PROJECT ZOMBOID BEGINNER GUIDE: SURVIVOR BUILDS

yo it's me Captain gold and I'm going to be covering in this gold standard beginners guide the basics of building excellent starting survivors which means I'm going to have to talk about vanilla occupations and traits all for build 41 I'll be covering both of those subjects and as a bonus I'll introduce you to some fun beginner-friendly survivors key phrase of course being beginner friendly because some builds while being needlessly meta do come with downsides that take experience to play around with that said let's let's start by covering [Music] occupations in Project zomboid there are a total of 21 official occupations with unemployed being the 22nd option generally speaking just about all occupations can be useful under the right circumstances especially in multiplayer where Niche skills can serve a specialized role in a group of survivors but if you're playing in single player you're going to want an OCC occupation that is an allrounder a jack of all trades and you're also going to want one which is perfectly tailored to your specific play style far too often you will hear players tell you which occupation is best but fact of the matter is it really does depend on your play style in your specific and personal goals and the same could of course be said of traits be that as it may there are also some objectively horrible occupations and traits that you should avoid now if you're into role playing like myself then Min maxing your build shouldn't really matter to you but for the purpose of this video I'm going to assume that you want a solid character to play with which is also easy to use with that in mind let's start off by highlighting the dog water occupations that will literally earn you zero earnings the first of which is the farmer this occupation starts you off with level three in farming and an additional XP boost to the farming skill to be honest this is rather useless in build 41 precisely because the farming skill only gives you added information about your crops it doesn't increase Harvest yields it doesn't make your crops more resilient against diseases or the cold and it doesn't make the use of resources more efficient all it does is just grant you more information that said it does grant you two points to work with for trades but those two trait points are not worth the hassle of having such a useless occupation maybe in future builds this occupation will have some use but for now it's a waste in build 41 then there's the doctor you start off with level three in first aid and level one in Short blade now first aid is actually rather useless as a skill because leveling up the skill only means that your treatments last longer as in your bandage will last longer before it gets dirty that and your application of that specific first aid will increase in speed the only instance where first aid improves the speed of healing is with fractures and if you get a fracture you're probably [ __ ] anyway then there's the level one and short blade which also comes with an XP boost to that specific skill weapons skills and XP boosts are valuable because the only way to level them up is by using those weapons which of course involves some risk but of all the weapons to boost the doctor boosts arguably the worst category there's literally no range on short bladed weapons and they usually break very easily blades are better used as stealth kill options or tools like the farmer you do get two trait points to work with now this occupation could be made to work on multiplayer but it is rather useless in single player the nurse is a tad bit better as the nurse starts with level one in light footed which makes you stealthier by reducing the noise you make while moving but the nurse also suffers from the same problems as the doctor the burger flipper and Chef are also pretty trash cooking is a great skill in the long run since level seven cooking lets you use rotten food for ingredients but it is hella easy to level up watch some of the cooking show on life and living or via VHS tape and you're golden H throw in a skill book and you're fine now the level one maintenance is great no lie but there are better choices metal worker is also waste since it only grants you level three in metal working and nothing else while literally leaving you with minus 6 points metal working is most useful in regards to maintaining cars and repairing car parts but you could just grind that skill it's not necessary the fitness instructor can be a dud as the nutritionist bonus is frankly useless the extra three levels in Fitness is absolutely great but the bonus to sprinting is rather useless when you're playing with shamblers now if you're playing against sprinters then this is a goated occupation but no beginner should be playing with sprinters to begin with hell I don't even enjoy playing with them fast cocaine zombies [ __ ] beat out here athletic and [ __ ] Gotan bolt chasing you with infinite stamina no thanks bro then there's the a security guard a decent occupation especially with sprinters but it falls slightly short in my view as its benefits don't mean much in single player against shamblers sure your days can be a little more productive sure you can be a little extra sneaky but that's it not really worth anyone's time in my opinion with all of that being said we can Now cover the best occupations for new players if I don't cover a specific occupation just know that it is still playable and useful as it wasn't covered in the trash tier that disclaimer aside I want to introduce you to the police officer level three in aiming along with an XP boost to this vitally important skill makes officer friendly a solid pick on its own get enough ammo in a car and you can just gun down massive hordes with little to no risk the extra leveling on reloading is also helpful even though you can just train this skill safely at home by simply unloading and reloading your gun but by far the best part of this occupation is the the level one start on Nimble and it's XP boost to that skill Nimble affects how fast you walk while aiming a gun or melee weapon when you walk while aiming you are actually slower than