Riverside Base Blues? Outsmart Zombies in Project Zomboid
Ready to turn Riverside into your zombie-proof stronghold? This guide spills the secrets to building the best base in Riverside – one of Project Zomboid's most coveted towns – for both Build 41 and Build 42. We'll cover prime base locations, step-by-step setup (solo or with friends), and how to survive those early days and late-game chaos. Whether you're fending off PvE hordes or sneaky PvP raiders, we've got you covered with vanilla (no mods!) tactics refined by the community.
TL;DR: Pick an upstairs base by water, secure stairways, stockpile essentials, and adapt to Build 42's new challenges.
Build 41 vs Build 42 – Base-Building Changes At-a-Glance
| Aspect | Build 41 (Stable) | Build 42 (Unstable) |
|---|---|---|
| Map & Towns | Knox Country map with 5 towns (incl. Louisville expansion) – static world. Riverside unchanged since B41. | Map expanded on all sides – +3 new towns (e.g. Echo Creek) and many new rural locations. Riverside region gains nearby cabins/farms. |
| Zombie Spawns | Traditional spawning (zeds even in forests by default); can adjust via sandbox. | More Romero-like distribution – fewer wilds spawns, more city hordes. Outskirts of Riverside are safer in B42. |
| Base Structures | Wood and metal construction; no basements. Indestructible metal fences (zeds can't break). | Basements & multi-story buildings added. New build menu with more options (stone walls, clay bricks). Metal fences can be made breakable via new settings. |
| Farming & Food | Farming, fishing, trapping available. No animals; food preservation via jarred pickles, etc. | Animals introduced – raise chickens, cows, etc. for eggs & milk. New fishing system and food drying/preserving methods. Farming tweaked (more depth). |
| Electricity & Water | Power shuts off ~0-2 months; use generators. Rain collector barrels for water; can wash with water in inventory. | Similar generator needs, but B42 brings darker nights. No "infinite water pot" exploit – need rivers/ponds for bathing. Some new map areas have wells. |
| Multiplayer | Full MP support; Safehouse claim system for player bases. No NPCs. | MP in testing (initial B42 unstable is SP only). Upcoming profession rebalances encourage co-op. No NPCs yet (planned for Build 43). |
As you can see, Build 42 shakes things up – bigger map, deeper crafting, farm animals, and some balance changes. Keep these in mind as we dive into our Riverside base guide.
Quick-Start: Secure a Riverside Safehouse in 5 Days
- Spawn smart in Riverside. If you have the choice, spawn in Riverside's west side suburbs or near the riverfront. The west side has smaller zombie populations and quick access to farms and a gas station, while a riverfront start puts water and fishing at your doorstep. Avoid spawning deep in downtown Riverside on Day 1.
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Rush to the riverfront bar (The Sky Haven). One of the best base locations in Riverside is the two-story glass-walled restaurant by the Ohio River. It's north of the main shops and has these perks: an upstairs area (for safety), multiple exits, tons of storage (kitchen + bar), and immediate water/fishing access.
Location Tip: The riverfront restaurant is slightly north of Riverside's main strip, right on the riverbank. Look for a glass-fronted two-story building with a view of the water. Check the Riverside map for exact positioning.
- Clear and claim the building. Before settling, eliminate any zombies in and around the restaurant. Lure them out one-by-one (use a shouted "Hey!" or car horn if needed, but be ready to run). Once the coast is clear, do a room-by-room sweep, checking both floors and the kitchen area.
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Barricade the ground floor (improv style). You likely don't have nails and wood yet on Day 1, so use furniture to secure the place:
- Flip any nearby tables on their side and shove them against the bottom of the stairs to slow zombies down.
- In the back room, there's usually a metal shelf and some crates – loot them and then push them to block the back door.
- Close curtains or hang sheets over windows to reduce visibility.
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Secure your escape route (sheet ropes!). Head upstairs and pick a second-story window overlooking a clear spot (back of the building is ideal). Use a sheet (rip clothing if needed) plus nails and hammer to add a sheet rope out the window. Do this for two different upstairs windows if possible.
