Surviving the zombie apocalypse is tough, but it's even tougher if you don't know how you feel. In Project Zomboid, your character will regularly become affected by status effects known as Moodles. These afflictions will indicate what your character is going through, and each has a different cure. Take a look below, and we'll show you what each Project Zomboid Moodle is, what they do to you, and how to fix them.

All Project Zomboid Moodles

Whenever you're afflicted with a Moodle, you can see it on the right-hand side of your screen. These will all appear within a red circle, and they will remain on your screen for as long as your character is afflicted with the Moodle. While they are called Moodles, some of these effects show physical reactions your character is experiencing, as well as emotional reactions.

Bleeding

Typically, this Moodle will appear when your character is badly injured. The primary purpose of this Moodle is to let you know that your character is suffering from a bleeding wound of some kind. In order to fix it, address the primary wound you're suffering from. Bandages tend to help the most with bleeding wounds.

Bored

While you and I might not understand how one could be bored in a terrifying, apocalyptic setting, your character will occasionally become bored. This takes place when your character has been inactive indoors for an extended period of time. The best way to get rid of this is to head outdoors. Of course, it can also be fixed if your character starts to panic. If it's left unfixed for too long, your character will also become afflicted with Unhappiness.

Dead

This Moodle will only appear when your character's health has reached zero. Once you make a new character, this Moodle will disappear. It's not the most informative Moodle, but you'll only see it once you've died from a non-zombie cause.

Drunk

While it isn't the worst Moodle you can become afflicted with, Drunk can cause a few problems. It's caused by consuming too much alcohol, and it will cause your character to become increasingly drowsy. They'll also have delayed vehicle controls and reduced effectiveness in Search Mode. The only way to fix it is to wait for it to fade away over time.

Exertion

This Moodle is similar to the Bleeding Moodle as it lets you know that your character is suffering from too much physical fatigue. When this Moodle appears, you'll have less combat ability and reduced movement speed. To get rid of it, you'll have to make your character stay idle for a while. Sitting down or otherwise resting will help you recover your endurance.

Food Eaten

One of the newest Moodles, thanks to build 42, Food Eaten is separate from but related to the Hungry Moodle. If your character eats either enough food to completely satiate their hunger or more than enough food, you'll see this Moodle appear. When you have this active, you will receive an even greater boost to your healing and strength-related recovery until it fades away over time.

Has a Cold

If you remain wet or cold for an extended period of time, your character will catch a cold. This will cause infrequent coughs and sneezes, which can attract zombies in the area. To fix this, stay indoors, hydrated, and well-fed.

Heavy Load

This is an indication that your character is carrying too much in their inventory. Having this will reduce your movement speed and attack speed, and increase your endurance loss. If you're afflicted with the Heavy Load Moodle for too long, your character will actually lose significant amounts of health over time. Simply offload your excess items to alleviate this condition.

Hungry

As one might be able to guess, this simply means your character needs some food soon, and it exists in stages. If you're well-fed, you will receive the separate Well Fed moodle and have an improved healing rate, carrying capacity, and body heat generation.

Hyperthermia

When your character's body temperature is higher than it should be, this Moodle can appear. This could be due to the weather, increased physical activity, or too much clothing. The best way to fix it is to increase your hydration, get out of the hot weather, or rest. This condition, left unchecked, will increase both your fatigue and dehydration rates.

Hypothermia

At the opposite end of the temperature spectrum, this Moodle will occur due to prolonged exposure to the cold. Bundling up in appropriate clothing, seeking rest and refuge indoors, and staying well-fed can help this Moodle to disappear. If ignored, it can reduce your character's movement speed and eventually lead to death.

Injured

This Moodle can appear when you have a certain amount of health remaining. Its primary purpose is to show that your character isn't in great physical condition. It won't necessarily appear if your character has an injury, but it acts more as a warning that your overall health is too low.

Noxious Smell

This can appear if your character is about to become afflicted with corpse sickness or toxic fumes. Corpse sickness will only happen if you spend too much time near rotting corpses. Meanwhile, toxic fumes come from a generator running indoors. Both of these conditions will cause your character to become too sick and lose a portion of their health. If you see this Moodle appear, take it as a warning and leave the area.

Pain

If your character is taking damage of any kind or suffering from an injury, this Moodle can appear. It indicates your character is suffering from injuries or other painful conditions, and it can also prevent your character from sleeping. Do the best you can to take painkillers or use alcohol to numb or treat any wounds you might have.

Panic

If you see zombies, the Panic Moodle will likely appear. When it's present, your combat abilities will be adversely affected. The best way to combat it is to use beta blockers or alcohol. Of course, there are traits that can mitigate Panic as well. Additionally, the longer your character lives, the more resistant they will become to Panic.

Restricted Movement

With this Moodle, it's a sign that your character cannot sprint. This could be due to having a significant leg injury, overloading your inventory/equipment, restrictive gear, or other factors. You'll have to perform a thorough investigation to root out the cause and fix it.

Sick

There are plenty of ways for your character to become sick. Zombie attacks, poisoning, ingesting dangerous food, being too close to corpses, and more. If left alone, the Sick Moodle can cause you to have worse carrying capacity, higher body temperatures, and lower healing rates. While it may fade over time, it can also progress to a fatal outcome. There are different ways to alleviate Sick depending on the cause, one being lemongrass, which can help with food poisoning, and another being corpse sickness, which can only be alleviated by leaving the contaminated area.

Stress

The most natural Moodle you'd expect to see in a zombie apocalypse. This one will appear if your character has a fear of infection after fighting zombies or from the smoker trait. If your character has the Stressed status for too long, they can acquire the Unhappiness Moodle. To alleviate stress, cigarettes (Smoker characters only), reading literature, or removing oneself from stressful scenarios can help.

Thirsty

Much like Hungry, the Thirsty Moodle is simply a sign that you need some hydration. If you're dehydrated, you'll have reduced carrying capacity, increased heat generation, and, of course, death if you wait too long. Simply continue drinking clean water and other beverages to fix this.

Tired

If your character has been having restless nights, they will have the Tired Moodle. This causes your combat ability to decrease very quickly and reduces your cone of vision. You can briefly counteract this condition with caffeinated beverages, but rest is the best cure.

Uncomfortable

If your character is wearing too many clothes/layers, uncomfortable clothes, or similar that affect their discomfort value, they will receive the Uncomfortable status effect. If this is left unchecked for too long, the Unhappiness Moodle will rear its ugly head.

Unhappy

The dreaded Unhappy Moodle is an irritating problem when it appears. It affects your item interaction speeds and comes about when your character has had too many negative Moodles for too long. You can fix it with some medicinal items, recreation items, or by eating high-quality food.

Windchill

This Moodle is a warning for Hypothermia. If you're outdoors in the right weather, you'll see this appear. It's a sign that things are too cold, and you ought to seek shelter or more suitable clothing before your character gets too chilly.

Zombie

Much like the Dead Moodle, this one will only appear once your health has reached zero. However, this one appears if the cause of your death was zombification. Bitten, scratched, or otherwise infected? Eventually, this unfortunate Moodle will pop up on your screen.