Skills
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. Last edit was 03/06/2021.Skills are abilities a character has learned, with their proficiency at that skill quantified by its skill level. The skill level can be increased by allocating skill points, which are earned by gaining experience points (XP).
Skills are grouped into categories. There are currently five main skill categories: agility, combat, crafting, firearm, and survivalist. Each of these contains multiple skills. There is also a passive category, containing the fitness and strength skills.
Status
The player's current skill levels are found by opening the 'player status' window (click the heart symbol at the top-left of the screen) and selecting the 'skills' tab, or by pressing L.
Advancement Mechanics
Experience Points and Skill Points
As the player performs tasks they gain experience points (XP) that count towards the skill used. Skills level up and become more effective when the player's XP reaches predefined levels, with successive levels requiring greater increases in XP. The player's XP required to gain another level are shown when hovering over a skill:
The XP required to level up skills in build 41.50 is:
Level | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Regular skill | 75 | 150 | 300 | 750 | 1500 | 3000 | 4500 | 6000 | 7500 | 9000 |
Passive skill | 1500 | 3000 | 6000 | 9000 | 18000 | 30000 | 60000 | 90000 | 120000 | 150000 |
The figures shown here are not cumulative. For example improving 'regular skill' such as carpentry from level 3 to 4 would require 750XP.
Skill Literature
Skill books can be used to increase the rate at which the player trains a given skill. These can be found throughout the world on bookshelves or in other containers. Books are only available for skills in the "crafting" and "survivalist" categories. Additionally, books only apply to specific levels of skill advancement, with a book for every two levels of skill, totaling 5 volumes of books for each skill. For example "Carpentry for Beginners" will only provide a benefit to a player with level 0-1 carpentry. Books can only be read if they apply to the player's current skill level.
Reading a book multiplies the rate at which the player trains the associated skill. The multiplier increases in proportion to the player's progress through the book and reaches a maximum when the book is fully read. The presence of a multiplier on a given skill is indicated by animated arrows in the skill tab. Hovering the cursor over a skill level reveals the current multiplier. Below, the player has a multiplier of 3x on the cooking skill. Since training skills generates XP, reading books is an effective way to quickly improve the player's abilities.
Starting Skill Levels
The choices made at character creation determine a character's initial skill levels. Since skills take a long time to train, careful consideration should be given to the skills chosen at the start of the game.
The player's initial choice of skills are also important since skills they begin with receive an 'XP boost'. This bonus is dependent on the level the player begins with on that skill, and remains active over the course of the game. Starting skills' names are highlighted yellow in the skill tab, and hovering over the skill level will display the XP boost received. Here, the player has XP boosts for both the 'fitness' and 'strength' skills:
The XP boosts gained with different starting levels are as follows:
Starting Level | 0 | 1 | 2 | ≥3 |
---|---|---|---|---|
XP Boost | 25% | 75% | 100% | 125% |
List of Skills
Agility
Name | Effect |
---|---|
Sprinting | This affects how fast you can Run and Sprint
This can be leveled by Running (hold SHIFT) and Sprinting (press Left ALT). Note that if the player is too unfit/obese/overexerted/overburdened they may simply "power-walk" instead and could be unable to sprint, but they can still gain sprinting xp by doing so. |
Lightfooted | This is your general ability to move quietly.
This can be leveled by Sneaking, Walking or Running near zombies while undetected. |
Nimble | The Nimble skill affects how fast you move while in Combat Stance, and decreases chances of tripping. [1]
This gains experience by walking in Combat stance(Holding Left-Ctrl or holding Right-Click) |
Sneaking | Your general ability to avoid detection and make less noise when Sneaking.
This can be leveled by Sneaking (pressing C) near zombies while undetected. |
Combat
Name | Effect |
---|---|
Axe | Influences hit chance, attack speed, damage done, critical chance and the chance of your character automatically pushing zombies away when grabbed (front grabs) while using the Axe weapon type.
Increases when player hits zombies with axes. Affects Axes |
Long Blunt | Influences hit chance, attack speed, damage done, critical chance and the chance of your character automatically pushing zombies away when grabbed (front grabs) while using Long Blunt weapons.
Increases when player hits zombies with Long Blunt weapons. Affects Long Blunt. |
Short Blunt | Influences hit chance, attack speed, damage done, critical chance and the chance of your character automatically pushing zombies away when grabbed (front grabs) while using Short Blunt weapons.
Increases when player hits zombies with Short Blunt weapons. Affects Short Blunt. |
Long Blade | Influences hit chance, attack speed, damage done, critical chance and the chance of your character automatically pushing zombies away when grabbed (front grabs) while using Long Blade weapons.
Increases when player hits zombies with Long Bladed weapons. Affects Long Blade. |
Short Blade | Influences hit chance, attack speed, damage done, critical chance and the chance of your character automatically pushing zombies away when grabbed (front grabs) while using Short Blade weapons.
