best way to learn Electrical/Metalworking/Mechanics/Tailoring skills

[༺ Paul Muad'Dib ༻]

What are the best ways to learn these skills? Do i really have to go round unscrewing lamps/uninstalling car batteries all day? I'm learning at a snails pace, surely there is a better way of doing this.

[Retro]

If you're doing this without books or VHS, then you are going to be wasting a lot of time.

[༺ Paul Muad'Dib ༻]

Originally posted by Retro:

If you're doing this without books or VHS, then you are going to be wasting a lot of time.

I've been reading books. I wasn't aware of VHS tapes that help with these skills?

[༺ Paul Muad'Dib ༻]

Originally posted by ༺ Paul Muad'Dib ༻:

Originally posted by Retro:

If you're doing this without books or VHS, then you are going to be wasting a lot of time.

I've been reading books. I wasn't aware of VHS tapes that help with these skills?

Ahh, i've just spotted carzone VHS tapes in training materials. Guess i'll put those on my 'to loot' list :P

[cornucanis]

Electrical and metalworking unfortunately don't have an easily repeatable process to level them up. You just have to hunt down things you can disassemble to level them up. TVs, lamps, radios, walkie talkies, and digital watches are good options for electrical. The watches are pretty slow, but since they're spawn on zombies they're very renewable so sometimes it's your best option if you're somewhere remote or have just already disassembled all the nearby large electronics.

Metalworking is faster thankfully, just because there are more things around to break down. Metal shelves, lockers, fridges, dumpsters, and bathtubs are all really good experience for metalworking. If your target level isn't too high you can ignore all the small xp objects and just disassemble the high xp targets.

As for mechanical, it's pretty easy (if tedious) to level up if you have at least one car that can tow decently well. Just tow a bunch of cars back to your base and put them in a scrapyard somewhere out of the way but still nearby. You get xp for changing each part on a car once per day, so you can do the rounds on the junkyard every day to get your xp in. It's technically possible to do things above your level (like changing out a windshield at level 2) but you run the risk of breaking the parts which hurts your xp in the long run. Once your level is high enough though you can once again just focus on the high xp parts (my favorites were hood, trunk, gas tank, muffler, front+rear windshield as far as I remember.)

[Korhal]

You can lvl metalworking by disassembling metal fences. It still takes awhile, definitily use books, but at least you can spare running around constantly.
Electrical is basically better leveled on the get to, by breaking watches, tvs, radios, lamps, etc.

I personally would advice downloading an "auto-sewing" mod, so your character can patch/unpatch on auto and lvl tailoring that way. It still takes awhile, yet it really eases the stresslvl there.

Personally, I use a lighter version of a mod for mechanics as well. I can only train it once using a car, yet thats fine by me. Still better than the convoluted vanilla way.

In the end its also accepting you cannot do everything by default and just take your time, especially if you are not having any bonus in these skill preset.

[Manwith Noname]

Personally I level metalworking by dismantling every sink, toilet, shower and bath I come across. After a couple of levels I move to things like shelves and lockers.

For electronics I use watches, remote controls, CD players and cameras until a couple of levels before dismantling things like TVs and radios.

Mechanics is just build a collection of cars in an area and uninstall then install the things your current level allows. You can only do this once per item per 24 hours for XP gains. I personally have a routine where I do this only on even numbered days so I don't have to remember when I last did it when I play the game again after a week.

Tailoring, rip all zombie clothes. Then attach those strips to a piece of clothing, then take them off, then attach them, then take them off. Keep ripping zombie clothes for thread and strips.

[Quill]

There's 3 VHS tapes for Mechanics. 2 VHS tapes for Tailoring, Metalworking, and Electrical. Then there's 1 VHS that teaches both Metalworking and Mechanics.

Most of these VHS tapes are Home VHSs so while you tear every house apart hunting these things down read the respectable books for them. Once you read the books here's some things you can do to help level up while you try to find and after watching the tapes:

*For mechanics gather yourself a giant car graveyard of cars you'll never use with decent-ish health on the parts. Every 24 hours you'll uninstall and reinstall every part of every car once. Even if you have a chance of breaking the part do it as failing grants attitional XP. Once you're done with every car set an alarm on your watch for the time you finished so you know when to do it again for the next day.

