Project Zomboid Foraging: How to forage in Project Zomboid

The Project Zomboid Foraging skill can be a useful way of gathering food and resources that are otherwise hidden, such as berries and mushrooms, when you are in the forest.  

Project Zomboid can be a nightmarishly difficult game to survive in, but using the right skills and mechanics can make all the difference. Securing sources of food is a key way of ensuring you survive past the first week, so you may want to learn how to forage effectively.

So, take a look at our full explanation of the Project Zomboid Foraging skill, which covers how to level it up, and how to begin Foraging. 

• Also need a rundown on hot-wiring? Here's our Project Zomboid hotwire cars guide.

Project Zomboid Foraging: How does Foraging work?

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If you are wondering what foraging even does in Project Zomboid, it allows your character to search the environment for resource and food items.

This can be done in different environments, such as forests, roads, and more, giving you different loot depending on where you are. However, it's mostly useful in rural areas.

The actual skill you possess in foraging (which can be increased with skill magazines or upgrade points) determines the type of items you can find, the target radius you search in, and the chance that you discover poisonous food. 

With regard to poisonous food, this can be worrisome, as if you're not careful you may end up killing yourself, but there are ways around it.

If you have level seven cooking, this allows you to detect poisonous berries and mushrooms, and earning the Herbalist trait will grant you the ability no matter your level. 

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Project Zomboid Foraging: How to forage

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To begin Project Zomboid Foraging and start searching the trees and bushes, you need to toggle the spyglass icon that appears on the UI to the left, and select "Investigate Area."

This will bring up an overlay that shows you the terrain you're on, the Sun's position in the sky, and a button for activating "Search Mode." 

Activating this mode will blur the screen, with exception for a target radius (which is determined by your foraging skill) that you search for food and resources within. As you keep searching in the radius, a few things will happen. 

Firstly, items can spawn or despawn during your foraging, and as you get closer to finding an item in your target radius, an eyeball icon will appear over your character. If you remain close to the item, its icon will eventually appear which grants you some XP.

You can then double-click the item you’ve found which put it in your inventory, or right click to give yourself the option of gathering or discarding it - which will also grant some XP regardless of your choice.

That's our breakdown of the Project Zomboid foraging skill, and now you will be able to search the forests for the best food and resource items, while avoiding the poisonous berries.

We also have an in-depth explainer of the Project Zomboid First Aid skill, which lets you heal any injuries or illness' affecting you.