This guide is a translation of my original guide, many thanks to my friend Goring for his help in translation.

If you understand Russian, please check out the original manual:
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3002739841

When creating a character, you can choose from numerous occupations and characteristics, also known as traits. In this section, I want to discuss which positive and negative traits are worth taking and which ones are not.

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All positive traits that provide +1 to a certain skill are excellent additions to your build, depending on your needs. Want to play as a firefighter and focus on foraging? Traits: The Former Scout will give you an extra point in foraging and first aid. It all depends on your preferences. In addition to the +1 to the skill, traits provide accelerated skill progression at a rate of 75% for 1 skill point, 100% for 2 skill points, and 125% for 3 skill points. Some professions also start with knowledge of certain recipes from magazines.

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The Fast Learner traits must be included in any build. It speeds up the progression of all skills by 30%. It does not affect passive skills, such as Fitness and Strength. The bonus from Fast Learner is cumulative with bonuses from other traits.

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Take traits like Fit, Tough, Athletic, and Strong if you feel the need: carry more weight, run and fight longer. While hitting harder is cool, consider if it's worth the points. Personally, I never take them. Strength and fitness can be quickly leveled up using an exploit, but we'll get to that later.

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Traits like Cat's Eyes, Eagle Eye, and Keen Hearing can help with scavenging, but not significantly. Cat's Eyes improves night vision and reduces the impact of darkness on scavenging by 20%. Eagle Eye increases the character's field of view by a couple of degrees, and during scavenging, the character notices items faster. Keen Hearing has a slightly wider range for detecting zombies from behind and a small scavenging buff. Personally, I only take Cat's Eyes because its nighttime effect is quite helpful and it costs 2 points. The others provide too little benefit for their cost, so I don't recommend them.

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The Fast Reader traits is useless in single-player due to time acceleration, but it is invaluable when playing on a server. It speeds up reading books by 20%. A versatile traits with dual functionality.

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The Graceful and Inconspicuous traits focus on stealth, which, in Project Zomboid, is not particularly effective. Graceful reduces footstep noise and the chance to trip when climbing over a fence, while also reducing the stumble chance by 10%. Inconspicuous decreases the chance of being spotted by a zombie in its line of sight. While Graceful has some utility due to the reduced noise radius of footsteps, Inconspicuous is rather useless. The game essentially rolls the dice when you're in front of a zombie, and whether or not you're noticed is more luck-based than skill-based. I don't take any of these traits because stealth, as I mentioned, is not very effective and somewhat flawed.

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The Lucky increases the chance of finding rarer loot. This applies to both containers and zombies. I don't know about containers, but with zombies, it does seem like more diverse items drop more frequently. Hunting knives, fire axes, they just keep coming. It also affects the chance of finding items during scavenging. Not available in multiplayer. A must-have, in my opinion.

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The traits Resilient and Fast Healer are pretty much useless. Resilient simply reduces the chance of catching a cold and slows down zombification. But if you get bitten, does it really matter if you die quickly or not? Fast Healer just speeds up healing, surprise! You can achieve the same by eating until full and that's it, a pointless expenditure of points.

As for Thick Skinned, things get a bit more interesting. I'm not sure about the chances of getting scratches and bites, but the chance of zombie virus infection differs from the usual: for scratches, the chance is 4%, and for deep wounds - 17%. Remember that the default chances are 7% and 25%, respectively. According to the wiki, Thick Skinned also multiplies the chance of not getting injured by zombie attacks by 1.3 (standard chance - 15%, taking into account the player's proficiency level with melee weapons). The chance to damage clothing when moving through trees is 1 in 13. I never took this traits, following the simple rule - 'Dude, just don't get bitten and that's it!' But many consider this traits to be good. Not without reason.

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The Adrenaline Junkie trait is quite... unusual. During extreme panic, the character moves 10% faster, which can be very useful in some situations. In combination with the Coward trait, you essentially become a super runner, but without the ability to fight back. Is it worth it? I never took it because I always choose Brave, but the experience seems interesting.

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The Dextrous trait allows you to move items in your inventory twice as fast, which is very useful in critical situations where quick action is needed. The Organized trait increases the capacity of bags and containers, including car trunks and seats, by 30%. In a team game, this trait is indispensable, and in a solo game, you can do without it, but as a nice addition to your build, it can be very useful.

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The Iron Gut trait is completely useless for two reasons. Firstly, just don't eat spoiled food, and that's it! And secondly... you can eat spoiled food... About this in the section on exploits. The only justification for Iron Gut is poisonous mushrooms and berries. If you mixed them up and ate them, then maybe this trait will save you, but it's doubtful. The Nutritionist trait allows you to see the nutritional value of all food items. If you critically need to watch your weight, which is not so crucial in Zomboid, this trait might be useful to you, but otherwise, I don't recommend it.

