Crossbow
WeaponThe PAINTEVERYWHERE code paid 1,000 Cash plus a Crossbow and a Mounted Gun before it expired (per IGN and Pocket Tactics).
Build and Kill Zombies Car Builds & Loadouts (Build Guide Reference)
The build system, the named weapons and car parts confirmed by code rewards, and the milestone build order — every row sourced and dated.
Checked 2026-10-03Build and Kill Zombies wiki
Quick answer: movement first, cheap damage second, one defense by wave 10
A Build and Kill Zombies build is a car plus a loadout, and the order matters more than the parts. Build a car that drives — frame, wheels, a working seat — because an immobile car wastes the whole session. Spend the first Cash on the cheapest rapid weapon: early kills are your income, and damage-per-cash beats any single expensive purchase in the first ten waves. Add one survivability piece before the wave-10 difficulty step, then scale damage every payout, rebuilding scattered pieces into straight walls and kill zones that funnel zombies into weapon range. From wave 25, heavy single-target damage breaks the wave walls that end record runs. The role table and milestone order below carry the details; the best-build page turns them into a purchase list.
Build order
The car, milestone by milestone
Community tactics applied to the official build-and-survive loop, checked 2026-10-03.
| Waves | Goal | Buy order | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waves 1–10 | Income online | Cheapest rapid-damage weapon first; test the car moves before spending; skip expensive single-target weapons until rapid is maxed for your cash tier. | Early zombie kills fund every later purchase, so damage-per-cash leads the build. |
| Waves 10–25 | Stop the stall | One survivability piece (walls, funnel, or armor-style defense), then back to damage; rebuild scattered pieces into straight walls and kill zones near your weapons. | Zombies start breaking through; a dead car earns nothing, so defenses protect income. |
| Waves 25+ | Record distance | Heavy single-target damage to break wave walls; a second defensive layer when zombies breach; change one thing per run so you know what worked. | Deep runs need burst to kill tanky waves and layered defenses to survive the leaks. |
Loadout roles
What each loadout role is worth
The tier list ranks roles, not individual items, because the game ships no official weapon stat sheet — the reasoning for every row is shown.
| Role | Tier | When it matters | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheap rapid damage | S | Early waves — weapons | The lowest-cost rapid weapon pays for itself fastest: early zombie kills fund every later upgrade, so damage-per-cash leads the ranking. |
| Funneling defenses | A | Mid waves — defenses | Defenses that slow or group zombies in front of your weapons raise clear speed more than raw damage once waves thicken. |
| Heavy single-target damage | A | Late waves — weapons | Once cheap damage is maxed, heavy single-target upgrades break the wave walls that end most runs. |
Source: the tier list methodology, checked 2026-10-03. Pair one survivability piece with early damage so income never stalls.
Named entities
Weapons and car parts confirmed by code rewards
Code rewards are developer-set, so each named item below is official evidence that the item exists — checked 2026-10-03.
Mounted Gun
WeaponArrived with the Crossbow in the same PAINTEVERYWHERE reward — a mounted weapon class is confirmed.
Small Engine
Car partThe COMMUNITY code pays 1,000 Cash plus 1 Small Engine and 1 Small Tank (per Eurogamer and TechWiser) — engines come in size tiers.
Small Tank
Car partPaired with the Small Engine in the COMMUNITY reward — a fuel or armor family by size tier.
Passenger Seats
Car partThe MOREFRIENDS code pays Two Passenger Seats — car capacity is upgradable, which matters in 5-player servers.
Best distance (studs)
Stat gateIAMPRO required a best distance of 1,000 studs before paying its 5,000 Cash (per GamesRadar) — your record run is a tracked stat.
Doctrine
Placement tactics that raise kills per wave
Kills are income, so placement is an economy decision — the tactics below come from community gameplay clips and the guides.
Straight walls over scattered pieces
Walls that form a line push zombies along a predictable path; scattered pieces split the horde and leak income around your weapons.
Corridors into kill zones
A corridor that ends inside overlapping weapon range turns every wave into a massed kill — more kills per wave at the same damage value.
Keep driving
A car that repositions survives longer and kills more per wave; the run depends on movement, so test it after every rebuild.
FAQ
Build questions
How does car building work in Build and Kill Zombies?
The official description sums up the system: build your car, then add crazy weapons and defenses. A car starts from a frame with wheels and a working seat — movement comes first because the whole run depends on a drivable car — and loadout pieces attach from there. Defenses shape where zombies travel; weapons decide how fast they die.
What are the named weapons in the game?
The confirmed named weapons so far come from code rewards: a Crossbow and a Mounted Gun (the expired PAINTEVERYWHERE code paid 1,000 Cash plus both, per IGN and Pocket Tactics). The broader catalog exists in-game, but the developer has released no official stat sheet, so this site ranks weapon roles rather than quoting made-up damage numbers.
What is the best build order?
Damage first: buy the cheapest rapid weapon before anything else, keep driving, and add one survivability piece before the wave-10 difficulty step. Keep scaling damage through the mid waves, rebuild sloppy layouts into straight walls and kill zones, and invest in heavy single-target damage for record pushes from wave 25. The full ordered path is on the best-build page.
What is the best-distance stat?
It is your record run distance, measured in studs. Codes gate on it — IAMPRO required a best distance of 1,000 studs before it would pay its 5,000 Cash — which makes record pushes a progression requirement, not just a bragging right.
Do builds differ in a group server?
Yes, by emphasis. Servers hold 5 players and everyone builds their own car, so groups assign roles: damage leads, coverage builders, and a roamer. The server planner has the worked duo, trio, and full-server plans.
Every section above is part of the Build and Kill Zombies wiki hub, where the core systems are indexed with sources and dates.
Related pages
Where to go next
Best build order
The full purchase path with criteria and a checked date.
Tier list
Role-first rankings behind the table above.
Items & rewards
Currencies and every documented item reward.
Server planner
Role assignments for 5-player group servers.
Beginner guide
The first-session walkthrough of this order.
Codes status
The code rewards cited as item evidence.