Project Zomboid Build 42 Difficulty Presets Compared
Build 42.19 default survival presets: Apocalypse, Outbreak, Rising, and Extinction. Custom Sandbox and Challenges are separate menu choices.
Apocalypse
Canon experienceNo zombie respawnNo multi-hit
Take your time, watch your back, and expect scarce supplies. This is the standard survival experience, not simply a generic “hard mode.”
Outbreak
Less grindNo zombie respawnPer-skill XP boosts
Uses Apocalypse's core zombie lethality, but adds multi-hit, a mini-map, longer utility windows, faster farming, selected XP boosts, and more useful loot.
Rising
Low populationStarter kitHomestead focus
Weak, fragile shamblers and generous building supplies make early survival calmer. Unlike Apocalypse and Outbreak, however, zombies do respawn.
Extinction
High population6% sprintersScarce loot
A punitive preset with superhuman, tough zombies, active respawn, occasional door openers, harsher injuries, and very limited ammunition.
Core preset comparison
| Setting | Apocalypse | Outbreak | Rising | Extinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intended experience | Canon survival | Accelerated, less grind | Cozy homestead | Brutal challenge |
| Base zombie population | 0.65 — Normal | 0.65 — Normal | 0.15 — Low | 1.2 — High |
| Start and peak population | Starts 1×; peaks 1.5× on day 28 | Starts 1×; peaks 1.5× on day 20 | Starts 1×; peaks 1× on day 28 | Starts 1.5×; peaks 2× on day 28 |
| Zombie respawn | Disabled: 0 hours, 0 multiplier | Disabled: 0 hours, 0 multiplier | Every 72 hours; up to 10% after 16 unseen hours | Every 72 hours; up to 10% after 16 unseen hours |
| Speed and sprinters | Random speed; 0% sprinters | Random speed; 0% sprinters | Shamblers; 0% sprinters | Random speed; 6% sprinters |
| Strength / toughness | Normal / Random | Normal / Random | Weak / Fragile | Superhuman / Tough |
| Weapon multi-hit | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Rear vulnerability | High | High | Medium | High |
| Drag down | Enabled | Enabled | Enabled | Enabled; crawlers can also drag down |
| Fence lunge | Enabled | Enabled | Disabled | Enabled |
| Starter kit | No | No | Yes: food, water, small backpack, bat, hammer | No |
| Mini-map | Disabled | Enabled | Enabled | Disabled |
| Easy climbing | No | No | Yes; climb failure chances disabled | No |
| Injuries | Normal severity; fractures enabled | Low severity; fractures enabled | Low severity; fractures disabled | High severity; fractures enabled |
| Water / power shutoff | Water 0–30 days; power 14–30 days | Water 0–2 months; power 14 days–2 months | Water 0–2 months; power 14 days–2 months | Water 0–30 days; power 14–30 days |
| XP rates | Global 1× | Individual boosts; see below | Global 1× | Global 1× |
Loot multipliers
These are the category multipliers used by each preset. They change relative availability; they do not guarantee better item quality, stronger weapons, or a reward for choosing a harder mode.
| Loot category | Apocalypse | Outbreak | Rising | Extinction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food | 0.8× | 0.8× | 0.6× | 0.4× |
| Melee weapons | 0.6× | 0.8× | 0.4× | 0.4× |
| Ranged weapons | 1.2× | 1.2× | 0.4× | 0.6× |
| Ammunition | 0.6× | 0.6× | 0.4× | 0.2× |
| Skill books | 0.6× | 1.0× | 0.4× | 0.4× |
| Medical | 0.6× | 0.6× | 0.6× | 0.4× |
| Survival gear | 0.6× | 0.6× | 2.0× | 0.4× |
| Tools | 0.6× | 1.0× | 2.0× | 0.4× |
| Materials | 0.6× | 0.6× | 3.0× | 0.6× |
| Farming supplies | 0.6× | 0.6× | 2.0× | 0.6× |
| Recorded media | 0.6× | 1.2× | 2.0× | 0.4× |
| Other loot | 0.8× | 0.8× | 1.0× | 0.4× |
What each preset changes in practice
Apocalypse: standard survival
- Multi-hit is off, rear vulnerability is High, drag down is on, and fence lunges are enabled.