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The traits Low Thirst and Light Eater are quite useless unless you're playing on a hardcore server where everything is already looted. There is always enough water in faucets and rivers, so you are unlikely to have problems with that. Food is a bit trickier, but even with the minimum loot setting in Sandbox mode, there is no shortage of it. The Herbalist trait allows you to distinguish poisonous berries and mushrooms from edible ones and search for medicinal herbs. If you don't want to bother finding the Herbalist magazine, then take it, but otherwise, it's a waste of trait points.

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The Speed Demon trait removes the speed limit on vehicles, increasing it from 90 miles per hour to 120. However, engines become louder. If you have one extra trait point, it can be quite suitable.

The Outdoorsman trait makes you more resistant to harsh weather conditions. According to the wiki, 'The chance of getting hypothermia is reduced by 90%. The chance of getting scratched or lacerated while moving through trees is 1-1.25%. It speeds up campfire ignition using a kindling stick. Influences the radius in search mode. It's a cheap and useful trait; I occasionally include it in my build.

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The Wakeful trait, for 2 points, allows you to stay awake 30% longer, which is very useful during long and exhausting expeditions. I always take it and recommend it to everyone.

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The Night Owl trait is exclusive to the Security Guard profession. It allows you to fall asleep faster. Additionally, your character is more alert during sleep if dream events are enabled (disabled by default), which is very useful.

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The Burglar trait is exclusive to the Burglar profession. It allows you to pick ignition locks on cars from the beginning, without requiring Electronics level 1 and Mechanics level 2. It also reduces the chance of breaking the window when opening. Good in the short term, but less useful in the long run.

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Desensitized trait is exclusive to the Veteran profession. It removes panic entirely, regardless of the number of zombies. Now you are fearless. Previously played as a Veteran, and it's a good trait, but cheaper and better to replace with Brave and beta blockers.

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The Axe Man trait is exclusive to the Lumberjack profession. It speeds up the swing of the axe when chopping down trees and attacking by 25%. If you want to play with axes, this guy is your favorite.

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The Amateur Mechanic trait differs from its twin brother with the same name. It allows you to repair all vehicles without reading magazines. At the same time, Amateur Mechanic as a hobby allows you to repair only cars and heavy vehicles. This trait is exclusive to the Mechanic profession.

The Sunday Driver trait increases the speed limit of the car from 90 miles per hour to 60. It is the opposite of the Speed Demon trait. If you only have one extra point, you can confidently take it.

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The Short Sighted trait reduces the player's field of view by a couple of degrees. In scavenging mode, the character notices items more slowly, and also has a reduced search radius. There are rumors that the debuff effect can be removed by wearing glasses or reading glasses. Personally, I haven't noticed any difference, and I consider it more of a myth than truth. The search radius can be increased by leveling up scavenging. I always take this trait, even considering that I level up scavenging.

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The Slow Reader trait increases the reading time of books by 20%. The situation here is like with Fast Reader, but the opposite. In single-player, it's an easy 2 points due to time fast-forwarding, but in multiplayer, it's a curse, stretching the boring reading process to a fifth. I only take it in single-player mode; in multiplayer, remove it immediately. And yes, don't forget to remove it, or else you'll log in and suffer.

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The Illiterate trait takes away your ability to read books and magazines, giving you 8 points in return. Is it worth it? I strongly doubt it. If you can live without books because they only provide skill leveling acceleration, magazines, on the other hand, offer unique and often essential recipes and skills. For example, the generator manual. Without it, you'll be forced to live in the Stone Age if you're illiterate (unless you chose the Electrician profession, which already has knowledge about generators from the start). If you don't care about leveling skills and follow the path of a destroyer, where books are not needed for weapon skills, you can take it, but in Zomboid, such a path is quite one-sided.

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The Disorganized trait slows down the movement of items in the inventory, which is crucial in critical situations, as mentioned earlier. But there's fast forward, right? Well... partly. Because in multiplayer, you'll have to wait VERY, very long for a character to pick up and put a can of food into their backpack. If you really need those 2 points, and all other traits are taken, you can endure it; the cost is not too high.

The All Thumbs trait is the opposite of Organized, which is logical. All containers and bags now hold much less, which is quite unpleasant. Can you live with it? With tears on your face, I think yes. Never took it and generally wouldn't recommend it, unless you're playing with friends who can help pack everything properly.

