ZED ZONE Beginner’s Guide – Tips for Getting Started

by Fernando Diaz / Game Guides, General Guides / 03 Mar 2021

Zed Zone is an immersive, challenging survival game that blends elements of Project Zomboid and Stalker, offering a unique experience with a highly detailed world and fantastic features. This all-inclusive beginner’s guide will help you grasp game mechanics, explore the game world, manage resources, and ensure your survival in a harsh environment. We’ll cover everything from basic controls to advanced strategies equipping you with the knowledge to excel.

Start with Learning Basic Controls and Hotkeys

Before diving in, familiarize yourself with these basic controls:

MOVE CHARACTER: Navigate with WASD keys

SPACE BAR: Roll

LEFT SHIFT: Run

TAB: Open Inventory

LEFT MOUSE BUTTON: Attack

RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON: Aim (ranged weapon)

CTRL + LEFT MOUSE BUTTON: Transfer items

H: Holster weapon

Ctrl: Stealth

R: Press Reload / Hold to Select Magazine

L: Toggle flashlight

F5: Quick Save

Practice these controls in a secure setting to understand your character’s movements and interactions with the game world. The more at ease you are with the controls, the better you’ll adapt to challenging situations.

Weight and Inventory Management

Weight limit is crucial in Zed Zone. As you explore, you’ll find items and resources, but your carrying capacity is restricted. Choose talents that increase your weight limit, as a few cater to backpackers. Talent points are fully allocatable and don’t impact character creation. Since the game features nested packages, space isn’t as important as weight.

Organize your inventory often, ensuring you’re only carrying essential items. Drop or store unnecessary items to maximize your weight capacity for valuable resources.

Selecting the Best Weapons and Upgrades

Choose ranged weapons, like bows and crossbows, over melee options. Ranged weapons enable attacks from a safe distance, vital in a survival game. Regardless of your weapon preference, prioritize damage upgrades, as weapons and accessories have limited durability and ammo. Increased attack power leads to less time spent on repairs and ammo crafting, vital for survival.

To effectively defeat various types of infected creatures, consistently upgrade your equipment and weapons. Advance from basic tools like stone axes and wooden bows to a diverse arsenal of weapons and traps. Enhance gun components, such as sights, barrels, and magazines, and accumulate technology points to access powerful weapons like large-caliber machine guns, electromagnetic railguns, and laser weaponry. Keep refining your survival skills and stay alert for shell casings on the ground, which can be used to craft more ammo when resources run low.

If you have excess supplies, disassemble extra parts and modify weapons to create a personalized arsenal suited to your playstyle. Familiarize yourself with various firearm attributes, like semi-auto or full-auto fire, bolt action or break action, magazine styles, and shell ejection methods, to enhance your combat strategy’s realism and effectiveness.

Attributes and Talent Allocation

Several attributes exist in the game, but currently, Spirit isn’t very useful, while Stamina is the most valuable. Stamina affects your ability to perform actions and impacts survivability. You can freely reset points after entering the game (open the map and switch functions with EQ).

Mining, Hunting & Resource Collection

Efficient resource collection is essential to ensure your survival in Zed Zone. Utilize various methods to optimize your gathering process and minimize energy consumption. Some effective techniques include:

Air Gun or Crossbow: Use an air gun or crossbow to mine ore deposits or harvest resources from trees and abandoned vehicles quickly. This method allows you to collect materials from a safe distance, avoiding potential hazards.

Stack Ore and Use AOE Attacks: Another approach is to stack ore together and use a pickaxe’s Area of Effect (AOE) attack to save stamina. This technique enables you to mine multiple ore deposits simultaneously, increasing your resource yield.

Hunting Animals for Food: When hunting animals for meat, opt for ranged weapons like bows, crossbows, or firearms to minimize the risk of injury. Ranged weapons allow you to maintain a safe distance from your prey, reducing the chances of retaliation. Beware of Dangerous Wildlife: Stay alert for bears and other potentially aggressive wildlife, especially if you possess the “Good Eater” talent. This talent increases your appetite, requiring you to hunt more frequently. Be cautious when approaching larger or more dangerous animals, as they can pose a significant threat to your survival.

Map Selection and Exploration

Initially, avoid small maps, as they may lack essential facilities like hospitals, gas stations and merchants. Choose a map with abundant firearms, minimal vegetation, and numerous towns. The surplus of firearms and towns ensures access to weapons, supplies, and trading opportunities, while sparse vegetation improves visibility and navigation.

After entering the game, check for key facilities (gas stations, merchants) and their proximity. If unsatisfactory, consider rebuilding the map. Also, watch for gun shops and container yards, which are valuable sources of weapons and resources.

Establishing a Base and Base Upgrades

Construct a house near a merchant to benefit from game mechanics that protect them, like no monster spawning nearby and merchants’ ability to counterattack. Utilize indestructible walls surrounding merchants for added protection. Building a house is essential, as it provides you with a safe haven to rest, store items, and craft resources.

Maintain and upgrade your base regularly to ensure your safety and comfort. Invest in fortifications, like walls and traps, to protect against potential threats. Keep your base well stocked with essential supplies like food, water and ammunition so you’re always prepared for emergencies.

Upgrade your base’s crafting stations and storage facilities to access more advanced crafting recipes and expand your carrying capacity. This will enable you to craft better equipment & store a larger variety of items, which is crucial for long-term survival.

Ammunition Crafting and Usage

Craft your own ammo, but note that you need some ammunition as a base to unlock and require gunpowder. Be mindful of your ammunition supply and prioritize crafting higher-quality ammo to maximize your damage output. Ensure you have a steady supply of gunpowder, which can be found or crafted from various resources.

Conserve ammunition by using melee weapons or stealth tactics when facing weaker enemies, and reserve your ranged weapons for more dangerous threats.

Misc. Survival Tips

Destroy unwanted obstacles for resources using guns or vehicles. This can help you clear paths or gain access to valuable items and locations.

Use lower-quality vehicles for ramming and keep high-quality ones for transportation. Vehicles can be an invaluable resource in the game, allowing you to cover vast distances and carry more items.

Practice stealth and strategy to avoid unnecessary confrontations and conserve resources. Knowing when to engage in combat & when to avoid it is essential for survival.

Keep an eye on your health, hunger & thirst levels. Make sure to have a steady supply of food, water & medical supplies to maintain your character’s well-being.

Always be on the lookout for better gear, weapons and resources. Improving your equipment increases your chances of survival.

Learn the crafting recipes and prioritize crafting essential items like weapons, ammunition, and medical supplies.

Pay attention to the in-game weather and environmental hazards. Adjust your strategy and clothing accordingly.

Familiarize yourself with the game’s wildlife, both friendly & hostile, and learn how to deal with each species effectively.

Explore the game world extensively to uncover hidden locations, loot, and valuable resources.

Fernando Diaz

Fernando is doing what he always did, sharing his honest opinions about games whenever he can. The difference is now he is writing and not talking about it.
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