Project Zomboid Trapping: How to trap animals
The Project Zomboid trapping skill is a helpful way to secure food from small animals, and will help you survive the apocalypse longer, so here's our rundown of how it works.
The Project Zomboid Trapping skill can be a vital method for securing food, as it lets you build traps which will catch small animals like mice and squirrels, so you can eat them and keep surviving through the apocalypse.
Project Zomboid is a survival horror RPG that can be brutal at times due to its hardcore gameplay. The aim of the game is to survive the zombie hordes as long as you can, and the Trapping skill is a great way of covering your hunger.
So, if you need a breakdown of the Project Zomboid Trapping skill, along with how to trap animals, we've got you covered.
- Don't forget our guide on Project Zomboid foraging.
Project Zomboid Trapping: What is the Trapping skill?
In Project Zomboid, Trapping is a survivalist skill, and it essentially allows you to craft a series of traps which can be used to ensnare animals for food.
The higher your Trapping skill is, the better your chance of catching animals in the traps are, and you also gain the ability to make new traps. The skill is also primarily levelled through retrieving animals caught in the traps, though you can get some Trapping experience from the Life and Living TV channel, VHS tapes, and skill books.
When starting the game, if you choose the Park Ranger occupation, you gain an extra +2 Trapping from the start, and automatically know the trap recipes. Picking The Hiker and Hunter traits also earn you +1 Trapping, and some different trap recipes.
There are currently only five animals which you can catch and eat from traps, which are: mice, rabbits, rats, small birds, and squirrels. You can catch these with varying traps you gain recipes for after levelling up, but how exactly do you make and use a trap?
- We also have a rundown of Project Zomboid farming.
Project Zomboid Trapping: How to make and use a trap
So, obviously before using a trap, you need to find or make one. The first trap available is the mouse trap, which cannot be crafted, but is found around the map.
There are five other types of trap which can be crafted. The trap crate and stick trap are unlocked automatically, the snare trap can be crafted with +1 Trapping, the trap box with +2 Trapping and +1 Carpentry, and finally the Cage trap with +3 Trapping.
Making a trap requires you to find the specific ingredients that the recipe requires, and having it all available in your inventory. From there, right-click one of the ingredients and select the desired trap from the radial menu. After you've made your trap, right-click a ground tile where you wish to place it, and select the Place Trap option from the radial menu.
There's still more to do from here though, as the trap will need bait to attract any animals toward it. This is as simple as placing the trap, so just right-click the trap and select the option to Add Bait. You can use any food that's not rotten inside a trap, but certain foods will work better at attracting certain animals.
You'll also need to wander away from the traps for a while and let them catch the animals, as standing with them in view will not allow them to work.
That's our rundown of the Project Zomboid Trapping skill, and now you should be able to successfully place traps to catch animals - helping you survive the hordes for a little longer.
Lastly, here's our rundown of Project Zomboid tips.
About The Author
Tarran Stockton
Tarran is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon. He previously wrote reviews for his college newspaper before studying Media and Communication at university. His favourite genres include role-playing games, strategy games, and boomer shooters - along with anything indie. You can also find him in the pit at local hardcore shows.
