When hordes of zombies are all around you, having resources is your number one priority in any shape or form. With varying areas and places to go, one must know if the area they are heading to has sufficient resources to carry anything of value. There are ways to determine the efficiency of the area, such as the distance of traveling to said area, the items stored there, and most importantly, how much it will impact your game.
When looting, you can go to any place and search around, but for effective looting, it’s better to go big or go struggling. Given the size of the map, there is plenty of space to cover, and depending on where you spawn, going back and forth for tiny crumbs of survival items isn’t going to cut it long term. Therefore, there game prominently displays key points of interests that the game prominently shows, making your decision to prioritize vital depending your situation a time, resource, and manpower. With that said, this list aims to show the best places to loot in the world, and while it may not be easy to loot, neither is surviving, so let’s get you up to speed on where to go and loot for maximum efficiency.
For this list, the list is made at the time of the games’ latest version (ver. 41.78 Steam) and is based on my experience in a friend-hosted multiplayer server, and items listed are from the vanilla version of the game, meaning no mod items are included. The areas looting pattern is based on a multiplayer run, but is possible with a solo run. Points in Louisville will be omitted from this list as that is the usual end game area where resources are plenty. This list is a subjective list with no particular order
10. Rosewood Fire Department
Why is the Rosewood Fire Department Great?
One does not need to think too hard why this place is a great candidate for looting. Necessities of fire fighters lay here waiting to be picked up by survivors as they have no use for them anymore, granted that they’ve turned into one of them. Rosewood Fire Department provides the following benefits:
- Variety of supplies – Various loot such as tools, melee weapons, and medical supplies.
- Good base option – Location and structure of the area make it a great base.
- Chance of firefighter clothing – While irrepairable, they offer very good protection from zombie bites
When you think of fire fighters, you cannot forget about the gear they possess when they’re in duty; from their PPE like their firefighter jackets to the axes they use to break down doors, medical supplies for the victims they rescue, and breaching tools like the Sledgehammer. All of these now just sitting in a shelf or a container, collecting dust, waiting to be used.
This building offers a lot of loot, so don’t expect that looting this place is a cakewalk; groups of the living dead are guaranteed to be loitering around within its vicinity, from former employees who turned while in the middle of their shift to fellow survivors who had the same idea as you to loot the station but failed, so one must be wise when raiding this place.
If you have already finished your agenda for visiting the fire department or are thinking about what to do next once you get what you need there, there is a police station nearby that makes your trip to the fire department much more worthwhile.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle with high storage capacity
- Park near the garage if possible
- Clear all the enemies within its vicinity before looting
- Open the garage and park your car on the inside to secure your safety once you begin to load your loot
- Search all the lockers, toolboxes, metal shelves, and cabinets
- (Optional) Pack a lot of food if you’re coming from a faraway place
How to Get to Rosewood Fire Department
- From where you are, head to Rosewood
- Once you enter Rosewood, keep following the main road going down until the end
- At the end of the road, take a left turn, entering the parking lot of the fire department
9. Farming & Rural Supply Store
Why is the Farming & Rural Supply Store Great?
Man cannot live on just canned goods alone, and having the farming necessities for much healthier food is invaluable. Having a designated farmer or just simply learning to farm by yourself reduces the chances of you putting yourself at risk of getting eaten as you can now provide fresh vegetables in your base.
- Farming essentials – Has items from seeds to gardening tools.
- Guns and ammo – This supply store has a gun locker inside.
- Farming skill books – Can hold Farming Vol (x) for faster experience gain.
- Near other good looting spots – Police station, doctor’s office and a food market are all within reach.
Located in a town called Fallas Lake, north of Rosewood and south of Riverside, is a long distance, but don’t let that discourage you; as stated, being able to farm and produce crops is an essential asset now that the world has come crashing down and the new masters are the living dead who roam the town.
The treasures here waiting to be looted on focus on farming, as the name implies: seeds of vegetables like cabbage, tomatoes, and potatoes; tools like watering cans and weapons like rakes and garden hoes, plus a gun locker inside, which is a good added bonus once you do visit.
Raiding the Farming & Rural Supply Store isn’t a walk in the park; Doe Valley may seem like just a small town, but it deceptively holds a vast number of zombies. It’s better to be prepared before you head off into this place.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle or two with plenty of storage space.
- Bring food and water for the long trip
- Park near the entrance for convenience
- Clear the area of zombies before looting
How to Get to the Farming & Rural Supply Store:
- From Rosewood, head up north to the main highway
- Go straight and keep heading north
- Take the first left asphalt road you see
- Follow the road until you reach the T intersection
- Turn left and keep following the asphalt road
8. Storage Lots
Why are the Storage Lots Great?
