Door
door
Single doorway. Pair two back-to-back for the double-door trick.
Variants
| Variant | Tier | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Door | Medium | 4 nails, 4 planks |
| Metal Door | Heavy | 3 metal sheets |
About the door
A door is the controlled entry point into any base, letting survivors pass through walls while keeping zombies and weather out. In Project Zomboid the door you choose and where you put it largely determines how survivable a breach attempt is, since zombies will batter a door until it fails. Doors can also be locked, barricaded, and paired to create funnels that turn a wide threat into a single manageable lane.
Placement & defense tips
- ▸Place your main door so that the approach is a narrow lane rather than an open field, forcing zombies to line up single-file instead of swarming the whole frame.
- ▸Use the classic double-door trick: two doors back-to-back create a small airlock so you can close the outer one before opening the inner, never exposing your interior to a horde.
- ▸Keep entry doors away from large windows on the same wall, since a horde drawn to the door can shamble sideways and pour through nearby glass instead.
- ▸On multi-level bases, consider a ground-floor door that you rarely use plus rope/sheet-rope access upstairs, so foot traffic and noise stay off the main entry.
- ▸Leave a clear sightline from an upstairs window or porch over the door so you can thin a crowd before opening it.
Choosing a variant
- ▸The Wood Door (Medium) is the default early-game choice: cheap to find or scavenge and fine for low-population areas, but it degrades faster under sustained zombie pounding.
- ▸The Metal Door (Heavy) takes far more punishment before failing, making it the better pick for a primary entrance or anywhere a horde might gather, at the cost of being heavier and harder to source.
- ▸For a low-traffic interior or a decorative room, a wood door is perfectly adequate and saves your metal doors for the perimeter where damage actually matters.
- ▸Whatever the tier, a barricade (planks or metal sheets) on top of the door adds a buffer that must be torn down before the door itself is attacked.
Common mistakes
- ✕Leaving a door unlocked or unbarricaded on the assumption walls are enough, when a single wandering zombie can open or break through an unsecured door.
- ✕Placing the entrance facing a road or a known spawn-heavy direction, which steadily funnels passing zombies straight to it.
- ✕Forgetting that an open door lets sound and your scent reach far more zombies, so leaving it open while crafting or cooking can attract a crowd.
Frequently asked
What is the double-door trick and why use it?
It means building two doors in sequence so you enter through one and shut it before opening the next, creating an airlock. This prevents zombies from following you straight inside and lets you fight or flee in a confined space.
Should I use a wood or metal door for my main base entrance?
Use a metal door for the primary entrance if you can source one, because it withstands far more zombie damage. Reserve wood doors for interior rooms or low-risk spots.
Can zombies open doors?
Zombies do not turn handles, but they will attack and eventually break a door down if drawn to it. Locking and barricading a door slows them but does not make it indestructible.