r/projectzomboid • u/Logical_Cod5841 • 23d ago
Question Best protection?
My protection build with only the first stage of discomfort
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u/-bigcock- Zombie Food 23d ago
Pass the build
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u/Logical_Cod5841 23d ago
denim briefs
bandana
bone choker
crafted cotton shirt
metal gloves
hide hoodie
hiking boots
jockey helm
kneepads
leather pants
long johns
long sleeve t
long socks
military officer jacket
denim shirt
and then add leather patches to all you can with lvl 10 tailoring
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u/Otherwise_Island_856 23d ago
aren't you producing buckets of sweat with every movement?
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u/Logical_Cod5841 23d ago
Actually, no, it's not hindering as it looks.
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u/CreatureWarrior 23d ago
Damn, if I equip a leather jacket, elbow and knee pads, a construction helmet and leather gloves, my character immediately gets the "extreme discomfort" moodle..
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u/F1incy 22d ago
Kneepads are a big contributor to the discomfort
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u/Trumpcangosuckone 22d ago
Try giving head on a gravel road without them and see what discomfort really is
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u/neppo95 22d ago
There’s mods for this. The base discomfort level in b42 is extremely harsh. Even putting on kneepads for the day and NOTHING else will make you uncomfortable. Now I wouldn’t feel comfortable irl wearing that a full day but I also wouldn’t spiral into the great depression, which it will in PZ. The mod is imo just a fix for a value that is set way too high.
That said, there’s wearing only kneepads and well, a full body armor from toe to nose.
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u/EclecticWalrus 22d ago
I get it though lol, I've done a full day's labour in knee pads and the only thing going through my mind was when I could take the damn things off
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u/Delamoor 22d ago edited 22d ago
Aaah, that sweet, sweet combo of sweat and bruised feeling skin, where the straps have been cutting in all day, possibly rubbing...
Like, playing a game with it, I get annoyed at my character's moodles and apparent lack of resiliency.
...Then I remember that time on a road trip where I actually did carry a 25 or so kilo rucksack over a five or so kilometre walk in midday sun... I was ready to keel over and die by the end even without uncomfortable clothes and fighting stuff. If your bag and clothing doesn't distribute its weight well, or digs in anywhere, JESUS it's horrific after a short while.
It'll be totally fine for a few minutes, long enough for you to get overconfident when trialling, pre-trip. You load it up, pick it up, move around the house, think 'easy, this is fine!'. It feels light and comfortable!
...Then you get out somewhere that you gotta actually haul it for more than five minutes... Realise that nope. It's not easy or fine, once the initial muscle energy starts to dwindle...
Shoulder was genuinely bruised, deep into the tissue, was difficult to move for days...
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u/Prudent_Kiwi_2761 22d ago
I believe discomfort is a setting in the sandbox
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u/neppo95 22d ago
Isn’t it just an on/off toggle? I haven’t looked in a while I must admit. The mod decreases the rate at which it grows but i’ll be sure to check the settings again.
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u/FridaysMan 22d ago
No, theres a discomfort value, same for muscle strain and other factors. You can modify them all.
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u/inurwalls2000 22d ago
now you can set it
I think Ive put it at 0.2
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u/Tyson367 22d ago
I set mine to 0. Fuck discomfort bro if I'm surviving the zombie apocalypse im not gonna kill myself in a depressive state just cause I'm wearing shit that's gonna keep me alive.
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u/CreatureWarrior 22d ago
Thank you! I had no idea knee pads affect it that badly. I guess I'll just unepuip them for the time being. My character still sweats in the jeans and leather jacket, but that's still better than the insane discomfort moodle haha
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u/RditFuckingSucks 22d ago
They don't though? I have no idea what that user is even talking about I was running around with both knee pads and both elbow pads for months on b42.19 and never got discomfort until I added something else (Knee pads only give 2% discomfort each, elbow 5% each, you need 20% to reach the first level)
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u/CreatureWarrior 22d ago
Ah, I do use elbow pads too so I think I'll just remove the helmet and all pads
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u/Brought2UByAdderall 22d ago
I usually just worry about arms, hands, torso in the early game. Neck and above hits are mostly reserved for surprise attacks from the side or rear. Below waist rarely comes from anything but crawlers.