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The Clumsy trait increases the chance of falling when running and sprinting through a fence, as well as making more noise while moving. Running through a fence is generally a terrible idea, and the noise while moving is a bit unpleasant. When I first started playing with this trait, it was uncomfortable that zombies constantly noticed you, but they will notice you sooner or later regardless. The only somewhat unpleasant thing about this trait is that when moving stealthily towards a zombie to stab it with a knife and kill it with one blow, the zombie almost always turns when you're about to reach it. I always take this trait because it's an easy way.

The Conspicuous trait increases the chance of your detection when you are in the line of sight of zombies. That is, again, the game throws conditional dice, calculates a random chance, and adds the debuff. It's not like zombies will always notice you, but much more often. If you focus on stealth, definitely don't take it; I, on the other hand, don't care about stealth and always take it.

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The Cowardly trait significantly lowers your, let's say, panic threshold. Upon seeing 2-3 zombies, you will start to panic. In combination with the Adrenaline Junkie trait, it can be useful, but under normal conditions, it's a very unpleasant downside. You can live with it, but I never took it because I choose Brave instead.

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The Agoraphobic and Claustrophobic traits are similar in their effect but opposite to each other. Agoraphobic makes the character panic in open spaces, while Claustrophobic does the opposite - causes panic in enclosed spaces. Both provide a +4 modifier and can be combined with Cowardly and Adrenaline Junkie. Considering the game mechanic where the character gradually increases their panic threshold, these traits can be a decent choice. Note that you cannot take both of these traits simultaneously.

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The Weak Stomach trait increases the chance of food poisoning, but... Just don't eat rotten food, and that's it? It's not that difficult. And even if you do eat it, just consume it in small portions, and you'll be fine. Some rotten food can even be eaten in its entirety, but more on that later.

The Prone to Illness trait increases the chances of catching a cold and accelerates zombification. Catching a cold is very difficult, except maybe in winter, but by that time, you'll likely be prepared for such conditions. And if you get bitten, what difference does it make how quickly you'll die? I've always taken both traits on a regular basis, easy 7 points in total."

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The Smoker trait makes you addicted to cigarettes, accumulating stress and unhappiness. All you need to do is smoke a cigarette once a day or two, or even less frequently. Stress accumulates up to the Anxious level, and the only thing it does is slightly decrease the critical hit chance by a couple of percent. That's it. Currently, it's an easy 4 points because cigarettes, matches, and lighters are scattered around various bars, gas stations, and even in zombie corpses. By the way, in build 42, Smoker will only give +3, as I saw in one of the videos, but it hasn't been officially stated, so it might still change (or not?).

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The Unlucky trait reduces the chance of spawning rare items and the chance of finding them during scavenging. It is disabled in multiplayer. Not particularly critical, but not very pleasant. Perhaps one of the most harmless debuffs; luck works randomly, so sooner or later, you might get lucky even with this trait.

The High Thirst trait increases your need for liquids quite significantly. The character will more frequently feel thirsty, but there are usually no major issues with water in Project Zomboid. Just carry a water bottle or two with you, and everything should be fine.

The Hearty Appetite trait is similar to High Thirst, but the need for food doesn't increase as much. Dealing with food is straightforward in Project Zomboid — scavenging, fishing, and looting. I only advise against taking this trait if you're playing on hardcore servers where everything has already been scavenged. Even with minimal loot settings, there's always something to eat. You cannot take it with Very Underweight, but it's okay with Underweight. I always take both traits."

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The Pacifist trait reduces experience gained from weapons by 25%. This can be compensated for by taking Fast Learner, which adds +5% to weapon experience. Many players take this trait, but personally, I prefer not to, as I like to maximize my experience gains. However, it's still a good trait for those who want to focus on non-combat skills."

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The Hard of Hearing trait dampens all surrounding sounds and reduces the perception radius while scavenging. It's not critical, but it can be an unpleasant trait that might cause discomfort.

The Deaf trait, on the other hand, completely cuts off all environmental sounds, making you essentially... deaf. You won't hear zombies, players, alarms, helicopters, or gunshots. Nothing. Just you and silence. Interestingly, the sound of a screamer is still present, which can help you identify nearby zombies. While it may sound scary, these traits can be useful if you prefer to listen to music or watch videos while playing. Deaf can also be handy when playing with friends. I don't take both traits, as I prefer to play Project Zomboid without background music and other distractions for the atmosphere.

