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One of the most important parts of the gameplay loop in Project Zomboid is loot runs. Once you get a provisional base, you’ll start searching every nook and cranny around you to get some food, supplies, skill books, VHS tapes, and more. With so many places in Knox Country, there are many buildings worth exploring, and one of the towns in Project Zomboid that hold a lot of interesting loot is West Point. Here, we’ve put together a quick guide with the best places you should visit when you’re in this town and a few other recommendations for new survivors.
Loot Run Preparation
In reality, you can start looting around West Point whenever you want, but many unprepared survivors in Project Zomboid tend to meet a premature end without a bit of planning. That’s why we’ve gathered a few tips before you walk out the door and meet your first horde of zeds.
- Never leave your base without a container (backpack, duffle bag, etc.)
- This might be too obvious, but we’d like to remind players about it: Do not leave home without a backpack. Anything will work: a school backpack, a hiking backpack, or even a trash bag. Any object that allows you to carry more stuff will improve your run considerably.
- Start looting around your block.
- With Build 42, nights can be treacherous. Even if you change some sandbox settings and play with the gamma correction, nights can reach pitch-black levels. As a general recommendation, try to start looting only around your base until you get a vehicle.
- Never run if a zombie chases you.
- Normally, zeds are slower than you unless you enable sprinters. Many players start panicking and run away from the undead, but that’s a bad idea because your character will get tired quickly. Instead, walk away from zombies and break their line of sight by crossing between buildings. If push comes to shove, just use the fence-and-stomp technique to take them out.
- If you finish a loot run late at night, always find a second floor to rest.
- You’ve no idea how many times we’ve died because we ended up sleeping on the first floor. Wherever you go, always sleep on the second floor. While zombies can follow you to a second floor, it is easier to hide there than in a house with only one level.
- Always mark the places you’ve looted.
- Another obvious tip but one we tend to forget. When looting, always mark your map so you don’t return to that place again. We usually put a cross or check marks to remember what building we’ve looted. That way, we can plan the next day’s run easier.
Some of the above tips might seem too obvious, but some of us tend to forget about them. Yes, even veteran players tend to feel overconfident and die because they are carrying too much stuff or didn’t plan the right route. So, before you leave your base, check which places you’ll hit before the dark falls upon Knox Country.
West Point Points of Interest With Good Loot and Safe House Opportunities
Instead of listing every single place that you can loot, we’ll go over some of the points of interest that usually have some nice items. Also, due to the nature of Project Zomboid, we can’t list every piece of loot you’ll find in a building in West Point because items always change. However, we’ll mention some of the things that usually spawn there.
West Point’s Police Station
Like many of us, you’ll want to arm yourself before facing the hordes of zombies. A good place to tackle is the Police Station.
You can find it on West Point’s main street, next to the furniture shop and behind Knox Bank. Be careful because there are usually a lot of zombies around here, so entering won’t be easy. However, the trip is worth it. With Build 42, this location now has a basement with fantastic loot tables. Yet, the first floor is also worth exploring, as there are two lockers that sometimes have weapons and ammo.
The basement, however, is fantastic and now has an infirmary of sorts with medical supplies, as well as more lockers that usually have weapons in them and some ammo.
We don’t recommend making a base here, especially since the windows at the entrance are weak points until you board them. The basement is nice and could be safe, but the place lacks amenities. However, you should consider looting this building quickly, especially since the other place with weapons is much more difficult to access.
Main Street
This might be a strange choice because there are many buildings, but we decided to see it as one big location. West Point’s main street is one of the best places to loot in Project Zomboid due to the variety of buildings. It is kind of the commercial district of this town.
You can find it right in the middle of the town, and the easiest way to locate it is by looking at the green buildings on your map. Technically, the district starts from a few blocks to the east, but there’s only a farmer’s market there, which is worth tackling. Other than that, the good locations are in this block.
The first two places you’ll want to loot are the Enigma Bookstore and the Dentistry. They are next to each other, and they tend to have interesting loot. The former houses a lot of skill books and the latter many medical supplies. Also, you can cross the street and visit the clothes shop if you want to grab a new outfit or rip some clothing to get sheets.
Yet, the great thing about these buildings isn’t the loot itself but rather what’s above the businesses. In any of the buildings, you’ll find apartments on the second floor. You can make an excellent base there, which is also pretty safe, as the buildings have long corridors, and zombies won’t follow you that far inside. We recommend the apartments above Enigma Books, especially the middle one, because it has all the necessary amenities for a safe house.
GigaMart
The next location you should loot is the GigaMart of West Point, which is one of the largest convenience stores in Project Zomboid. In truth, there’s no reason to delay a loot run here. If possible, head here as fast as you can because there are many perishable items you can get early during your run.
You can find it at the northeast end of the town, in front of the motel and behind Twiggy’s. The reason why you should come here quickly is because there are many perishable items, such as vegetables and fruit, that you should grab and place inside a fridge to extend their shelf life.
Furthermore, the storage area tends to have a lot of canned food, so you can use this place to stock up on as much food as possible, and if everything goes well, it should last you for several weeks. Also, with the large storage space, you can bring anything else you find outside to any of the containers in the store. The hard part is boarding up all of the windows around the GigaMart, but if you manage to do it, you’ll have a great base.
Speaking of bases, you can end the day on the second floor, which houses a couch, a small fridge, and an office. It isn’t the safest place, especially if the storage area’s door is broken, but if you manage to sneak in, you’ll have a great safe house.
Twiggy’s & Gun Store
One of the most famous locations in Project Zomboid, even before Build 42, is Twiggy’s in West Point, which, while not the best in loot terms, has a few things going for itself.
First, you can find it all the way to the northeast of the town. It is quite secluded and surrounded by trees, so zombies shouldn’t be an issue. Also, it has a gun store next to it, but more on that later. In the interior, you can find a lot of furniture and a second floor that you can use to build a base or expand upon this one.
However, the best thing about it is the gun store next to it, which, as of Build 42, is easier to access. You can break down the gates with your metalworking skill, and inside, you’ll find a lot of weapons and ammo. It might take longer to loot due to the skill requirements and the necessary tools, but the loot inside is some of the best in the town.
Hardware Store
The last and probably best location to loot in West Point is the Hardware Store, or that’s what people call it. This place is located next to the commercial district, in front of a gas station and next to a small park. Since it is in an open area, chances are you’ll find a lot of zombies, but if you manage to clean them out, you’ll have an excellent base.
Inside, there’s a lot of varied loot for you. There are tools, food, clothes, and even medical and cleaning supplies if you’re lucky. Plus, it has a basement and a second floor that have some interesting surprises.
The top floor usually has crates loaded with canned food, but most importantly, a small apartment with amenities. It has a bedroom, bathroom, fridge, antique TV, and a stove.
Yet, the best thing about this building is the basement, which has a spinning wheel, loom, and an anvil, as well as more crates that usually have planks and other supplies you can use for your carpentry skills.
While there are many more houses around West Point, we recommend rushing to this one and making it a permanent base, at least in this town. It has so many things for you to survive and you can even modify the place to add more things, furniture, and your hard-earned loot. Just remember to cover the windows and board up the doors because zombies tend to cross through the main floor and end up invading this building.