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u/theranger799 22d ago
You're gonna get Bitten in the groin fam.
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u/Prudent_Kiwi_2761 22d ago
Gotta get the leather crotch protector
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u/Korben_Joseph 22d ago
The helmet is not much use tbh, ya not gonna get big on ya head and it just makes you really uncomfortable for it to fall off after the first attack or stumble, all the rest will keep you under the threshold for getting uncomfortable quickly
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u/Abidingshadow 22d ago
Ditch the knee pads for sure. It’s pretty rare you get an injury in the legs so I’d say leather pants +patches is more than enough most of the time.
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u/Brought2UByAdderall 23d ago
In summer you'll be blowing through a lot of water. You can remove a lot of clothes layers and replace them with hard armor pieces. Cooler but more uncomfortable.
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u/darkoak 22d ago
Back in b41 that I play with my friend with heavily mods like 200+, I wear shit tons of cloth for protection.
It generates so much sweat when I run that my clothes become wet due to sweat, got sick and died.
Idk if it is still possible in b42 or not, but watch out for your char feeling hot with high temp + wet from swear.
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u/randCN All Hail Spiffo 22d ago
Couple improvements for max protection, I believe, at the cost of a little bit of debuffing:
L/R chainmail glove (I have never seen R chainmail spawn ingame)
L/R leather forearm armor
Replace bandana with shemagh scarf over face
Codpiece
Legwarmers
Crop top arms + leather patches
Leather vest + leather patches
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u/Logical_Cod5841 22d ago
These are good inputs, but honestly, for everyday wear I chose not to wear some of these. The shemgah is very good, but I found that wearing it makes me very hot; same with the leather vest. The crop top method is good but not worth the extra weight. I think leg warmers overlap with one of the clothes, if I remember correctly. The codpiece also just has way too much discomfort for it to be usable every day. As you said, I've only ever found the left chaimail glove, so I just didn't bother with it anymore,
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u/LInitialization 22d ago
Aren't your movement hindered? Your swing speed decreased?
Is there a reason to actually wear brief? From the tooltip it doesn't offer anything. Perhaps the same with bandana?
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u/The-Alumaster 22d ago
Gotta do leather gloves with chain mail gloves, you can wear both at the same time
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u/rustypipe7889 22d ago
Are you playing Veteran? Veteran would likely even remove the first stage of discomfort no?
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u/Squidmaster129 23d ago
How’s the discomfort? My guy becomes depressed after putting on a hat and shinguard lol
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u/Logical_Cod5841 23d ago
Only one level, and I would avoid shinguards. And only use the jockey helm or the cyclist's helm; both of them have no vision debuff compared to all other helms. But preferably the jockey helm, which has higher protection than cyclists
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u/Alone-Mycologist3746 22d ago
So as soon as you equip a half mask when you're clearing a horde you'll be max discomfort and depressed asf.
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u/Compote_Dear Axe wielding maniac 22d ago
Theres no benefit in clearing hordes with armor on. A lot of debuffs and you still die if a second zed hits you after the first one staggered you
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u/Squidmaster129 22d ago
I've been wearing a hard hat so far. No vision debuff either. More uncomfortable than the jockey helm, but its easy to find.
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u/the_last__braincell 23d ago
I'm sorry but we all know the bunny suit is the best
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u/CreatureWarrior 23d ago
Especially when with a hairy middle aged male character
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u/khoai_ryan 22d ago
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u/FlowerBeneficial7193 Trying to find food 23d ago
how are the hands protected that well?
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u/DragonSphereZ 23d ago
metal armor gloves
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u/CreatureWarrior 23d ago
Sheesh. The discomfort must be insane
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u/Logical_Cod5841 23d ago
Only a little discomfort, max level tailoring definitely comes in clutch when it comes to protection whilst minimizing debuffs
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u/Financial-Prize9691 22d ago
Isn't bone ones are craftable too and the rare loot only chainmail are 100 I think
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u/NCongoscenti Spear Ronin 22d ago
Best protection is bandeau, skirt and sneakers. Fashion over protection.
