Make Loot More (or Less) Common
Project ZomboidGuideLoot rarity is ten dropdowns on your dashboard, one per item category, each running from None to Abundant. Changing them is safe: nothing is deleted, and everything your players already found stays in their hands. One rule to know: new rarity shows up in places nobody has explored yet. Areas your gr
The ten loot categories
Each of these is its own dropdown, so you can make ammo rare while food stays plentiful:
Food, Canned Food, Melee Weapons, Ranged Weapons, Ammunition, Medical Supplies, Survival Gear, Mechanics, Literature, Other Loot
Food covers fresh food that can spoil; Canned Food covers canned and dried goods and drinks; Ranged Weapons includes weapon attachments; Other Loot is everything that does not fit the rest.
Every category uses the same scale:
Option | What it means |
|---|---|
None | The category does not spawn at all |
Insanely Rare | Nearly nothing |
Extremely Rare | Scraps |
Rare | Scarcity is the challenge |
Normal | The standard game balance |
Common | Comfortable |
Abundant | Shelves are stocked |
Open your server's settings and find the loot dropdowns.
Set each category to taste.
Save, then restart the server.
Why the mall you already looted is still empty
The game rolls loot for a building the first time a player gets there. That roll is baked into your save, so changing rarity afterward does not re-roll explored places. Your new settings apply everywhere your group has not been yet, and the map is huge, so in practice: loot up, then push into fresh neighborhoods.
Want loot to come back over time?
Loot respawn is off by default and separate from rarity. It can be turned on through the Sandbox Overrides box at the bottom of your settings, one line per setting, for example:
HoursForLootRespawn = 168That respawns loot in town containers every 168 in-game hours, in containers that have been looted at least once. Buildings your players barricaded or built in are left alone by default. The override syntax is covered in "Project Zomboid: Change Any Sandbox Setting"; message us if you want a full respawn recipe for your playstyle.
Things that will NOT fix it
Restarting again and again. Restarts apply your settings; they do not re-roll loot in explored buildings.
Setting everything to Abundant to refill looted areas. Same rule: explored places keep their contents. Head somewhere new.
Restarting without saving. Settings apply on restart, but only after you hit Save.
Every sandbox setting from the dashboard, including Sandbox Overrides: see "Project Zomboid: Change Any Sandbox Setting".
Fewer working cars is its own set of settings: see "Project Zomboid: Tune Vehicle Spawns, Condition, and Gas".
