How To Heal Injuries In Project Zomboid

When you’re playing Project Zomboid the question of whether your character will be hurt isn’t if it will happen, it’s when and how bad it can be. Injuries in Project Zomboid are common, and a simple scratch left untreated can leave your character hobbled for days–or even weeks–to come. Here’s how you can quickly heal injuries in Project Zomboid.

If you’re just starting to play Project Zomboid and aren’t sure how to start surviving, we have a guide on how you can make it through your first day in zombie-infested Kentucky.

Bandage up

Regardless of what kind of injury you suffer in Project Zomboid, the first step you should take is almost always bandaging up. That means using whatever you have on hand, whether it’s an adhesive bandage or shredded rag, to stop the bleeding. The longer your wound goes uncovered, the more you’ll bleed and lose health.

With the right medical supplies on hand though, you can heal injuries with greater efficiency and without the risk of infection. Disinfecting a wound with medical-grade disinfectant or other disinfectants, like liquor or alcohol wipes, will prevent infections that can make your character lose health or even die. If you can, you should always disinfect a wound before applying a bandage.

Treat different injuries properly

Not all injuries in Project Zomboid can simply be bandaged up. Wounds can either be surface-level, like a scratch, or something deeper, like a laceration and deep cut. If you’re scratched, all you need is some disinfectant and a bandage to treat it properly. Other wounds, however, require more intense medical treatment.

For instance, if you suffer a deep wound, you’ll have to stitch it with a suture needle before disinfecting and bandaging. Fractures have to be set with a splint and take a while to recover from completely. And if you get anything lodged in your body, like glass or a bullet, you’ll have to remove it (with tweezers in the case of a bullet), disinfect, and close the wound with a suture kit.

Don’t get hit

It’s basically impossible to avoid injury in Project Zomboid, and at some point, you’re probably going to have to choose between two different kinds of wounds. Whenever you have the option though, choose the injury that doesn’t come from a zombie. While it may seem like a better idea to fight off a horde of undead rather than jump out of a building, that’s not the case.

Injuries from zombies can lead directly to zombification, depending on how they attack you. Scratches from a zombie carry a 7% chance of turning you into a shambler. Lacerations raise those stakes even higher, all the way up to 25%. And if you’re bitten, it’s game over, as bites carry a 100% chance of being turned. Thankfully, it’s relatively easy to avoid being bitten.