Configure Infection and Mortality Settings

Project Zomboid has two separate infection systems: the Knox Infection (zombie virus) and regular wound infection. Understanding the difference is critical for configuring your server correctly.

Knox Infection vs. Wound Infection

📝 Note: Setting Transmission = 4 (None) disables the zombie virus but does not disable wound infection. Players can still get infected wounds from dirty bandages or unsterilized injuries — those are treated with antibiotics and clean bandages.

Transmission Settings

Edit Zomboid/Server/[servername]_SandboxVars.lua:

ZombieLore = {
    Transmission = 1,
    Mortality = 5,
    Reanimate = 3,
},

Infection Chances (Blood + Saliva mode)

Mortality Settings

Controls how long infected players survive.

Use InfectionMortalityDuration to set a custom duration in hours (overrides the Mortality value when set to anything other than -1).

Reanimation Settings

Controls how fast dead players become zombies. The dead character becomes a zombie NPC that other players can encounter.

📝 Note: There is no setting to completely disable reanimation on its own. To prevent player reanimation, set Transmission = 4 (None) so players never get the Knox Infection in the first place.

Common Configurations

Default (Unforgiving)

ZombieLore = {
    Transmission = 1,
    Mortality = 5,
    Reanimate = 3,
},

Standard experience. Bites are a death sentence. Scratches and lacerations have a chance of infection. Death in 2–3 days.

Bite Only

ZombieLore = {
    Transmission = 2,
    Mortality = 5,
    Reanimate = 3,
},

Only bites infect. Scratches and lacerations are just wounds to treat. More forgiving but bites are still fatal.

No Zombie Infection

ZombieLore = {
    Transmission = 4,
    Mortality = 7,
},

Zombie virus is completely disabled. Players can still die from blood loss, regular wound infections, starvation, and other injuries — just not from the Knox Infection.

Walking Dead Mode

ZombieLore = {
    Transmission = 3,
    Mortality = 5,
    Reanimate = 1,
},

Everyone carries the virus. Any death — from falls, gunshots, starvation, or zombie bites — causes the player's corpse to reanimate as a zombie.

Quick Death on Infection

ZombieLore = {
    Transmission = 1,
    Mortality = 1,
    Reanimate = 1,
},

Infection kills instantly. No lingering sickness — bitten and dead immediately.

Slow Infection (Long Goodbye)

ZombieLore = {
    Transmission = 1,
    Mortality = 6,
    Reanimate = 6,
},

Infected players survive 1–2 weeks. They can continue playing, prepare their belongings, and say goodbye before eventually dying.

Infected but Immortal

ZombieLore = {
    Transmission = 1,
    Mortality = 7,
},

Players can get infected but never die from it. The queasy/anxious moodles appear but the virus never kills. Useful for roleplay servers.

How to Tell If You're Infected

Players progress through these stages after Knox Infection:

1. Queasy — early symptom, could be food poisoning or infection
2. Anxious — growing unease, more likely to be infected
3. Nauseous — definite infection indicator
4. Fever — infection is progressing
5. Death — based on Mortality setting timeline

There is no in-game test to confirm Knox Infection early. Players must wait and observe symptoms. The uncertainty is part of the gameplay — a scratch might kill you, or it might be nothing.

Related Guides

See also: Zombie Settings | Sandbox Settings | PVP Settings

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