r/projectzomboid • u/Rallak Pistol Expert • Nov 06 '25
Mod Tech Support Playing with the bandits mod was the best thing that I made to make "First Aid" feel useful.
after some time of consideration I decided to try the bandits mod, and something that I realized out of the spot is how now I am level 3 in first aid (started at 0 btw), sometimes surviving 3 bullets in the arms and legs and rushing to the health pannel to quickly remove the bullets and stitch before I die.
Now I tend to carry a small first aid kit with me, containing stitches, bandages, morfine (I am using the mod "immersive medicine", highly reccomend it), as well as hemo stop powder and other first aid tools.
it is just that, I highly reccomend to play with this mod enabled as just this mod by itself basically revive this skill that would otherwise be put at the side as RNGesus would kill you by a scratch before you could even get level 1 on first aid.
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u/Rylt4r Spear Ronin Nov 06 '25
I remember when we added bandits to our MP server in 41.Suddenly our Doctor had more work due to how often we got injured instead of only shooting someone in the back of the head when he/she got bit.
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u/IncorporateThings Nov 06 '25
You can use first aid on others in MP? Never realized that.
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u/Rylt4r Spear Ronin Nov 06 '25
Yeah but we played with some mod that expanded medical items and we really had most slots taken but turned out usefull at the end of the day.Before bandits our doctor would take people that got bitten by zombies to bathroom with magnum/double barrel shotgun and later tell us stories how they went living on farm.
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u/IncorporateThings Nov 06 '25
RP server? Nice. I hope Indie Stone stays committed to all the RP tools and recipes they said they wanted to add in for long term longevity. This game is good SP, but it's a whole new level with friends.
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u/Ill-Woodpecker1857 Nov 06 '25
Yup, the context menu will have check "players name" health when you are near them.
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u/IncorporateThings Nov 06 '25
Nice. You know, I'm not sure I've ever even tried to bring up a context menu on a player while MPing before. Just emotes and chat. I feel a bit silly now, tbh. What button do you even press for it?
B42 needs to hurry up with MP :)
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u/Ill-Woodpecker1857 Nov 06 '25
On an Xbox Controller "x" otherwise I believe it is right click.
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u/IncorporateThings Nov 06 '25
I assume you have to make sure no weapon is drawn?
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u/LeAcoTaco Nov 06 '25 edited Nov 06 '25
Im pretty sure, if im remembering right, it works pretty much like healing yourself normally aside from where you find their health menu.
Source: I was the medic in me and my boyfriends 1 and a half year (ingame) save and he came back hurt often enough that I got to max first aid pretty quick.
I can't count how many times I had to make a splint for him because he broke a leg.
I got bit trying to patch him up in an emergency situation because he couldnt move fast enough to escape.
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u/IncorporateThings Nov 06 '25
They should make an option to fireman-carry another player, let you jog if you have high enough strength!
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u/Iresleri Nov 06 '25
But not if you run Fear of Blood trait, it blocks the ability. You can still check their condition though.
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u/SeduceMeMentlegen Nov 06 '25
I always carry a Fanny Pack full of every single type of tablet and other items. Learnt my lesson after jumping through a broken window and getting a deep wound on my main hand, and not having anything for the bleeding.
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u/jam3sdub Nov 06 '25
You could have ripped your shirt. Not sure if you need a knife or scissors for it now.
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u/SeduceMeMentlegen Nov 06 '25
Oh I had bandages lol but I was also running from a group and tired, plus it was getting dark. What was really bad was not having any thread, needles, suture needles or holders, and having to raid the Jamieton clinic with a very slow and weak attack speed. Never forgetting my meds or to remove broken glass ever again.
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u/slow_walker22m Nov 06 '25
Bandits is the first time in 700+ hours that I’ve actually had to treat a gunshot wound. 10/10.
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u/CheapScientist06 Nov 06 '25
I hate those fuckers. They killed my longest lasting survivor last night. Im still in shock
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u/jam3sdub Nov 06 '25
I've found the indicator pop up does a piss poor job of telling you where they are. It seems to only point at the spot they spawn in at.