A variety of valuable loot rests here, granted, you need to access their insides and unravel the mysteries that were left here, but that itself only adds to the fun of why you’re barging in here and raiding the items of the owners who were once alive.
- Generators – Storage Lots for sure contain generators inside.
- Miscellaneous loot – Loot ranging from clothing to paint, furniture to disassemble, etc.
- Essentials – Guns, melee weapons, tools.
- Leveling stats – Being able to disassemble the many things here increases skill points
Storage Lots aren’t that hard to come by as there is usually one in the starting locations except for Rosewood, if you’re ever struggling to find something you need or cannot decide where you can maximize your looting trip, visiting these storage lots can help you rest easy as you are guaranteed to walk away with something valuable.
Whilst every world generated is randomized, possible loot that you can find here varies from things like vehicle parts for upgrades, tools that can be used as weapons or repairs, furniture to disassemble for leveling up your skills, generators for powering up your base, and other buildings once the power cuts off, raiding these Storage Lots are definitely worth your while.
Speaking from my playthroughs, going here is never a dull moment as it makes you feel like you’re a kid who can’t wait to unwrap their birthday gift; excited to see what kind of sweet present they’ll be able to play with.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle or two with plenty of storage space.
- Prepare a Hammer to break the metal shutters
- Park somewhere near the entrance or somewhere clear
- Eliminate nearby threats before you start looting
- Once you kill all zombies park your car inside the storage area
- (Optional) Bring a Sledgehammer to break the low fence in one of the lots in Muldraugh and West Point
- Search every storage room for loot
How to Get to the Storage Lots:
- For Muldraugh there is a small one next to the auto shop along the main highway
- Also in Muldraugh, there is one behind Sunstar Hotel along the main highway
- Also in Muldraugh, there is one behind the office complex southeast inside of the town
- For Riverside, it is located behind the factory near the auto shop
- For West Point, it is located near the Warehouse east of town
7. Book Stores
Why are Book Stores Great?
In real life and in the game, knowledge is power. Books, especially the ones that provide skills, are a great asset to have as you gain experience boosts, which can cut down time when you’re grinding for a certain skill.
- Skill books – Guaranteed to house skill books
- Boredom killer – Regular books remove Boredom debuff that can lead to unhappiness and cause actions to be slower
- Easily accessible – All starting locations have one
With how tedious grinding experience for skills like Farming, Mechanics and Carpentry can get, having experience boosts for these are a life saver, an example of this is when you’re playing as a mechanic an experience boost is already provided to you, but being able to amplify it even further is a big help to contribute for you and your allies.
More skill books mean you’ll be able to do so much more for your community as well. Being a jack-of-all trades in the end times is no doubt invaluable, imagine playing as a doctor who knows carpentry and fishing, or a police officer who’s also a master forager and farmer, the possibilities are endless.
While some book stores may not have all the volumes you need for a certain skill book, you can rest easy knowing that there is one that most likely has that book you’re looking for, so don’t sleep on these libraries and give these places a go.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle preferably with good to high storage capacity
- Make a list of books you have to see what you need
- Kill zombies in the area for safe looting
How to Get to the Book Stores
- For Muldraugh, it’s beside the minima ll located in the main highway to the south
- For Rosewood, it’s along the main highway, located across the supermarket
- For Riverside, it’s across the toy store, along the main highway
- For West Point it’s found across the town hall and the bank
6. GigaMart
Why is GigaMart Great?
The obvious reason GigaMart is great is that it has a lot of resources. GigaMart will always be a good backup for tougher times as long as you don't immediately raid and consume the entire place in one go, but it will still benefit you for the following reasons:
- Lots of canned goods – Guaranteed to keep you fed in-game
- Plenty of things to disassemble – Wooden shelves and iron pieces can be broken to more resources
- Possible base location – Some GigaMart’s are good as a base
When the world becomes zombified, you won’t have anyone growing you any food or serving up that delicious meal when you get hungry, which is why the shelves lining up in these supermarkets contain food that is crucially non-perishable. This allows you to take food on your own time, whether it’s 10 minutes from getting it, or beyond 10 in-game months, without causing it to rot and be bad to eat, provided it hasn’t been opened yet. This is especially important for the games’ winter season, as the snow makes growing crops impossible, making canned goods the way to survival.
Outside of that, the GigaMart can carry other stuff, such as perishable food, magazines, cleaning supplies, etc., making this your big bank of help for as long as it contains something useful. Speaking of useful, if the shelves have been cleared out, you can disassemble them to get wood, perfect for building a perimeter around the base, or maybe even the GigaMart itself, should you choose to have it be your home for the apocalypse.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle preferably with good to high storage capacity
- Have a Hammer and/or ready for disassembling wooden shelves for wood
- Have a Welders Mask and Propane Torch ready for metal disassembly
- (Optional) Have bags ready if you want to organize the loot
- Kill zombies in the area for safe looting
- Load the hauled loot into the cars
How to Get to GigaMart
- For Rosewood, it’s along the main highway by the right side
- For Riverside, it’s in the middle part of town
- For West Point, it’s found at the right part of town by the main highway
5. Doe Valley Military Surplus
Why is the Doe Valley Military Surplus Great?
