Project Zomboid Poisonous Berries Guide (Build 42.19)
Build 42.19 foraging and berry food rules.
Three poison groups in Build 42.19
| Group | Berries | Poison rule | Season window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Always safe | Blackberry, Blueberry, Beauty Berry, Winter Berry | Never poisonous | Black/Blue: Mar–Nov; Beauty/Winter: Jan–Mar and Sep–Dec |
| Random risk | Generic berries (five types) and White Berry | Base 5% poison chance, then Foraging skill lowers the effective roll | Mar–Nov |
| Always poisonous | Holly Berry | Always poisonous when found | Jan–Mar and Sep–Dec |
When you find a random-risk berry, the game rolls poison chance from a base of 5%, plus about 3% for every Foraging level below 10. At Foraging 0 the effective chance is about 35%; at Foraging 10 it falls back to the base 5%. If the roll succeeds, poison strength is set from that berry type’s min/max range (generic berries tend to be low-to-mid; Holly is higher).
Berry cards at a glance
Blackberry
Hunger −10 · always safe · Mar–Nov
Safe
Blueberry
Hunger −10 · always safe · Mar–Nov
Safe
Beauty Berry
Hunger −10 · always safe · cold months
Safe
Winter Berry
Hunger −10 · always safe · cold months
Safe
Generic 1 / 3
Hunger −5 · random poison roll
Risk
Generic 2 / 4 / 5
Hunger −10 · random poison roll
Risk
White Berry
Hunger −5 · white model · same random group
Risk
Holly Berry
Hunger −10 · always poisonous
Poison
Full food and forage table
| Berry | Hunger / thirst | Calories | Poison group | Forage months | Recipe hunger contribution |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blackberry | −10 / −1 | 23 | Always safe | 3–11 | Cake / fruit salad / pancakes / muffin / sweet pie 10; ice cream cone / oatmeal 5 |
| Blueberry | −10 / −1 | 23 | Always safe | 3–11 | Same as Blackberry |
| Beauty Berry | −10 / −1 | 23 | Always safe | 1–3, 9–12 | Same as Blackberry |
| Winter Berry | −10 / −1 | 23 | Always safe | 1–3, 9–12 | Same as Blackberry |
| Generic 1 | −5 / −1 | 12 | 5% base random | 3–11 | All listed recipes contribute 5 |
| Generic 2 | −10 / −1 | 23 | 5% base random | 3–11 | Cake / fruit salad / pancakes / muffin / sweet pie 10; ice cream cone / oatmeal 5 |
| Generic 3 | −5 / −1 | 8 | 5% base random | 3–11 | All listed recipes contribute 5 |
| Generic 4 | −10 / −1 | 23 | 5% base random | 3–11 | Same as Generic 2 |
| Generic 5 | −10 / −1 | 23 | 5% base random | 3–11 | Same as Generic 2 |
| White Berry | −5 / −1 | 23 | 5% base random | 3–11 | All listed recipes contribute 5 |
| Holly Berry | −10 / −1 | 23 | Always poisonous | 1–3, 9–12 | Same as Blackberry contribution values |
All berries share weight 0.1, stay fresh about 6 days, and spoil fully around day 10. Each find usually yields 1–4 berries, grants Foraging XP, and is harder in snow. Expect them mainly in forests, vegetation, farmland, and related outdoor forage zones. Summer months 5–7 give a spawn bonus; March and April give a malus.
How to identify safe berries
Inventory naming depends on whether you know the Herbalist recipe—not on guessing color patterns:
| Player knowledge | Inventory name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| No Herbalist recipe | Unknown Berry | Poison state is hidden even for always-safe types |
| Herbalist known + not poisonous | Berry | Safe to eat |
| Herbalist known + poisonous | Poisonous Berry | Unsafe to eat or cook with |
- Take the Herbalist trait at character creation (cost 4, Foraging XP boost), or start as a profession that grants Herbalist, such as Park Ranger.
- Or find and read Magazine: Wilderness Survival. It teaches the Herbalist recipe along with several poultice and survival recipes.
- After that, open inventory and keep only stacks labeled Berry. Discard or quarantine Poisonous Berry.
- Until you have that knowledge, treat every wild berry as unsafe food rather than experimenting.
How to forage berries now
Berries are found through Search Mode (Investigate Area), not by double-clicking decorative bushes. Toggle Search Mode with the default End key, move through forests and vegetation, and pick the berry icons that appear. Berries are most common in forests; Herbalist knowledge helps you identify safe varieties.
- Best months for black/blue/generic: May–July are bonus months inside the March–November window.
- Cold-season berries: Beauty, Winter, and Holly share the Jan–Mar and Sep–Dec window—only Holly is fixed poison.
- Freshness still matters: stale or rotten food is a separate penalty from poison. A safe type can still be a poor meal if it is rotten.
- Wild label: foraged food often gets a wild size/name treatment; that does not by itself mean the berry is poisonous.
Cooking with berries
Current berry cooking contributions cover Cake, Fruit Salad, Pancakes, Muffin, Sweet Pie, Ice Cream Cone, and Oatmeal. There is no current berry contribution to Waffles. The 5 or 10 values on those entries are hunger contributions for the cooked recipe, not a bonus for eating raw berries.
Practical safe workflow
- Enable Search Mode and forage forest or vegetation tiles in season.
- Store unknown berries separately until you can identify them.
- Unlock Herbalist via trait, profession, or Magazine: Wilderness Survival.
- Eat or cook only berries labeled Berry; never rely on color myths or taste tests.
- If you do get food poisoning, treat it as a medical emergency—see the first aid guide—instead of eating more unknown berries to “check again.”
Related guides
Related Articles
