Once you’ve survived the first few weeks in Project Zomboid, it’s time to focus on long-term solutions for your current game. The usual survival rules still apply, of course, but you should prepare for the weeks and months ahead if you want to keep this character. Thanks to various events and the general passage of time, you’ll face new challenges to stay alive. Never let your caution go out the window. One bite, and your character is very likely infected.
Effective Base Building in Project Zomboid
Sooner or later, you’ll likely stumble upon a spot on the map that you like and that offers plenty of storage space. Then it’s high time to build your own base, which will become your new home. Where and how you find this place is entirely up to you. Whether it’s a lonely cabin in the woods, a warehouse near a larger city, or simply a new single-family home – almost any place can serve as a base.
The important thing is that you can store all your important items and furniture there to ensure long-term survival. Use barricades and other defensive mechanisms to keep zombies at bay. If you live on an upper floor, use a rope ladder made from bed sheets and barricade the stairs so the undead can’t follow you.
Vehicle Strategies for Project Zomboid
A well-maintained car will be your best friend in the coming game hours! With it, you can cover long distances, collect more loot, and even transport larger pieces of furniture in the back seat. For some of the later points in this list, this will be extremely important to restock your base and prepare for emergencies. Always keep your vehicle in good condition and repair any damage immediately. For longer trips, transporters are also good, but sometimes small, fast vehicles will do. Always remember that noise can also attract hordes of zombies!
Power and Water Supply in Project Zomboid
If you’ve chosen one of the regular game modes, both water and power will go out within the first month. And then the game really begins! Because a large portion of fresh food will spoil and become unusable. And you’ll run out of water once you’ve exhausted all the nearby faucets.
Generators, which you can find in hardware stores or in the garages of regular houses, serve as your new power source. They require gasoline to run long-term and need to be maintained to ensure they don’t explode. Always place a generator outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.
Water is also essential for survival and can be collected in various ways. You can use almost any glass, bucket, or cup to store water. You can also find large water dispensers that hold up to 250 liters. The best solution for long-term gameplay is rain collectors, which you can craft from plastic bags, nails, and planks. If you place these directly above a sink, you can even connect them directly! Otherwise, you should always boil the water before use.
Dangers and Opportunities: Expand Map Exploration
Surviving in Project Zomboid also involves exploring the map further and finding new locations. And maybe you’re still missing a few items you really want. On the other hand, it’s also just fun to check out different shops and areas. Especially the metropolis of Louisville in the northeast of the map is a significant challenge for many experienced players and is definitely designed for the endgame. However, with exploration comes a certain risk, so always remain vigilant, even if you’re already good at handling hordes of zombies. You’ll die if you underestimate the game!
Independence Through Your Own Resources
Since many regular food items spoil and canned food isn’t a nutritious solution in the long run, you need to become self-sufficient. This is best achieved through fishing, farming, foraging, and trapping. Living off the land will be your best decision in the long run to eat a balanced diet and give your character a good chance of survival.
Fishing is self-explanatory and best done in the morning and evening when there are the most and largest fish. Always have enough bait to improve your catches. You should set traps the night before, as animals like rabbits are mostly active between 7 PM and 5 AM. In farming, focus on cabbage first, one of the best food items. Use fertilizer to boost your harvest.
Eventually, you’ll have enough food and should get some large freezers from gas stations to your base. This will keep you supplied for months, especially in winter. A variety of cooking utensils, including pans, bowls, and pots, allow you to experiment with different recipes.
Develop Your Survival Skills Further
Your skills naturally improve as you play. However, you can also focus specifically on maxing them out. Your best friend will be books, which provide an XP boost. Find the appropriate volumes that match your current level. A book collection isn’t a bad idea either to track your progress in the game.
We’ve already written a complete article on how to improve every skill (Project Zomboid: Level All Skills Effectively) . This will turn your character into a real jack-of-all-trades!
Experience New Challenges with Mods
Even though long-term survival in Project Zomboid is a significant challenge, it can become a bit boring after a while. No wonder many players compare the game to “The Sims” not only for its visuals – the gameplay can become similarly monotonous later on.
It’s no shame to start a new game for a new challenge. Feel free to try different play styles to expand your knowledge. The new Build 42 is also worth a look if you want to check out the new update (Project Zomboid Build 42: An Overview of the Most Exciting New Features) . Otherwise, there are a number of challenging mods that make long-term survival extremely difficult. The most popular mod is “Cryogenic Winter”!
Conclusion: Your Path to Survival in Project Zomboid
Surviving long-term in Project Zomboid isn’t easy, as the game is designed to kill you at every corner. But with enough planning, a cool head, and a good understanding of the game mechanics, it shouldn’t be a problem. Rent your own server for Project Zomboid with us and try to play on a game save as long as possible together. It’s a truly great challenge to survive a few months or even years in the game and build a cool base!
