fusion Forge, Lathe (for gun parts, loot/buy only), Writing Desk, Tailoring Station, Mortar and Pestle, and multiple tiered workbenches.
Traders stock a wider variety than vanilla, but trader compounds are no longer protected -- zombies can breach them. Quest rewards are differentiated by your class.
Ferals appear far earlier and dominate the night, and a demonic enemy tier (including a demonic behemoth) shows up in the late game, making radiation and difficulty spike hard.
Adds titanium as a top-tier material, tree-sap collection, expanded farming with crops and animal enclosures, and functional furnishings (working sinks/stoves).
DF widens the bestiary well past vanilla, with a demonic late-game tier that pairs with the high-radiation endgame. A sample of what's waiting out there:
A massive, high-HP boss-type enemy requiring advanced tactics; the demonic behemoth has very long reach and can one-shot unprepared players.
Late-game demonic zombies tied to the high-radiation endgame; some of the toughest content in the mod.
A tougher humanoid enemy; a Feral Radiated Wight variant appears as an advanced threat.
A stronger wolf variant among the new/re-added tougher wildlife.
A tough new creature enemy added to the roster.
A new zombie-type enemy added in DF.
A new hazardous zombie variant.
A dangerous specialized zombie carried over/expanded in DF.
Re-introduced flying pest enemy from earlier game versions.
Feral radiated versions of cops, wights and others provide advanced mid/late challenge.
A named formidable boss-tier opponent in the late game.
Exact spawn days and where each enemy first appears depend on your difficulty and DF version. This is the roster, not a spawn schedule.
Two ways in, the easy launcher path and the manual copy, plus a few non-negotiables that apply to both.
Two paths. Recommended: the 7D2D Mod Launcher -- search 'Darkness Falls', install V6, and it handles files and the EAC-off launch automatically. Manual: pin the game to the V1.0 branch in Steam, copy the game folder (or use SteamCMD for a dedicated server), extract the DF Mods folders into the install, and launch with 'Play with EAC off'. Client and server must run the exact same DF/game version.
EAC (Easy Anti-Cheat) MUST be OFF. Darkness Falls ships modified DLLs/custom code that EAC will reject. The Mod Launcher disables it for you; manual installers must select the EAC-off launch option, and every player must also launch with EAC off.
A fresh world/save is mandatory -- DF changes blocks, items and progression and will not load into a vanilla save (existing DF saves generally survive a same-line update unless noted, e.g. the Navezgane map). For dedicated servers, install DF on both the server and every client on the matching V1.0 branch; managed hosts (G-Portal, BisectHosting, etc.) offer DF as a one-click control-panel option. First modded worldgen boot can take 5-10 minutes.
Darkness Falls is a labour of love by KhaineGB (Khaine's Korner). GamesOMG is an unofficial fan-made reference. All credit for the mod goes to them, and the mod should always be downloaded and supported through the official channels below, never mirrored here.
Grab the current build, read the maintained docs, and back the ongoing work:
There's an official Darkness Falls Discord too. The live invite is linked from the official site and the Patreon above. (We don't reprint invite codes here since they rotate; pull the current one from Khaine's own pages.)
Config generator, console commands, and every server setting explained.
GamesOMG is an unofficial fan-made reference and is not affiliated with Darkness Falls, KhaineGB or The Fun Pimps. Darkness Falls is a community overhaul mod created by KhaineGB; download and support it through the official links above. Details may drift as the mod updates.