Gear & Armor

Learning armor, tiered mods, armor bonuses, and damage boosts

How armor progresses

• Scrap armor at the Stitch and Salvage Bench to learn it. Scrapping a piece unlocks crafting it and raises its level by one each time (up to level 5); scrapping a higher-tier piece unlocks that tier immediately. It also unlocks the cosmetic version. Every piece is tracked separately.
• You also need the Armor Codex. Crafting armor requires the tool "Scraps to Steel: The Survivalist's Armor Codex" in the bench.
• No Constitution gate. A 2024 video said Constitution gates armor weight, but the game files contain no such rule; progress comes from the scrapping described above.
• Scrapping also gives parts. In 2.6, it has about a 50% chance to give armor parts, and armor with bonuses gives the parts used for bonus kits (below).

Armor mods

Rebirth adds a large set of its own armor mods on top of vanilla's.

• Most are tiered (1–5) and loot-only. Combine lower tiers you find into higher ones.
• Each fits only certain slots. The game stage mod, for example, goes in the chest only.
• Examples: loot stage, knockdown resistance, stun resistance, hunger and thirst, experience, fire rate, ranged damage, game stage reduction, screamer heat detection, and health assessment. More are listed below the table.

Other armor mods in the game

Every armor mod, with what it does and how to get it, is listed in the Lollipop Chainsaw armor room.

• Hands: attack speed, block damage, dismember, melee damage, loot time (−20%), and the Rampage and Purge mods.
• Chest: radiation-poisoning resistance, armor degradation, and two kinds of aura-trigger mods.
• Feet: running speed, stamina loss, running stamina, and sneak.
• Head: a structural integrity viewer (needs Builder level 2).
• Climate: four biome Stabilizer Devices, plus Cooling Mesh, Insulated Liner, and Tempered Fittings.
• Not obtainable: a carrying-capacity mod (+10 backpack slots) exists in the files, but in this version it has no recipe, loot entry or trader stock.
• Aura mods: 8 class auras and 14 perk auras, forged from blueprints you make at the Research Table (it needs a Fountain Pen).

• Old clothing becomes mods. Clothing can't be worn as it was in vanilla, but collect it anyway: enough running shoes, shirts, or hats convert into a mod with the same effect, in tiers.
• Good Vibrations are auras you add to your armor, unlocked by killing certain zombie types outside the Forest. The healing and achievement auras come from Nurse, Utility Worker, and Biker zombies at level 20 and up.

Elemental immunity

Tired of being set on fire? Lorenzo, the Black Shield merchant at Hugh's compound in the Snow, trades elemental immunity armor mods for remains of zombies immune to that element, plus cash. (The wiki sometimes spells the name Lorenza; the game itself only uses Lorenzo.) Each mod also has a player-level gate:

The pairing of the explosion row with its price is inferred from the order in the game files; check it in the trade window. Combined immunities need remains from zombies immune to several elements at once.

Armor bonuses and the Integration Workbench new in 2.6

Armor can now roll random bonuses. They vary by slot (head, outfit, gloves, feet) and come in four rarities: common (gray), uncommon (blue), rare (orange), and legendary (likely purple). The item's background shows its best bonus rarity. Items with bonuses have a "bonuses" entry in their stats.

• Where to find them: Savage Country crates and shops, trader rewards, and closets in POIs.
• Higher-quality armor rolls better bonuses. A quality 5 piece has a better chance at rare or legendary than a quality 2.

The new Integration Workbench modifies bonuses using kits, which you craft at a regular Workbench (with a Screwdriver). Every result is random.

• Kit parts come from scrapping bonus armor, Mo' Power electronics boxes, and wrenching control panels. Better salvage tools get more parts from panels.
• Kit schematics are sold at different traders, roughly in order of biome difficulty:

For now this system covers armor only. The author has said he may extend it to tools and weapons.

Damage boosts worth knowing

• Rampage adds 25% damage while active, lasts 30 seconds to start, and each kill extends its timer by about 5 seconds (that is what the game's buff data says). Trigger it by eating a Twinkie, or with the Rampage armor mod, a hands mod (tiers 1–5) that activates when you behead three targets within a short window. One 2024 video calls it double damage; the author says about 25%. Heads up: the in-game item text still says 100% damage, 2 seconds per kill, and a 5-minute cooldown. That text appears out of date.
• HP ammo is worth using. In Rebirth it has a higher chance to dismember, and dismembering can kill outright, especially with slow-firing guns. It's also cheaper than AP. It pairs well with the Builder's dismemberment aura.

Walkman and cassettes

Synthwave cassette tapes turn up in nightstands, duffel bags, and similar spots. Complete a volume to unlock its bonus, such as more resources from mining — though the author says volume bonuses apply only while you're playing the Walkman. Examples of set bonuses are +10% run speed, +15% melee damage against zombies, or +60 stamina with +20% resources. You can play cassettes in vehicles, or anywhere with the Walkman mod. Controls are on the hotkeys page.