Pro Tip: Always have at least one rope escape in case the downstairs is compromised! Remove any exterior staircase if present or plan to sledge it later.
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Loot essentials, prioritizing survival items: With your base secured, gather critical supplies from nearby locations:
- Food: Hit the small grocery store (blue building) a block or two south.
- Tools: Go to the hardware store (green building) for hammer, nails, saw.
- Books & Skills: Check the bookstore for skill books and the Generator Magazine.
- Water containers: Pick up empty bottles, cooking pots, buckets for storage.
- Vehicle & Fuel: The west side has a junkyard and garages that often spawn cars or parts.
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Establish long-term defenses by Day 5: Use your gathered supplies to start fortifying properly:
- Barricade ground floor windows and doors with planks (2-4 planks per vulnerable window).
- Build rain collector barrels (Carpentry 4 required) as soon as you level up enough.
- Set up a lookout and start planting some fast-growing crops on the rooftop balcony area.
- Plan for the helicopter event (around Days 6-9): have a car ready or a secondary hideout.
Overcoming Early Challenges in Riverside (Pain Points & Solutions)
Clearing the Neighborhood: Zombie Control 101
Riverside's zombie population ranges from sparse on the outskirts to dense in downtown. Early on, clearing the area around your base is priority:
Start silent
Use knives for stealth kills or one-hit "jaw stab" takedowns when possible. In Build 42, be extra careful – combat is rebalanced so you get exhausted after just a few kills if you over-exert. Fight in short bursts and catch your breath.
One house at a time
Clear adjacent houses methodically. Open doors quietly, shout to lure zombies out one by one, then dispatch them in open ground. Use the in-game map to mark houses as "cleared" with a simple skull mark or tick.
Watch for respawns
By default, Project Zomboid respawns zombies over time. In Build 42, some remote areas won't repopulate as heavily, which benefits Riverside's outskirts. But town centers will still see roving groups.
Corpses management
After a big fight, pile up corpses away from your living space or burn them to prevent flies and sickness. Use the rivershore as a dumping spot, or dig graves if you have a shovel. Less corpse clutter helps performance and your sanity moodles.
The Helicopter and Meta-Game Events
Helicopter Warning
The helicopter event occurs randomly around Week 1. It follows you and attracts zombies. Don't stay at your base during this event!
How to Survive:
- As soon as you hear rotors, grab supplies and leave your base.
- Drive or run far out of town (farm country west, highway south, or woods).
- Riverside has perfect "lose the heli" zones: farm country west towards Rosewood or across the river.
- Play cat-and-mouse away from base for a few in-game hours until it leaves.
- Return home cautiously once the event is over.
Other Meta Events
Gunshots or screams sometimes occur randomly – these are audio cues that attract zombies similarly. If you hear a distant bang or scream, be alert: zombies might start migrating. In Build 42, these events can cause some weird migration since the map's larger – zombies from further might trickle in days later.
Early-Game Resource Woes (Food, Water, Medicine)
Food
The first week, eat perishables from homes or the supermarket. As electricity might shut off quickly, focus on non-perishables after day 5. Riverside uniquely offers fishing as a renewable food source – secure a fishing rod or make a fishing spear.
Build 42 Note: Fishing got more complex (fish can escape nets), but it's still reliable. Planting cabbages early means a harvest in ~14 days. For comprehensive farming strategies, check our Build 42 farming guide.
Water
Riverside = water everywhere. But don't drink straight from the river unless you want to risk illness. Boil river water in pots or kettles. Fill every empty bottle before water shuts off.
Pro Tip: Look for Water Dispensers in the gas station or office buildings – each is like 250 units of clean water. In B42, cleaning yourself with just a pot of water no longer works, so having abundant water is crucial.
Medicine
Riverside has a clinic (Cortman Medical) in the central area worth a trip once safe. Grab bandages, antiseptic, painkillers, antibiotics, and rare meds. Also check bathrooms for supplies. Injuries are serious in PZ – an infected wound can kill you as surely as a zombie bite.