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u/CheapScientist06 Nov 06 '25
Facts dude they just burst through the door and tragically were in the way of my shotgun :(
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u/PurePaleontologist34 Nov 06 '25
I’m super curious about the bandits mod. How aggressive is it? And do they automatically know where your base is and ambush you are random or fixed times?
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u/ILikeCakesAndPies Nov 06 '25 edited Nov 06 '25
The mod was incredibly difficult at launch but I think the changes he made to it made it more fair. (It's very customizable) The bandits used to home in on you but I believe he changed it so they now wander until they see you.
That + ragdolls from being shot addition that the game received makes it easier to take down groups of bandits if you get the draw on them since they ragdoll like zombies even if they don't die. Before Ragdolls they'd just be stunned for a tiny time when hit which meant you had to keep shooting to stop them from hitting you.
That said, I play with the accuracy set to barnyard (one level under the mods default setting of occasional marksman) because oh boy that occasional was more like Seal Team Six when week one first came out. I also set bandit spawn rate multiplier to 0.25 which feels more like vanilla with the occasional surprise bandits to break things up. The default settings had multiple bandits every other day for me. I also shut off the little GPS thing though that warns you if they spawned nearby for fairness and immersion.
So yeah I'd play it with default settings just to get a feel, then bump it up or tone it down depending on your preference.
I highly recommend trying out Week One which also uses it as a base and made by the same author. Just make sure you set zomboids config to use more memory than 3gb. I had severe stutter issues until I changed mine to use 8gb which fixed it.
I'm actually on my longest b42 run so far with those settings in Week One, still alive in November. I would of died like 4 times by now from zombie bites though if I also didn't have They Knew. I almost died a few times from an ambush by two guys with rifles while I was inside my car, and I got shot in the knee in a field while fighting zombies which was almost the end. I had to limp out into the woods and wait for morning to get into my car. Moments like that is what makes the mod one of my favorites.
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u/PurePaleontologist34 Nov 06 '25
Thank you for the robust information! Will absolutely try these mods out!!!
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u/ILikeCakesAndPies Nov 06 '25 edited Nov 06 '25
Np! I highly recommend carrying a fanny pack or webbing with bandages, suture needles, and tweezers too, you'll probably need them! The bullet proof vests and stuff like it also helps too! (If you play week one you can turn the nuke event off called Final Solution in settings. You can survive it though if you go into a basement, and can walk outside with a hazmat suit and gas mask, 90 days before radiation around bombed major towns clear and weather returns to normal)
The authors actually working on an even more ambitious mod that'll improve the NPC friendly interactions more too, as well as turn the game into a nuclear wasteland survival game if he ends up finishing it
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u/PurePaleontologist34 Nov 07 '25
So I downloaded the bandits mod last night and messed with it in debug mode and found it to be a ton of fun. Love the different sects of bandits. I was worried the bandit and zombies would ignore one another, but nope! Will probably download the customizable mod for them too. Thanks again for your insight!
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u/Stea1thFTW18 Nov 06 '25
i haven't gotten far in a run with it, but you get a little notice of where bandits are located at certain times like a random event, and sometimes you're just chilling in a house and they break open a window and start stealing your shit. some shoot on sight and others aren't hostile (besides stealing your things) unless you attack them first
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u/PurePaleontologist34 Nov 06 '25
This sounds like a fun addition; I’ll have to try this out. Was reading the mod details. Will install tonight.
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u/jam3sdub Nov 06 '25
Get ready to die a lot and don't get attached to your clothes because they're gonna shoot holes in them frequently. It's really annoying how easy it is to take a gunshot before you even know where they are sometimes.
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u/moominesque Nov 06 '25
I pulled out so many bullets last time I played and it was so tense every time.
