This is a short guide on how to forage and get the most out of the foraging skill in the game Project Zomboid. Foraging is the act of searching the ground on a forest area to try to find items to use or consume. Project Zomboid can be a little bit tricky as it is a hardcore survival game. There is an in-game tutorial about many features but one of the skills everyone seems to overlook that can actually be quite useful is the foraging skill.
The information in this article relates to the foraging system in the game before patch 41.60. To see how foraging works in the new update, “Search Mode and Investigate Area” head over to this page.
What is the Point of Foraging?
Foraging is a great way to obtain resources for crafting. Not only is it great for finding items to craft with, you can also find a small bite to eat for emergencies when your coffers run empty.
Another reason for foraging is that you can find bait, which can then be used to fish. There are many different reasons to upgrade your foraging skill in Project Zomboid. If you are going to be living out of town like most, then it is a must-have skill to remain off the grid.
How to Forage in Project Zomboid
To forage in Project Zomboid simply right click on an area of the ground that can be foraged. In the action menu an option for ‘Forage’ will appear with a percentage value next to it. The percentage value determines how many resources can be foraged from that certain area. As you forage an area, its’ abundance will go down until it gets to 0%. At that point you cannot forage any more items.
A steam user named Cruel Moose created this handy foraging guide in which users can see all of the items that can be foraged from the ground and what usages they can have.
Foraging will have an impact on players’ tiredness. In fact, multiple foraging attempts in a row will very easily run your character into a very tired state. Levelling up your foraging skill will not only help you find more items whilst foraging in Project Zomboid, but also reduce the negative impact that foraging has on your tiredness.
Where can I forage?
Your character can forage almost any grass area on the map. For obvious reason you cannot forage on roads or indoors for example. Some grass areas inside cities also will not yield anything from forage attempts. For best practice, you should go out into the woods and attempt to forage there. There is obviously a greater abundance of items to forage in the forest, also you are less likely to get attacked by zombies. For a quick view into some places on the map where you can get out of town check out this post on the Project Zomboid build 41 map.
How to quickly get better at foraging
To get a quick head start on foraging one of your options is to choose a profession at the start of the game that gives a boost to the foraging skill. There are two different professions that offer a boost to the foraging skill. These are the Fisherman profession and the Park Ranger profession.
Traits can also be used to give you a starting boost in the foraging category. The traits Former Scout and Hiker both give a +1 to the foraging skill. You won’t ever have to ask how to forage again! There is also the Herbalist trait which allows you to find medicinal items through foraging and craft them! Neat!
The third option for quickly improving your foraging skill is to find multiplier skill books. These books can be found for almost all of the skills in Project Zomboid. After reading these books, for a short time you will gain an XP multiplier boost to a certain skill. That means when you finish the book, go out and forage and watch your skill grow dramatically. Be aware that there are different books depending on your skill level. For instance the beginner ‘How to forage’ book will only give you a multiplier for the first 2 skill levels of foraging. If you want to keep getting a multiplier beyond these levels you will have to find the corresponding book and read it.
That about wraps it up for the guide on how to forage in Project Zomboid. To see the items you can forage don’t forget about the link provided earlier to a handy foraging item guide on the steam forums. Remember to check back in at Set Ready Game to see more Project Zomboid related guides and Content.
Related: Project Zomboid Helicopter Event