shambling zombies the only way to train this skill is to walk while aiming a time consuming process if you're not in possession of an XP boost level the skill high enough and you'll be able to walk backwards while aiming at a faster Pace than the zombies this makes combat much easier to manage then there's the cool fact that this occupation can potentially spawn you in the police station at Rosewood or at West Point now one downside to this occupation is that you are left with -4 trait points the next great occupation is the Fire officer this occupation grants you level one stats on Fitness strength sprinting and access along with XP boosts the extra strength and fitness is excellent as these skills are hard to level up up Fitness increases your stamina recovery while also reducing stamina drain hence it allows you to fight and move for longer sustained periods of time whereas strength improves melee attack damage push back from shoving and it also improves the amount of carrying strength your character has meaning you can carry more [ __ ] on you the axe is an excellent murder weapon as well but in my personal opinion axes are better suited to being tools for Gathering wood that said with enough wood glue and axes you can easily justify using a few axes to mow down countless hordes of Zeds another wonderful benefit to this occupation is that it can spawn you in the fire station at Rosewood which is often stacked with great loot including multiple fire axes this occupation also starts you off with a balanced sheet of trait points meaning that you start at zero keep that in mind for the next section then there's the mechanic which is in my view a far better pick than the burglar being a burglar allows you to hotwire cars from the very start of the game and it also gives you bonuses to lightf footed Nimble and sneaking but if you just want to hotwire cars get mechanic get to level one Electronics which is easy by the way and then just enjoy the perks of knowing how to repair cars without having to read the magazines while also being able to level up a vital skill with greater ease oh and uh the mechanic also grants you level one in Short blunt which is the most common weapon in this game you also get minus four trait points as opposed to minus 6 from the burglar you see the burglar is a scam because he's a criminal don't fall for it last but certainly not least is the repair man this occupation gives you level one in Short blunt and carpentry carpentry is pretty damn important having a boost on this skill allows you to get to the vitally important levels of 4 6 and seven faster but the level two bonus for maintenance is what sells this as a beginner friend friendly occupation the skill of Maintenance improves the durability of crafted weapons and the weapons you own in general it's also not an easy skill to level up without a crowbar with all that said here are now two notable mentions the veteran and the electrician I'll explain them later on in the video anyways with those occupations covered let's go ahead and move on to traits there is a [ __ ] ton of traits so much so that I don't really feel like covering all of them hence I'll only cover the best for beginners and I'll also be covering which traits to avoid but before I do that allow me to explain how this [ __ ] works in the first place you start off with trade points sometimes negative points if you want a ton of solid positive traits you're going to have to balance them out with negative ones pretty simple right now there's one occupation I need to mention before moving forward and that's the unemployed occupation this occupation starts you with eight trait points and no occupation bonuses it essentially allows you to build freely using only positive and negative traits it is arguably the best occupation in the game ironically but to master that occupation or lack thereof you'll need to master traits themselves speaking of traits let's cover the bad ones first the worst positive traits are iron gut low thirst fast reader fast healer and eagle-eyed iron gut because you shouldn't be eating literal [ __ ] low thirst because water is plentiful even after the shutdown of utilities fast reader because you can just fast forward on single player fast healer because you shouldn't be getting injured in the [ __ ] first place that and because a bite is 100% lethal regardless of what you do oh and scratches from zombies are 7% likely to infect you with the noox virus while lacerations from zombies are 25% likely to do so the moral of the story is don't get [ __ ] injured also fast healer does not change these probabilities lastly eagle-eyed is worthless the default field of view is fine as it is also keep in mind that lucky and unlucky are not in multiplayer now the worst negative traits are obese slowlearner unfit illiterate Hardy appetite Sunday driver all thumbs and pacifist obese because it is very difficult to lose weight and the negatives aren't really worth it slow learner because why the [ __ ] would you want to make grinding skill levels even harder in a game like this unfit because -4 in Fitness is an insane handicap illiterate because you can't [ __ ] read which includes skillbooks and yes that also includes the how to use generators magazine Sunday driver is a trap one trait Point gained so that your vehicle acceleration is trash Towing Vehicles will now be impossible fuel consumption will go up dramatically and if you're surrounded by Zeds while in your lovely car then you're basically [ __ ] then there's all thumbs you want to take 20 years to put items into your bag while looting you know that's one way to win the Darwin Award last of all there's the pacifist trait it pretty much makes learning weapon skills impossible in a game where you need weapons to kill zombies don't take that [ __ ] all other positive and negative traits can be made to work but you are the best starting with the best free points negative traits we've got smoker prone to illness slow reader High thirst underweight overweight and weak stomach smoker because there's plenty of Lighters and sigs in Knox County and since they spawn on Zeds from time to time you'll never technically run out of them