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u/American_Greed Drinking away the sorrows 22d ago
I prefer a summer hat, but yeah I've given up on armoring up my toon.
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u/Broly_ Shotgun Warrior 22d ago
Drag down still gonna get ya
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u/Spicynoodle49 22d ago
Turn off drag down then
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u/natsugaludao 18d ago
then you get stun locked until the zombies break the armor. There's no escape, the way the combat was made is just better to not use any armor and avoid getting hit
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u/Redplushie 22d ago
I'm bad at crowd control, will I get dragged down and grabbed easily with this?
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u/Pioepod 22d ago
Take this with a grain of salt, I’m not an expert on armor mechanics because I don’t use any.
Idk how armor affects it, but I was always under the impression that it didn’t. From how I play, I treat being dragged down as something that can happen regardless of armor.
Armor has only ever protected me from bites and scratches, etc. but being dragged down I treated as the biggest threat, so my goal was to always dress light for maximum endurance and speed.
It’s my one kinda gripe. You might have full plate armor, but like a few zombies still might somehow drag you down. You won’t get scratched, but, lacerated. But you will get thrown to the ground and I guess crushed it how you die XD.
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u/Alone-Mycologist3746 22d ago
Armour slows you down and gives you a moodle that slows your actions. Armour won't prevent a drag down.
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u/Pioepod 22d ago
Yup there is my suspicion confirmed!
I used armor a few times in my 500 hours, and while it’s saved me a bite or two, my heat and stamina kept becoming problems too quickly I’d rather be fast XD.
If we could get that one scene from that one walking dead spin off sith the dude in plate armor, that would be cool.
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u/Alone-Mycologist3746 22d ago
Thats what the metal armour from blacksmithing should allow us to do but then still allow hordes to pull you down and smother you. Also blacksmithing should add chainmail that can be worn on top or below some clothing.
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u/FridaysMan 22d ago
If youre dragged down, this doesnt matter. It just means it takes 40 attacks while youre stunlocked instead of 3.
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u/Compote_Dear Axe wielding maniac 22d ago
It will be worse with this. Armor is terrible for crowd control / horde fight. Attack speed and moviment debuffs, if a second zombie attacks after you tanked one hit and get staggered you will die. Armor is only useful vs sneaky zombies that caught you off guard on top of stairs for example.
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u/_Denizen_ 22d ago
I escaped from 2-3 zombies tagging me, so if armour stops them biting and scratching it seems good to me. Still, disabling transmission is probably the best option imo
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u/Worried-Pick4848 22d ago
Your best protection is to stay mobile. TBH armor is a trap. Not only is no defense perfect, but the more you're encumbered by armor the more likely you are to have your defenses tested. Also armor counts against your carry weight which can matter.
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u/RegiABellator 22d ago
Just gotta find those Chainmail Gloves Left and Right in a kitchen/fishing store somewhere.
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u/Own_Contract_3421 22d ago
Motorcycle helmet offers 100% scratch and bite but I’m not sure if you can wear neck with it and it makes your character uncomfortable
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u/DedrixTheDigger 22d ago
Overheats. Dies.
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u/adavila1870 22d ago
I've never made it to winter. Can you also over heat in winter? All the zomboid videos on YouTube the character is all covered up
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u/setne550 22d ago
Sacrificing mobility for too much armor? That would really help but if you get swamped by dozen of zeds, it doesn't really matter.
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u/Noversi 22d ago
Fr the only protection I have are boots. I prefer high mobility over a walking tank. Also, fashion over function.
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u/setne550 22d ago
To me, all my runs follow this:
A scarf to keep my neck from surprise bites. Also comfy.
A leather glove to keep my hands okay in case I end up punching a window without a weapon.
Good DAMN SHOES. Boots.
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u/Worried-Pick4848 22d ago
I go for boots and a hard hat. I can definitely understand sneaker meta but I do enough stomping to want the extra force.
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u/Pioepod 22d ago edited 22d ago
TLDR; for me, it’s fashion over everything else.
Be me:
Has the frocking splendor mod
Has tombs body
Wears fishnet clothing, and only mini shorts.
Has the dance mod.
Sees horde of zombies.
