Managing Study Time: Reading Speed
In vanilla Project Zomboid, reading a high-level skill book (like Master Mechanics) can take upwards of 20 real-life minutes. While realistic, this can lead to stagnant gameplay on multiplayer servers where time doesn’t stop. You can easily accelerate this process via your sandbox configuration.
| Reading Time | Difficulty | Last Updated |
|---|
| 3 minutes | Beginner | January 2026 |
Configuration Variable
Locate the following entry in your {ServerName}_SandboxVars.lua file:
- Variable:
MinutesPerPage
- Logic: This value acts as a multiplier for how long it takes to process a single page of text.
Recommended Settings
| Multiplier | Speed | Note |
|---|
1.0 | Vanilla | Not recommended for group play. |
0.5 | 2x Speed | A balanced middle ground. |
0.3 | 3.3x Speed | Recommended for most community servers. |
0.1 | ~Instant | Removes the need for the “Fast Reader” trait entirely. |
Trait Balancing
If you set reading speed to 0.1, the “Fast Reader” trait becomes functionally useless, while “Slow Reader” loses its negative penalty. Ensure your players are aware of your reading multipliers before they finalize their character builds.Support Channels
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Last Updated: January 2026 | Project Zomboid: Literacy rates improved.