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The “modpocalypse,” as the community calls it, is real and affects every single Project Zomboid player. With the release of a major update, many mods tend to break and become unusable until they are updated. While the release of Build 42 allows players to swap between the said build and 41, many want to try the former with a few modifications. After a bit of searching and digging around Steam’s Workshop, we’ve made a list of the ten mods you can use safely in Build 42 of Project Zomboid.
[Updated on December 19, 2024: This article has been updated to reflect the release of the Unstable Build 42 of Project Zomboid. Images, links, and entries have been updated, too.]
10. Tidy Up Meister
How many times have you finished reading a magazine or map just to keep it in your inventory and have to go through a few more clicks to put it back where it belonged? Many, right? Tidy Up Meister by user PePePePePeil fixes this. Whenever you do an action that involves swapping items or using something straight from a container, the mod will return the items to the original position or location. Let’s say you want to read a magazine from a drawer. Once you finish doing it, the mod will return it to that container instead of keeping it in your pocket. It might not seem like a big deal, but it is extremely useful, especially if you want to keep your inventory light.
9. Gunsliger’s Redemption
Warning: This mod contains references to self-harm. This mod had a well-deserved name change, and it is now known as Gunsliger’s Redemption. Created by user Kaofan, this mod allows you to use a gun to end your character’s life. It isn’t the most fun or lighthearted, but many players like to add this one for role-playing purposes. In Project Zomboid, whenever you get bit, that’s it. Your character has a few days to live unless you modify the infection in the sandbox settings. Some prefer to go out as humans instead of becoming zeds and watch their characters roam around as another undead. Again, this is a sensitive mod and not intended for everyone, so use it with consideration, as the mod author states, too.
8. Equipment UI
Created by user Notloc, Equipment UI is one of those mods you need at all times in Project Zomboid, especially now in Build 42. This mod creates a new screen that allows you to see your equipment in a more organized way. You can see everything your character has equipped in their body slots, including helms, belts, and even all the layers of shirts, vests, and jackets. This is an excellent way to declutter your inventory and provide an easier-to-look menu. Once you install it, you’ll see a new icon at the top left corner of your character’s inventory where you can enable this new UI.
7. Reorder the Hotbar/Containers
This one here is a two-in-one package, made again by Notloc. We decided to include Reorder the Hotbar and Reorder Containers in the same entry as they do practically the same and are must-have mods for Project Zomboid. These mods do a simple yet necessary thing in the game: let you reorder your hotbar and containers in your character. Whenever you get a new backpack, it gets added to your character in the order you obtain it. With these mods, you can swap the order in which they appear in your inventory. The same applies to the hotbar mod. If you have many quick slots, you can rearrange them as you see fit.
6. Efficiency Skill Mod
One of the newest Project Zomboid mods that skyrocketed in recent weeks has finally made its way to Build 42. The Efficiency Skill Mod by user GersonRess adds a new skill to every character. By becoming more efficient, you’ll perform timed actions faster. It was always surprising how someone with maxed out Carpentry took the same time to build something as a novice carpenter. With the Efficiency Skill Mod, you can now perform these things quickly, which is actually quite immersive, as that usually happens in real life.
5. Surviving Through Seasons
Surviving Through Seasons by user Daimyo tries to enhance everyone’s playthrough by providing a better and more approachable experience in terms of seasons throughout the year. Normally, players need to spend hundreds of hours to see just one season, and even then, the days tend to be too short to do anything or take in the post-apocalyptic sights now with snow or rain. With this mod, you can modify a month’s length in a way that will let you experience all the seasonal changes. There are a few instructions on the mod page to make the experience smoother, but if you want a more realistic approach to the game that will let you live a whole year in Knox Country, this one is a great option.
4. Firearms
Out of all the weapon overhauls in Project Zomboid, Firearms by user Hyzo has made it to Build 42. If you’re tired of the same old weapons in the game’s vanilla version, Firearms adds a little bit over a dozen new guns, as well as different types of ammunition and even silencers. The best thing about it is that it contains weapons that are lore-friendly to the game’s world while still being quite powerful against hordes of zombies. The one thing that is important to remember is that it is not compatible with other weapon overhauls, such as the famous Brita’s Weapon Pack.
3. Common Sense
Created by Braven, one of Project Zomboid‘s best modders, Common Sense allows players to perform certain actions that would make sense outside of the game. Usually, players can’t open doors or windows with crowbars, but it is common sense that a crowbar would open them in real life. This mod aims to do that. It changes the behavior of certain items to perform actions that should be possible for starters. You can head to the mod page to see some examples of what the mod does, and while you’re at it, I also recommend checking Braven’s mods, as they all have been must-have additions in almost every modded playthrough.
2. Pillow’s Random Spawns
While Build 42 added a few new spawn locations, Pillow’s Random Spawns has to be one of the best mods in Project Zomboid that allows you to shake up your initial hours. Normally, you can only spawn in the game’s main towns and Echo Creek as of Build 42. However, Pillow’s Random Spawns by user Pillow adds many spawn points that include Louisville, smaller communities, and more. Pilow has another mod that adds spawn scenarios, such as hospital patient and prisoner, but it hasn’t been updated for Build 42 at the time of writing. However, I recommend checking Pillow’s workshop, as their work has made some of my playthroughs even more fun and chaotic.
1. Item Condition
Last but not least, we have what I consider is the best Project Zomboid mod out there, and one you need to add to your Build 42 playthrough ASAP. Item Condition by user Qudix does the simplest yet most useful thing in the game: it displays an item condition in your hotbar. Whenever you use an item to fight zeds, you just wait for it to break or look at your inventory to see its condition. With this mod, you can see it straight from your hotbar with green, noting a pristine item to red, showing an object is about to break. You can customize the colors if you want to and tweak other options. While it is a QoL mod, it is the most essential one to have, and even if you prefer to stick to vanilla Project Zomboid, this is mandatory due to its usefulness.
Before we wrap up this list, we want to say that this isn’t the definitive list. Project Zomboid‘s Workshop is one of the best on Steam, at least in our opinion, and one that has work from a lot of talented people. We only included ten mods this time because Build 42 broke many, and some mod authors have been away for a while. However, if other essential mods get updated, we’ll surely add them to the list in the future.