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With the Asthmatic trait, your character exhales 40% faster, and you can't get rid of this trait. The only way to mitigate its effects is to counter it with a high fitness level, but that's not always practical. In my opinion, it's a terrible trait for both combat enthusiasts and runners. I've never taken it, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

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The Slow Healer trait slows down the healing of wounds, but the effect is minimal. I always take it.

The Thin Skinned trait increases the chance of getting injuries from trees, bushes, and zombies. According to the wiki, there's a 35% (+10%) chance of getting a scratch from a zombie and an 8.75% (+2.5%) chance of getting bitten (without a weapon in hand). Also, the chance of transmitting the virus through scratches and deep wounds is higher; I don't remember the exact numbers, but it's around 14% for scratches and 35% for deep wounds. While I would usually say, 'Just don't let yourself get bitten,' scratches from bushes do happen more frequently, and the chances of getting the virus are higher. If you are really confident in your abilities, go for it, he trait is probably worth it.

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The Out of Shape, Feeble, Unfit, and Weak traits decrease fitness and strength levels by 2 and 4, respectively. With these traits, you'll face a tough or, at least, unpleasant start. Less stamina, lower carrying capacity, and reduced damage. Of course, you can get rid of these traits through training and exploiting the burpee exercise, which I'll tell you about later. If you're critically short on points in your build, go for it. And for the love of all that's holy, don't take these in multiplayer.

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The Slow Learner trait reduces experience gain for all skills except Fitness and Strength by 30%. A dreadful trait. While you might endure it in single-player, in multiplayer, you'll face a lot of struggles with experience. I've never taken it, I don't take it, and I won't take it. I wish the same for you.

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The Restless Sleeper trait increases the character's need for sleep by 30%. In practice, it is as it sounds — not deadly, but unpleasant.

The Sleepyhead trait makes tiredness decrease more slowly during sleep. I don't know the exact rate, but it's not worth taking.

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The Fear of Blood trait makes your character panic when administering first aid to themselves and also removes the ability to provide first aid to others. It also accumulates stress when wearing bloodied clothing. The stress effect can be alleviated by smoking with the Smoker trait, and cleaning yourself is not too difficult, though it takes time. Many people take this trait, but it's not to my liking.

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The Very Underweight, Underweight, Obese, and Overweight traits reduce the fitness level by 1 and 2, respectively. These traits can appear during the game due to weight deficiency/excess. They can also be removed. With the Thin trait, you start with a weight of 70 kg, and with Very Thin, it's 60 kg. With Overweight, you start with a weight of 90 kg, and with Stout, it's 105 kg. You can take Very Thin along with the Fit trait, which negates the fitness debuff, leaving you with an additional 4 distribution points. These are quite manageable debuffs that can be easily overcome by adjusting your diet and improving fitness.

Of course, everyone has their own preferences. Some like short blades for the ability to stab zombies with a single strike, while others prefer short blunt weapons because they can be wielded with one hand. However, let's face the truth. Long blunts are one of the best types of melee weapons, rivaled only by spears, which we'll discuss later. Long blunts have excellent reach, good damage, moderate stamina usage, and... a сrowbar. It's the toughest weapon in Project Zomboid.

Long blunts are quite common, and finding them isn't too difficult. Crowbar is also frequently found on corpses. All these advantages make long blunts one of the best weapon types in Project Zomboid. Grab the Baseball Player or Brawler perk and enjoy dispatching zombies, whether they're walking, crawling, sitting, or lying down, and even other players.

upd. In first version of translation Goring translated crowbar as "sledgehammer" and this is a mistake. I didn`t see this before, my bad (c) Wiscas

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Be careful with special spear attacks to avoid getting grabbed!
Spears are very powerful weapons with strong damage, the ability to one-shot zombies (when standing at a distance or sprinting through L Alt). The ability to one-shot zombies is available from level 0 skill, similar to short blades. Additionally, you can attach various items to makeshift spears, ranging from spoons to freaking machetes (although there's almost no practical reason for this, except for the machete situation). The only downside to spears is their durability. The chance of losing durability is 1 in 2 for makeshift spears, 1 in 3 for umbrellas, and 1 in 15 for pitchforks (which is quite good). However, this is offset by the Maintenance skill and the low cost of making makeshift spears - a long stick or plank and almost any knife. A small tip: Don't sharpen spears with a sharp stone; instead, make a makeshift knife from a branch, rag, and a sharp stone. With one stone, you can make a spear, but with a makeshift knife, you can make a whole 7. That's true savings.

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Did you know you can carry bags in your hands? You knew? Well, fine... Let me remind you. It's better to carry things in a second bag than on yourself. You'll be able to carry more. You can even carry bags in both hands, but then you'll become defenseless; you won't even be able to push. Always take an extra bag with you. More is better.

