Map & Bases

All Project Zomboid Towns (Build 42)

Build 42 rebuilt Knox Country's original towns building-by-building and added three entirely new ones. Instead of one "best town," each has a different risk/reward profile — this table is a starting point before you commit a save to one.

TownStatus in Build 42Known forBest for
MuldraughRebuiltStarting-town familiarity, dense residential rowsNew players who want a known layout
RiversideRebuiltSmaller footprint, river accessQuieter early game, water-adjacent bases
RosewoodRebuiltMixed commercial/residential, moderate densityBalanced loot vs. zombie pressure
West PointRebuiltPolice station, hospital, dense downtownCombat-focused or loot-heavy runs
Fallas LakeRebuiltLakeside houses with garagesWater access, boat/dock bases
EkronNew in Build 42Pig farm, scrapyard, gas stationRural resource runs, lower zombie density
IrvingtonNew in Build 42Smaller new settlement, additional POIsExploration, less-traveled loot
BrandenburgNew in Build 42Police station, school, hardware store, firehouseFull-service base with minimal renovation

What Changed About the Original Towns

In Build 41, many buildings across Knox Country's towns shared repeated layouts — the same house template copy-pasted down a street. Build 42's first wave of rebuilds (Muldraugh, Riverside, Rosewood, West Point, and Fallas Lake) gave every structure a distinct floor plan, varied fencing, and unique entry points, so scouting one house no longer tells you what's behind the next door. Combined with roughly 1,400 individually designed buildings and 20,000 new tiles across the county, familiar towns from earlier builds are worth re-exploring even if you've played them for years.

The Three New Towns

Ekron, Irvington, and Brandenburg are new additions that came with the westward map expansion. Ekron leans rural and resource-focused, with a pig farm, scrapyard, and gas station giving it strong early-game material access without West Point's zombie density. Brandenburg is closer to a self-contained town in miniature — a police station, school, large hardware store, and a firehouse with a garage, kitchen, and living quarters that needs comparatively little renovation to become a working base. Irvington is the smallest of the three and rewards players who want to explore ground most of the playerbase hasn't fully mapped yet.

Basements Are Spread Across All of Them

Roughly 400 procedural and 75 hand-built basements are distributed county-wide, not concentrated in any one town — see the basements guide for what makes them worth finding.

How to Choose Between These Towns

If this is your first Build 42 save, weigh three things rather than picking on reputation alone.Zombie density is the biggest early-game risk factor — West Point and dense residential stretches of Muldraugh punish mistakes fast, while Ekron and Irvington are far more forgiving while you learn the game's systems. Loot depth favors the opposite end: West Point's hospital and police station, and Brandenburg's hardware store and firehouse, hold more of the specialized gear (weapons, medical supplies, tools) that rural towns simply don't stock. Familiaritymatters too — Muldraugh, Riverside, Rosewood, West Point, and Fallas Lake are Build 41 towns rebuilt in place, so a player who already knows their general layout gets a head start that Ekron, Irvington, and Brandenburg can't offer on a first visit. A common approach is starting in a lower-density town like Ekron or Riverside to bank skills and supplies, then relocating toward a loot-rich town like West Point or Brandenburg once your character and base can handle the added risk.

Ready to pick a base?Knowing a town's profile is step one. The best base locations guide scores specific buildings — including several mentioned here — on defense, water access, and storage.