(Not OP) You are gonna die, a lot :). Don't worry about that too much, you can spawn your new char in the same world, and use your built up safehouse just the same. On your second char, you already might have skillbooks (like farming 101)and skill-VHS tapes ( like woodcraft episode 3) that help you level faster waiting for you at the old safehouse. So while progression is also character based, it's not JUST character based.

Zombies are nothing 1 on 1, but scary in groups. Instead of fighting 50 zombies at once, try and herd them into a forest or quiet part nearby, and then make the old Irish Goodbye, just sprint out of sight, take the long way back. It'll take days for them to find their way back.

Also, it's a sandbox. Basically every setting is changeable. Dont like something ? Change it. Good luck, have fun!

Ultimately, it’s a sandbox so the difficulty can be scaled to however you have the most fun. Some basic tips I’d suggest though is to cover your windows, so Zombies can’t see in, and maybe look into barricades when you can. You’ll also want to be careful with your fights. Unless you’ve got difficulty low, you can easily get tired and overwhelmed by zombies.

In the later game I also try to setup safe houses around town for emergencies, and I’ll patrol every once and a while too in order to clear out Zombies and keep them from building up around town.

There are three ways to move in Zomboid: walking, running, and sprinting, each faster but more exhausting than the last. You will be tempted to run away from the horde of 65 zombies you just picked up walking through a commercial zone. But you walk faster than zombies, so do not run unless absolutely necessary; you will become exhausted and tire quicker, slowing you and weakening you. The lowest level of exhaustion (out of four) will halve your melee damage and make you move 20% slower, and it quickly gets much worse from there, especially if you're running or fighting. And never sprint. It will get you killed. The other comment mentioned a far better way to lose zombies than running away full speed.

When creating a character, you pick from a list of negative and positive traits. Positive traits cost points which you get through picking negative traits, so you need to balance them. But when first starting out, I think you're better off not touching too many negative traits; you don't want to start the game obese if you don't know how to lose weight or in what ways it will affect you! That said, there are a few smaller negatives worth picking up. I would recommend Short Sighted, which is completely counteracted by wearing glasses (which you can choose to spawn with), Prone to Illness, which is countered entirely by Outdoorsy (a cheap positive trait), and Weak Stomach, which only affects eating rotting foods (which you really shouldn't be doing anyway!). That'll start you off with an extra +8 points to spend on things you want without really affecting you.

I would also like to reinforce an idea the other comment mentioned, it is a sandbox and you can change settings however you like. I highly encourage you to look through them if you get annoyed by something. My friends like to start with starter backpacks and an extra free +8 points to spend on character creation, so I do that when I play with them. And I personally like to change the infection to be transmitted through bites only. There's loads of options to fit any playstyle.

I’m in the same boat with multiplayer. It’s a major factor of the game for me.

Vein looks interesting. It’s kind of giving me Zomboid meets Unturned vibes.

I’ve been debating whether to play the beta. I played it on launch but also I play with friends a lot, so it’s some back and forth for me. The basements were super fun though. I always ended up turning them into an underground base since there’s no windows.

Hopefully build 42 stable comes out before I'm dead, lol

Was watching a YouTuber play Week One, and he was two floors down in a basement. A plane crashed into the building and all his stuff burned anyway. Then the nukes dropped. Total madness.

Basements add a lot of vibe, the map is larger... Phew, I can't wait until the beta build gets mp enabled!

We did find milk, and a lot more Corn. I think there was some bell peppers in the back too

It also provided the udders.