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I think you've been in a situation where a crowd is closing in on you, and you need to get through it, but there's no way around. There is a way out! By using the regular run on Shift (by default), you can push away a zombie, and it will be stunned for a couple of seconds. But remember: if you push too many zombies, you might stumble! You'll definitely push the first one without falling, the second one is 50/50, the chances are even lower for the third, and the fourth is unlikely. Just take it as a reflex; if a zombie is very close, run through it immediately. You can't imagine how many times this has saved my character's life, and how many times it will save again - who knows...

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You probably know that after a zombie crawls over a fence, it will likely make a lunge forward to knock the player down. So here's the thing: if you climb over the fence and hold the run button before the animation ends, the character will make a lunge forward, allowing you to increase the distance between you and them. This lunge also works when climbing through a window. Also, if your character is injured and feels tension (only if it's not Excessive), you can make this lunge. Use it when you want to break away from pursuit.

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If you've been into foraging, you know that berries and mushrooms can be both edible and poisonous. But to find out which is which, you need the Herbalist perk or the Herbalist magazine, right? Well... almost. You can eat berries and mushrooms in quarters to find out if they are poisonous or not. If nausea occurs immediately or after 2-3 hours - throw away that stuff, if not - congratulations, you've discovered a new type of edible food. Just don't overdo it, or you risk death from poisoning, which occurs after a couple of hours. I'll say it again - don't eat unknown berries and mushrooms whole!
Through trial and error, you can learn and remember what is safe to eat and what is not. Remember that berries and mushrooms change with the seasons.
In winter, only the Beautyberry (purple berry) and the Mottled Oak (red berry) are edible, just be careful not to confuse it with the Poison Ivy (don't confuse it with the Mottled Oak!). This information is especially relevant for the CDDA mode (Just Not Your Day).

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Remember I said that spoiled food can be eaten and that Iron Gut is a useless trait? Well, the trick with spoiled food is similar to the advice with unknown berries: eat it in quarters, and everything will be fine! And small fruits and vegetables like carrots, broccoli, strawberries, peaches, etc. can be eaten whole. Raw and cooked steaks, cutlets - strictly eat them in quarters! Otherwise, diarrhea and nausea will not keep you waiting. If you already have nausea from food or the number of corpses around, refrain from eating spoiled food. If you overdo it and nausea starts to take away your health, it's better to devour something fresh before a Hearty Meal (it doesn't save you from poisoning by berries and mushrooms, by the way). This nausea is not always lethal, but don't be like me or my friend, who ate rotten ham and kicked the bucket.

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A small crowd has gathered behind you, but beating them takes too long? Help will come from the nearest fence or window! After a zombie climbs over a window or fence, it will either make a leap forward to knock you down or lie on the ground for a while and then get up. And here is your chance. One blow to the head with a hammer or bat, and that's it, it will lie there. This way, you can nail down 2-3 zombies at a time until the rest get up. Be careful and catch the timings so that a random zombie that crawled over the fence/window doesn't knock you down. Also, you can attack through an open window.

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Cars are not only an excellent means of transportation but also a great way to kill zombies. Take a car that you don't mind sacrificing; the higher the engine's condition and other vital parts for the car, the longer you can engage in a zombie derby. Drive into an open area, press S and A (or D, depending on the direction you want to turn), and enjoy mowing down the walking dead. Just don't overdo it with the number of zombies around you; at this rate, the car quickly breaks down and may stall at the most inconvenient moment. Ideally, it's better to crush zombies with the trunk to make the engine last as long as possible. Plan for an evacuation or resign yourself to your demise...

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The best option among cars is the six-seater van, and here's why:

1. 5 seats that allow you to store items, each holding up to 20 kg. Unfortunately, the trunk is less capacious than that of two-seater vans, but... The trunk tends to break and lose capacity, while the 100 kg on the seats will always be with you;
   
2. If you sit in the back seats, zombies will never reach you, which is crucial for sleeping and resting in the car;
   
3. Relatively common, although not as frequently encountered.

Among the drawbacks of the 'loaf,' as I like to call it, are its low acceleration and overall speed. In these parameters, the 'loaf' loses even to its van relatives, which will be more mobile. For long outings requiring a lot of space or even for living in a car, the 'loaf' will be the best option!

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You've probably been in a situation where the trunk is full, and there's no place to put the generator. It weighs 40, and the seat can only hold 20... Or can it? In reality, you can place generators and even bags that weigh more than the seat can hold. Although it shows up as red, you can still perform the action, as shown in the gif. So, take more bags and put loot in them, and then throw it all on the seat.
P.S. As it turns out, you can also place individual items on the seat, such as furniture. So, you can put a wood stove on the seat and so on.