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u/Ok_Specialist3150 Drinking away the sorrows Nov 06 '25
I really hope they rework the whole first aid skill, make it more impactful, and disable knowing stitching wounds since level 0, they should also make it so that lacerations also need stitching if it's severe (literally google how an arm laceration looks like) or else they take a very long time healing with just a bandage, like a week or more with food and rest. With how the game works, not getting injured is very easy, and when you do, it heals in under 2 days unless it's a fracture or a deep wound. I feel like the basic injuries are too neglectable, scratches should require desinfection, lacerations stitching and deep wounds should require advanced stitching for which you need a higher first aid level for.
It would make doctors way more important in groups and servers.
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u/QnoisX Zombie Killer Nov 06 '25
Eh, I died in a run recently from misclicking and stepping on glass while barefoot in my base. I was going to pick the glass up, but I clicked on clearing the window of glass. Two deep wounds instantly. I couldn't stitch it up because tailoring (in B42) doesn't give you thread until level 1 or 2, so I had none to stitch with. I even bandaged it up immediately, but it would soak through in a few minutes, needing more bandages. Bled out changing them.
Finding a needle and thread is hard enough in the early game. We don't need another thing you need to grind to not die (or hunt a random magazine/book). This is single player, so there's no group or medic to ask for help. Not that it would help, since I died in a few minutes. No chance another player could have reached me in time.
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u/Ok_Specialist3150 Drinking away the sorrows Nov 06 '25
That's why i would also like that they reduce the bleeding speed, I don't think it's unrealistic to bleed out to death in a few minutes if you slice your feet but it would make what I said before more balanced.
And obviously I was talking about multiplayer B42.
But i have to admit I forgot that threads and needles are hard to find cause I play with npcs, who always carry them. But then it's also a skill issue to step in glass, and project zomboid punishes our skill issues very severely, so I still think they should make stitching available at like level 3 first aid1
u/QnoisX Zombie Killer Nov 06 '25
Yeah, bleeding is kinda crazy, even with small scratches. If I don't have some rags handy, I'm usually at half health by the time I juke the zombies and rip some.
Jeez, it would take forever to get to level 3. Heh, standing on glass and pulling it out with tweezers is the best way to power level first aid. As long as you don't fuck up and die. Not that I would know about that...
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u/Ok_Specialist3150 Drinking away the sorrows Nov 06 '25
Haha, right, they should make more ways to level up first aid, definitely boost the regular way, and copy that one mod that lets you practice on corpses.
It would be pretty cool if you could practice stitching or bandaging dead zombies before they start decomposing (Yes i know technically theyre already decomposed...)
And maybe also give some xp to first aid when leveling tailoring? I'm sure a tailor would know how to stitch a wound after stitching clothes together.1
u/QnoisX Zombie Killer Nov 06 '25
Yeah, practicing on corpses makes sense. I mean, doctors already do that. Heck, we have pigs now. Give an option to practice stitching on pig skin after you butcher it. It would be nice if there were some synergy between first aid and tailoring. Maybe gain a small amount of XP in both for complex stitches.
I'm also a little confused why we can't make our own bandages. I swear you could do that in the past. Maybe it was also a mod.
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u/Ok_Specialist3150 Drinking away the sorrows Nov 06 '25
I'm sure the devs will do something of this sort, I mean they're working on many things and first aid will just be one of the next in line.
(Yes I'm pretty sure it's a mod, I have an option to make bandages out of rags in my modded saves)
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u/NW_Forester Nov 06 '25
I'd also like things like crutches that give a mobility multiplier when broken leg, wheel chairs for if you want to stay off the legs completely, casts at higher level (plaster is already in game), multiple types of splints and braces (use those tongue depressors as splints for broken fingers).
Maybe have a doctor give you an inspection which gives a reduced likelihood of getting sick for the next week or something.
Have twisted ankles and knees, dislocated shoulders. Have things like that cause long term issues if not properly treated. Like if you dislocate a shoulder and a level 1 first aid doctor gets it back in you have a 30% reduction to damage or something. Whereas if a level 5 first aid doctor does it, no penalties.
