Best Character Builds in Project Zomboid (Build 41)

While we wait for Build 42, which looks more like a mirage nowadays, players can try a few character builds in Project Zomboid for the inevitable subsequent runs. Before I delve into the ones I listed here, I need to put out a quick disclaimer. First of all, these are not meta runs. If you’re unaware of a meta run, it most likely includes the Smoker trait, which I always try to avoid. These are more roleplay-oriented builds, which have worked in some playthroughs I’ve had. While I always end up biting the dust, they have been useful enough and have carried me through some of the game’s most challenging months. So, here are some of the ones I’ve tried.

[This guide includes information from Build 41. We’ll update it with new builds as soon as Build 42 launches, and we get to experiment with the new content]

Carpenter

Positive Traits	Negative Traits
Fast Reader (2 Points)	Slow Healer (6 Points)
Gymnast (5 Points)	Prone to Illness (4 Points)
Handy (8 Points)	Weak Stomach (3 Points)

Carpenter is one of the most useful occupations in Project Zomboid, and one that many will recommend for most character builds. It provides a good headstart to the Carpentry skill, which can be a bit difficult to level up without mods. However, we’ll add a few things to make it even better.

Handy is an ideal choice, as it increases the health of a construction built by the player. Gymnast is a very odd choice, but I like having it as it helps with the Nimble and Lightfooted skills. Since you’ll likely be carrying a lot of logs and planks from one place to the other, being a bit sneaky can help. Lastly, Fast Reader is there to help you tackle skill books faster, thus making the leveling-up process easier. In the case of the negative traits, Slow Healer and Prone to Illness are always great picks, especially if you’re careful when playing. Weak Stomach can also help while you learn how to cook properly or when you have enough canned food to last you for a while.

Burglar

Positive Traits	Negative Traits
Dextrous (2 Points)	High Thirst (6 Points)
Wakeful (2 Points)	Slow Healer (6 Points)
Graceful (4 Points)	Pacifist (4 Points)
Organized (6 Points)	Prone to Illness (4 Points)

This one is my favorite character build in Project Zomboid, especially since I always lean toward sneaky characters. The Burglar occupation will let you hotwire cars from the start, which is vital. Also, building windows won’t break often when trying to open them. On top of that, we’ll add a few more traits to create the ultimate sneaky/hoarding character.

Dextrous will allow you to move items to your inventory faster, which is handy when there are Zeds behind you, and you want to loot quickly. Since I like to spend most of my time looting, I always pick Wakeful to have even more hours to search every nook and cranny. Graceful is there to keep your steps quiet, and Organized will increase your carry weight. The negative traits are similar to the ones before, with the exception of Pacifist and High Thirst. I always pick the former because I try to avoid combat with this build. However, you can swap it with a different one if you feel you’re too weak.

Lumberjack

Positive Traits	Negative Traits
Resilient (4 Points)	High Thirst (6 Points)
Former Scout (6 Points)	Overweight (6 Points)
Handy (8 Points)	Slow Healer (6 Points)

I once tried to have an outdoor survival run, and this build helped me. I picked Lumberjack due to the bonuses with Axes, which help with cutting down trees and Zeds. I added Resilient to reduce my chances of contracting a disease, which helps while being outdoors. Former Scout can help with foraging while being inside the forest, and Handy can give you a boost in carpentry whenever you want to start building your base.

Similar to other builds, I kept High Thirst and Slow Healer but threw Overweight to the mix. With so much running between a town and the outdoors, assuming you don’t have a car, you’ll likely lose weight without even trying, thus eliminating that -1 Fitness from the negative trait.

Mechanic

Positive Traits	Negative Traits
Inconspicuous (4 Points)	High Thirst (6 Points)
Fast Learner (6 Points)	Slow Healer (6 Points)
Keen Hearing (6 Points)	Pacifist (4 Points)
	Prone to Illness (4 Points)

With Project Zomboid having one of the most in-depth and immersive vehicle systems, you can build your character as a mechanic and start a post-apocalyptic Pimp My Ride (yes, I’m that old). By choosing Mechanic as your occupation, you’ll already have repair knowledge of most cars in the game. I threw Inconspicuous into the mix because Zeds tend to sneak up on players when they are checking a car, so this one is there to keep things stealthy. Fast Learner is to tackle the mechanic books faster, and Keen Hearing is to help with the prowling Zeds situation.

As for negative traits, most of them are similar to the ones in previous builds. You can remove Pacifist if you want, but I recommend leaving it here, as you’ll likely drive around, leaving most of the Zeds behind. However, you can swap it with Claustrophobic, assuming you’ll be on the road constantly.

Unemployed

Positive Traits	Negative Traits
Fast Learner (6 Points)	High Thirst (6 Points)
Handy (8 Points)	Overweight (6 Points)
Strong (10 Points)	Prone to Illness (6 Points)

While not the best character build, I remember doing this one for my first run ever, and it worked for a while. The Unemployed occupation allows you to pick some strong positive traits at the start, especially if you pick a few negative traits to balance things out. Here, I went with Strong to increase my character’s strength. Handy to help me with Carpentry and Fast Learner to work on the skill books.

The negative traits are the same as the ones I picked before, and if you really want to, you can even add a few more to get even more positive traits, just don’t push your luck too far. I still think High Thirst, Overweight, and Prone to Illness are solid choices, so add them to whatever character build you’re going for.