Having access to some crucial guns is important for the late game, and if you haven’t lucked out on the guns at the local police station, this should work out well for you, as the area in Doe Valley is also home to these benefits.
- Guns and ammo – This supply store has a gun locker inside.
- Military radio – Allows you to hear emergency broadcasts for weather updates
- Near other good looting spots – farming store and an auto repair shop are all within reach.
Looting the military surplus here would also be the same as any other military surplus, where the usual chance of a mob being spawned because an alarm went off is possible. This is a bigger gun store with a side chance of getting some fresh clothing and other materials, such as a tent to sleep in, for accelerating time.
The big highlight here would be the big, hulking, battery-looking radio that is on top of the tables and that, when powered and dialed to the correct frequency, would give you a radio signal at every specific times to let you know if it will rain, snow, or fog in the days to come.
With all that said, this is the easier of the surpluses to go to, and if you want more guns than you ever need, you’ve come to the right place.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle or two with plenty of storage space.
- Bring food and water for the long trip
- Park near the entrance for convenience
- Clear the area of zombies before looting
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- From Rosewood, head up north to the main highway
- Go straight and keep heading north
- Take the first left onto the asphalt road you see
- Follow the road until you reach the T intersection
- Turn left and keep following the asphalt road
4. Pharmahug
Why is Pharmahug Great?
Let’s say you got a little too close for comfort with a zombie and your character has Laceration and Bleeding on the status, this place should have all the meds and patching tools you need in one go, making it a one-stop shop for all things survival for the things below.
- Medicine – Painkillers, Beta Blockers, and Vitamins are here
- Gloves are possible here – Surgical gloves allow you to pick up broken glass without inflicting self-damage
- Disinfectants – Adhesive bandages, Disinfectants, and similar items stop an infection from worsening
A key survival commodity in health care, this has most of the things you need such as the medicine listed above but goes beyond it for the things you can occasionally get caught on. If you happen to climb into a house with a broken window, the broken shards can get your character cut, reducing your movement by a little bit or by a lot as you’ll be limping to your possible doom.
Pharamhug should carry some tweezers in some med kits as well as needles and threads for patching up deep wounds that can otherwise bleed you to death, and any death is bad for you and your progress. What point is a doctor or a dedicated medic in the world if you can’t have the tools necessary
Other than that, you’ll also find small things like books and magazines in the lobby/waiting areas for boredom reduction, making this trip to the hospital an emergency you shouldn’t often rush to.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle or two with high capacity
- Clear any zombies that may be around the perimeter
- Search the lockers, cabinets, and other storage areas for items
- Put the items in the car trunk or personal inventory/bag if you wish to use it anytime
How to Get to Pharmahug:
- Head to West Point
- Follow the main road going right on the world map until you see the urban part of town
- Continue until you see the building with the sign
3. Auto Shops
Why are the Auto Shops Great?
The simple reason for going to auto shops is car repair, or the ability to do said task. While this isn’t going to be someone’s priority, the person running the Mechanics perk will definitely want to go here for these reasons.
- Engine parts – Used to repair engines
- Fresh tires and battery – Unused parts gives 100% condition out of the gate
- Vehicle-specific tools – Tools to repair cars are likely hidden here
- Mechanic skill books – Can hold Mechanics Vol. (X) books for faster leveling
Looking at the game state, this is best to grab early, as you’ll have less of a chance of zombies piling up the steel shutters, and a higher chance of getting a vehicle you want repaired and usable for the foreseeable future. The most likely parts you’ll find here are car batteries and tires, both of which are brand new and ready to be put on whichever vehicle class they are designated for.
While you may not have to use it yet, the building has a chance to get a Jack, Tire Pump, etc., with varying quantities per auto shop, all necessary to perform any vehicular surgery. If you happen to be lucky, there are also possibilities for Engine Parts to be available, which can be used in any form of vehicle.
