Best Project Zomboid Settings for Playing with Friends
For a group starting out, what changes the game most is the game mode, how many zombies there are and whether they run, when the power goes out and whether time passes while the server is empty. Pick the mode first (Apocalypse, Outbreak, Rising or Extinction), tweak four or five settings and leave the rest alone: almost everything can be changed later.
First, the game mode
Build 42 has four modes, and each one is also a preset for a custom sandbox: you pick one and then tweak whatever you like.
Apocalypse: the “canon” mode, designed to be faithful to 1993. There are more firearms, they can jam, and zombies don't respawn: whatever you clear stays clear.
Outbreak: for people short on time. More loot, 20% more XP, crops that grow 50% faster and yield more, and injuries half as severe; just as deadly if you get cocky.
Rising: the most relaxed, for building. You start with useful items, there are far fewer zombies and they're slower and weaker, with no house alarms and no broken bones.
Extinction: for veterans. Zombies that sprint (in daylight too), more zombies that respawn, scarce loot, more infections and pitch-black nights. The game itself advises against it for beginners.
For a group with a newcomer, Apocalypse or Rising. For friends who only get together for a while each week, Outbreak. Extinction, once you all know what you're doing.
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The world settings that change a group game most
With the game's names (the SandboxVars file key in brackets):
“Zombie Count” (Zombies): from Insane down to None; Normal is the usual and Low gives you room to explore. Careful: in the file, the higher the number, the fewer zombies.
Zombie “Speed” (ZombieLore.Speed): Sprinters, Fast Shamblers, Shamblers or Random. This changes the feel more than anything: with sprinters it's a different game.
“Water Shutoff” and “Electricity Shutoff” (WaterShut, ElecShut): how long until they go. A group takes longer to get organised than a solo player; pushing them back gives you time to set up a base.
“Zombie Respawn” (ZombieRespawn): whether zombies come back to areas you've cleared. With None, what you clear stays clear.
The XP “Global Multiplier” (MultiplierConfig.Global, with “Use Global Multiplier” turned on): raises or lowers how hard it is to level every skill at once. If you only play a few hours, raise it.
“Starter Kit” (StarterKit) and “Free Trait Points” (CharacterFreePoints): to start with a little more.
“Hours for Loot Respawn” (HoursForLootRespawn): at 0, loot never comes back. Four or five players empty a town faster than one: if the game is going to run long, think about it.
What each one does in more detail, in the sandbox settings guide.
The server settings worth checking
PauseEmpty (“Pause time when nobody is on”): with it, days only pass while you're playing, and the power and water shutoff doesn't arrive while nobody is around. For a group that doesn't play every day, close to essential.
PVP and SafetySystem: whether you can hurt each other and whether each player chooses with the skull toggle. Among friends who travel together, PvP off avoids an accidental shotgun blast (how PvP works).
SpawnPoint: a set of coordinates so every new player spawns in the same place (0,0,0 does nothing). It's how you start together.
PlayerSafehouse and SafehouseAllowRespawn: safehouses, and letting whoever dies respawn in yours (safehouses and factions).
MapRemotePlayerVisibility: whether you see the others on the in-game map (1, nobody; 2, friends; 3, friends and nearby players; 4, everyone). So you don't lose each other, 2.
DropOffWhiteListAfterDeath: on a whitelisted server, removes whoever dies from the whitelist. Among friends, set it to false. The rest of the .ini, in what each option does.
Three setups that work
These are our suggestions, not the game's. The easy one (friends who are new or play little): Rising or Apocalypse with “Zombie Count” on Low, long power and water, the “Global Multiplier” raised a bit, PauseEmpty on and PvP off.
The classic (a group that has played before): Apocalypse as it comes, PauseEmpty on, safehouses with respawn and PvP off or with the skull toggle. What you clear stays clear, and the game becomes a story of a base and supply runs.
The hard one (veterans): Extinction, no safehouse respawn and short power and water. Remember that death is permanent: what happens when you die on a server.
What you can change once the game has started
Almost everything, but it only affects what happens or is generated from then on: areas you've already visited keep their zombies and their loot. The .ini settings (PvP, PauseEmpty, safehouses) change as soon as you restart. If you want the whole world to change, you need a new world.
With NapNodes
All of these settings are in the panel's “Settings”, with the same names as in the game, grouped by topic and with a search box: type “zombie”, “electricity”, “XP” or “safehouse”. They save on their own and apply when you click “Restart”.
The panel has no button to pick a mode. If you want to start from one, create the settings in your game, with “Host” → “Manage Settings” (the editor lets you start from a preset), and then upload its SandboxVars to the server (explained in the guide to moving your save, in the step about bringing your sandbox settings). Or change the four or five settings above in “Settings”, which is what you'll notice most.
Frequently asked questions
What Project Zomboid mode should I pick to play with friends?
With a newcomer, Apocalypse or Rising (more relaxed). If you play in short sessions, Outbreak. Extinction only if you're all experienced: the game itself advises against it for beginners.
How do I stop time passing when nobody is on the server?
With PauseEmpty=true in the server's .ini (on NapNodes, “Pause time when nobody is on”, in “Settings” → “The essentials”).
How do we all spawn in the same place in Project Zomboid?
Pick the same area when creating your characters, or have the admin set coordinates in SpawnPoint so every new player spawns at the same spot.
How do I make skills level up faster?
With the sandbox XP “Global Multiplier” (and “Use Global Multiplier” turned on). Outbreak mode already gives 20% more XP.
Can I change the settings after the game has started?
Yes, but they only count for what's generated or happens from then on. Areas you've already visited stay as they were.
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