Zomboid - Starting Out and Getting Good [B41]

Before you read this just keep in mind that this may not be everyone's play style this is just to help some beginners figure what they need to do. If you have any suggestions feel free to tell me!

• When at the main menu go to Options > Display > Cursor > Aim Outline and set it to Any Weapon. This will make killing zombies easier.
  
• Water and electricity can shut off between 0 to 30 days adding randomness to every run so be prepared for every scenario. For electricity you can use generators but beforehand you will need to read the "How to use generators" magazine and for gathering water you can craft a rain collector at carpentry level 4 (and another bigger one for the same materials at carpentry level 7) for water, but keep in mind drinking water straight out of it WILL kill you. Make sure you purify it in a microwave or boil it over a fire.
  
• This is a survival game, not how many zombies can you kill.
  
• If your unsure about something, think about what would you do in a zombie apocalypse.
  
• If you find the game too difficult, feel free to tweak the settings to your preference.
  
• For better navigation use the online version of the Zomboid map[map.projectzomboid.com].
  
• Watch a ton of YouTube tips and tricks videos about Zomboid, that's literally how I learnt most things.

I strongly recommend chosing Rosewood[pzwiki.net] as a spawn if your just a beginner (or maybe even a pro). Although Muldraugh is the first option, Rosewood is easier and offers great early resources. You'll find residential areas, a fire station with useful equipment (like the Fire Axe and Fireman clothes), a bookstore and a school allowing easy access to a high variety of books, and the police station which also has armory containing some guns locked behind two doors - to get past those 2 locked doors either kill a zombie in the police station that's carrying a key to the doors or grab a hammer and a screwdriver and start dissembling them. But be careful with using guns early on. Another good thing about Rosewood it's that it doesn't matter which side you spawn on as you have most of the things you need very close to you.



In the early game you just need to get prepared for what's about to come, level up your skills and you should be good.
Things I recommend during the early game are:

• getting books and magazines (read all the magazines you find even if you think they are useless);
  
• obtaining a hammer, a screwdriver and a saw;
  
• stocking up on a bit of canned food (not too much just like a few cans if things go wrong)
  
• level up carpentry (it's up to you, depending if you want to have a base, want to live in the woods or approach a nomad style of living but its nice to have it to at least level 4 so you can build a rain collector)
  
• Get a fire axe or a crowbar (depending if you prefer blunt or sharp weapons)

The fire station is one of the best base locations. It has early access to strong melee weapons like the Fire Axe and Fireman clothes, which offer good bite/scratch protection. However, they can make you sweat and tire out quickly, especially if you're avoiding combat. These clothes are also good for the late-game winter season. It also has all living necessities. I recommend stealing the microwave from the police station that way you can purify your water more easily and the water dispenser in case there isn't any rain water. The whole base design is up to you but i often build walls in the kitchen area and pick up a bed and carry it to the living room and to be honest I do think that's enough to sustain you. Also don't forget sheet-rope for quick exits if something goes wrong or you just don't feel like going down stairs.

Occupations for a "Stealthy" build

• Burglar - makes you quieter, you can hot-wire cars without electrical and mechanics and breaks window locks more easly. / Very good for begginers

Occupations for a "Jack of all trades" build

• Fire officer - chance to spawn at the fire station gives fitness, strength which are good for combat
  
• Lumberjack - amazing with axes from the start, cuts down trees faster, moves faster trough trees and gives strength.

Occupations for a "Combat" build

• Veteran - good with guns but carries the desensitized trait which makes the player immune to panic, making it an amazing combat occupation - however it's very expensive
  
• Police officer - the best occupation for a gun focused run, cheaper than veteran

Positive traits I recommend taking:

• Dextrous - faster looting
  
• Outdoorsman - if your planing on surviving in the wild
  
• Gymnast - gives nimble which is a very nice skill to have from the start
  
• Fast Learner - MUST HAVE to rank up faster
  
• Brave - less prone to becoming panicked, very good alternative to the desensitized trait
  
• Athletic / Fit - Fitness is really hard to level up so it better to have as much as you can
  
