There are many moodles in Project Zomboid, and a few of them often cause misunderstandings, for example, Bored and Unhappy (or Depression). While they feel similar, they have different symptoms and effects.
In this guide, we’ll explain what depression does in Project Zomboid!
Recommended Read: How to Destroy Walls in Project Zomboid
In Project Zomboid, Depression, or Unhappy, lengthens all timed actions, including crafting, building, reloading magazines, and equipping weapons. The higher the Depression level, the longer the action.
Table of Contents
What Does Depression Do in Project Zomboid?
The original name of Depression in Project Zomboid is Unhappy, which is indicated by the gray, sorrowful face on the right side of your screen.
Depression has 4 stages, all of which share the same icon but have different names, as shown when you hover the icon with your mouse.
Depression lengthens all timed actions. The higher the Depression level, the longer the action.
You can determine whether an action is timed by looking at the small green bar above your character’s head.
Check out the following table to find out the effect of each stage of Depression:
| Depression Stage | Occur When | Effects |
|---|---|---|
| Feeling a Little Sad | Unhappy above 20% | Lengthens actions by 7.4% |
| Getting a Tad Weepy | Unhappy above 45% | Lengthens actions by 13.7% |
| Depressed | Unhappy above 60% | Lengthens actions by 19.6% |
| Severely Depressed | Unhappy above 80% | Lengthens actions by 26.5% |
In the vanilla version, you can’t see how depressed you are. To check it, you must turn on Debug mode, click the Mosquito icon, select General Debuggers, and select Moodles and Body to see your Unhappy attribute.
The result of being Unhappy is insignificant compared to Sickness or other moodles, which might reduce your health.
Although it remains unknown whether persistent Depression is dangerous, you still need to know the causes of Depression to avoid it in the first place!
The Cause of Depression
In Project Zomboid, Depression comes from 3 causes: Boredom, stress, and eating stale or rotten food.
Boredom is another moodle in Project Zomboid, which occurs when you’re:
- Being indoors for too long
- Doing nothing
- Staying in a vehicle without moving
- Reading skill books
- Eating rotten food
As a result, when Boredom goes up, Depression does as well.
Similarly, Depression is also a result of Stress, another moodle, which occurs when you:
- Have a nightmare (regularly when you sleep in the vehicle)
- Don’t smoke periodically (if you choose the Smoker trait)
- Are surrounded by zombies
- Have blood dirt on your clothes (if you select the Fear of Blood trait)
Finally, you can suffer from Depression if you consume stale or rotten foods.
The typical amount of Unhappy level added after eating stale food is 10, while rotten food provides 20.
That’s what depression does in Project Zomboid.
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