Occupation
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 became 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
Unemployed
- A blank canvas with no previous experience. Ideal starting occupation for someone wanting to create their own completely custom character.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Starting Points: 8
- Fire Officers can carry more and run faster for longer periods of time.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 6
- Strength: 6
- Sprinting: 1
- Starting Points: 0
- Police Officers are very effective with firearms, as such this profession is great if you want to face the hordes of the undead Guns Blazin'.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Aiming: 3
- Reloading: 2
- Nimble: 1
- Starting Points: -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 have a huge boost to speed while walking through forests.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Foraging: 2
- Trapping: 2
- Carpentry: 1
- Starting Points: -4
- 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.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Blunt Accuracy: 3
- Carpentry: 1
- Starting Points: -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 and stay more alert when they do. They can also evacuate much faster should things go south.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Sprinting: 2
- Lightfooted: 1
- Trait: Requires little sleep. Stays extra alert when sleeping Night Owl
- Starting Points: -2
- This occupation is great for those who are looking to build their own base. And nothing else.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Carpentry: 3
- Starting Points: 2
- Burglars are the best choice for those who prefer to sneak past zombies rather than fight them.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Sneaking: 2
- Lightfooted: 2
- Nimble: 2
- Starting Points: -6
- 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.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Blade Accuracy: 1
- Blade Maintenance: 1
- Cooking: 3
- Trait: Know cooking Cook
- Starting Points: -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.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Blunt Maintenance: 2
- Blade Maintenance: 2
- Carpentry: 1
- Starting Points: -4
- 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.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Farming: 3
- Starting Points: 2
- Good starting profession for those who choose surviving in West Point as there isn't much water in Muldraugh.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Fishing: 3
- Foraging: 1
- Starting Points: -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.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- First Aid: 3
- Starting Points: 2
- 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.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Aiming: 2
- Reloading: 2
- Trait: Does not reach states of panic Desensitized
- Starting Points: -8
- Like the Doctors, Nurses are good at treating injuries but that's it.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- First Aid: 2
- Lightfooted: 1
- Starting Points: 2
- Lumberjacks are very effective with an axe. No matter if they're hacking away at a tree or a zombie. Lumberjacks have a minor boost to speed while walking through forests (Build 35.26).
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Blade Accuracy: 2
- Strength: 1
- Trait: Better at chopping trees. Faster axe swing. Axe Man
- Starting Points: 0
- Fitness Instructors are very effective at running which means zombies usually aren't going to be a big problem for them.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Sprinting: 2
- Fitness: 3
- Trait: Can see the nutritional values of any food. Nutritionist
- Starting Points: -6
- Good for those who want to eat well and play with sharp objects.
- Starting Skills:
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Blade Accuracy: 1
- Cooking: 2
- Trait: Know cooking Cook
- Starting Points: 2
- This profession will allow the player to use generators and maintain them by default.
- Starting Skills
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Electrical: 3
- Starting Points: -4
- The Engineer is able to craft different kinds of traps and powerful explosives, even some that cannot be learnt through recipe magazines.
- Starting Skills
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Electrical: 1
- Carpentry: 1
- Starting Points -4
- The Metalworker is able to craft metal structures and furniture.
- Starting Skills
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Metalworking: 3
- Starting Points -6
- The Mechanic can perform maintenance and repair on all vehicle models.
- Starting Skills
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Mechanics: 3
- Trait: Familiar with the maintenance and repair of all vehicle models on the roads of Kentucky Amateur Mechanic
- Starting Points -4
Build 41
Occupation | Skills | Traits | Starting points | Description | starting clothing | Spawn points | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Muldraugh, KY | Riverside, KY | Rosewood, KY | West Point, KY | ||||||
Unemployed | - | - | 8 | 8 free trait points | - | - | - | - | - |
Fire Officer Fire Officer |
+1 Axe +1 Fitness +1 Sprinting +1 Strength |
- | -4 | - | - | - | Fire Station (map) | - | |
Police Officer Police Officer |
+3 Aiming +1 Nimble +2 Reloading |
- | 0 | - | - | - | Riverside Suites (map) | Police station (map) | Town Hall (map) Knox Bank (map) Police station (map) |
Park Ranger Park Ranger |
+1 Axe +1 Carpentry +2 Foraging +2 Trapping |
- | -4 | 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 Construction Worker |
+1 Carpentry +3 Short Blunt |
- | -2 | - | - | - | Construction Site(map) Fossoil (map) Bar (map) Riverside Suites (map) |
- | - |
Security Guard Security Guard |
+1 Lightfooted +2 Sprinting |
Requires little sleep. Stays extra alert when sleeping Night Owl | -2 | Requires little sleep. Stays extra alert when sleeping | - | Shop (map) | Bar (map) | - | - |
Carpenter Carpenter |
+3 Carpentry +1 Short Blunt |
- | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Burglar Burglar |
+2 Lightfooted +2 Nimble +2 Sneaking |
Can hotwire vehicles, less chance of breaking the lock of a window. Burglar | -6 | Can hotwire vehicles, less chance of breaking the lock of a window. | - | - | - | - | - |
Chef Chef |
+3 Cooking +1 Maintenance +1 Short Blade |
Know cooking Cook | -4 | Know cooking | - | 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 Repairman |
+1 Carpentry +2 Maintenance +1 Short Blunt |
- | -4 | - | - | - | Construction Site (map) Fossoil (map) Bar (map) |
- | - |
Farmer Farmer |
+3 Farming | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Fisherman Fisherman |
+3 Fishing +1 Foraging |
- | -2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Doctor Doctor |
+3 First Aid +1 Short Blade |
- | 2 | - | - | Cortman Medical (map) | Pharmahug (map) | - | Pharmahug (map) |
Veteran Veteran |
+2 Aiming +2 Reloading |
Does not reach states of panic Desensitized | -8 | Does not reach states of panic | - | - | - | - | |
Nurse Nurse |
+2 First Aid +1 Lightfooted |
- | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Lumberjack Lumberjack |
+2 First Aid +1 Lightfooted |
Better at chopping trees. Faster axe swing. Axe Man | 0 | Better at chopping trees. Faster axe swing. | - | - | - | - | - |
Fitness Instructor Fitness Instructor |
+3 Fitness +2 Sprinting |
Can see the nutritional values of any food. Nutritionist | -6 | Can see the nutritional values of any food. | - | - | - | - | - |
Burger Flipper Burger Flipper |
+2 Cooking +1 Maintenance +1 Short Blade |
Know cooking Cook | 2 | Know cooking | - | - | - | - | - |
Electrician Electrician |
+3 Electrical | - | -4 | Can operate generators | - | - | - | - | - |
Engineer Engineer |
+1 Carpentry +1 Electrical |
- | -4 | Can make traps and explosives | - | - | - | - | - |
Metalworker Metalworker |
+3 Metalworking | - | -6 | Can weld foraged metal to create items and barricades. | - | - | - | - | - |
Mechanic Mechanic |
+3 Mechanics +1 Short Blunt |
Familiar with the maintenance and repair of all vehicle models on the roads of Kentucky Amateur Mechanic | -6 | Familiar with the maintenance and repair of all vehicle models on the roads of Kentucky. | - | - | - | - | - |
Removed/Future Occupations
- The Blacksmith can make a range of metallic tools.
- Starting Skills
- Fitness: 5
- Strength: 5
- Blacksmith: 3
- Trait: Use an anvil to create metal items Blacksmith
- Starting Points -4