Three rows in the Zombie lore group control the infection: Transmission, Mortality and Reanimate. They decide how a player gets infected, how long it takes to die, and how long after death the body rises. Changes apply after a restart.
In the ArthOS panel
- Open the Config Editor page of your server.
- Choose the second tab, the file
.cache/Server/<Server Name>_SandboxVars.lua. - In the group Zombie lore, change Transmission (
ZombieLore.Transmission), Mortality (ZombieLore.Mortality) or Reanimate (ZombieLore.Reanimate). - Choose Save and restart the server.
- Transmission
- Mortality
- Reanimate
Transmission
Transmission is how the Knox virus spreads. The default is Blood and Saliva.
| Choice | What it means |
|---|---|
| Blood and Saliva | A bite always infects. A laceration infects 25% of the time and a scratch 7% of the time. |
| Saliva Only | Only a bite infects (100%). Scratches and lacerations do not. |
| Everyone’s Infected | Every player who is killed, by anything, comes back as a zombie. |
| None | The virus does not spread. |
“Blood” here means scratches and lacerations only. Standing in blood, or wearing blood-stained clothes, never infects a player.
What None means for bites: the game lists None as one way the virus can spread, and gives no wound chances for it. Not checked on Build 42.21 as of 18 October 2026: what a bite does to a player on None beyond the damage itself.
Mortality
Mortality is how quickly an infection kills the player. The default is 2-3 Days.
- Instant
- 0-30 Seconds
- 0-1 Minutes
- 0-12 Hours
- 2-3 Days (default)
- 1-2 Weeks
- Never: a bitten player gets sick, but does not turn into a zombie and does not die of it.
A short time makes a bite a quick death. A long time gives players a chance to survive, or to say goodbye.
Reanimate
Reanimate is how long after death an infected body rises as a zombie. The default is 0-1 Minutes. The choices are Instant, 0-30 Seconds, 0-1 Minutes, 0-12 Hours, 2-3 Days and 1-2 Weeks. There is no Never here.
Related rows
- Disable fake dead (
ZombieLore.DisableFakeDead): whether some dead-looking zombies get up and attack. The choices are World Zombies (the default), World and Combat Zombies, and Never. - Wound infection factor (
WoundInfectionFactor, in the top group Sandbox): the damage from serious wound infections. It is a separate thing from the Knox virus. The game’s default is 1.00.
Two examples
An easier server: Transmission on Saliva Only and Mortality on 1-2 Weeks. A scratch is harmless and a bite leaves time to find help.
A harder server: Transmission on Blood and Saliva and Mortality on 0-1 Minutes. A bite is a quick end.
By hand
Stop the server and open .cache/Server/<Server Name>_SandboxVars.lua in Files. Find the ZombieLore table. The numbers match the order of the choices above, starting at 1. For example:
-- How the Knox Virus spreads. Default = Blood and Saliva
-- 1 = Blood and Saliva
-- 2 = Saliva Only
-- 3 = Everyone's Infected
-- 4 = None
Transmission = 1,Change the number, save the file and start the server.
If it does not work
- Nothing changed. Restart the server. Sandbox settings are read when it starts.
- A player who is already infected. Not checked on Build 42.21 as of 18 October 2026: whether a new setting changes an infection that has already started.
More zombie rows are in the zombie settings guide. Death and respawn rules are in the respawn and death guide.
Sources: pzwiki.net: Custom Sandbox