The rarer finds here will be the skill books for Mechanics, specifically Mechanics Vol. (X) with the X being replaced with numbers 1-5, depending on your luck. While the games’ random nature doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get any book in order, it’s nice to have the chance to get one just in case you want to be the server’s pit crew in training.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle or two with high capacity
- Clear any zombies that may be around the perimeter
- Close the steel shutters and windows if they aren’t broken
- Search the lockers, cabinets, and other storage areas for items
- Put the items in the car trunk or personal inventory/bag if you wish to use it anytime
How to Get to the Auto Shops:
- Find a building with steel shutter/s and a car bay inside
- For Rosewood, it’s below the gas station on the top side of the town map
- For West Point, it’s the area on the far right of the town
- For Muldraugh, it’s located below the massive warehouse by the main highway
2. West Point Gun Shop
Why is the West Point Gun Shop Great?
The importance is in the name, guns are a plenty in a gun store, and depending on where you are in the world, this will be a point of interest regardless. This is a good place to grab some attention, which is about as straightforward as the benefits below.
- Gun and ammo loot – A gun is guaranteed here
- Open area for kiting – Space is plenty if ever an alarm goes off
- Near a possible base option – The bar below it is a really good base option
A gun, and its ammo are always in dire need, especially in the later stages, so it’s never a bad idea to go to the gun shop in West Point. Again, this is a perfect looting area for any would be survivors, as behind those barred walls lie some good guns and ammo, waiting to be used in a horde, which is highly possible given its niche death trick.
As a barricaded area, you’ll need to break the fences down in order to get the guns in, and that’s no easy feat, considering you’ll definitely need a Sledgehammer to bust through that iron curtain and retrieve the guns. Sounds easy, right? Well, the problem here is that there may be a chance to trigger an alarm, and if that happens, you better get the guns and put them to use asap if you wish to get the stuff unharmed.
Outside of that, you can also choose to have it as an alternative gun locker if you happen to like being a West Point resident, as the bar Twiggy’s below the area is big enough to be your next living quarters with generous spacing between it and the gun locker, making it a point of interest for both tactical and practical use. The choice will be dictated by where you start, and so if you are from anywhere outside West Point, this will be a trip to gun heaven, while for those in West Point, this is your new storage spot for all things loud.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- For those outside West Point, prepare a vehicle or two with high capacity
- Prepare an unused Sledgehammer to break the iron fence
- Park as close to the front door while retaining space to move
- Clear any enemies in the parking lot while the other players loot inside
- Search the building for guns and ammo
- Load said loot to your vehicle parked outside
- (Optional) Pack a lot of food if you’re coming from a faraway place
How to Get the West Point Gun Shop:
- From where you are, head to West Point
- Find the main road that leads to the bar Twiggy’s on the right part of the town
- The road will naturally turn left (upward for the global map) and stop at the gun shop
1. Rosewood Military Base
Why is the Rosewood Military Base Great?
By far the most important, and tedious area to go to for grabbing items to stay alive is this literal hidden gem of a place. It may be a pain in the butt to go through all this hassle, but it is inevitable if you want access to the following.
- Gun and ammo loot – Being a military base, a gun is likely to be there
- Open area for kiting – Majority of your enemies are in the parking lot, allowing you to clear first before looting
- Military backpack – A high-capacity bag can be found here
Your position in the world may dictate your difficulty in grabbing gear here as the place is really far down south of the world, being hell for north-spawning players while being okay for south-dwelling players. In either part of the world you reside in, the base will still be hard to navigate as the forest will be making your car slow, and even more so if you let a couple of months pass. Once you get past the trees, hidden zombies, and even more trees, you’ll be greeted with an odd paved road to the promised land, the military base hidden in the leaves, which sums up how discreet this place is.
Getting all that effort done is one thing, but looting is far easier, if you have a gun, as you’ll be clearing enemies clumped in tight corridors easily making the trail of corpses your avenue to loot extras like a better backpack if you kill a zombified soldier that it. There are many levels in this place, but the real bread and butter are the lockers and single room with a different colored door that, behind it, lies a possibility for good to average guns and a lot of ammo if you happen to be lucky or unlucky with the gun selection.
Hauling it back, you’ll have to get back to the dense forest with either a lot more or fewer zombies than the way you came from, and if the base hasn’t killed you, the way back may do just that.
How to Loot Here Effectively:
- Prepare a vehicle or two with high capacity
- Prepare an unused Sledgehammer to force entry in the gun area
- Park as close to the front door while retaining space to move
- Clear enemies in the parking lot while the other players loot inside
- Search all lockers as they likely hold guns/ammo canisters
- Bring all the loot to the front door to maximize transfer time
- Load said loot to your vehicle parked outside
- (Optional) Pack a lot of food if you’re coming from a faraway place
- (Optional) Have an Axe ready in case your car can’t navigate the narrow forest
How to Get the Rosewood Military Base:
- From where you are, head to Rosewood
- Take the intersection left moving left of the global map
- Once you see an odd road going left (down on the global map), take that road
- Trial and error the routes of dirt trails until you see a paved road
- Once you see a gate, drive inside and park close to the military base entrance