• Strong / Stout - same as athletic / fit

Negative traits I recommend taking:

• Thin skinned - play your cards right and you won't be bitten, debatable
  
• Slow healer - bandage it up, change the bandage from time to time and your set
  
• Underweight - eat as much food as you can, however try eating foods with high calories as they make you gain the most weight
  
• Conspicuous - it depending a little on your play-style but just fight them if they spot you
  
• Prone to illness - you will find out if your zombified faster instead of wasting a day potentially doing stuff for nothing, debatable
  
• Smoker - not smoking makes you anxious reducing your damage, so just light up a cig before combat.
  
• Weak stomach - makes you catch food illness if you eat rotten or burnt food (just don't eat it)
  
• Short sighted - smaller foraging radius (can be canceled out by wearing glasses)

Avoid Guns at First: Using guns too early will attract large hordes due to the noise. However, if you’re ready to use firearms, shotguns are great for beginners since they are accurate even with low aiming skill. Save this for later when you're better prepared.

Melee Combat: Push zombies down by pressing Space or Mouse 1 in combat mode (hold CTRL). Once a zombie is down, stand on its body to prevent it from getting up, and stomp on its head to finish it off. For larger groups, you'll want a weapon—improvise with hammers or other blunt objects early on. Avoid sharp weapons at first since they're rarer but do more damage.

Types of melee weapons:

• Blunt - doesn't damage clothing and knocks zombies down more easily
  - Short blunt (the least energy consumption but less damage)
  - Long blunt (knocks down the zombies the easiest, typical have a lot of durability but not the highest damage output, still pretty good)
  
• Sharp - outputs the highest damage but damages clothing and also comes with less durability
  - Short blades (not known for good durability, less energy consumption, do less damage than their long and axe counterpart but they make up for it by having a instant-kill mechanic where if you sneak up on a zombie you can kill it with one hit.)
  - Long Blades (very rare but output the most damage)
  - Spears (easy to make/find and output good damage but not the best durability)
  - Axes (very good damage output with average durability and they can also cut down trees)

Stay Safe and Avoid Running: Zombies are slower than you, so don’t run unless you have to. It wastes stamina, and it's better to conserve your energy by crouching and moving quietly when you can. Never fight zombies if you’re fatigued or exhausted.

Books and Multipliers: The first thing you should do when you spawn and before sitting down to watch life and living is to find a bookshelf and grab a book on one of these: Carpentry, Electrical, or Mechanics because these are key skills. If none of these are available at spawn take a random book you think benefits you the most. Books give experience multipliers, saving you time when leveling up. For example, leveling Carpentry without reading takes 75 points, meaning you have to dismantle objects 30 times, but with a fully read book, you only need to do so 10 times.

Watch TV for Skill Gains: Immediately turn on the Life and Living channel and read your chosen book while it plays. Watching life and Living makes the player get EXP. The schedule is as follows:

• 6:00 AM: Cooking Show
  
• 12:00 PM (However plays at 6:00 PM istead of 12:00 PM on day 8): Woodcraft (Carpentry)
  
• 6:00 PM: Survival programs (fishing, foraging, trapping)

Make sure to watch the 12:00 PM show for Carpentry if you plan to build or survive long-term.

Full schedule can be found here: Official Zomboid Wiki[pzwiki.net]

Use VHS Tapes After Day 9/10: TVs stop broadcasting on Day 9 - 10, so afterward, you’ll need VHS tapes to continue gaining skill points through TV.

(I will only pay attention to select few that I consider important if your interested in the rest visit Project Zomboid Wiki[pzwiki.net])

• Nimble - walking around in combat mode (while holding CTRL)
  
• Combat skills are leveled up by using the weapon in that category to kill zombies.
  
• Carpentry - by watching TV or by dismantling objects (right click on a bed > dismantle).
  
• Electrical - by dismantling TVs, clocks, watches and other electrical stuff.
  
• Mechanics - by taking apart cars or by fixing them. Usually I take the headlights, taillights and the radio out.