Tools & Fuel
It's worth re-emphasizing tools because lack of a saw or hammer can halt your base progress. If the hardware store doesn't pan out, try the large warehouse near the junkyard.
For fuel, make sure you haul a generator to the Gas-2-Go station in west Riverside before power outage. Store gas cans at your base and siphon from abandoned cars using a hose.
Base Selection: Finding "The One" in Riverside
Where you set up shop in Riverside can make or break your run. Your ideal base depends on whether you prioritize easy loot access (urban), defense and quiet (suburban/rural), or roleplay vibes (who wouldn't want to live in a cabin by a lake with chickens?).
| Location | Pros 🌟 | Cons ⚠️ | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverfront Bar (N. Riverside) |
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Solo or Co-op who can fortify quickly; long-term base planners |
| Gated Community Park (E. Riverside) |
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Builders, farmers, PvE groups; PvP players wanting a hidden-in-plain-sight base |
| West Suburb Houses |
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Beginners, small MP teams; those who want a calm start with expansion potential |
| Post Office (Town Center) |
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Short-term safehouse to level up skills; solo players who enjoy urban living |
| Country Club Cabins |
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Late-game survivors focusing on self-sufficiency; PvE groups dividing labor |
"Zombies Can't Climb, Right?" – Securing Upper Floors
Taking advantage of multi-story buildings is one of the strongest survival tactics in Project Zomboid. Here's how to make an upstairs virtually impenetrable:
Remove or block stairs
If you find a sledgehammer (rare, but sometimes in tool shops or sheds), you can destroy stairs entirely – rendering the upper floor inaccessible except by sheet rope. If no sledge, barricade the stairway heavily with tables and furniture. It will slow zombies and also give you an audio cue if they break through.
Multiple sheet ropes
One is not enough. Have at least two ropes on different sides of the building. If a horde is at your front door, maybe the back rope is clear. Also, carry one extra sheet + nail + hammer on your person; in a pinch, you can throw a rope out of any window.
Safety when using ropes
In B41 and B42, climbing requires stamina. Watch your character's fitness – climbing while extremely overloaded or exhausted can be dangerous (you can fall). Pro tip: build a sheet rope on the second floor, but remove any first-floor sheet rope on the same rope. You can climb down but zombies won't have access.
Second-floor living
Keep all your essential supplies upstairs. Treat the ground floor as a buffer zone. If things go south, retreat upstairs, pull up the sheet ropes behind you, and wait out the storm or sneak out another way. Many players have survived by chilling on a secure rooftop while zombies mill around below.
Level-Up Your Base: Advanced Strategies for B41 & B42
Carpentry & Construction: Fortify Like a Pro
Level Carpentry to 4 ASAP:
This gets you rain collectors and sturdy walls. The fastest way is mass-disassembling furniture. Every chair, bed, and door you dismantle gives XP. Reading Carpentry skill books multiplies this XP gain. By Carpentry 4, build rain collector barrels and wooden wall frames around key base areas.
Advanced constructions:
At higher carpentry (7+), you can build log walls and tall fences that are much harder for zombies to break. You can create a compound around your Riverside bar or house. Some players entirely wall off a section of the neighborhood.
New Build 42 Goodies
Build 42 brings things like kilns, forges, and workbenches. You can craft stone or clay bricks to make new wall types. A stone wall takes chipped stone and mortar – more effort but very sturdy. There are also makeshift shelters you can craft – think of them as interim tents or shed-like structures.
Basements and Multi-level Building
With Build 42's engine improvements, some buildings now have basements. If your base house has a basement, use it as secure storage or a panic room – there's usually only one way in/out. Basements are dark but out of sight – great for hiding during a helicopter event or PvP raid.
Trap Usage
If you have Carpentry and found some scrap electronics, set up noise-makers or traps around your base perimeter. Engineers can craft bombs, and anyone can use alarm clocks or car alarms. Place a noise source away from your base to lure zombies or players while you slip out the back.
