The Ark — Life Below the Ruins of Project Zomboid

Waking from a coma should mean surviving the worst. In The Ark, it means discovering how much worse the world has become. A nuclear winter has settled over the surface, radiation threatens every expedition, and the underground shelter keeping you alive depends on equipment that needs constant care.

Set after Bandits: Week One, this Project Zomboid mod follows the next chapter of the story. Your survival is only one concern: other people depend on the shelter, and the events surrounding the Knox Infection still demand answers.

A campaign built around discovery

The Ark gives exploration a continuing purpose. Quests, encounters, and recovered documents draw you through the remains of Knox Country, revealing the history of the Arks and your connection to the disaster.

The developers describe hundreds of quest lines spread across an extensively reworked world. Taking time to examine locations and follow the story is central to the experience. There are also plenty of dangerous encounters, and familiar survival habits may need adjusting to the campaign’s harsher conditions.

This is a single-player total conversion for Build 42, with NPCs and custom systems woven into its story.

Keeping the Ark alive

An underground refuge offers protection, but maintaining it takes work. Fuel must be secured, supplies replenished, and essential systems kept operational. Generators, ventilation, and decontamination equipment all need attention.

The shelter’s central computer, NOAH, provides information about conditions inside the Ark. Right-click its terminal to access it.

Other survivors are part of daily life underground. Press T to talk to NPCs without manually typing dialogue, or hold Q to access interaction commands. These include telling companions to follow you or remain where they are.

Planning a surface expedition

Leaving the shelter means preparing for radioactive conditions. An undamaged hazmat suit and a gas mask with functioning filters are essential, while contaminated food needs decontamination before it can be eaten safely.

Potassium iodide tablets are another tool available to the player. Within the mod’s mechanics, their effect is gradual, so taking them does not immediately remove accumulated radiation exposure.

Installation notes

The supplied description lists the following requirements for The Ark 1.10.13:

• Project Zomboid 42.20 or 42.21 Stable;
• Bandits NPC and Waterpipes;
• single-player mode only.

For a first run, use the default sandbox settings and keep additional mods disabled. Changes to zombie behaviour, protective clothing, gas masks, or survival items can interfere with systems the campaign relies on.

Back up your saves regularly. A few known issues also have simple workarounds:

• Restart the game if the player’s body or individual body parts become invisible.
• If Emma becomes stuck, use Q → Movement → Follow me, move her elsewhere, then select Don't follow.
• Keep Living Skeletons disabled to avoid potential targeting problems.

The Ark offers a reason to look beyond the next supply run. Every expedition can bring you closer to understanding the ruined world, while every return underground brings the responsibility of keeping its remaining inhabitants alive.

Russian translation: Pirate_Pistoletov