The year is 1993 and residents of Louisville, Kentucky are wrapping up their Independence Day celebrations. Without warning, the US military erects blockades and checkpoints around Knox County. This is now known as the Knox Exclusion Zone, an area that is quickly overrun by the undead.

As one of the few remaining survivors of the Knox Event, players have one goal - survive by any means possible. In the isometric open-world of Project Zomboid, understanding its mechanics could mean life or death.

Game Modes

Choose your game mode wisely.

Not many games offer as much flexibility in playstyle as Project Zomboid. Whether you're looking for a solo challenge or a relaxed experience with friends, there are many options to choose from.
Survivor mode is comparable to normal difficulty and perfect for players who enjoy a balanced playstyle. In this mode, the focus is on combat, the player is less vulnerable to attacks, and the zombies are weaker. Loot is easier to find but more of a risk as the zed's numbers are greater. 
Playing in builder mode is for those who prefer a more laid back experience. The hordes are smaller and much weaker, but the player sacrifices loot availability. If you'd prefer to ride out the apocalypse while tending your farm or building your base, this is the mode to pick.

Players who want a challenge can select apocalypse mode for the worst of both previous modes. Zombies are much stronger, hordes are larger, and players are much more vulnerable to attacks. Loot is still scarce, and you can only hit one zombie at a time.

If the presets don't match your playstyle, you can change all settings in the custom sandbox mode. From utility shut offs to zombie population, players can tune the difficulty to their own preferences. If you only change one setting, my recommendation is to enable the aim outline setting as it makes landing blows in combat much easier.

If you're looking for more structured gameplay, there are many preset scenarios to choose from.  These scenarios have specific constraints to test the player, such as the difficult "A Really CD DA" challenge. Players will start in a house in a high population area on fire, with no supplies and several physical afflictions.

However you choose to play, your survival skills will be tested in the unforgiving world of Knox County.

PZ Guide: Game difficulty/Game Mode.

Lore

There’s never anything on.

The game begins on July 9th, 1993 in the midst of the beginning of the Knox Event. Phonelines have been out for days and the US military has set up road blockades around all of Knox County. Most information about the cause of the event is speculative since players have zero communication with the outside world.

Project Zomboid posits many theories about the source of the infection via radio and TV broadcasts early in the game. My favorite theory is that the outbreak was caused by questionable meat at the in-game fast food chain Spiffo's. Players can piece together more of the lore through these broadcasts, but the cause of the Knox Event remains unknown.

the entire lore of project zomboid i guess. Start at 7:11.

Skill Progression

Knowledge is power!

You must improve various skills to survive and thrive in the zombie apocalypse. This is one of the grindier parts of the game, but players can speed up this process with proper planning. 

Before loading into the game, you'll need to pick an occupation for your character. In typical RPG fashion, most occupations increase specific skills at the cost of available starting points. These points allow you to buy more traits so choose wisely, as this can make or break a run.

Once you're employed and in-game, you can start gaining experience and boosting skills with books and TV. Check around for bookshelves; reading skill books will multiply experience earned in a skill, so it's best to read these as soon as possible. Make sure to watch plenty of TV before the power cuts off, as some shows provide free experience for certain skills.

If you've missed the broadcasts, you can collect VHS tapes to watch on a generator-powered TV at any time. Of course, the best way to increase your skills is by practical experience. This is riskier in the case of agility and combat skills, but gets easier the more you practice.

How To Level ALL Skills In Project Zomboid FAST For Beginners! Project Zomboid Crafting Skills Tips!

Survival Mechanics

Stay hydrated!

I like to think that Project Zomboid does a great job of imitating real life - minus the zombies, of course. Nowhere is this more apparent than the moodles, the icons in the upper right corner of your screen. These represent different status effects, and they can mean anything from hunger to anxiety to intoxication. 

Grab your can opener and your water bottle, because you'll be using them to sate your hunger and thirst often. Non-perishable food and potable water aren't easy to find in rural Kentucky, so stock up. 

If your character has the "Underweight", "Emaciated",  or "Hearty Appetite" traits, you’ll need to eat more often just to maintain a healthy weight. Similarly with the "High Thirst" trait, your thirst increases by 200%. It is possible to die from starvation or dehydration.

In solo games, players need to sleep. You can't die from sleep deprivation, but your combat skills will suffer if you go too long without rest. Sleep allows for the fast passage of in-game time, and also reduces panic and tiredness.

It's also important to take care of your mental health. Stress will reduce weapon damage, unhappiness will slow you down, and panic reduces all combat skills. There are beta blockers, antidepressants, comic books, and several other items that will help you keep your head on your shoulders in a fight.

The Hidden Mechanics of Moodles Explained - E2 | Rogan's Survival Guide for Project Zomboid. Start at 0:58.

Open World Sandbox

An annotated map of the March Ridge neighborhood.

Since it's an open world sandbox, players can pick where they'd like to spawn from four Knox County neighborhoods. Be sure to carry a pen in your fanny pack so you can note important spots on your map as needed!

The four spawning neighborhoods have varying difficulties. Rosewood and Riverside are small towns with low zombie populations, perfect for beginners. West Point and Muldraugh, on the other hand, both have lots of zombies and lots of loot.

Players can also find annotated maps, which are maps of different areas left over by previous survivors. Annotated maps usually have the location of weapons caches or food stores noted, so they're worth reading!

Where Should You Spawn in Project Zomboid?

Crafting System

They weren’t using it…

No matter your character's occupation, you'll have to craft at some point. Whether you're fortifying your base or cooking a nutritious meal, everyone is a maker in the zombie apocalypse. Here are some crafting skills that are essential to your survival.

