new Project zomboid The update has just been released, and it’s a big deal. It’s been a while since I last heard from Indie Stone, but that’s because the team is cooking hard with the latest overhaul of one of the best zombie games on Steam. The project’s latest round Zomboid patch notes begin with a notable adjustment that enhances the risk reward balance of ranged weapons. Then fix any missing shotgun damage, upgrade your hair dryer, and make chocolate milk more realistic than ever. You can go through a lot, so get started.
Project Zomboid Build 42.12.0 makes a huge number of changes, but we choose some of the most notable ones to get us started. Long ranged weapons are given overhauls to allow specific body part damage modifiers, boring combat mechanics. This means landing a headshot will earn triple damage, but hitting your limbs will be much stronger than before. Indie Stone also addresses an issue that causes the survival game shotgun pellets to “mysteriously disappear” when targeting specific body parts, and improves pathfinding, allowing you to plan routes through climbable walls.
If you dig into a huge list of other changes, there are some notable standouts. When a character hits level 10, you will learn all the yet-known growth season recipes, and at mechanic levels 8, 9, and 10, you will learn basic, intermediate and advanced mechanic recipes, respectively. Similarly, checking the skill level of electricity, farming, and mechanics properly unlocked the proper function as if they had been learned through recipes. There is also a new trait, Crafty, which offers a 30% experience bonus to your craft skills.
Items can now be marked as “not required.” This is so clearly highlighted in the inventory menu, allowing you to quickly tell if you are looking at things you don’t need. Similarly, VHS tapes and CDs are marked if they are already seen or heard. Drying racks get additional functionality to handle a wide variety of input items. The lighting system is adjusted to properly black the room behind the door, even if you’ve seen it before.
Calories have been adjusted, specific recipes and actions have been tweaked, and “a little more with some intensive activities and recipes, with the most common activities/recipes and recipes being consumed overall less.” You can use it immediately by double-clicking on pills, drinks, water sources, etc. (this excludes potentially lethal options such as rat venom). Finally, award-winning chocolate milk for all the most realistic changes is now giving happiness.
Project Zomboid Build 42.12.0 Unstable is currently on sale. Read the complete patch notes here. Note that this is still a “unstable” release, so there are some issues with the current version. Indie Stone warns of problems caused when refueling from a gas pump. There, rather than running away, they must be cancelled by escape keys or sprints. Additionally, changes in the generator can increase fuel consumption.
Whether you’re Build 42 or not, we’ve rounded up our best project, Zomboid Mods. Our guide to the best gaming headsets of 2025 guarantees you are truly immersed in the world.
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