Traps are the difference between a comfortable blood moon and a desperate last stand. The right combination of traps, placed correctly, can handle 30–40% of your zombie count before you fire a single round.
The Core Trap Types
Blade Trap
The backbone of any horde defense. Blade traps deal high damage, trigger reliably, and cover a 2-block wide area. Place them in chokepoints where zombies must walk single-file.
Power: No electricity required
Best use: Kill corridor floor, all approach paths
Electric Fence Post
Electric fences stun and damage groups of zombies passing through them. Two fence posts with a wire stretched between them creates an invisible electric field.
Power: 3W per fence post (electricity required - see Electricity Planner)
Best use: Outer perimeter, moat floors, ramp entries
Dart Trap
Fires projectiles on motion sensor activation. Excellent against airborne attacks and covering blind spots blade traps can’t reach.
Power: 10W (electricity required)
Best use: Secondary corridors, interior kill zones
Barbed Wire
Not a “trap” per se, but barbed wire slows zombies significantly and deals small continuous damage. It’s free to craft early game and stacks with all other traps.
Setup 1: The Classic Kill Corridor
The most proven setup for any stage of the game.
[RAMP] → [Barbed Wire] → [Blade Trap] → [Blade Trap] → [Blade Trap] → [SHOOTING POSITION]
- Build a single-wide ramp approach (1 block wide)
- Line the ramp floor with barbed wire for slowing
- Place 3–5 blade traps at the base of the ramp
- Position yourself above to fire downward
This setup handles 60–70% of standard zombie kills before they even reach your base walls.
Setup 2: The Electric Moat
For mid-to-late game players with electricity access.
- 3-wide, 5-deep moat around base perimeter
- Electric fence posts at top edges of moat walls
- Blade traps at moat bottom
- Zombies fall in, get electrocuted, and hit blade traps before climbing out
Handles demolishers poorly - they detonate in the moat and damage the walls. Add a concrete inner wall as backup.
Setup 3: The Staggered Trap Wall
For large groups or high game stages.
Multiple parallel corridors, each with blade traps and electric fences. Zombies split across corridors, each getting processed by its own trap line.
Check your power requirements with the Electricity Planner - multiple electric fences can exceed a Tier 2 generator’s capacity.
Setup 4: The Turret-Trap Hybrid
The late-game standard.
- Outer ring: Electric fences slow and damage
- Mid-ring: Blade traps handle bulk
- Inner ring: Auto-turrets clean up survivors and target specials/Demolishers
This setup can handle Insane-difficulty hordes with minimal manual shooting.
Trap Maintenance Checklist
Before every blood moon:
- Replace any broken blade traps
- Refill dart trap ammo
- Check electric fence connections
- Stock repair kits for mid-horde maintenance
- Verify generator fuel level
Run the Horde Night Planner - your trap count directly affects your survival probability score. Each additional trap adds measurable survivability.