Project Zomboid Build 42 — towns, bases and the first 30 days
Build 42 rebuilt the map, the crafting system and half the survival loop. Most guides online still describe Build 41. This site covers only what has been re-checked in 42.x — and it ships tools instead of walls of text.
| Your situation | Go here | Why |
|---|---|---|
| New run, need a safe first base | Echo Creek | Fewest zombies of the three, one strong building, guaranteed generator |
| Mid-game, want loot density | Ekron | One of everything in a single strip — but bring stealth |
| Long-term, want water and guns | Brandenburg | River access plus the west's richest ammo spawns |
| Not sure whether a spot is worth it | Base scorer | Score the building before you move your loot into it |
| Dying in week two, every run | 30-day plan | The failure is almost always scheduling, not skill |
Base scorer
Tick what a candidate building actually has. You get a weighted score and a plain verdict — the weights are the ones that decide whether a base survives its first horde.
Weighting is editorial judgement, not game data. It reflects what kills bases in practice: no second floor and no second exit are the two most common causes of a wipe.
30-day plan builder
Set your occupation, difficulty and goal. You get a four-week schedule that front-loads what you cannot do later — water storage, a vehicle and a fallback base.
Scheduling advice, not a difficulty guarantee. Water and power shutoff windows are randomised per save — treat week 2 as the deadline.
Go-bag checklist
What goes in the bag before you leave the base. Ticks are saved in this browser, so the list survives a refresh.
Built for a two-day run. If you are gone longer than that, the bag is the wrong tool — bring a vehicle.
Sandbox settings explainer
Every sandbox slider is a trade-off. Pick a setting and read what it actually changes before you commit a 100-hour save to it.
Defaults differ between Apocalypse, Survivor and Builder presets. Always confirm in the in-game sandbox menu — this page explains the effect, it does not replace the slider.
| Rule | What it means in practice |
|---|---|
| Build stamp on every page | The version at the top of a guide is the version it was checked against. If 42.22 changes something, the page is wrong until it is re-checked — and the stamp tells you that. |
| No invented numbers | Zombie counts are attributed to their source. Estimates are labelled as estimates. |
| No coordinates until checked | Grid coordinates are omitted rather than guessed. Directions are given in words instead. |
| Judgement marked as judgement | Tool weightings and "this is the better base" calls are editorial. The page says so. |
| Tool data stays in your browser | No accounts, no analytics on tool input, no server-side storage. |
FAQ
Is this site up to date for Build 42?
Yes — every page is checked against the build printed at the top of it. The current stable branch is 42.21.0. If the stamp on a page is older than the build you are running, assume small details may have drifted.
Do Build 41 guides still apply?
Partly. The map, crafting and several survival systems changed enough that old town advice can send you to a building that no longer exists. Mechanics and combat advice generally still hold.
Can I use these guides on an existing save?
Only if that save was started in 42.x. Build 41 saves do not load in 42, so there is no "upgrade your old save" path.
Why are there so few pages?
Because each one has to survive a re-check. A thin but correct library beats a large stale one — the queued list tells you what is coming next.