Increases when player hits zombies with Short Blade weapons. Affects Short Blade. |
Spear | Influences hit chance, attack speed, damage done, critical chance and the chance of your character automatically pushing zombies away when grabbed (front grabs) while using Spear weapon type.
Increases when player hits zombies with Spears. Affects Spears. |
Maintenance | Increases the chance for any weapon to not lose condition when used.
This gains XP by using weapons, with one caveat; no XP is gained if the weapon loses condition from that use. To train this, you'll need to use a weapon that doesn't break easily. |
Crafting
Name | Effect |
---|---|
Carpentry | Raising the Carpentry skill allows you to repair items better, unlock more building option and can build more high quality buildings with higher health.
The carpentry skill is leveled by barricading, crafting anything that uses planks, dismantling furniture and shelving, or by sawing logs into planks. |
Cooking | Raising the Cooking skill allows you to increase your crafted food's hunger reduction. In addition, raising your cooking skill to level 4 allows you to make soups and stews with rotten ingredients.
The cooking skill is leveled by cooking food in a heat source or by crafting food recipes |
Farming | Raising the Farming skill allows you to check up on a plants status and the information available increases as the skill does.
The farming skill is leveled by harvesting crops. More XP is awarded the more health the crop has when harvested. |
First Aid | Raising the First Aid skill allows you to bandage wounds quicker, treat wounds better in general, understand more ailments and spot infections on your health panel and much more besides.
Higher the skill - faster time of healing and bandages gets dirty slower. The first aid skill is leveled by performing medical actions on yourself or others. |
Electrical | Raising the Electrical skill allows you to operate generators and create devices.
The Electrical skill is leveled by repairing generators, dismantling electronics (Radios, CD players, etc.) and by crafting makeshift electronics. |
Metalworking | Raising the Metalworking skill allows you to build structures that are stronger than wood.
The Metalworking skill is leveled by building or dismantling metal constructions and barricades. |
Mechanics | Raising the Mechanics skill allows you to repair and change part of cars. Combined with Electrical, it can help you start a car without a key by hot wiring it.
The Mechanics skill is leveled by repairing cars, or by installing and removing car parts. |
Tailoring | Raising the Tailoring skill allows you to patch and fortify clothing, as well as fully repair clothing at higher skill levels. The amount of defense repaired or increased depends on the skill level.
The tailoring skill is leveled by repairing and fortifying any clothing piece that may be inspected and repaired. |
Firearm
Name | Effect |
---|---|
Aiming | Your aiming skill determines how accurately you can shoot, your chance to make a critical hit, range, angle, and recoil time.
This can be leveled up by shooting an enemy with a firearm. |
Reloading | Your reloading skill determines how long it takes your character to take out a magazine, load some bullets, and insert the magazine back in.
This can be leveled up by inserting bullets into a magazine, reloading any firearm with a new magazine, inserting bullets directly into any firearm. Note that when reloading is set to normal/hardcore, reloading a handgun can be done repeatedly just for practice; it's not necessary to discharge the weapon. |
Survivalist
Name | Effect |
---|---|
Fishing | Your fishing skill determines how long it takes you to fish, chance of breaking the line, letting the fish escape, losing bait or tackle, and increases your chance to catch a larger fish.
This can be leveled up by casting your line into the water, or using a spear to fish. No matter what the outcome of the cast you will gain some XP. Larger fish will bring in more XP. |
Trapping | Your trapping skill gives you a better chance of catching something in your trap and the ability to make new traps.
This can be leveled by retrieving the animals caught in your traps. |
Foraging | Your foraging skill gives you a better chance to find materials and a higher quality food items and a higher quantity of them.
This can be leveled by going into the forest, right-clicking on an area and selecting Forage. |
Passives
Name | Effect | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Strength | Your Strength determines your carry weight, as well as certain other factors, such as opening locked windows and melee or shove knockback. It increases melee weapon’s damage by 5%, and a flat 0.2 damage from stomping downed zombies. It also increases shove/push knockdown chance.
(Note: Here’s how push knockdown chance is calculated:) 35 (base push knockdown chance) - 5 x endurance - 5 x load - 1.3 x panic + 2 x strength level (There’s 0-4 levels for panic, endurance and heavy load moodle) This can be leveled up mainly by doing Strength Exercises, carrying more than 50% of your weight capacity, and running. Strength experience is also granted when hitting zombies or trees with melee attacks. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fitness | Fitness increases a multitude of player abilities. It reduces Endurance loss, increases Endurance recovery, increases movement and attack speeds, reduces damage from long falls, increases chance to push a zombie off when attacked and reduces stagger and trip chance when a zombie lunges after falling over a window or fence.
Fitness can be leveled by sprinting(50/50 chance to gain XP in Fitness or Sprinting every XP update while running), doing Fitness Exercises and using melee attacks while the player is not overexerted.
|
Strength | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carry weight | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 |
Note: Upon leveling Strength or Fitness, your character will gain or lose traits.
Strength/Fitness 0-1 2-4 5 6-8 9-10 Trait Weak/Unfit Feeble/Out of Shape None Stout/Fit Strong/Athletic