Foraging is an extremely useful survival skill in Project Zomboid that allows players to search for various items in nature and forests. With the release of the latest Update 41, foraging has undergone a major overhaul.
Our guide will provide you with tips on how to search in Project Zomboid. Foraging doesn't just mean searching for food, it also means searching for crafting materials, herbal medicine, dead animals, etc.
How to search in Project Zomboid
Investigate the area
The first thing you want to do is investigate the environment you are in. To do this, you must select the "Investigate area" option in the left menu, indicated by the magnifying glass icon.
This simple action will activate a search mode. Research mode displays information about the environment your character is in, whether it is an urban area or wilderness, what types of inhabitants live there, as well as the types of materials and foods you can find.
But that's not all, because the new survey process requires you to search a bit. Here's what you need to do:
Objects of interest are usually hidden, but once you identify them you will see them clearly and decide whether to put them in your backpack or not.
The more items you find, the more XP you earn. The more XP you earn, the more better and rare things you find. Your search radius will increase and this helps tremendously when looking for specific items.
Improve your foraging
As you progress through the game, you will notice that certain actions help you find hidden objects, while others prevent it. So how can you improve your foraging?
Choose the right profession
There are several occupations that directly influence foraging success, including:
- Ranger
- Sinner
- Manager
- woodcutter
- Veteran
- Farmer
These occupations increase your investigation radius, reduce weather effects that can prevent you from finding items, and reduce darkness effects.
Such professions as Park Ranger and Fisherman even add a point or two to your foraging skill in the skill tree. But being unemployed is also good for foraging skills, so consider that as well.
Choose the correct strokes
If you have already chosen a profession that is not listed above, you can improve your foraging with the following traits:
- Fortunate
- walker
- former scout
- hunter
- With eagle eyes
- Gardener
- outdoor man
- to cook
- Cat eyes
- Nutritionist
- Herbalist
All of these traits increase your investigation radius, and some even reduce the effects of weather and darkness, like Hunter and Outdoorsman.
You also need to avoid some of the traits that will lower your foraging skills and abilities, such as:
- Unlucky
- Agoraphobe
- Myopic
Perform the correct actions
Finally, certain actions can strongly influence the success of foraging, either negatively or positively.
The following actions will increase the chances of finding items:
These actions will reduce the chances of foraging:
You should also avoid certain types of equipment, which can prevent you from identifying objects on the ground, including:
- Helmets
- Facial masks
- Glasses
- Eye patches
List of Zomboid Project Foraging Items
Here you will find a list of all researchable items in Project Zomboid, including the corresponding research levels.
No foraging level required
- Junk
- berries
- Mushrooms
- Rocks
- Branches
- twigs
- Violets
Foraging Level 2
- wild vegetables
- Vine leaves
- To
Foraging Level 3
Foraging Level 4
- Cynorrhodons
- Crickets
- Cherries
- Recipe magazines
- Newspapers
- rare garbage
Foraging Level 5
Foraging Level 6
- Jalapenos
- Jabaneros
- Lime
- lemons
- Insects
Foraging Level 7
Foraging Level 8
- wild eggs
- Strawberries
- Pears
- Grapefruits
- Corn
- dead squirrels
Foraging Level 10
Related Guides
That's all you need to know about how to forage in Project Zomboid. If you need more Project Zomboid tips and tricks articles, be sure to check out our dedicated hub page.
