Project Zomboid Skill XP Calculator

Project Zomboid skills follow a pair of fixed XP curves: regular skills (Carpentry, Cooking, Aiming, etc.) go [75, 150, 300, 750, 1500, 3000, 4500, 6000, 7500, 9000] XP per level, and passive skills (Strength, Fitness) go much higher — [1500, 3000, 6000, 9000, 18000, 30000, 60000, 90000, 120000, 150000]. Build 42 added new crafting and husbandry skills on the regular curve: Knapping, Masonry, Pottery, Blacksmithing, Welding, Glassmaking, Carving, Agriculture (renamed from Farming), Animal Care, Butchering, Tracking.

This calculator shows the XP remaining to any target level, the total XP your character needs from level 0 to level 10, and applies XP multipliers from traits (Fast Learner +30% ALL skills, Slow Learner -30%) and from skill books (each book tier boosts its skill's XP multiplier by fixed amounts: Beginner 2×, Intermediate 3×, Advanced 4×, Expert 5×, Master 6× — stacked only for that book's skill).

Activity XP — where the wiki confirms exact values — is listed per skill: chopping a log gives Carpentry 0.75 XP, a small fish catch is 3 Fishing XP, push-ups give 6 Strength XP per rep. Use these to estimate how many actions to reach your next level. For skills where XP scales with target (combat XP depends on damage dealt; Aiming XP depends on shot accuracy), the activity list stays short — estimating per-kill XP is unreliable.

Combine this with the Build Planner on this site: pick your build (which locks in your occupation's starting skill levels), then use this calculator to plan how long it'll take to cap out Carpentry 10 on your new survivor. At level 5, skill gain penalties kick in for Aiming/Reloading (the fabled level 5 wall). Fast Learner + the matching skill book is the efficient path.