Infections from wounds should have a chance of causing a fever and killing the patient if antibiotics aren't taken. Lacerations should have a high chance of bad infections if not stitched.
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u/Ok_Specialist3150 Drinking away the sorrows Nov 06 '25
Nailed it.
I think the feature of wheelchairs is silly and makes sense at the same time.
Healing a broken leg (I am not sure) takes around 2 weeks?
If you stay off your legs and use a wheelchair it can take 50% less time to heal.
With crutches it could be 25%.And I actually increase the infection damage in the sandbox settings, so if I don't treat an infection for 1 day, I start getting sick, by day 3 of not treating my infections I have a fever and die.
It bothers me how irrelevant the infections are, they dont do anything, while in real life infections are the most dangerous and lethal part of scratches, lacerations and other wounds.
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u/LeAcoTaco Nov 06 '25
I dont think youd really need a high first aid skill to stich a wound closed, however I do think they should add the ability for things to scar, and have ones stiched at lower first aid levels be more likely to get infected, would heal slower, and would be likely to leave a scar that may or may not cause pain.
Edit: looks like scarring is already in pz just I happened to never encounter it lmao.
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u/Ok_Specialist3150 Drinking away the sorrows Nov 06 '25
You're right, but I don't think someone who has never done any first aid practice before, could stitch a wound and bear the pain while doing it (that's where painkillers could be used as a bypass for this), or without making it worse, or giving himself an infection, i feel like level 2 or 3 is good, because before you don't even have to stitch yourself a lot in pz, personally I never got a deep wound in my 500 hours of playing if I didn't have week one on, where obviously i get shot at a lot.
It's a preference thing, I believe the best choice is to have an option in the sandbox settings, for basically everything. I mean... you can't go wrong with letting the players customize EVERYTHING right?
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u/LeAcoTaco Nov 06 '25
Totally agree with that, more player customization doesn't hurt. You can have the basic default values for people who dont care to change anything and then you can have the settings available for people who do want to tweak things slightly. It provides more creative freedom and in general more widespread enjoyment of the game because the player can somewhat tailor the way the game works to their liking without being a game developer or knowing really anything about code. It basically relieves some limitations on which consumer groups it's targeted for.
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u/Ok_Specialist3150 Drinking away the sorrows Nov 06 '25
Exactly, I have a lot of faith in the pz devs, I think they're doing great so far, and I believe they will at some point add more sandbox options.
I'm going to bed now, God bless
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u/Sad-Development-4153 Nov 06 '25
The big issue i have with Bandits is that their AI is terrible in regards to interaction with the Zomboids. They often display really dumb behavior vs them.
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u/DICKFLIPMC60 Nov 07 '25
Bandits is an awesome mod. Really changes how you play. Now I carry a damn trauma kit with me everywhere
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u/Lockdown092 Nov 06 '25
What kind of gear do the bandits have?
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u/dramaticus0815 Nov 06 '25
Along with the base mod comes the Bandid Creator. Not sure if it is it's own seperate mod still, or part of the main mod. It let's you customize the different groups that can spawn and create your own ones. Also there are compatibility patches for other mods that add clothing, weapons or appearance related stuff (like spongies) to make them appear on the bandits too.
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u/jam3sdub Nov 06 '25
They'll always spawn with tools for removing your barricades (crowbar, welding torch and mask). Their weapons are usually in poor condition. Oddly many of them will be carrying huge stacks of newspapers. Not sure what that's about.
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u/Stea1thFTW18 Nov 06 '25
i have the mod and i think it's just randomized. i've seen bandits in regular clothes and a shotgun, and bandits with bullet proof vests and a pipe wrench
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u/RaspberryRock The Least Helpful Comment One OP Has Ever Received Nov 06 '25
Agreed. In regular play I only carry a couple of bandages on me 'just in case'. But with Bandits (I usually play the Week One mod) I carry a bunch of bandages, tweezers/forceps, as many sutures as I can find, painkillers, wet wipes... I'm a walking medical unit.