Project Zomboid How to Barricade Your Base [Base Defense Guide]

Barricades in Project Zomboid are something nearly all players know about and use in every playthrough they are required to create a well-defended base location in Project Zomboid so you can sleep calmly at night knowing a zombie isn't going to break in and infect you in Project Zomboid while you sleep.

Barricades come in a few different varieties like wooden and metal sheet barricades but there are also a few hidden ones in Project Zomboid that players can easily overlook so in this article I will be showing you everything you need to know about barricades in Project Zomboid.

How to Place Barricades in Project Zomboid

BARRICADE	INGREDIENT 1	INGREDIENT 2	INGREDIENT 3
Wooden Barricade	Hammer x1	Nails x2	Plank x1-4
Metal Barricade	Propane Torch x1	Welder Mask x1	Metal Sheet x1
Metal Bar Barricade	Propane Torch x1	Welder Mask x1	Metal Bar x3

How to Place Barricades in Project Zomboid

To set up a barricade in Project Zomboid, you need the above tools depending on the barricade you will set up.

1. Get the materials for your barricade. Such as Propane Torch, and Welder Mask.

   
   

1. Right-click where you want to set up the barricade. Select "Barricade" from the dropdown menu.

1. Barricade both sides of the door or window.

How to Change Window Frame in Project Zomboid

It is important to have a strong window frame to make a clean, safe, and trouble-free window barricade. Although many people don't know it, it is possible to change window frames in Project Zomboid.

1. Find the necessary tools. A crowbar to pick up the window, and a hammer is needed to install it back.

   
   

1. Find a house with intact windows. Make sure it is safe and cleared up.

1. With the pick-up function, you can take the window out of its socket.

1. Pick up the broken window at your base to place your brand new window instead.

1. Place a curtain so next time zombies won't be so easily attracted to your window.

Barricade Types in Project Zomboid

ITEMS	Description
Wooden Barricade	To get things started I will talk about the one type of barricade every player knows very well the wooden barricade can be added to doors and windows using wooden planks nails and a hammer, and a total of four can be added to a single side. What a lot of players don't know about is that you can actually place four wooden barricades on each side of a window or door for a total of eight planks. Each wooden plank has 1000 health and so when fully barricade a window up you have a grand total of 8000 additional health. Also, something you should be aware of is that if a window has two or fewer wooden barricades you can still view the outside world and let light into the building. But be careful as zombies will be able to see you as well. The Wooden Barricade is typically an early-game defensive structure but many players will use them far into the late game as the abundance of wood for wooden planks and nails makes them pretty easy to replace.
Metal Sheet Barricade	Metal Barricade is more of a middle to late game defensive structure as it requires you to have found a Propane Torch and a Welder Mask as well as the Metal Sheet themselves only two are required to fully barricade a window or door. Each plate has 5000 health meaning a fully barricaded structure will have a grand total of 10.000 HP which is 2.000 more than the wooden barricades. And this is making them an obvious upgrade capable of giving you some extra time to escape if your base is overrun. Similar to having three or more barricades on a window the metal sheet barricade completely blocks out sunlight and visibility to the outside world all of the materials required to craft the metal barricade can be found in garages sheds warehouses and industrial areas.
Metal Bar Barricade	The last of the conventional barricades and by far the least common of them is the Metal Bar Barricade added in build 36. Similar to the Metal Sheets Barricade this can be crafted using the Propane Torch and Welder Mask but instead of using Metal Sheets, it requires three Metal Bars per side the player can place three on each side of a window for a grand total of six each side. They have 5000 HP for a grand total of 10.000 HP when fully barricaded meaning it has the same amount of health as the Metal Sheet Barricade. Now you might be wondering how is this any different from the Metal Sheets Barricade or why would I use this if it requires more materials make the simple answer to both of those questions is that the Metal Bar Barricade doesn't block out light or visibility while still maintaining the highest durability previously we talked about. How this can be seen as a disadvantage as zombies can still view and come after the player but I consider it to be an advantage as long as you only craft these in the late game the reason for this is that by the late game most players will have multiple layers of defenses including an exterior wall which will act as the main obstacle for zombies seeing you within your base. This will then allow you to use the Metal Bars Barricades allowing light into your base when power is cut off in Project Zomboid and allowing you to see if your exterior wall has been compromised, for this reason, I consider Metal Bars Barricades to be the highest tier of the conventional barricades in Project Zomboid.

How to Use Furniture as Barricades in Project Zomboid

Now that those are out of the way we can talk about a few additional objects in the game that you can use to barricade your base with your friends in Project Zomboid that many players may not realize.

The first one on the list is furniture. Such as chairs, couches, and tables can be easily used as barricades. They can be placed in front of or behind doors to slow down zombies in the early game or if you happen to run into a building and are surrounded by this method you can buy extra few seconds to come up with an escape plan.

Using furniture as barricades is also extremely useful if you do not already have the necessary tools to craft actual barricades. One thing I always make sure to do in my playthroughs is to grab a refrigerator from my house and my neighbor's house and move them in front of my base doors and block them.

It should also be noted that you can add furniture to a door that is already barricaded.

Adding that much more health and defense to the structure now you might be wondering why I haven't suggested putting these in front of windows and the answer is simple in Project Zomboid you can only barricade windows with one type of furniture. The Bookshelf as zombies can climb over or pass through every other type of furniture.

How to Use Vehicles as Barricades in Project Zomboid

Finally, the last and most useful barricade is one that cannot be broken and comes in the form of vehicles in Project Zomboid you can park vehicles in front of windows and doors to restrict zombies that try to get inside of your base.

But I completely understand if this is a method you avoid using, as it does make your base impenetrable and can feel a bit like cheating. What balances this for me is the fact that there aren't many working or fueled vehicles available to the player in the early game. But you can hotwire cars if you have the required skills easily. And so it takes months of searching to really cover your entire base in my current playthroughs I really only use it to cover the front side of the house which is the most commonly attacked.

In the future, I hope the team updates the game to prevent tactics and others like this from being exploited perhaps even finding a way to allow players to continue using the tactic at the risk of zombies damaging or destroying the car as a consequence. So that is just about everything you need to know about barricades in Project Zomboid.