The Ark
The Ark is a direct sequel to the Bandits: Week One mod, continuing the story after the dramatic events of the first chapter. You awaken from a coma; disorientated, changed and discover that the world — and your place in it — is no longer the same.
Unlike Week One, The Ark delivers a quite different experience. This is a narrative-driven adventure focused on progression, discovery, and atmosphere. The story unfolds step by step, drawing you deeper into a world filled with mystery and unanswered questions. The story will lead you to the answer for the ultimate question about the Knox Infection.
Expect rich lore, unexpected twists, and carefully placed surprises as you explore new locations and encounter new events. The mod introduces original gameplay mechanics designed specifically to support the story and immerse you in its themes. Your choices, observations, and persistence matter.
The Ark is not just about survival and not about you only — it’s about uncovering the truth, forming connection with other human, and facing moments of challenge. This is a slower, more deliberate journey meant to be experienced, not rushed, but there is also a lot of intense action moments.
What is the Ark?
The Ark is a [b]SINGLE-PLAYER ONLY[/b] mod for Project Zomboid Build 42. It is a total conversion of PZ that revamps the entire map and adds custom elements including NPC's. It is intended to be played through slowly, and offers a story-driven campaign that has probably never been attempted at this scale. [u]This mod cannot be played like vanilla Project Zomboid[/u], it is meant to be explored slowly and methodically.
What to expect?
This mod is an immersive story that has hundreds of quest lines, where you will explore the ruins of Knox Country, discover the lore of the mysterious Arks, the outbreak of the Knox infection and your place in this apocalypse. But, this story is not just about you: You have others to consider, and their survival is important as your own. This mod is difficult and even the most seasoned PZ players will struggle with some of the changes in the world. Be on your toes at any moment.
How to play?
This mod requires unstable B42 version of the game as well as [B42] Bandits NPC and [B42] Waterpipes mods to run. It is recommended that you play through this mod without any additional mods, [b]ESPECIALLY[/b] mods that will overwrite zombie behaviour, zombies, and survival items such as gas masks/hazmat suits. It is also recommended that you do not change the default settings in Sandbox for your first playthrough.
[b][u]It is recommended that you back up your saves frequently.[/u][/b] Death comes knocking at every door and at every opportunity. Copy the files in your X:\Users\YourName\Zomboid\Saves\Sandbox\ARK_vX.XXX_Date-Time to a separate folder. If you die, replace the files in that folder with the backup files and overwrite them.
Similar to Week One, you can talk with NPC's by pressing the T key, however you will not be expected to type out what you want to say to other NPC's. You can also interact with other NPC's by holding down the Q key, which will give you commands such as to follow/stay and other opportunities to interact with them.
The Ark features a central computer, called NOAH, that gives you information about the situation within the Ark. You can interact with it by right clicking on the terminal. You can exit the interaction window by either walking away from the terminal or by closing the terminal by exiting all of the menus.
It is vital that you maintain the Ark. This means keeping it fueled, stocked and functioning to ensure survival deep underground. Things such as generators, decontamination chambers and vents all need maintenance to keep running smoothly.
Radiation exposure is a major hazard when travelling out of the Ark. It is essential that you prepare for the nuclear winter that has followed the nuclear detonation. Wearing an intact hazmat suit and a gas mask with working filters is important. If you are exposed to radiation, taking Potassium Iodine pills can help to lower your radiation levels, but it is a gradual process and will not take away radiation right away. Do not eat irradiated items without taking them through decontamination first.
Lore documents can be explored by clicking on the arrow buttons at the bottom of the page.
Important items will be highlighted once you get close to them.
Please do not post spoilers here. I reserve the right to delete them.
I ran into an error, what should I do?
The Ark has been in testing for months, however errors are expected to come up due to how complex the mod is. If you encounter errors, please report them to [url=https%3A%2F%2Fdiscord.gg%2FYzYXCn3HuJ]Slayer's Discord[/url][discord.gg]. Please do not report errors that are due to mod conflicts.
If you like my work, be sure to give it a [b]LIKE[/b] or:
[url=http%3A%2F%2Fko-fi.com%2FM4M7SGR4P][img]https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/brandasset/kofi_bg_tag_dark.png[/img][/url][ko-fi.com]
Known Issues
[list]
[*] Enabling Living Skeletons can cause issues with targeting. It is recommended that you do not enable this option.
[/list]
Endure.
Credits
[list]
[*] SAFE D MAN, Max Payne, dae26 - ideas, lore contribution and testing
[*] Peter Hammerman - Fuel Tanker Truck model
[*] Dane - help with building editing
[*] Hazmat suits by BongoRaccoon32
[*] RU translation: Pirate_Pistoletov
[/list]
Workshop ID: 3707475814
Mod ID: BanditsWeekOneTheArk
