Best weapons in Project Zomboid Build 42

Opinion Every ranking on this page is a judgment call, not a game fact. The numbers are Build 42 item values from two fan databases, one checked against 42.19 and 42.20 and one against 42.22. They agree on the melee figures quoted here unless a line says otherwise. Full stat lists are on the weapons, melee list and firearms pages.

Five things decide a rank:

• Damage: the minimum to maximum per hit, plus critical chance.
• Durability: maximum condition multiplied by the 1-in-N chance to lose a point per hit. A crowbar has 15 condition and a 1 in 70 chance, so about 1,050 hits before skills are counted. Maintenance raises that.
• Availability: a weapon you can find in week one beats a better one you may never see.
• Skill needed: crafted weapons are judged with their skill gate.
• Weight: Build 42 added muscle strain, and heavier weapons strain the arms more. See melee combat.

The Weapon Multi Hit sandbox setting is reported as off in the Apocalypse preset (one source), so wide swings count for less than Build 41 guides suggest.

Opinion The whole table is opinion. It ranks weapons for a long survival run. S is strong and easy to find, A is excellent but rare, skill-gated or loud, B has one clear weakness, and C is a stopgap.

The Katana is the obvious argument. It deals a flat 8 damage, far above anything else, but has 10 condition and a 1 in 15 loss chance, about 150 hits, and it is listed in very few room types (one source). Do not plan around finding one.

• Axe: the Wood Axe has the highest axe damage and about 600 expected hits. It is two-handed and weighs 3.0. The Hatchet (0.7 to 1.5, 10 condition, 1 in 15) is the one-handed runner-up.
• Long blunt: the Crowbar hits softly but outlasts everything. The Baseball Bat (0.8 to 1.1, 40% crit, 1 in 20) hits a little harder and lasts about 300 hits.
• Short blunt: the weakest category. The Lead Pipe row is from one database (one source), and the Nightstick (0.6 to 1.1, 25% crit, 15 condition, 1 in 20) from the other (one source). One database rates the Mace (0.8 to 1.4, 40% crit) highest (one source).
• Long blade: the Machete is not marked two-handed, so it leaves a hand free, and it is listed in far more room types than the Katana (one source).
• Short blade: the Fighting Knife has the same damage and crit chance as the Hunting Knife. Both reach only 0.9.
• Spear: the Garden Fork (1.0 to 1.5, 30% crit, 10 condition, 1 in 15) is the best spear you can simply pick up.

Weapon skills matter more than small stat gaps. Opinion Pick one category early and stay with it.

Opinion On day one the best weapon is the first durable one you find. In order of preference:

1. Crowbar. One database lists it in 60 room types, the widest spread of the common weapons (one source). See loot locations.
2. Baseball Bat. Listed in 45 room types (one source).
3. Hatchet or Hand Axe. One-handed, 0.7 to 1.5 damage, and it trains Axe for the Wood Axe.
4. Garden Fork. Spear reach from a shed, with no crafting.
5. Wooden Spear. Made from a long stick or sapling plus a knife. It has 5 condition and a 1 in 2 loss chance, so carry several.

A Kitchen Knife (0.3 to 0.7 damage) is for emergencies only. Build 42 numbers for claw hammers, pipe wrenches and frying pans were not confirmed for this page. More early priorities are in the first week guide.

Build 42 added a large set of crafted weapons. Recipes and skill gates below come from one guide checked against 42.20 (one source).

Opinion The Baseball Bat with Nails is the best value: one Carpentry level and five nails for a clear damage gain, at the cost of faster wear. The Cudgel with Nails hits hard but weighs 6.0. Knife spears from carving are the strongest low-skill reach weapons. The forged Sword matches the Machete for damage and is renewable, but it sits at the end of the blacksmithing tree. Scrap blades need welding.

Both databases give the same Build 42 firearm values. Noise is the listed sound radius. Shotguns fire 9 pellets per shell.

• Handgun: sources disagree. One guide picks the Magnum for damage, range and a jam chance of 0. Opinion The M1911 is the better everyday sidearm, because 70 is the lowest noise of any handgun above the weak SN38 Revolver (0.5 to 0.8 damage, noise 60).
• Shotgun: base hit chance is 65 against 50 for most other guns, so shotguns forgive low Aiming. The Double Barrel reaches 15 but holds two.
• Rifle: the M1A pairs the top rifle damage and range with a 20-round magazine. The MSR788 has the same damage with four rounds and is listed in thousands of residential rooms (one source). The Trapper Carbine (noise 70) is the quiet long gun.

Build 42 reworked aiming, and one guide says the Apocalypse preset applies a damage chance to shots at zombies, so a hit can do little (one source). Shots pull zombies in. See stealth.

Opinion Quick picks by situation.

Starting weapon levels come from traits and occupations.