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If you've decided to start leveling up your accuracy, you'll need a firearm. But what to choose? The answer is simple - a shotgun. Shotguns in Project Zomboid are the only firearms that allow you to hit targets with zero accuracy. Moreover, shotguns can hit more targets, which logically speeds up the accuracy skill progression. Additionally, you can saw off the shotgun barrel with a regular saw (a garden saw won't work), which increases spread and allows you to hit even more targets. Thus, the shotgun is the best way to improve accuracy, with the only caveat being noise. The sound of a shotgun blast can be heard within a range of 100 tiles, which is quite significant.

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Players in Project Zomboid are divided into two camps: some will assure you that firearms in Zomboid are a terrible thing not worth your attention, while others will convince you of the opposite. In my 700 hours in Zomboid (oh, where did I spend my time...), I've come to understand this: both sides are only half right. Firearms allow you to kill zombies at a distance without risking the destruction of the environment, as can happen, for example, with torches and Molotov cocktails. However, firearms have a couple of nuances:

1. Constant need for ammunition, which will constantly run out;
   
2. The need for accuracy skill for better results;
   
3. Relative rarity of firearms compared to melee weapons;
   
4. Gunshots make noise, surprisingly attracting zombies.

These are the main drawbacks and features of firearms compared to melee combat. Let's talk about the noise of firearms. Yes, it's not worth using a shotgun in the center of West Point or Louisville, where there are quite a few zombies, to put it mildly. But if you're clearing out a military supply store in the middle of the forest, where there aren't as many zombies, it's a good idea. And yes, please don't forget about pistols! Many of them are quiet enough to clear cities. The quietest ones are the M36 revolver, which uses .38 Special rounds (I can't say for sure about the noise radius; I've heard it's 10 tiles, the wiki says 30, I think the truth is somewhere in between), and the M9 pistol, which uses 9mm, making noise at 20-40 tiles (also not exactly due to different hearsays and sources). By leveling up your accuracy skill to 3, shooting zombies at the range with a shotgun, you can easily hit with pistols.
Starting from level 5 in the accuracy skill, the debuff to panic damage is practically imperceptible.
As a conclusion to this point, I'll say that you need to know how to use firearms skillfully, taking into account your strength, skills, time, and ammunition. If you're tired of constantly killing zombies in melee, try taking the Veteran or Policeman profession and play with firearms.

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Another way to remotely annihilate hordes of zombies is fire, specifically campfires, Molotov cocktails, and bombs. With bombs and Molotov cocktails, everything is simple: ignite, throw, forget. With a campfire, the theme is also straightforward: set up a campfire in a parking lot, gather a crowd, lead them through the campfire, and that's it. Lead them in circles until only a pile of ashes remains. The method is unconventional and fire-hazardous, but effective nonetheless.

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Fire in Project Zomboid is the most terrifying and unstoppable force. Controlling it is practically impossible. Play a bit of 'Just not your day' and you'll understand why. In just a month, a quarter of Muldraugh will burn due to a single house fire. As for the regular apocalypse, the fire mechanics are still strange. Of course, you can put out a small fire, but a blazing house - not anymore. That's why I don't use Molotov cocktails and campfires at all, even though they do the job; the consequences can be colossal. So use fire cautiously and wisely, or else all that will remain of you and the town is a pile of ashes...
By the way, fire does not damage cars or items lying on the ground, so keep that in mind.

Or can you? Alcohol in Project Zomboid is a very useful thing. Bourbon can disinfect wounds and be used to craft Molotov cocktails, while wine and beer alleviate unhappiness and quench thirst and hunger. The only downside is that consuming it will make you immediately drowsy, and excessive alcohol intake will leave you downright drunk. Alcohol also dulls pain, allowing you to fall asleep despite severe injuries. It can be used as a sleep aid to help you doze off quickly and to alleviate depression. If you drink at least a quarter of any alcoholic beverage before bedtime with depression, it will start to fade away during sleep, as if you had taken antidepressants. Unlike antidepressants, this effect only occurs during sleep. So, if you just drink beer, depression won't decrease during the day/night. Therefore, alcohol is a panacea for many troubles; keep a couple of bottles of spirits at your base, they will likely come in handy. By the way, a bourbon bottle is the most capacious for water in terms of size-weight ratio. Keep that in mind.
There's a rumor that mixing bourbon and sleeping pills can lead to your character not waking up. In reality, this can happen, so I strongly advise against attempting it. However, in Project Zomboid, this does not occur. I personally tested it, although there are videos confirming this myth. In the current version (build 41.78.16), it doesn't work for me. So if you accidentally mix bourbon and sleeping pills, most likely nothing will happen. If I'm mistaken, let me know in the comments.

