HumanitZ Large Sticks Guide
The most common question new survivors ask is how to craft large sticks from bushes and trees so they can bash zombies without wasting ammo. Large Sticks are the gateway from unarmed scavenger to armed survivor. This guide covers every source of sticks, the fiber and cordage you need to bind them, every improvised melee recipe that starts with a stick, durability values, and how to use these crude weapons to clear your first zombie cluster safely.
Last updated: July 5, 2026
Harvesting Sticks — Bushes, Trees, and Salvage
A Large Stick is not a single item you find on the ground. It is harvested from bushes and trees, or salvaged from wooden objects. The fastest source is a Large Bush — walk up and interact with it using bare hands. You do not need a tool. Each bush gives 2 to 4 Small Sticks or a single Large Stick, with the Large Stick dropping roughly 30 percent of the time. If you search 3 or 4 bushes in a row, you are almost guaranteed at least one Large Stick.
For higher yield, chop Dead Trees with an axe. A single Dead Tree yields 3 to 5 Large Sticks plus 2 Wood Logs, but the chopping sound travels far and will attract any zombie within roughly 50 meters. Clear the area before you swing, or you will be fighting off a group mid-harvest. Saplings are the middle ground — they need a knife but give both a Large Stick and a Wood Log quietly.
| Source | Yield | Tool | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Bush | 1-2 Small Sticks | None (bare hands) | 3 sec | Found everywhere along roads and fields. Safest source — no noise, no zombie aggro. |
| Large Bush | 2-4 Small Sticks or 1 Large Stick | None (bare hands) | 5 sec | Yield is random. Large Sticks drop roughly 30 percent of the time. Search 3-4 bushes to guarantee one. |
| Sapling (Young Tree) | 1 Large Stick + 1 Wood Log | Knife or Axe | 8 sec | Requires a bladed tool. Saplings are common at forest edges. The log is bonus crafting material. |
| Dead Tree | 3-5 Large Sticks + 2 Wood Logs | Axe (any) | 12 sec | Highest stick yield per action. Dead trees are leafless and grey. Loud chop attracts nearby zombies. |
| Wooden Crate (Loot) | 2-3 Large Sticks | Crowbar or Axe | 6 sec | Found in sheds, barns, and warehouses. Salvaging crates also yields nails and planks. |
| Fence Post (Salvage) | 1-2 Large Sticks | Crowbar | 10 sec | Old wooden fences in rural areas. Dismantle with crowbar. Quiet compared to chopping trees. |
Crafting Recipes — From Stick to Improvised Weapons
A bare Large Stick is already a usable weapon, but the recipes below turn it into a real killer. All of these are crafted from the crafting menu (default key C). You do not need a workbench for the base recipes — Sharpened Stick, Improvised Club, and Torch can be made in the field. Spiked Club and Improvised Spear require Nails or Rope, which you will find in sheds, garages, and hardware stores.
Note that crafting a Sharpened Stick or Improvised Spear consumes the Knife used in the recipe. The knife is not destroyed — its condition drops by 10 percent. If your knife is already below 20 percent, it will break during crafting and you lose both the knife and the stick. Always check knife condition before sharpening.
| Weapon | Recipe | Damage | Durability | Speed | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Stick (Base) | 1 Large Stick | Low (15 HP) | 30 hits | Medium | Starter melee weapon. Better than fists. Staggers normal zombies on hit. |
| Sharpened Stick | 1 Large Stick + 1 Knife | Medium (25 HP) | 25 hits | Medium | Impales on thrust. Higher damage but degrades the knife used to craft it. |
| Improvised Club | 2 Large Sticks + 1 Rope | Medium-High (35 HP) | 45 hits | Slow | Heavy swing knocks down zombies. Best early-game damage before finding a Bat. |
| Spiked Club | 2 Large Sticks + 1 Rope + 5 Nails | High (50 HP) | 40 hits | Slow | Bleed effect on hit. Zombies take 5 HP per second for 3 sec after being struck. |
| Improvised Spear | 1 Large Stick + 1 Knife + 1 Rope | Medium (30 HP, thrust) | 35 hits | Fast | Long reach lets you poke zombies from outside their grab range. Safe for solo players. |
| Torch (Lit) | 1 Large Stick + 1 Cloth Strip + 1 Lighter | Low (12 HP + fire) | 60 sec burn time | Medium | Lights dark interiors and sets zombies on fire. Fire deals 3 HP per second for 5 sec. |
Fiber and Cordage — Binding Improvised Weapons
The Improvised Club, Spiked Club, and Improvised Spear all need Rope or a Cloth Strip to bind the parts together. Rope is found in sheds, garages, boats, and industrial buildings. If you cannot find Rope, craft it from Cloth Strips. Tear any clothing item (shirt, pants, jacket) into Cloth Strips, then combine 3 Cloth Strips into 1 Rope at the crafting menu. A single shirt yields 4 Cloth Strips, so one shirt gives enough Rope for one weapon with a strip to spare.
