I still fondly remember my first game of Project Zomboid. It was shortly after release, way back in 2013. I was on the hunt for the ultimate zombie survival game, and lo and behold, developer The Indie Stone heard the pleas of myself and many others in my shoes. Back then, I had zero long-term survival tips for Project Zomboid to help me stay alive longer.
What I received was a deviously difficult game. You wouldn’t think a title with these graphics would hold such complexity and terror. But it does. On my first day, mere moments after leaving the starter home, I was ravaged by the undead. Game over.
To avoid the very same happening to you, I’m here, years later, to share my knowledge about long-term survival tips for Project Zomboid!
Learn How to Farm
A big part of your long-term survival in Project Zomboid depends on your ability to scrounge food from the game world. How many cans of soup or ramen blocks can you locate and consume?
Alternatively, and the more beneficial route, is to grow your own food supply. A balanced diet, however, is a must-have in Zomboid.
You do not need to grow copious amounts of food. You simply need to vary your diet, plan your harvest, and mix vegetables with meat to avoid starvation and malnutrition.
Your goal is to, number one, feed yourself. And number two, you want to avoid excess compost at the end of your grow cycle.
Plan for the Future
Can you see into the future? No? If you can’t, well, then your chances of survival become limited by your creativity and knowledge of the game.
From day one, you should plan for the future. What do you need to survive in the coming days, weeks, or even months, if you’re lucky enough to last that long?
Here’s a quick checklist to help you efficiently loot and plan:
- You need food, water, and medical aid to survive long-term.
- You need a durable base, with room for expansion, and somewhat* out of the way of zombie hordes.
- Defense is crucial, more so than offensive, so plan your loot runs to prioritize building materials for gates and walls once you’ve sorted your food and water situation out.
When I saw “somewhat” out of the way, the choice is ultimately yours. However, a high-density area, somewhere with a warehouse or housing, can lead to plenty of looting possibilities down the line. But here’s the kicker: high-density locales equal more undead to contend with, too.
Regarding constructing defenses and building a base in Project Zomboid, you’ll want to prioritize a few key items:
- Nails
- Carpentry books
- Farming books
- Saw
- Hammer
- Batteries
- Axe
- Farming equipment
Stock Up for Crafting
Eventually, you’ll wind up requiring certain items that you cannot find in the game world. To that end, you’ll start crafting.
As I previously mentioned, you want to keep an eye out for farming supplies and building supplies. A saw, a hammer, and boxes of nails top the list.
On top of the usual items, duct tape is always useful to keep in your base to repair items, like weapons.
Otherwise, focus on key crafting items, like:
- Gunpowder
- Sheet Rope
- Molotovs
- Ammunition
- Clothing
For these crafting recipes, you’ll require, in no particular order, leather or denim strips, bourbon, sheets, matches, and bullets.
Power Up!
Around day eight or so, if you’re lucky enough to still have power in your home base, prepare to lose electricity. Without electricity, you lose access to the television, your refrigerator, and lights.
But by now, you’ll want to have stocked up on other sources. For food, stick to canned and dry goods once your refrigerated supplies run empty. For power, explore your surroundings in the hopes of finding a generator. While noisy, a generator will allow you to power key electronics for a time. Lastly, light. It’s dark in the world of Project Zomboid, and things do go bump in this game. A few candles should do the trick.
Endgame Base Construction
Finally, with food stocks topped up, weapons in your stockpile, and relatively stable defense, it’s time to think about your endgame plan.
The whole point of Project Zomboid is to eventually die. It’s the journey to the end that matters. How long will you survive?
If you’re planning on surviving for weeks or months on end, you need a long-term, endgame base.
For the ultimate survival base, you need a lot of everything: food, building supplies (especially nails and wood), vehicles, power, and weaponry.
You’ll want to start stockpiling everything you can now, plus scout out defensible locations for later use.
Tip: Put up walls as quickly as possible before building interior structures, like sheds.
You’ve Got This!
There you have it, long-term survival tips for Project Zomboid that have helped me personally last for weeks in post-apocalyptic Kentucky.
Do you have a tip you want to add? Let us know in the comments below!