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In reality, you can drink water from puddles and streams, but it's the same as with spoiled food. You can do it, but in moderation. If you constantly drink dirty water, you'll soon experience the consequences in the form of nausea and fever. However, you shouldn't have many problems with water in general. By the way, you can also create your own water supply in the sink after the water is shut off. To do this, place a water barrel over the sink on the second floor. Then right-click on the sink, choose "Connect to plumbing" from the context menu. You'll need a pipe wrench for this. The trick is that it doesn't matter what kind of water is in the barrel, whether it's clean or dirty, it enters the sink as clean water. This way, you can safely drink from the tap again.

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If you've been through training in Project Zomboid, you'll remember that pressing the Q key makes you shout loudly. One might wonder, why attract unnecessary attention to yourself? Well, it's actually a very useful tool. You can lure zombies from one place to another, guide them away, and then sneak back. Here's an extra tip: did you know that if you crouch with the C key and press Q, you won't shout but whisper? This allows you to quietly lure a single zombie without drawing too much attention. So, if you learn to control your voice, you can skillfully lead zombies around and have them follow you, although, in reality, they're not too picky about following you anyway...

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Let's imagine a situation: you're a damn fool, and for some reason, you decided to level up the First Aid skill in Project Zomboid. I'll note: this skill is almost useless. First Aid allows you to provide first aid more quickly, see blood infection, which the character without the skill can't, and assess the healing progress of a wound. Now, the question is: why do we need this? The maximum you'll get from this skill is faster first aid, that's it! It doesn't offer anything else interesting. But, okay, let's get back to your strange desire to level up First Aid. Find a quiet place, break a window, take off your shoes and socks, stand on the broken glass, and endlessly remove shards from your feet until you reach the desired level. Just make sure you don't bleed out or that a sudden zombie doesn't come and take a bite out of you. It's also advisable to have a needle and thread or a medical needle and needle holder on hand to stitch up deep wounds on your legs after this act of sadomasochism.

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I think while playing Project Zomboid, you've often come across dead rats and mice in cupboards, kitchens, trash bins, and other places where rats usually reside. You probably thought, 'Ew, how gross! Why would I eat this? Even if I cook it?' Well, it turns out it's much simpler. I found out about this myself after about 300 hours of gameplay. It turns out that you can gut rats and mice with a regular kitchen knife, or any knife, and get meat from the small animal, which you can then confidently consume when prepared. So don't pass up these little friends; they'll help you satisfy your hunger. If the animal is already spoiled, you can't gut it. This can only be done if it's fresh or slightly aged.

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Sterile rags and bandages are useful but somewhat expensive items. It's quite extravagant to use disinfectants or bourbon on them. What if I tell you that's not necessary at all? It's much simpler. All you need is a pot of water, clean rags/bandages, and any stove or campfire. Place the pot, wait for it to heat up, then right-click on the pot and choose "Sterilize rags." This way, you can get a lot of sterile rags and bandages inexpensively without using disinfectants.

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A generator is an indispensable item after the electricity goes out. However, it requires constant maintenance and fuel. I'm sure you've noticed that besides the fuel level, the generator has a condition indicator. But what does it affect? Nothing at all, except for one small detail: if the generator's condition drops below 50%, it has a chance to explode. Yes, just explode suddenly, causing a fire and destroying a couple of tiles around it. So, keep an eye on the condition of your generator to prevent it from playing a sudden explosive prank on you.

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A little trick that will allow you to level up your Carpentry skill without a single hit on zombies and without losing the durability of your weapons. Find a quiet place, away from zombies, take any weapon, and start pushing a door. The door doesn't take any damage, and you can endlessly bash into it to level up your Carpentry skill. You can also simultaneously spam the F4 key for double time acceleration or F5 for triple time acceleration. This way, you will level up your skill even faster. Keep in mind that pushing the door makes noise, and if there are zombies nearby, they won't make you wait for their visit.

You can move much faster than just walking without using sprint and almost without running. The 'Go Here' function will help us. Hold down Shift and click on the spot where you want to run every second. The character will make a lunge animation, as if he is jumping over a fence. The interesting thing about this exploit is that this animation will play even if you have leg injuries and fatigue, allowing you to move faster when you are unable to do so. This exploit is useful for getting away from zombies, as well as for walking in multiplayer.
In single-player, for walking, it's better to use 2x time acceleration without running. You'll move much faster and save your time.