Cloth Strips also double as bandages. Do not tear up your only shirt if you are bleeding — keep one spare for medical use. The most efficient loop is: loot a house, take any duplicate clothing, tear duplicates into strips, bind sticks into weapons, and keep one strip as a bandage. This turns junk clothing into both weapons and medical supplies.
Early Combat — Bashing Zombies With Stick Weapons
Improvised stick weapons are not meant for prolonged fights. They are for the first 1 to 3 in-game days before you find a proper melee weapon like a Crowbar, Baseball Bat, or Fire Axe. The strategy is simple: never fight more than one zombie at a time with a stick weapon. Lure single zombies away from groups by making noise (throw a rock, then move to a side street). Once isolated, swing for the head — a head hit with a Sharpened Stick does 2x damage and staggers the zombie for 1.5 seconds.
The Improvised Spear is the safest stick weapon for solo players because of its long reach. Thrust attacks let you hit a zombie while it is still 1 meter away from you — outside its grab range. Backpedal as you thrust. If the zombie lunges and misses, it is staggered for 1 second, which is enough time for 2 free thrusts. Practice the backpedal-thrust rhythm on the first zombie you meet.
The Spiked Club is the strongest stick weapon but also the slowest. Only use it when you have space to swing — indoors it will hit walls and waste durability. Outdoors against a single zombie, one solid hit plus the bleed effect (5 HP per second for 3 seconds) will kill a normal zombie in 2 swings. Runner zombies are too fast for the Spiked Club — switch to a spear or retreat to a doorway where you can funnel them.
Durability and Maintenance
Stick weapons have low durability by design. A base Large Stick breaks after 30 hits, and a Sharpened Stick after 25. Always carry a spare — craft 2 or 3 weapons before leaving your base. When a weapon breaks, it disappears from your hand and you switch automatically to the next melee slot. If you have no spare, you are back to fists, which deal 5 HP per punch — a death sentence against anything but a lone crawler.
You cannot repair stick weapons. They are disposable by design. The materials are free, so do not get attached to a weapon. The moment a Spiked Club hits 10 percent durability, drop it and craft a fresh one — a broken weapon mid-fight is worse than no weapon. Stack 5 to 10 Large Sticks in your base storage so you can re-craft in seconds after every fight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I craft large sticks from bushes and trees?
You do not craft a Large Stick — you harvest it. Walk up to a Large Bush and interact with it using bare hands. You will get 2 to 4 Small Sticks or 1 Large Stick, with the Large Stick dropping roughly 30 percent of the time. For guaranteed Large Sticks, chop a Dead Tree with an axe (3 to 5 Large Sticks per tree) or cut a Sapling with a knife (1 Large Stick plus 1 Wood Log). Bushes are silent and safe; tree chopping is loud and attracts zombies, so clear the area first.
Are stick weapons worth using over found weapons?
Only in the first 1 to 3 in-game days. A Crowbar deals 60 HP, a Baseball Bat 55 HP, and a Fire Axe 90 HP — all of which are dramatically stronger than even a Spiked Club at 50 HP. The moment you find any of those, drop your stick weapon. The one exception is the Improvised Spear, whose long reach makes it useful even mid-game as a backup for safe single-target poking. Otherwise, stick weapons are a stopgap for when you have not yet looted a proper melee weapon.
How long do improvised stick weapons last?
It depends on the weapon. A base Large Stick lasts 30 hits, a Sharpened Stick 25 hits, an Improvised Club 45 hits, a Spiked Club 40 hits, and an Improvised Spear 35 hits. The Torch burns for 60 seconds total regardless of hits. You cannot repair any stick weapon — they are disposable. Always carry 2 or 3 spares on a loot run. If a weapon drops below 10 percent durability, craft a replacement before the next fight, because it will break mid-swing at the worst possible moment.