Project Zomboid is a very complex game that you can influence with your own playstyle. Therefore, there are many suitable skills with which you can customize your character. While you can set many of your character’s traits and skills during character creation, you can train almost every skill in the game to its maximum. However, this is not easy! Even if you enhance the XP boost with books, some skills still take an extremely long time to reach the highest level. Today, we will take a closer look at all aspects and show you how to level them up, especially at the beginning. This will also increase your chances of survival in the zombie apocalypse!
Effective Strategies for Passive Skills
This includes Fitness and Strength. You should invest in these two skills right from character creation, as they are extremely difficult to level up. But they are crucial for survival! They make you faster, more agile, and better at fighting zombies. Additionally, you can carry more items.
You gain experience points through movements like running, sprinting, climbing, or melee combat. In the character menu, you can also do exercises if you have some space and free time. But always give your character enough time to rest and heal any injuries.
Improving Agility Skills
Similar to the previous tab, these skills can primarily be leveled through movement. However, they are more combat-focused, allowing you to, for example, run or attack backwards faster.
Sprinting: You can run with Shift and sprint with Alt, both improving your endurance. Be careful not to trip and injure yourself!
Lightfooted: This skill determines how well or poorly zombies perceive you. You can improve it by walking backwards in combat mode. Sneaking also gives you experience points in this regard.
Nimble: You can also improve this skill point through combat mode. As long as you hold the right mouse button while running, your character will get better.
Sneaking: With C, you enter sneak mode, which automatically levels you up. The more zombies nearby that don’t detect you, the faster this skill increases.
Combat Tactics
You improve your proficiency with different weapons by fighting zombies. There’s not much else you can do, you just have to be brave and give the zombies a good beating! If you want to know more about melee weapons, check out our article on the ten best weapons. (The Best Melee Weapons in Project Zomboid)
All possible weapon types:
- Axe
- Short and blunt
- Long and blunt
- Short blade
- Long blade
- Spear
Lastly, you also have the Maintenance point here, where you take care of your weapons’ condition. Regularly repair them, especially melee weapons that you use frequently and like. Some weapons, like the popular katana, unfortunately cannot be repaired.
Mastering Crafting Skills
These skills are probably the ones you will want to focus on the most. They define your playstyle and depend on the job you chose during character creation. They can all be leveled through many different methods, and you should always read the corresponding skill books first! Additionally, you can also improve all skills with VHS tapes if you find them.
Carpentry: If you have an axe, you should cut down trees and saw the logs with a saw. If you have a hammer or screwdriver, dismantle furniture in houses and apartments for experience points. Later, you can level up by building wooden barricades.
Cooking: Initially, you should cook canned food, then combine as many ingredients as possible into a delicious dish. The more food items, the more experience points cooking brings. From level 7, you can even use rotten food!
Farming: Very difficult to level up, as you only gain experience for harvesting. Maximize XP by harvesting healthy plants in the summer.
First Aid: An unconventional method for leveling this skill is to walk barefoot over broken glass, remove the shards with tweezers, and then heal with a sterilized bandage. It sounds grim, but it works!
Electrical: Disassemble digital watches, radios, and other electronic items with a screwdriver to gain XP. Later, you can repair your generators.
Metalworking: For this, you need a welding mask and a blowtorch, after which you can dismantle metal objects like bathtubs and large garbage containers for experience points. Broken vehicles also help increase your level.
Mechanics: This skill is primarily for cars. Initially, you can level it by removing and reinstalling the headlights and radio of a car with a screwdriver. You can also repair all other parts, as even failures grant XP.
Tailoring: Tear up clothes for initial experience points and mend damaged clothing with needle and thread to improve this skill.
With the Build 42 update, this tab has been expanded again. It now also includes skills like Animal Husbandry, Carving, Stoneworking, Masonry, Pottery, and Welding. All of this is directly related to the new crafting system and will offer many new possibilities to play PZ!
Mastering Firearms
You can improve both Aiming and Reloading simply by fighting zombies with a firearm. You have to hit a zombie to strengthen your aiming skills. You can only reload when your weapon is empty, which likely only happens in combat.
Survivalist: The New Skills
Similar to crafting skills, you can also quickly level up these skills through books or VHS videos. Otherwise, simple gameplay will suffice, depending on your playstyle. With Build 42, Tracking has been added to track wild animals.
Fishing: You gain the most experience points by fishing with a rod and bait in the morning and evening. Alternatively, you can use worms as bait. Spearfishing is less effective.
Trapping: Set up a box trap for animals in the deep woods and move at least 75 tiles away for the trap to work. It’s best to set them up in the evening for nocturnal animals.
Foraging: Activate search mode as often as possible, especially during the day and in sunlight. No matter where you are, you will find something. You gain experience points both for finding and collecting items, allowing you to level up foraging relatively quickly.
Conclusion: Survival Tips for Your Playstyle
Enhancing your skills is one of the most important aspects of Project Zomboid. Without them, you probably won’t survive long. Depending on your playstyle, you should focus on different factors and pay attention to which skills are improved during character creation. Rent a server for Project Zomboid with us and support other players with your skills, learn together, and combine your best skills!
