Essential Guide to Quarantine Zone Contraband and Managing Internal Items

Identifying contraband in the Quarantine Zone quickly becomes just as crucial as recognizing the signs of an infected survivor approaching your checkpoint. When someone arrives with a rucksack, it’s your responsibility to inspect what they’re carrying and seize anything that could be a danger.

For every forbidden item you confiscate, you’ll earn a nice cash bonus, but tread carefully—taking safe items can lead to fines. To assist you in making the right choices, here’s a comprehensive list of contraband to look out for in the Quarantine Zone, along with guidance on handling internal contraband.

Have you tracked down all the locations of the Quarantine Zone Ask Your Mom poems around the camp, or figured out who the Quarantine Zone skeleton guy is?

Generally, it should be fairly clear which items are safe to bring into your survivor camp and which are off-limits, though some may fall into a gray area. To help you navigate these decisions, here’s what contraband you should be on the lookout for in the Quarantine Zone:

Make sure to check the Bulletin Board daily, as you might receive quests related to contraband that take precedence over the usual rules.

Keep an eye out for survivors carrying zombie body parts in their backpacks. If you discover any during your search, do not confiscate them (unless it’s part of a quest); instead, return them to the bag and send the survivor straight to Liquidation, as they’ve likely been contaminated.

Around Day 15, after you’ve had the x-ray device for a couple of days, you’ll be alerted that some survivors are attempting to sneak contraband through your checkpoint ‘internally’. To combat this, grab the x-ray tool and set it to ALL, which will obscure the survivor’s organs, allowing you to spot any unusual items. If you see something that’s deemed safe, it’s best to leave it be—“it takes all kinds, and we have bigger fish to fry.” However, if you identify contraband, highlight it and press E to tag it. Then, go talk to Charlie, your new buddy in the white hazmat suit, who will handle the retrieval for you. The item will appear on the tray in front of him, and you can interact with it to confiscate it as usual.