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As I mentioned at the very beginning of the guide in the section about positive perks, you can quickly level up Strength and Fitness through an exploit. We'll need a quiet place where zombies won't reach you, water bottles (the more, the better), auto-drinking enabled, a full stomach of food, a supply of food and water for after you finish working out, and preferably antidepressants or alcohol to alleviate further depression.

After you've prepared everything, open the fitness window, choose Burpee, and start spamming the "Start" button while running at the same time. The idea is to interrupt the Burpee animation with the running animation. As a result, your character should stand up and get tired, while gaining Strength and Fitness experience. It takes some time and a bit of dexterity, but with practice, you'll be able to perform this glitch in a couple of seconds. Once the animations glitch, stand still and farm experience until your character starts dying of thirst or hunger. After such intense workouts, your character will be in agony for 2-3 days, if not more, and will also suffer from depression, boredom, extreme muscle fatigue, drowsiness, deadly hunger, and thirst. In this state, you won't be able to do anything against anyone. That's why look for the quietest place possible.

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It's not exactly an exploit, more like halfway. For some unknown reason, you can build on water. This allows you to create your base on water or even a bridge to the other side of the Ohio River (where there is nothing but an empty plain). The most interesting part is that when you dismantle the built floor, land remains beneath it, not water. You can even create a garden on this land. What's even stranger is that after restarting the world and sometimes after sleeping, water may reappear on the cells with land, but you can still walk on it. In other words, you can create a literally secret base on water or on the other side, far away from zombies and other players. Water in Project Zomboid is a peculiar thing.

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In Project Zomboid, there is a piece of furniture called the Office Partition. Technically, it's a fence. In other words, you can climb over it using the E key or by sprinting. This item is associated with an interesting bug. By placing the partition close to a closed door, sprinting into it using Shift (or sprinting with Left Alt, but there's a higher chance of falling), you can jump over the door and find yourself on the other side. This is useful when you need to easily and quickly pass through a locked door, for example, in a police station. The best part is that this partition is quite common (you can find plenty in any office building) and weighs only 3 units, making it easy to fit into any backpack or bag.

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By building a regular fence in two rows, you can deal with zombies much more easily. While they climb over the first fence, you stand behind the second one and hit them through the fence. I may not be very good at it, so it's better to check out this video:

With proper use of this tactic, you can eliminate the undead more quickly and efficiently.

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Steam just eat my gif and I haven`t original gif for replacement ;с

By leveling up your construction skill to a point where you can build crates and fences, you can create long and secure pathways from point A to point B. However, there are three nuances to consider:

1. You can only move forward without any turns.
   
2. It's quite slow.
   
3. Such a walkway goes only in one direction. Before the last crate, there should be no wall; otherwise, the first crate becomes intangible, and you'll simply climb over the wall.

I don't actually know why you would need this, but just be aware that it's possible. Instead of crates, you can use tables, for example.

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The construction principle is absolutely the same as with our 'Boxed Walkways.' A crate surrounded by a fence. For unknown reasons, zombies do not show hostility towards this construction and have no desire to destroy it. In fact, you can create an indestructible fence, allowing you to see what is behind it.

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This store is a treat for firearms enthusiasts. However, without a sledgehammer to break down the bars blocking the entrance, it's impossible to get inside. Or is it? There are a couple of ways to achieve this:

1. Bring a corpse to the wall, throw it, and ignite it using a gasoline can (or create a nearby fire), then extinguish the fire with a water bottle;
   
2. Place a microwave against the wall and insert a metallic object (canned food, frying pan) or a bullet (quite wasteful to use even one bullet in my opinion, but it also causes ignition);
   
3. Build a ladder outside to reach the second floor and enter through the roof. Requires a high Carpentry skill. To get back out, put up a fence on the roof and lower a sheet rope; this way, you can climb back down.

Remember, there's always one outcome: death. This is the story of your death. It will come sooner or later....


Uh, that's it. That was a long guide, wasn't it? I'm surprised myself. I worked on it for a long time, I tried to make it nice, to dilute the boring text with pictures and gifs, I hope you like it. I do not want to ask for anything, as it is often the case at the end of manuals, I do not need anything from you, I will just be happy if someone finds my work useful. Last advice, boys and girls, never give up! You will succeed! And this does not only apply to our favourite Project Zomboid with you.... Good luck, dear reader!
(с) Wiscas, translated by Goring

The translation of second Project Zomboid guide is out, check it out.
https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3152180186