- The population begins at the normal 0.65 setting and reaches a 1.5× peak on day 28.
- Zombie respawn is already disabled. You do not need to set Respawn Hours to zero when starting from the unmodified Build 42.19 Apocalypse preset.
- Most loot categories are scarce, although the ranged-weapon category is set to 1.2×.
- The mini-map is unavailable and all XP multipliers remain at 1×.
Outbreak: Apocalypse lethality with less grind
- Zombie speed, strength, toughness, rear vulnerability, drag down, and population match Apocalypse; the peak arrives earlier on day 20.
- Multi-hit and the mini-map are enabled, while zombie respawn remains disabled.
- Water and electricity can remain on longer, injuries are less severe, farming speed and yield are both set to 1.5×, and muscle strain is slightly reduced.
- Individual XP rates replace the global multiplier: most boosted skills are 1.2×, Welding, Mechanics, and Tailoring are 1.4×, and First Aid is 1.5×. Combat weapon skills, Aiming, Reloading, Nimble, and Sneak remain 1×.
- Skill books, tools, weapons, media, cookware, fuel, and vehicles are generally easier to obtain than in Apocalypse.
Rising: gentler zombies, stronger building economy
- The base population is Low at 0.15, with weak, fragile shamblers and no sprinters.
- Multi-hit, a mini-map, easy climbing, and a starter kit are enabled; bone fractures and fence lunges are disabled.
- Materials are set to 3×, while survival gear, tools, farming supplies, media, and cookware are set to 2×.
- Weapons, ammunition, and skill books remain relatively scarce, so this is not a combat-loot preset.
- Zombies respawn every 72 hours in eligible unseen areas, up to 10% of the desired cell population per cycle.
Extinction: hostile population and scarce supplies
- The population setting is High at 1.2, starts at 1.5×, and peaks at 2× on day 28.
- Zombies are superhuman and tough. Random speed includes 6% sprinters, 10% can open doors, crawlers can drag survivors down, and zombies follow sounds twice as far as the other presets.
- Respawn is active every 72 hours, with the same 10% cycle used by Rising.
- Multi-hit and the mini-map are disabled; injuries are High severity and firearm noise, jamming, moodle penalties, and weather penalties use 1.25× multipliers.
- Ammunition is only 0.2× and most survival categories are 0.4×, so the mode does not compensate difficulty with better loot.
Using Custom Sandbox correctly
Custom Sandbox is neither automatically easier nor automatically harder. It loads a ruleset and lets you change individual values. Use it when you like most of a preset but want one or two deliberate changes.
- To keep Rising's calmer combat but stop replacement zombies, set Advanced Zombie Options → Respawn Hours to
0. - Apocalypse and Outbreak already have respawn disabled, so changing that setting has no effect unless the preset was altered first.
- Increasing an XP multiplier only changes progression speed; it does not improve loot or weapon quality.
- Increasing loot multipliers changes category availability, not the power of the items that spawn.
For a setting-by-setting walkthrough, use the Custom Sandbox guide.
Which Build 42 preset should you choose?
Choose Rising if…
You are learning the game, want a starter kit, or care most about building and farming. Remember that its low population still respawns.
Choose Outbreak if…
You want dangerous zombies without as much searching or skill grind, especially when your play sessions are short.
Choose Apocalypse if…
You want standard survival, scarce supplies, no multi-hit, and no zombie respawn. Population growth toward day 28 and migration can still change local counts.
Choose Extinction if…
You already understand combat, escape routes, resource planning, and the consequences of active sprinters and zombie respawn.
New to the controls and first-day priorities? Start with the first-day guide and a tested beginner character build.
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