The carpentry skill allows you to build and repair wooden furniture and defenses for your base. Metalworking is harder to level up and has less available recipes, but the results are more durable than their wooden counterparts. You can gain experience in both by dismantling certain objects in the world, just make sure you have the right tools!

To make your melee weapons last longer, you'll need to level up your maintenance skill. This will happen if your weapon does not lose condition when used. The more you level this skill up, the longer it will take for weapons to break.

Similarly, the aiming skill reduces damage to firearms when used. The added bonus with this skill is that it also increases your accuracy, range, and the effect of movement on accuracy. Gunshots will bring the entire neighborhood to your door, so this is a high risk high reward skill.

One of the more underrated skills in Project Zomboid is tailoring. Your clothing choice matters, and if your leather jacket is riddled with holes, you might as well not wear it. This is where the tailoring skill comes in; players can repair most clothing items to restore damage and weather resistance.

While you can survive on dog food and canned sardines, sometimes it's nice to have a warm, home-cooked meal. The cooking skill lets you combine ingredients to create recipes for salads, cakes, stews, and more. Crafted recipes boost morale and sate your appetite for longer periods of time.

Unless you choose certain occupations, some craftables can't be made until you read a recipe magazine. Some things, like generator usage, are impossible if the player hasn't found the "How to Use Generators" magazine. You can usually find magazines in mailboxes and on bookshelves, so keep an eye out!

Crafting Weapons To Fight Zombies | Project Zomboid All of Us Are Dead #2. Start at 12:18.

Combat

Anything’s a weapon if you’re brave enough.

It wouldn't be a zombie game without zombie killing! Project Zomboid's combat is brutal and can overwhelm even seasoned players. Remember to turn on aim assist in the settings to better target the undead.

Generally, the easiest way to take on zombies is with melee weapons. They are more abundant, easier to carry, and much sneakier. You have many options when it comes to the type of melee weapon, but my personal recommendation is the spear - easy to craft and it has pushback!

Guns, and their ammo, are uncommon compared to melee weapons, and take up more inventory space. Determined by your aiming and reloading skills, firearms can be a rewarding combat choice for a skilled player. Just be ready to battle all of Knox County if you go this route, because the sound of a gunshot will bring the entire neighborhood right to you.

Project Zomboid Beginner's Guide To Combat & Stealth! Tips & Tricks On How To Avoid & Fight Zombies!

Metagame Events

It’s okay, I didn’t want to leave my base today anyway…

In an open world sandbox game like Project Zomboid, it can be tricky to keep things interesting. But imagine you're enjoying a nice, laid-back looting session when you hear a blood-curdling scream. You haven't found any other survivors, and the nearby zombies that you were successfully sneaking past are now cutting off your only escape.

The metagame is a handful of off-screen noises meant to provoke the undead to migrate. You can never find the source of a metagame event. Screams and gunshots happen often, but there's one event that can be a death sentence if you're caught unprepared.

This is the infamous helicopter event. Foreshadowed by a radio broadcast the day before, nobody knows whether it's a news studio or the military. But if you're caught outside, the helicopter will follow you and bring every zombie in the county to your location.

It's best to plan for a nice day inside when you hear the broadcast, just be sure to stay away from windows. You've probably got some reading to catch up on anyway.

The TRUTH About Project Zomboid's Helicopter Event

Base Building

Get creative with your defenses!

Building a suitable base is essential if you want to survive Knox County. You can barricade the doors and windows of any structure, and build perimeter walls, with enough materials. Once your headquarters is secure, you can start planning for long-term survival.

With a high enough carpentry skill you can build rain collector barrels, which you'll want to do before the water cuts off. Any rainwater collected is tainted and can kill you depending on your character, so make sure you boil or plumb water before drinking. Place a rainwater collector on a second-floor tile above a sink and you can plumb it for clean water!

You'll need water for crops as well, though the plants don't mind if it's tainted; rainwater can be a boon for thirsty plants. A higher farming skill lets you more successfully cultivate crops by treating them for various plant diseases. Be mindful of when you plant your seed packets as in-game seasons determine how much your harvest will yield.

Soon you'll have more cabbage than you know what to do with - this is where a generator is handy. Generators allow you to power refrigerators to store perishables, TVs to watch skill VHS tapes, and lights to see at night. The downside is that they run on gasoline and produce a moderate amount of sound, which can attract zombies . 

Generators are heavy and difficult to carry, so it's wise to bring a vehicle along to transport one back to your base. Before you can connect it to your appliances, you'll need to find and read the "How to Use Generators" magazine. You can maintain your generator's condition by repairing it with scrap electronics.

Just make sure to repair it often - the lower the condition, the higher the risk of explosion!

Project Zomboid Base Defense Guide. Start at 0:45.

Permadeath

Don’t forget: this is how you died.

You knew right from the beginning that you weren't making it out alive. It's right there in the opening sequence - "this is how you died". Yet nothing prepares you for the frustration that is permadeath in Project Zomboid.

Upon death, you'll see how long your character survived and how many zombies they killed. I mean, it's the least they can do to soften the blow.

Dying means a chance to start over for some, but for others it's losing all the skills that you worked so hard to level up. This can be especially hard on new players, as most games just reload a checkpoint when you die. If permadeath isn't your cup of tea, there are many mods out there that let you transfer all of your experience to a new character. 

Every Way You can Die in Project Zomboid.

Project Zomboid is developed by The Indie Stone and is available now on PC.

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