Sustenance 2.0: Farming, Fishing, and Livestock
Surviving long-term means renewable food. Riverside is rich in opportunities for sustenance – especially with Build 42's farming overhaul and the introduction of livestock.
Farming
- Focus on easy crops: Cabbage (fast growth ~14 days), Potatoes (can replant as seeds), and Tomatoes or Strawberries for vitamins
- Place rain collector barrels on your base's roof or yard - one barrel can support a small garden
- Build 42 improves agriculture with more nuanced growth and possibly more plant diseases
- Use milk from animals or commercial fertilizers to keep plants healthy
Fishing
- Find a Fishing Rod + Tackle or craft spears from planks or branches and a knife
- Build 42 brought a new fishing mechanic - fish can escape, and you need different lures
- Prime spots: the dock by the restaurant, boat club area, and country club lake
- Cook fish on a stove or campfire - cooked fish gives great hunger reduction
- Preserve fish by cutting fillets and freezing, drying, or smoking
Livestock (Build 42's Game-Changer)
Chickens
- First and easiest livestock - a farmhouse "near the gated community of Riverside" starts with 10 chickens
- B42 mechanics allow you to catch wild chickens or find chicks
- Build a small fenced pen or use an existing coop to keep them safe
- They'll lay unfertilized eggs regularly - great protein source
- Roosters can fertilize eggs to produce more chicks
Larger Animals
- Cows, Sheep, Pigs exist in remote farms (new map expansions)
- Cows provide milk, sheep give wool, pigs can be raised for meat
- Animals need care - they require food and produce manure (great fertilizer)
- Keep animal pens away from sleeping areas (noise attracts zombies)
- Consider creating a "barn" by walling off a section of yard with a door
Hunting (New in B42)
Riverside's outskirts now have wild animals - deer, rabbits, squirrels, birds. B42 introduces a tracking skill to find animals. A successful deer kill yields enough meat to feed you for weeks. Just have a plan to preserve that meat.
Power and Technology: Keeping the Lights On
When the apocalypse hits, the lights eventually go out. In vanilla settings, after 0-30 days (random), Riverside's electricity supply will shut off. Water, too.
Generators
The only way to restore electricity after shutdown. Riverside spawns these in garages, sheds, or the storage lot. You'll need the "How to Use Generators" magazine to operate them safely.
Safety Tip: Never place generators indoors - the carbon monoxide will kill you! Install them on roofs or balconies with sheet rope access.
Fuel Management
One generator can power your base and possibly a nearby gas station, but it guzzles gas - roughly 1 can lasts 1-2 days. Only run generators at needed times to stretch fuel. In Build 42, check the generator info panel for consumption rates.
Lighting and Stealth
B42 has darker nights and a new lighting system. Lights in your base can glow out windows and attract zombies. Use lamps in interior rooms only, or cover windows with sheets. Carry a flashlight or head torch for night work.
Appliance Priority
What to power first? Fridge/Freezer to preserve food, then necessary lighting. TVs and radios can provide entertainment and crucial emergency broadcasts in the early game. In MP, a powered radio can give weather and helicopter warnings.
Noise Discipline & Long-Term Planning
Generators make noise that attracts zombies. Place them away from where you sleep, perhaps on a roof or behind a wall. In MP, generator noise can also tip off hostile players to your location.
Long-term, fuel might run out. B42 is heading toward making life without power viable - rely on farming, preserving foods by canning or drying, and wood fires for cooking. Stockpile batteries for flashlights and propane for grills.
Multiplayer Dynamics: Co-op Base vs. PvP Base
Co-Op PvE (Friends or Friendly Server)
Safehouse Rules
Many servers use the Safehouse system – you can claim a building as your Safehouse, preventing non-members from entering. Add your friends to your safehouse so you all have access. Some servers limit safehouse size, so choose one that fits the limit.
Division of Labor
Have one person focus on carpentry, another on farming, another on loot runs, etc. Plan a base that accommodates multiple players' projects. For example, dedicate one house for storage and workshops, another area for farming, and a garage for cars.
