Occupation

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Occupations

Occupation, previously known as profession, is the player's line of work prior to the beginning of the Knox Event and is chosen during character creation — choosing a name, occupation and traits, which can be both positive and negative.

Each occupation gives different advantages to the player which will allow them to excel in certain skills more so than others. Since Build 31 this has become much more relevant as only characters who start with some previous experience in a skill will gain an experience boost, allowing them to level up that skill at a much faster rate. For example: a Carpenter will pick up carpentry much faster than a Farmer for example, unless that Farmer also had a hobby that involved carpentry.

Starting skill level and experience boost:

• Level 0 — 25% (default for all skills)
• Level 1 — 75%
• Level 2 — 100%
• Level 3+ — 125%

Major skill boosts can also be obtained by taking certain "Hobby" traits.

Note that some occupations put the player into negative starting points, requiring them to take negative traits, whereas others have points left to spend on positive traits.

List of occupations

Occupation	Skills	Traits	Starting points	Description	Starting clothing	Spawn points
						Muldraugh	Riverside	Rosewood	West Point
Unemployed	-	-	8	In-game description: "8 free trait points."	-	-	-	-	-
Fire Officer	+1 Axe +1 Fitness +1 Sprinting +1 Strength	-	0	Fire Officers can carry more and run faster for longer periods of time.		-	-	Fire Station (map)	-
Police Officer	+3 Aiming +1 Nimble +2 Reloading	-	-4	Police Officers are very effective with firearms, as such this profession is great if you want to face the hordes of the undead Guns 'a' Blazin'.		-	Riverside Suites (map) Gated community (map)	Police station (map)	Town Hall (map) Knox Bank (map) Police station (map)
Park Ranger	+1 Axe +1 Carpentry +2 Foraging +2 Trapping	-	-4	Park Rangers, thanks to their skill boost are great for players who are looking to survive away from any town, deep in the wilderness. Park Rangers can move at 75% speed while walking through forests. They also have a bonus to search mode, allowing them to find items easily while in search mode. In-game description: Allows much faster movement through forests and woodland.		House near forest (map)	-	House with Garden (map) House near forest (map)	Small House (map)
Construction Worker	+1 Carpentry +3 Short Blunt	-	-2	While Construction Worker is no longer the best choice for those who want to build their own base, this profession definitely is the one to go with if you like fighting zombies with Blunt weapons.		-	Construction Site(map) Fossoil (map) Bar (map) Riverside Suites (map)	-	-
Security Guard	+1 Lightfooted +2 Sprinting	Night Owl	-2	Security Guard is a good choice for those who enjoy moving from place to place without clearing the entire area. Characters with this profession need less sleep (recover from tiredness quicker) and stay more alert when they do. They can also evacuate much faster should things go south.	-	Shop (map)	Bar (map)	-	-
Carpenter	+3 Carpentry +1 Short Blunt	-	2	This occupation is great for those who are looking to build their own base. And nothing else.		-	-	-	-
Burglar	+2 Lightfooted +2 Nimble +2 Sneaking	Burglar	-6	Burglars are the best choice for those who prefer to sneak past zombies rather than fight them. They can, however, move quickly while in combat, making them very versatile. Burglars can also hotwire vehicles without the necessary character skills. In-game description: "Can hotwire vehicles, less chance of breaking the lock of a window."	-	-	-	-	-
Chef	+3 Cooking +1 Maintenance +1 Short Blade	Cook	-4	Chefs are very good at handling various kitchenware and stabbing\cutting things with their kitchen knives. Choosing this profession ensures that you'll eat well even after the apocalypse and use the most out of ingredients.		Burgers (map) Diner (map) Spiffo's (map)	Park Restaurant (map) Riverside Suites (map)	Buffet (map)	Burgers (map) Pizza Whirled (map) Spiffo's (map) Crystal Pie (map)
Repairman	+1 Carpentry +2 Maintenance +1 Short Blunt	-	-4	Repairman is a profession for those who want to use their tools for a little longer without them breaking and even then be able to repair them easily if they have the right kind of glue or some duct tape.		-	Construction Site (map) Fossoil (map) Bar (map)	-	-
Farmer	+3 Farming	-	2	Profession of choice for those who don't want to starve once the last can of tuna and pack of crisps are nothing but a memory.		-	-	-	-
Fisherman	+3 Fishing +1 Foraging	-	-2	Good starting profession for those who choose to survive in the wilderness with a massive bonus to fishing and a slight bonus to foraging. They also have a bonus to search mode, allowing them to find items easily while in search mode.		-	-	-	-
Doctor	+3 First Aid +1 Short Blade	-	2	Doctors are much better at treating injuries than other people but are not too useful in a world where a single scratch from a zombie can mean death.		Cortman Medical (map)	Pharmahug (map)	-	Pharmahug (map)
Veteran	+2 Aiming +2 Reloading	Desensitized	-8	Veterans never panic, no matter how bad it is they can stand their ground and deal out headshots to any zombies that made the mistake of trying to scare them.		-	-	-	-
Nurse	+2 First Aid +1 Lightfooted	-	2	Nurses treat wounds better than others except for Doctors. They also have a slight bonus to Lightfooted, allowing them to move a bit quieter, but that's about it.	-	-	-	-	-
Lumberjack	+2 Axe +1 Strength	Axe Man	0	Lumberjacks are very effective with an axe. No matter if they're hacking away at a tree or a zombie. Lumberjacks swings their axe 25% faster (chopping trees and combat), they deal 50% bonus damage to trees and move at ~59% speed while walking through forests. They also have a bonus to search mode, allowing them to find items easily while in search mode. In-game description: "Allows slightly faster movement through forests and woodland."		-	-	-	-
Fitness Instructor	+3 Fitness +2 Sprinting	Nutritionist	-6	Fitness Instructors are very effective at running and have a high starting regularity for all exercises which means zombies and exercise fatigue usually aren't going to be a big problem for them.		-	-	-	-
Burger Flipper	+2 Cooking +1 Maintenance +1 Short Blade	Cook	2	Good for those who want to eat well and play with sharp objects.		-	-	-	-
Electrician	+3 Electrical	-	-4	This profession will allow the player to use generators and maintain them by default. In-game description: "Can operate generators."		-	-	-	-
Engineer	+1 Carpentry +1 Electrical	-	-4	The Engineer is able to craft different kinds of traps and powerful explosives, even some(1)(2)(3) that can't be learned through recipe magazines. In-game description: "Can make traps and explosives."		-	-	-	-
Metalworker	+3 Metalworking	-	-6	The Metalworker is able to craft metal structures and furniture. In-game description: "Can weld foraged metal to create items and barricades."		-	-	-	-
Mechanic	+3 Mechanics +1 Short Blunt	Amateur Mechanic	-4	Mechanics know how to fix all sorts of cars, if they have the right tools. They are also good with short blunt weapons. In-game description: "Familiar with the maintenance and repair of all vehicle models on the roads of Kentucky."		-	-	-	-

Future occupations

Blacksmith

The Blacksmith can make a range of metallic tools.

Starting skills

Fitness: 5

Strength: 5

Blacksmith: 3

Trait: Blacksmith

Starting points -4

See also

• Traits
• Skills