Project Zomboid is a hardcore survival RPG with a wide range of different survival and health mechanics. One of the features has existed in the game since being added in Build 27 in 2015, is the trapping mechanic. What this does is allow you to build traps in order to catch small animals in the game.
In this article, we will go over some of the features of trapping and shop you how to actually use trapping in Project Zomboid, how to raise the trapping skill and include some helpful tips in regard to trapping in Build 41 and onward. I’ve added a helpful table of contents which will allow you to just straight to the section of the page that’s relevant to you.
Contents:
Crafting Your Own Traps
One thing you’ll have to do before placing down traps is actually create them! To begin with, you character will not be able to craft any of the 5 traps available in the game. Fear not! These traps can be learnt after you’ve made your character through magazines! If you don’t want to go through the effort of finding these magazine to trap, there are a few character customization options you can make in order to trap right from the beginning. The profession Park Ranger starts the game knowing how to make all 5 trapping recipes. There are also two different traits you can take to get you a head-start on your trapping career. These are;
- Hiker: You start the game with an extra skill point in the Trapping skill. You will also know the crafting recipes for the Wooden Crate Trap, the Snare Trap and the Stick Trap.
- Hunter: With the hunter trait you will start with an extra point in Trapping and also know how to make every trap in the game.
If you plan on living out in the wilderness in Project Zomboid it is important to at least grab one of these as they will make foraging for food through Foraging and also Trapping a lot easier. If you have started the game without these, you can look for the magazine series called The Hunter Magazine. There are three magazines in this series and by reading them you will unlock the ability to craft traps. The crafting recipes you can unlock through these magazines are as follows:
| Magazine | Recipe Learnt |
| The Hunter Magazine Vol.1 | Snare Trap |
| The Hunter Magazine Vol.2 | Stick Trap, Trap Crate |
| The Hunter Magazine Vol.3 | Trap Box, Cage Trap |
You can find these randomly anywhere you can find books in Project Zomboid. For example, at book shops, in bookcases in houses and in the magazine racks at gas stations.
How to Trap in Project Zomboid
Trapping is a relatively straightforward mechanic in Project Zomboid. Once you have one of the traps in the game acquired through either looting or crafting, you can use it to catch animals. There are a variety of traps you can get in Project Zomboid as I will go through below. Once you have acquired one of these traps all you need to do is Right-click an area on the ground which can be used to place a trap. Through the action menu you will see another Drop-down menu titled Place Trap. Hover over this and you will see a list of all the traps you character has. Select one of these and you can choose to place the trap wherever you wish.
You are able to place traps from your character’s actual inventory, or any traps that are located in a bag or backpack as well. Now that you have a trap on the ground, all you have to do is add some food as bait and wait until the trap has caught an animal!
Adding Bait to a Trap
Once you have placed a trap down on the ground, you will have to add bait to the trap in order to catch anything! You can use any type of food to catch animals in traps. There are certain types of foods that will attract different animals. I will go over this in the Animals caught in Traps section.
To add bait to a trap just make sure you have some food in your inventory. Note that you cannot add spoiled food to an animal trap. Place your trap down on the ground using the instructions above. Now, right-click the trap and mouse-over the option Add Bait. This will open up a drop-down menu where you can select a food to add to the trap. Select a food and your character will move to the trap and add the bait.
What Animals Can You Catch With Trapping?
I will keep this short and sweet. There are 5 different types of animals that you can catch through trapping int he current version of Project Zomboid. (Build 41) I will make a list of these 5 animals below in a table and what you can get from them. Apart from the information below, be advised that the Rabbit and Squirrel have a special condition to catching them. They can only be caught at a certain point during the day.
| Animal | Trap | Bait | Time of Day | Yield |
| Rabbit | All except Mouse Trap | Grown Vegetables and most Fruits | Between 1900 – 0500 | Rabbit Meat |
| Squirrel | All except Mouse Trap | Cereals, Nuts, Fruits and Vegetables | Between 1900 – 0500 | Small Animal Meat |
| Rat | Mouse Trap | Cheese, snacks and most fruits | Any Time | Small Animal Meat |
| Small Bird | Stick Trap | Bread items and insects found through foraging | Any Time | Small Bird Meat |
| Mouse | Mouse Trap | Cheese, snacks and most fruits | Any Time | Small Animal Meat |
This table should give you all of the specific information you need on how to trap animals and what you can actually get with them. For a more detailed look on trapping specific animals you can check out the Trapping page on the Project Zomboid wiki.
Raising Your Trapping Skill
There isn’t any really great way to raise your trapping skill apart from just doing it. You character will earn experience whenever they craft traps. They will also gain experience in the trapping skill whenever they manage to catch an animal in these traps and take them out. Simply placing the trap down does not give any experience in the trapping skill as of Build 41.
Just like the other skills you can boost the rate at which you gain experience in trapping by reading the skill multiplier books. These follow the same naming conventions as the other skills such as, Trapping For Beginners or Master Trapping. You can find these randomly in any place you would find books.