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I won't include any of the recipes for broken guns since they all result in a better (repaired) version of the same gun. To fix a gun simply combine it with scrap.

These are the gun recipes that you unlock via the skill tree.

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Can + Firearm Parts

As you might expect, decent enough if you don't have a shotgun and it's useful if you have tons of shotgun ammo and nothing to shoot it with. It's limited by only having one slot for attachments, only a barrel attachment, but it can hold four shots over the sawed-off's two shots.




This is a serviceable option if you really have a lot of ammo for it, but simply don't have any semi-auto or automatic weapons. I usually tend to use what I have and work with it or grab an auto-gun for later when I leave for my run.

Pipe + Firearm Parts



Oil Filter + Firearm Parts

One of the best weapons in the game easily and improved by the fire damage perk. Chomps through armored enemies as well as enemies in a clump. Great against Tanks.

Adds suppression to your weapon which basically allows you to make kills while crouching without drawing many zombies to you. Supposedly this is better than the bottle suppressor, but I've never been able to detect much of a difference.

Oil Filter + Scrap



Decreases the possible spread of your shots. It only requires a can and a scrap, so useful during those times where fortune isn't on your side and you need attachments.

Can + Scrap



Adds suppression to your weapon which basically allows you to make kills while crouching without drawing many zombies to you.

Plastic Bottle + Tape

The crafted melee weapons are some of my favorite weapons in the game. Not only fun to use, but devastating against enemies.


Scrap + Tape

These are the bread and butter to being able to upgrade weapons. Fortunately they're easy to make. Be aware though, fixing/upgrading a weapon doesn't reset it's durability. So it's best to upgrade weapons that haven't yet been used.




Scrap + Gear

Plain and simple. You need these to make improvised guns.





Scrap + Melee Parts

Definitely my favorite weapon thatI think everyone should use. It's got reach and as it's a two-handed weapon it's fully charged attack hits twice. Great for crowd control and with improved melee attacking perks the slower attack speed gets nullified. I tend to play over-encumbered constantly, so getting the best skulls-cracked to stamina ratio is critical for me. I always try to have at least two on me. Also, it pairs great with the Extra Bleed Damage mutation.




Gear + Melee Parts

One of my other favorite weapons I think everyone should use. It's got reach and as it's a two-handed weapon it's fully charged attack hits twice. Great for crowd control and with improved melee attacking perks the slower attack speed gets nullified. I tend to play over-encumbered constantly, so getting the best skulls-cracked to stamina ratio is critical for me. I always try to have at least two on me.





Scrap + Rag

Enjoy boxing? These are fun to use. Let's you dish out a number of fast attacks against zombies. Great when all your enemies are charging at you down a hall or something similar.




Knuckle Dusters + Melee Parts

These are the same as the Knuckle Dusters, but pointier! Pairs great with the Extra Bleed Damage mutation!





Board + Melee Parts

I wouldn't bother making this. If you have Melee Parts, you likely have another scrap and you should just make a Bloodluster instead.




Brick + Melee Parts

Similar two handed weapon to the Bloodluster and the Gear Axe. I suspect that blunt damage does more damage to armored enemies, but I've yet to confirm this. Fun weapon, though!




Pipe + Melee Parts

A good alternative to the Hand Blade as it takes less crafting materials. Sharp weapon that has an attack speed between the Bloodluster and the Hand Blades, a reasonable choice if you favor the weapon.

Can + Explosive

Useful for taking out large groups of fodder zombies that are clumped together. Throw a can, brick, or bottle to grab their attention and then throw this. It's got a short fuse, so the explosion will follow reasonably after.



Can Bomb + Electronics

An upgrade to the Can Bomb, will beep for quite awhile (around 20 seconds-ish) giving nearby zombies plenty of time to be attracted to the area. However, this will not work if you've set off any sort of alarm nearby and the zombies will simply run right by it. Because of the long fuse, you'll also likely miss in that case as well.




Can Bomb + Scrap

A bomb that's placed down and explodes when stepped on. I've never really found a super great use for them. I suppose you could use them to bait Chargers into them, but it's not a perfect plan. I tend to craft Beeper Bombs over these as I can use them to pull zombies to a location, rather than hope their pathing takes them they way I want them to go.




Rag + Alcohol

Good for dealing damage to zombies clustered together or for hitting a tank. The flames will stick around for awhile, providing the chance for zombies to wander into the fire.

These are arguably some of the most important things to make in the game. When you're in a bind they can give you the extra boost you need to keep yourself in the game and when you're thriving they can help keep you consistent.



Rag + Clean Water

You're gonna be making a lot of these. It think they're worth stocking up on as early as possible because they're always useful. However as they become more valuable the greater your infection since you'll need fewer of them to hit full health. Use your health kits in the early game and save these for later.





Bandages + Alcohol

These are just as useful as the bandages, but more so during the early game when you have a lower infection rate as they'll heal you completely. They're heavier than bandages, so when you're heavily infected you're better off using bandages since you can apply them faster and cost less to make. Early game, let yourself get down to 30-40 health before popping one of these to optimize their use.





Scrap + Electronics

I don't think it's worth it to make batteries given how easy they are to find. You can find them in street posts, in cars, on zombies, and sometimes in houses as well. If you're in a pinch make it, otherwise it's worth the time investment to look for batteries.




Alcohol + Plastic Bottle

Very necessary if you want to use the flamethrower.





White Yarrow + Hog Root

These will cancel out the poison that the Acid Spits will toss at you. It's pretty easy to avoid, but if you do happen to get hit can be extremely annoying or kill your run. Given how easy the plants are to obtain, it's worth it to have a few of these on hand.




White Yarrow + Blue Honeyflower

These are a great item to have. If you don't have the perks that make it easier to find food, you can essentially get starved for stamina particularly in the late game. If you find this happening to you commit all of your White Yarrow towards Herbal Endurance and...endure.




White Yarrow + Red Collar

Herbal Remedies aren't that useful. Where stamina restoring items can sometimes be difficult to come across, bandages are much easier to make. But, if you're unlucky or taking a lot of damage, these can be a good supplement for bandages.




Mushroom + Salt

In all the runs I've done thus far (currently level 85 at time of writing), mushrooms and salt are some of the most difficult items to come across. Sure they can be useful for an extra health source as mushroom and salt don't seem to be used to craft anything else at the moment, but it's not at all a reliable source.

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