Project Zomboid is a cross between a post-apocalyptic zombie-infested survival horror game and the Sims. Developer, The Indie Stone throws players into a world full of possibilities that make Project Zomboid all the more fun. Choosing the best occupations and skills for your character can be a daunting task in Project Zomboid.
We’d have to say being Unemployed is one of the best starter occupations in Project Zomboid, while Fast Reader is one of the best skills you can unlock early on in the game.
You’re offered a wide array of occupations and skills to tinker with through every run of Project Zomboid but all of them don’t end up the way you want to, do they? So, you’re looking for some help in making the most of your characters’ runs, and here’s what we’ve figured out so far.
Best Occupations in Project Zomboid
Carpenters
While this seems ridiculous to new players, becoming a carpenter is a vital occupation in Project Zomboid. To be fair, reading up and raking in carpentry points in Project Zomboid can be a serious pain.
So, nailing all those points from the get-go and having 3 carpentry points to your name can make your run through the game a breeze. You can pretty much fortify and restructure any house in Project Zomboid with this occupation.
All you need to get started are a few nails, a hammer, and an axe. You can find all of these items as you scavenge through the multiple sheds, garages, and houses in Kentucky.
Unemployed in Project Zomboid
Again, this doesn’t sound like a good idea either, but just hear me out before you think to yourself, “Why are no skills better than any skills?’” Your character starts as a fresh slate with no attributes assigned to them.
But you’re free to spend a total of eight skill points in whatever category you please to do so. You can be the jack of all trades and master of none. You can make sure to have all the basics nailed to the bone such as constructing walls, cooking meals, and hotwiring cars. It doesn’t matter. You’re given a lot of versatility by being unemployed.
Veteran
While becoming a veteran doesn’t sound so fun, to begin with, they’re pretty useful when you encounter your first set of zombies with a gun in your hands. While most characters will panic at the sight of zombies, tanking their damage output and accuracy, and putting their lives and survivability rate in danger, veterans won’t take any of that bull.
Veterans are hardened and they keep their cool in a gunfight, making them the best gun classes in the game. The only thing you need to be concerned about is you’ll have eight points of negative skills to play as a veteran, which to be honest is an actual concern. But if you’re willing to give them up, and try your run as a veteran, give it a go and tell us how it went in the comments.
How to Clean Blood in Project Zomboid?
Lumberjack
Becoming a lumberjack is exactly what you might expect. You’re pretty handy with an axe in hand, that is if you find one early in the game. Then it’s pretty much a breeze as you’ll have fitness and strength pretty much figured out.
With extra points in these categories, lumberjacks can run through zombies and timber alike. Whether it’s collecting wood, carrying heavy loads, or running down zombies, Lumberjacks certainly get the job done. Just, don’t get bitten in the process!
Best Skills In Project Zomboid
Fast Reader
The only way you can learn new skills and master further occupations is by reading books. Fortunately, a small bookshelf encompasses a vast library’s knowledge somehow, but the hard part is the reading part.
We’ve all been there IRL, but Project Zomboid’s reading and learning times drag on. Fortunately, the Fast Reader skill allows readers to read 130 percent faster.
Project Zomboid doesn’t have a fast-forward option like the Sims, so you have to painfully wait out the reading time. If you pick this skill, you’ll skip the tiring parts faster and get more gameplay in.
Bravery
The Bravery Skill allows characters to keep their cool, stay focused, and gun down groups of zombies in a firefight and manage to stay on the frontlines. But, larger zombie hordes still cause your character to panic so be wary of that.
If you’re looking to control and eliminate smaller groups of zombies, then the Bravery Perk helps a lot without debuffing any of your character’s base attack stats.
Keen Hearing
If you’re foraging and scavenging Kentucky and need to bump up your self-awareness, the Keen-Hearing stat will help a lot. Keen Hearing can raise your perception radius by twice, which is pretty effective at keeping any creeping zombies at bay. If they sneak up and bite you, it’s game over.
Cat’s Eyes
When playing Project Zomboid at night. Viability pretty much goes down the drain and you can’t do much. That’s a lot of key hours of the game not spent playing it actively. You could be looting places and making the most of what you can find at night with those extra hours.
So, go for the Cat’s Eyes skill. You’ll be given a 20 percent bump in your vision at night. As a bonus, players will be rewarded for foraging in search mode. If visibility is the only thing keeping you away from the dark, then go for the Cat’s Eyes Skill.
Smoker
While this isn’t exactly a good trait, if you’re looking for a challenge in Project Zomboid and need to make your run all the more realistic, you could add a few negative traits like smoking in the mix.
The Smoker trait raises your stress level with each hour you go without a puff. This decreases your damage output and accuracy.
Fortunately, every corner throughout Kentucky is scattered with cigarettes and matches, so you can fulfill all your nicotine needs in the post-apocalyptic world.
Conclusion
And that’s pretty much all you need to know about the best occupations and skills to get started in Project Zomboid. But make sure to stack up on resources, keep an eye out for any clever zombies and stay armed at all times to make the most of your time in this zombie-infested survival sim. We’ve got more Project Zomboid tips and tricks in store for you!