Project Zomboid is not only extremely complex in terms of gameplay, but it can also be customized to suit your preferences even before your first round. The Custom Sandbox is crucial for both newcomers and experts, as it allows you to tailor your game to your desires and challenges. However, many of the settings aren’t very transparent, especially for beginners. Hopefully, our guide will help you understand and find your perfect settings!
Overview of Preset Settings for Sandbox
If you don’t want to dive into all the settings right away, you can use one of the presets. These are perfect for beginners, but also for various challenges. You can select them from a menu in the sandbox settings below. It might be worth playing some of them to get a feel for how PZ handles different aspects over time. Plus, all adjustments are always marked in yellow, making it easier to see changes.
- Apocalypse: The toughest mode!
- Survivor: Slightly easier, but still challenging.
- Builder: Perfect for beginners or builders.
- First Bite: Good for beginners who want to grow with the game.
- One Week Later: For casuals, with a few more zombies at the start.
- Six Months Later: Significantly more zombies, no power or water, but lots of nature.
Spawn Points and Cities in Project Zomboid
Your initial spawn point can also determine a lot of different factors. The selection isn’t very straightforward and can surprise new players. Keep in mind that we’re referring to Build 41, as new locations are added with the latest update!
- Muldraugh: Better for experienced players, with lots of loot but also many zombies.
- Riverside: For a calm start, great for anglers and nature lovers.
- Rosewood: The perfect beginner’s town! Plenty of family homes, stores, and a prison.
- West Point: Only for truly skilled players seeking a challenge.
Custom Gameplay with Advanced Sandbox Settings
After selecting your location, you’ll be thrown into additional settings options. This can be a bit challenging for beginners, so let’s take a closer look! Depending on your play style, you can change many options here, making it easier for yourself – or seeking new challenges.
By the way, you can save your settings and store them in the menu below. This is handy if you frequently start new games but don’t want to reconfigure everything every time.
Optimal Zombie Settings
Population: These settings primarily affect the advanced zombie options. Normal corresponds to approximately 52,000 zombies across the entire map. You can also influence their distribution.
Zombie Lore: Remove the checkmark at the top and adjust the zombies’ aggression and behavior. For beginners, slow zombies with poor senses are worthwhile. You can also disable the infection to avoid dying from the first bite. Alternatively, you can ramp up the challenge and make the zombies true ninjas!
Advanced Zombie Options: Here, you can fine-tune the spawning of zombies. For instance, you can change the day with the highest population, so the undead steadily increase. For newcomers, it’s worthwhile to set the options with Respawns to 0. Group size can also be crucial. Large clusters of zombies are a massive challenge, but even individual zombies can catch you off guard!
Loot and Resource Optimization
Loot Rarity: Your loot is crucial for survival, but also for your skills and further gameplay. Ultimately, it should be realistic, as having everything all the time would become boring in the long run. “Rare” is generally the best setting (and not that rare!). If you’re looking for a challenge, switch to “extremely rare” or even “insanely rare.” Anything above “Rare” is usually too much for a zombie apocalypse.
Vehicles: In this submenu, you can generally leave everything on the default settings unless you want to play as an auto mechanic. You can also disable vehicles entirely if you prefer to travel on foot.
Adjusting World, Time, and Nature
Time: We recommend increasing the day length to two or three hours in these options, as one hour is too short, especially at the beginning, and can make you panic. Take your time! Set the start time to spring, preferably 5 a.m. This gives you enough months before the harsh winter and plenty of time on the first day.
World: Many of these settings are very individual, including turning off electricity and water, alarms, or locked houses. Fundamentally, you should leave everything as it is initially. As you improve, you might consider turning off electricity and water at the start for a greater challenge.
Nature: If you enjoy exploring nature, take a closer look at these options. Erosion, for example, is worthwhile for immersive gameplay where nature reclaims everything. Temperature and rain affect the character and can present a greater challenge.
Gameplay Fine-Tuning for Your Needs
Sadistic AI Director: This option sounds creepy at first … and it is! Especially the helicopter event attracts hordes of zombies to your current location and can overwhelm new players. Meta-events are background noises like dog barking or gunshots that also affect zombies.
Meta: Leave everything as it is here.
Character: Your character settings are highly interesting and can significantly alter your gameplay. You can influence skill learning, disable nutritional values for food, or set specific vulnerabilities (illnesses, injuries, or poisonings). Two very important settings are “Starter Kit” (backpack with essential survival items) and “Multi-Hit” (hit multiple zombies with one attack), which make the game significantly easier. If you want to know more about the actual traits, read our article about it!
In-Game Map: Both beginners and experts will benefit from activating both the large map and the minimap. This way, you’ll never lose your sense of direction!
Conclusion: Customization Options in Project Zomboid
The options for your perfect game in Project Zomboid are truly endless! You can make it significantly easier or immensely harder. It’s definitely worth trying different sandbox settings or challenges to get a better feel for the game. Rent your own Project Zomboid server with us and test the best settings together so that everyone is satisfied in the end!