Communication & Community Projects
Mark maps and leave notes. Use walkie-talkies with a preset frequency when exploring separately. Co-op groups can undertake large constructions, like fortifying the entire Riverside Elementary School or building bridges of cars across short sections of river.
PvP Survival
Stealth Base vs. Stronghold
Two schools of thought: hidden or fortified. Hidden bases are in obscure locations (remote cabin, woods) that look untouched. Fortified bases are walled-off areas that dare people to raid. According to experienced players, concealment > visible strength, as fortified bases scream "good loot inside!"
Anti-player Defenses
Players can use tools to break through defenses. You can't 100% stop a determined raider, but you can discourage them with noise traps (alarm clocks that attract zombies), perimeters of wooden floor spikes, or even campfires that create barriers.
Stashes & Security
Don't keep everything in one base. Smart players stash caches of supplies in various places. Use padlocks on crates, though determined players can break them. If safehouse protection is enabled, use it – it will prevent unauthorized entry while offline.
Keep in mind: that fancy base with mooing cows and a chugging generator is a billboard saying "Raid me." Many PvP veterans operate from small, hidden bases with minimal signatures.
Anecdotes from the Apocalypse: Riverside Reflections
In one of my runs, I was holed up at the Riverside post office (that solid little building). Things were going great – I'd fortified the place into a mini-fort. One quiet afternoon, I'm farming in the backyard and decide to fry some fish fillets on a propane stove inside. I get distracted sorting my loot… and oops, I set the stove on high and walked away. Next thing I know, the kitchen's on fire!
Flames spread to my stockpile of books (nooo, my skill books!) and then the whole lobby. I had to grab what I could, bust out a second-floor window onto a sheet rope with my duffel bag, and watch my base burn from across the street.
The silver lining? I had a plan B: earlier, I'd fixed up a rusty pickup truck and stashed extra supplies in it. When the post office went up in smoke, I just sighed, loaded my spare loot, and drove off to that farmhouse by the gated community. Spent the night in a barn with the chickens clucking around me – not exactly how I imagined my hero's journey, but I survived to fight another day.
The moral here: always have a backup and stay flexible. You might meticulously barricade for zombies or PvP, but then burn your own house down with a burnt pork chop (classic Zomboid).
Action Steps Recap 📝
To wrap up, here's a concise checklist to ensure your Riverside base thrives:
- Choose the Right Base Location: Opt for an upstairs or fenced location. (Riverfront restaurant for versatility, suburban house for quiet security, etc.)
- Secure Early, Secure Often: Clear immediate zombies, barricade entry points, and set up sheet rope escapes.
- Gather Tools & Supplies: Prioritize hammer, saw, nails, generator + mag, water containers, and food. Hit key Riverside shops within first week.
- Fortify & Build Up: Level Carpentry by disassembling; construct rain collectors and walls by week 2. Explore Build 42 crafting for stronger defenses.
- Establish Food Sources: Start a small farm (cabbages, potatoes) and fish the river. In B42, secure livestock for renewable food.
- Power Planning: Rig a generator before power outage; store fuel. Keep base lights discreet at night.
- Utilize Maps & Tools: Use the in-game map to mark cleared areas. Consult the PZ Map Project to scout new loot spots or potential secondary bases.
- Multiplayer Tactics: If co-op, coordinate safehouse access and assign roles. If PvP, keep a low profile, hide valuables, and use decoys.
- Maintain & Adapt: Regularly patrol for new zombie spawns, tidy up corpses, and fix any damage to walls. Adjust your strategy with game updates.
- Have a Plan B: Always have an escape route and a backup stash or vehicle. In Zomboid, anything that can go wrong will – be ready to relocate or rebuild if needed.
Good luck, survivor! Riverside's a lovely place to live – well, un-live for the zombies – and with these tips, you'll turn it into your personal stronghold. Remember: This is how you died is the game's tagline, but with preparation and a bit of riverbank luck, maybe this is how you live. 😉