Vitals make preparation matter. Health and survival needs can be restored by appropriate supplies, while hazards and exertion can make a bad route worse.
Practical guidance
Check the HUD before leaving a safe room. Bottled Water restores 40 thirst and a Medkit restores 35 health, but both occupy inventory space and are lost with other eligible carried items if a death creates a cache. Carry enough recovery to reach an extraction route rather than spending the last supply to push deeper.
Damage, thirst, stamina, sanity, and environmental effects are resolved by the active shard. Treat the values displayed in the current HUD and item interface as authoritative when a balance revision changes.