One of the most excellent features of Project Zomboid is the possibility of choosing an occupation.
Of course, your profession in the game is not just for show, as it creates values that can profoundly affect your gaming experience.
Recommended Read: How to Open a Gun Case in Project Zomboid
So, what are the best occupations in Project Zomboid? This article will help you get a better understanding!
In Project Zomboid, there are many occupations to choose from, and each of them has a unique set of skills and benefits. Some of the best occupations in the game are Burglar, Repairman, Police Officer, Park Ranger, Lumberjack, and Carpenter.
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What Are The Best Occupations in Project Zomboid?
In Project Zomboid, choosing a suitable occupation is critical, as it can make the most out of your survival experience.
The game has 22 occupations, including 21 normal occupations and the Unemployed title. However, not all jobs are created equal in the post-apocalyptic world. So it’s advisable to choose the profession wisely.
Keep in mind that the term “The Best Occupations” is relative and subjective. That means it strongly depends on various factors, including your previous experience, character-built tendency, and the style you’re willing to play.
There’s also an “Unemployed” option that gives you no specific skill but eight starting points. It means a lot with trait decisions.
Not to mention that there isn’t a massive difference between occupations in the game if you survive long enough. With the right books and enough time, you can do anything. But the right profession will give you a boost at the start.
The “Occupation” screen is available after selecting your spawn location, whether it’s your first time or after you died previously.
Our picks for the best occupations in Project Zomboid are Burglar, Repairman, Police Officer, Park Ranger, Lumberjack, and Carpenter. Now, let’s see what each of them offers!
1. Burglar
If your play style is to sneak around or avoid interacting with zombies directly, this occupation is perfect for you!
The Burglar Occupation adds 2 lightfooted, 2 nimble, and 2 sneaking skills. Choosing this profession in the early game earns you some advantages.
The sneaking and lightfooted skills also allow you to move quickly and quietly, making it easier to sneak past zombies and scavenge for supplies undetected.
To sneak, press and hold “C“.
Moreover, this profession offers a lower chance of breaking locked windows. In other words, you can still open the windows without breaking them, even if they’re locked.
The best thing that the Burglar profession provides is the ability to hotwire vehicles.
Assessing the car without a key is a big obstacle, and finding the key has never been easy.
The burglar allows you to begin the game with hotwiring, allowing you to drive a car without a key. Although getting the vehicle in the early game isn’t entirely necessary, exploring around and past the zombies is still useful.
To hotwire a car in Project Zomboid, ensure you have the screwdriver, enter the driver seat, press “V”, select the “Hotwire Engine” option, and wait until the process is done.
2. Repairman
The Repairman in Project Zomboid is one of the game’s most valuable and versatile occupations, with many advantages that make it stand out.
Repairman gives you 1 carpentry skill, 2 maintenance skills, and 1 short blunt skill. Additionally, this occupation provides a denim shirt, which may make you more remarkable, and a chance to start in a good base when you choose Riverside as your first spawn location.
Two levels of maintenance skill, which are expensive to acquire otherwise, will make your weapons last longer, and this matters a lot if you plan to use Spears or any Long Blades you manage to find.
If your goal is to become a master carpenter, it’s good to start with the Repairman. The given carpentry skill allows you to craft some stuff or construct your furniture. Besides, it helps a lot in repairing weapons, as long as you get the necessary items.
A point of short blunt skill increases attack speed, damage, and critical chance when using short blunt weapons, such as the hammer, knife, wrench, or nightstick.
3. Police Officer
Although guns aren’t perfect because of how noisy they are, if you insist on using them, then there’s no profession better than the Police Officer.
This profession pays very well: 3 levels of aiming skill, 1 level of nimble skill, and 2 levels of reloading skill.
Furthermore, choosing the Police Officer includes the police T-shirt and police pants, which provide water resistance and insulation.
Plus, you’ll spawn in a police station or gated community if you choose Riverside, Rose Wood, or West Point as your location. These places offer a variety of items in the early game, thus increasing your chance of survival.
Aiming and reloading skills are required to use the guns effectively. Fortunately, this occupation offers all of them.
In addition, a point of nimble skill allows you to move faster in combat. This combination is perfect for a hit-and-run strategy.
4. Park Ranger
If you are a player who enjoys nomadic gameplay, only stays in one place for a short time, and likes to scavenge resources, then this occupation is the best fit for you.
The Park Ranger provides 1 point for each axe and carpentry skill and 2 for foraging and trapping skills.
Besides, you’ll get a house near the forest if Muldraugh, Rosewood, or West Point is your starting location. Despite living far away from towns, hiding in an isolated area can get rid of any combat and provide a better opportunity to forage for items.
An axe skill increases attack speed, damage, and critical chance while using axe weapons.
Park Ranger has the highest foraging bonus in the game. If stacked with other foraging-boosting traits, you can achieve a maximum range of 15 visions for foraging, even in poor weather.
Just like the Repairman, a point of carpentry skill allows you to craft or dismantle furniture for looting easier and sooner.
On the other hand, trapping and foraging skills are indispensable when living in forests. The foraging skill increases the radius (in Search Mode), item detection speed, and a chance to find more items.
The trapping skill, in addition, provides a higher chance to catch animals, as well as the ability to make new traps.
5. Lumberjack
Many Project Zomboid players choose the Lumberjack occupation and consider it the best profession in the game, and surely there must be a reason behind such a statement. Why lumberjack?
First, the Lumberjack has a unique combat ability and no wasted skill points. As we all know, the axe is one of the highest-damage weapons in the game that you can actually find.
Choosing the Lumberjack occupation grants you the “Axe Man” traits, allowing you to swing the axe 25% faster. Killing multiple zombies or chopping down trees is no longer a big deal, thanks to it. Ultimately, because of “Axe Man”, the Lumberjack is the best combat character out there.
Two points of axe skill and a point of strength allow you to carry more weight, kill faster, and tire less from fighting. Besides, you deal 50% bonus damage to trees and move at ~59% speed while walking through forests.
Finally, choosing the Lumberjack also costs you no points. Thus, it’s customizable for picking traits.
6. Carpenter
Carpenter is an excellent occupation for those who want to reinforce and overhaul their fortresses!
Although the Carpenter may not provide many benefits in the long run, it is still one of the best professions for defense and fortifying your home in the game’s early stages.
It’s pretty straightforward to level up the carpentry skill, but receiving 3 levels boosts you a little more.
You can build an entire base out of renewable materials and construct stairs to higher levels (No other skills allow it but the Carpenter). In other words, the Carpenter means a lot in boarding your house.
Not to mention that the Carpenter allows you to craft the rain collector barrels earlier, which play a vital role when the power shuts off.
Metalworking can be used to fortify buildings better, but it is generally much harder to grind and use than carpentry and provides fewer options. Carpentry is robust, easy to use, and solves many problems outright.
Those are the best occupations in Project Zomboid!
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