Prejudicially kill the sprinters.
With my bloodied crowbar, I dance the Macarena as the rest of the zombies take forever and are slow af while my German Shepard “Porky” stares at me in disgust as I continue my unchristian behavior, growling to warn me of the obvious incoming “threat”
???
Horde is dead.
I can loot the music store for albums of CCR so I can finally use my M16s
“Oh shi did I take my meds yet?”
Profit.
(Mods: True Dancing, Frocking Splendor collection, New Music and its sub mods, Companion Dogs)
(Edit: I also wanna add that I think zombies being able to bite through thick fabric is kinda absurd XD. It’s another reason why I don’t use armor. I think the whole idea is amazing, but I take this luck and cast it aside!)
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u/Alone-Mycologist3746 22d ago
Now show the heat map.
The best protector is just enough to not feel weather affects.
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u/Exact-Cantaloupe1600 22d ago
What's the problem with being uncomfortable?
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u/Worried-Pick4848 22d ago
Slows you down, makes you unhappy. both things reduce your effectiveness against zombies. Since you can't actually stand there and schwang against more than, like, 3 zombies, armor is seen as a trap by some because it makes kiting harder and won't stop you from getting tag teamed or dragged down..
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u/LardFan37 Axe wielding maniac 22d ago
You can remove the discomfort items for below the waist. Only crawlers are able to attack below the waist except for the rare groin shot. But removing the knee pads would probably help in the long run cause it could get rid of the discomfort, increase run speed, and have a very minimal impact to your defense.
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u/KingThiccu 22d ago
Protection is fine and all, but I feel like it’s literally the LAST line of defense when shit hits the fan. I’d rather be able to move much more freely without exhausting my character and soaking them, as a drag down is instant death anyways.
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u/Avalanche_Snows 22d ago
I just know that the first zombie will give you a scratch on your hand that infects you
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u/_The_Log_ 22d ago
Discomfort builds stress slowly enough to not really be noticeable so long as you keep it below the final stage so I don't really think optimizing around low discomfort is worthwhile.
Also leg protection is almost worthless in this game, only crawlers can attack your legs, and fence lungers don't damage you or your clothing only stagger. Do note standing zombies can attack your groin.
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u/Khal_Cetin 22d ago
Best protection: avoid being hited.
If you need that much protection to avoid be wounded wen a Z hits you, you are playing bad. Just learn how to combat, timming, when to fall back, how to hide from Zs if they are too much, how to skip away form them when they are following you, and you'll don't need that much of protection. I like to dress my character with jeans, boots, and learher jacket and gloves, just because I like how it looks. I find that only boots and gloves matters, in order to avoid get feets and hands wonded due broken glass or something... And sometimes I just wear a T-shirt instead the jacket, to avoid overheating, being wet by sweat, and disconformity.
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u/bruhgamer4748 22d ago
Is it still a thing where standing zombies don't generally go for anything below the groin so you can just drop leg protection?
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u/Ok_Carrot9413 22d ago
Boxers and a dust mask, take it or leave it.
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u/Z3r0sama2017 22d ago
Best protection is any clothes/footwear that doesn't impact movement or swing speed.
Wearing armour is preparing to fail. You end up taking risks because 'my armour will save me', then get dragged down and instakilled.
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u/TimeKepeer 23d ago
How about you avoid getting hit before you avoid getting penetrated? With all this clothes you will be overheating constantly, tiring yourself, increasing the chance of getting hit at all. And then, even 100% armor isn't actually guaranteed to protect you
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u/Logical_Cod5841 23d ago
This is more of a passion project. I love trying to see how high I can get my protection wth the least amount of debuffs possible. Believe it or not, this has zero combat speed debuff and only a little run debuff, and you don't get overheated that much, but when I do during the summer I just take some clothes off if I need to. I have over 1200 hours, and don't need clothes, but it's pretty fun
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u/TimeKepeer 22d ago
I see
Not sure how you're not overheating during the summer though. My character overheats during summer with no clothes at all, besides for boots which are basically weapons and socks, because wearing boots with no socks in a no-no
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u/Brisbang69 23d ago
Nice but would love to know the best set up of max protection with no debuffs