Project Zomboid: The best tips for survival

Project Zomboid: Tips for playing

Project Zomboid is a brilliant open-world game that simulates survival in an apocalypse. However, it can be difficult to last very long, especially at the start, if you don’t know what kills you. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get started.

• If you want to make the game easier to start with, you can go to Settings before starting and adjust settings such as ‘Zombies’ and ‘Infection Mortality’ – for example, how quickly you die from a bite.
• At the start, the Burglar profession is also a good choice, as it allows you to hotwire cars and break into houses more easily.
• Important items you should find as soon as possible are a bag, weapons, a digital watch, headgear and a first-aid kit. When it comes to weapons, it’s important to use melee weapons wherever possible, as you cannot yet use firearms and these also attract zombies.
• You should also drink water wherever possible, as you’ll quickly become thirsty. As you usually start in summer, it helps to take off your shirts and vests to conserve your stamina.
• If you spot a zombie, you can attempt a fight. It’s important to always aim for the head with the cursor. You can also push a zombie by pressing the space bar. If you stand on its body, it won’t be able to get up and you can kick its skull in. This is helpful if you don’t have a weapon yet.
• If there are several zombies, it’s advisable to flee. To do this, release the right mouse button and, whilst holding down Shift, run quickly away in another direction.
• As a burglar, you can easily hot-wire cars. These allow you to get around faster and also help you escape from zombies. Cars break down quickly, so you shouldn’t run over zombies with them. You could also injure yourself in the process. At petrol stations, you can refuel cars and also find food and magazines.
• During the first seven days, there is still petrol and food to be found. After that, gas, electricity and water are cut off, and it becomes increasingly difficult to find anything. So, collect food and liquids in containers. You can also watch TV programmes at 6 am, 12 noon and 6 pm during the first week, which will teach you skills such as fishing.
• It’s just as important to find a shelter. It’s best to look for one in a quiet suburb where there are hardly any zombies. Postboxes indicate where houses are. Multi-storey houses are the safest. Draw all the curtains and avoid leaving lights on. If you have to kill zombies inside the house, place the bodies outside; otherwise, they’ll poison the air.
• Before going to bed, or whenever you have time, you should read beginner’s books to educate yourself and learn skills that might be useful to you.