prone to illness because getting sick is pretty avoidable if you're just smart slow reader because you can [ __ ] fast forward in single player High thirst because water is literally everywhere even after the water plant shuts down toilets will have water sinks will have water bathtubs will have water it rains often and you can use Lake water and so forth now just remember to boil rain water and Lake water before consuming it that is unless you've plumbed a sink to a water barrel underweight is free points because it's easy to gain weight in the first couple of days while the power is on and while high calorie processed perishable foods are widely available now if you start the game after the power shut off and a few months into the pandemic overweight is actually a much better option overweight is also easy to deal with but not as easy as underweight at the beginning of the pandemic lastly there's weak stomach just don't eat literal [ __ ] and you'll be fine now it's time for the cream of the crop of positive traits Stout fit fast learner dextrous organized and speed demon Stout because Extra Strength is always great and it won't cost you 10 points points like strong does fit because Being Fit is great and it won't cost you 10 points like athletic fast learner because a 130% XP boost for all skills except strength and fitness is a [ __ ] premium purchase at six points dextrous because fast hands save lives organized because more storage in your bag and in your furniture or car is goated last but not least is Speed Demon because it makes getting out of a zombie horde much easier and it makes Towing much more efficient and all of that for one measly point now with all of that covered let's go ahead and look at some sample survivors I want you to meet ja Thunder the Fire officer an aggressive melee build who is insanely beginner friendly all negative traits are incredibly easy to work around he's got boosts to strength Fitness ax skills long blunt skills and is a fast learner so he has boosts for every other skill essentially and with the brave trait Panic decreases much faster than default luring the threshold for the debuffs experienced during Panic states he can fight longer hit harder carry more stay calmer than usual and he's a melee weapons expert with the weapons that [ __ ] matter all while being a fast learning Speed Demon with good hands but if melee isn't your go-to in zomboid I've got a different Survivor for you I want you to meet the legendary Malcolm Flex this king of indiscriminate police brutality is ready to hand out some lead as he starts off with level four in aiming he's also fit and stout with a good head on his shoulders he doesn't panic easy and he also has decent hands while also being proficient at sneaking trapping and using short blades now he may have a fear of blood but that blood Will Never Land on him as he picks off the undead from a distance okay so maybe playing aggressive isn't your style how's about you meet Salvador Conor this friendly neighborhood repair man needs little sleep as he's on call 24/7 to fix your Zed killing needs he's fit Stout a quick learner good with his hands and is even decently skilled at repairing cars he can work efficiently with wood his tools are more durable than yours and he's a pro with the most common weapon type in the game the short blunt Salvatore is great for players who want to focus on building up bases and Main maintaining cars and with his fast learning trade it won't be long before you get to carpentry level 4 6 and 7 and the same can be said of hot wiring via electrical one and mechanics level two then there's dildo swag the best Walmart mechanic in all of Knox County not only is he a speed demon with good hands but he's also handy and good at sewing he's a stout boy who's also a fast learner yet another great option for those of you who want to build with wood and for those of you who want to hop wire cars and maintain or repair them and just like Salvatore he's good with short blunt Weaponry now here's two bonus survivors for all of you starting off with a bonan Jordan an army vet who will help you be all you can be you see this versatile Soldier has learned how to improvise adapt and overcome as he is a skilled Marksman who literally never panics his hands are Swift and steady he requires little sleep is great with long blunts good with cars and is both Stout and a quick learner just be careful with Zeds bonan can get hurt easily due to his thin skin and last but certainly not least is my boy albergus Maryweather Finch ivth he's your typical overweight American electrician who is not only exceptionally organized but also a stout handy amateur mechanic who's good with his hands he is the ultimate base builder for beginners he can set up generators from the get-go while also being able to move ovens and washing machines from the very start of the game without ever having to grind the electric skill one quick level up in mechanics via Car Zone and he can hotwire a car and also efficiently repair and maintain Vehicles he levels up carpentry like a beast and his tools last longer than your typical survivor's equipment any storage item or furniture will also hold more [ __ ] due to his organizational prowess with alticus you'll be set up with a great base long before the power and water turns off so there you have it six beginner friendly Survivor builds to get your journey started in project zomboid if you enjoyed this guide and if you enjoy content like this please leave a like and comment also don't forget to share and subscribe and definitely smash that notification icon so that you may be alerted to when I publish yet another gold standard video I am captain gold and I hope to see you in my next video

Channel: Captain Gold

Views: 3,931

Keywords: Project Zomboid, Survival, Guide, Traits, Occupations, Build 41, Survivor, Create a Character, Character, Tips and Tricks, Fun Facts, Beginner, Beginner Guide, Zomboid, best traits, best occupations, worst traits, worst occupations, help, Project Zomboid beginner guide, How to play Project Zomboid

Id: nF3ll2Q-IMc

Length: 18min 57sec (1137 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 12 2023