Do Zombie Scratches Infect You in Project Zomboid?

If you‘ve played Project Zomboid for any length of time, you likely know the sight of that dreaded red scratch moodle popping up. Especially early on, a single unlucky scratch can end a promising survivor run.

So do zombie scratches infect you? Yes – zombie scratches, along with lacerations and bites, carry a risk of infecting your character with the lethal Knox infection. But there are ways to reduce your risk, properly treat injuries, and increase your odds of surviving by understanding how scratches work.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll cover everything you need to know as a Project Zomboid player about zombie scratches and infection, including:

• Infection and mortality rates
• Symptoms and progression
• Prevention and treatment
• Recommended sandbox settings
• Early infection identification
• Ideal medical supply loadouts

Infection Rate Statistics

All zombie attacks carry a risk of transmitting the lethal Knox infection. Here are the statistical infection rates:

Based on these odds from hundreds of hours played, I strongly advise avoiding direct zombie combat when viable. Use doors to your advantage instead. If confronted, push them back with long weapons rather than close quarters swinging. Each injurious attack brings considerable risk!

Note: Human/animal scratches cannot cause zombie infection – only direct zombie attacks.

Infection Progression

Once infected, the Knox infection progresses in predictable stages:

Stage 1 – Minor flu-like symptoms

• Queasy, feverish and nauseous moodles
• Duration: ~12-16 hours

Stage 2 – Debilitating symptoms intensify

• Intense sickness, headaches and anxiety
• Blurred vision, auditory hallucinations
• Duration: ~12 hours

Stage 3 – "Calm before the storm"

• Symptoms briefly stabilize
• Duration: Up to 8 hours

Stage 4 – Turning

• Pain, confusion and intermittent loss of control
• Duration: ~2-4 hours
• Ends in death and zombification

Total duration: Approximately 1-2 days from initial scratch to death

Knowing these benchmarks helps identify possible infection from an injury sooner. I advise frequently checking your health menu and watching moodles closely after any zombie wound. Time is critical to get affairs in order!

Preventing Scratches

While luck plays a role, you can proactively reduce scratch risk:

• Use long weapons – Spears, long blunts and ranged weapons create distance.
• Avoid direct combat when able – Use doors, sneak or run away instead.
• Armor limb coverage – Jackets, hoodies and gloves help protect extremities.
• Lightfooted trait – Reduces sound made, helping avoid detection.

Following these tips, I‘ve had playthroughs with only 1-2 lifetime scratches after hundreds of zombie kills! Prevention is critical for surviving infection exposure.

Treating Scratches

If you do receive a scratch, quickly clean and dress the wound to mitigate further risk:

1. Clean wound ASAP – Use disinfectant like alcohol wipes, brandy or strong whiskey. Reduces normal infection chance.
2. Bandage – Covering wounds improves healing rate and prevents bleeding trauma.
3. Check temperature – Monitor for fever (38C+) indicating possible Knox infection.
4. Inspect moodles – Watch for queasy, nauseous, anxious and other early symptoms.
5. Quarantine if concerned – Isolate yourself away from fellow survivors if signs emerge.

Repeating wound cleaning routines accelerates healing, but costs valuable medical supplies. Balance rates appropriately.

Note: Cleaning/bandaging prevents only normal infections – it cannot stop Knox infection if you already contracted it from the scratch! Only prevents fever, sickness from the wound itself.

Recommended Sandbox Settings

If finding and treating supplies proves overly burdensome, consider tweaking these sandbox settings:

Zombie lore – Infection mortality:

• Never – Cannot die from zombie infection.
• Random – % chance to die based on transmission rate for each injury.

This allows tuning infection consequence to your preferred survival challenge level!

Loot rarity > Medical:

• Make disinfectants, bandages and medication more abundant to reduce treatment friction.

Key Medical Supplies to Stock

Regardless of sandbox settings, keep ample medical supplies:

• Bandages – Critical for stopping bleeding trauma from cuts.
• Disinfectant – Wound cleaning to prevent routine infection.
• Tweezers – Removing glass/shells preventing wounds healing.
• Thermometer – Monitoring infection temperature spikes.
• Medical tape – Improvised bandage crafting.

I recommend at minimum:

• 30 bandages
• 20 disinfectant charges
• 5 tweezers
• 3 thermometers

This loadout limits needing to loot medical areas while allowing flexibility treating multiple survivors‘ wounds.

Identifying Early Infection

Carefully monitor physical wellbeing and moodle changes after zombie wounds:

Queasy – Early gastrointestinal distress indicator.
Feverish – High temp (38C+) signifies likely infection.
Nauseous – Retching and vomiting point to advancing infection.
Anxious – Creeping dread sensation marks mid-stage progression.

Rapidly declining moodles after 1-2 days likely indicate lethal Knox pathogen incubation. Isolate yourself when these emerge to avoid harming others when you turn.

While a morbid reality in the Project Zomboid apocalypse, understanding infection mechanics helps sensibly evaluate risks – and hopefully survive just a bit longer next time.

Stay vigilant out there survivors! Let me know in the comments your own closest shaves. This is MalC signing off for now.