*For Electrical just throw anything you don't need into a giant box. Digital watches, Radios, Walkie talkies, etc. Take apart anything electrical you do not need. From TV's to lamps. Make sure to horde all the Electrical Scrap as you can use this to repair Generators which also gives XP. Once you got a few levels under your belt build makeshift ham radios if you can find the Magazine/VHS for it and craft those then take them apart over and over.

*For Tailoring after doing a massive horde clearing rip apart every piece of clothing you can on the zombies. Have scissors on hand to rip Jeans and Leather items. Once you get a few levels in Tailoring you'll also get a good amount of thread. Find yourself a Needle and then grab all the Thread and Ripped sheets. You'll be filling all slots of some Coveralls with Ripped Sheet paddding. Once all the slots are covered rip them off. Repeat for more XP. Put leather strips on your main armor and remove and redo when you gain new levels to keep protection up to date.

*For Metalworking I recommend taking apart car wrecks. The burnt out car wrecks that clog the roads not only block your path but also yield a good amount of XP and materials when taken apart using a Blowtorch so kill 3 birds with one stone doing this. Once you have a good amount of materials build some constructions. Primarily you'll be using Metalworking for Window Barricades and Metal Boxes so make as many of those as you can. Your main issue with this is Materials (Metal Pipes are hard to find in my experience) and Propane.

[Manwith Noname]

Originally posted by Quill:

Most of these VHS tapes are Home VHSs...

I have asked this once before and failed to get any responses so I'll tag it on here while it is appropriate and see if anybody cares to answer...

Has anybody ever found a home VHS tape?

I've looked at the loot distirbution, I know they only spawn in one specifc condition. I'm just curious if anyone has ever found one.

[Quill]

Originally posted by Manwith Noname:

Personally I level metalworking by dismantling every sink, toilet, shower and bath I come across. After a couple of levels I move to things like shelves and lockers.

For electronics I use watches, remote controls, CD players and cameras until a couple of levels before dismantling things like TVs and radios.

Mechanics is just build a collection of cars in an area and uninstall then install the things your current level allows. You can only do this once per item per 24 hours for XP gains. I personally have a routine where I do this only on even numbered days so I don't have to remember when I last did it when I play the game again after a week.

Tailoring, rip all zombie clothes. Then attach those strips to a piece of clothing, then take them off, then attach them, then take them off. Keep ripping zombie clothes for thread and strips.

I recommend leaving alone the TV remotes and Motion Sensors as these are VERY rare items and used as triggers for Engineer Traps

[Quill]

Originally posted by Manwith Noname:

Originally posted by Quill:

Most of these VHS tapes are Home VHSs...

I have asked this once before and failed to get any responses so I'll tag it on here while it is appropriate and see if anybody cares to answer...

Has anybody ever found a home VHS tape?

I've looked at the loot distirbution, I know they only spawn in one specifc condition. I'm just curious if anyone has ever found one.

I've found plenty in my time but most have been the kinds that relieve boredom. They're usually found on Bookshelves in houses but I've found some in VHS stores in the backroom

[Manwith Noname]

Originally posted by Quill:

I recommend leaving alone the TV remotes and Motion Sensors as these are VERY rare items and used as triggers for Engineer Traps

I thought TV remotes only gave scrap.

[Quill]

Originally posted by Manwith Noname:

Originally posted by Quill:

I recommend leaving alone the TV remotes and Motion Sensors as these are VERY rare items and used as triggers for Engineer Traps

I thought TV remotes only gave scrap.

They do but are also used in the crafting recipe for the Remote Trigger for Engineer Traps like Pipe Bombs

[Manwith Noname]

Ah, right, yeah.

So instead of dismantling them you should craft them in to a receiver or keep them.

[Quill]

Originally posted by Manwith Noname:

Ah, right, yeah.

So instead of dismantling them you should turn craft them in to a receiver or keep them.

Basically

[hardy_conrad]

Levelling skills in this game varies wildly. Some skills are both easy to level and useful, like carpentry. Others are difficult and essentially pointless, such as electrical (yeah yeah it improves generator repair but that's hardly vital) or especially first aid. Then you have things like maintenance and combat skills that there aren't books or videos for... Honestly combat skills aren't too big a deal for the most part but getting one one hundredth of a percentage point for maintenance (I exaggerate how bad it is, but not much) every time you use a tool is pretty absurd. And I think we've all gone through that phase of initial enthusiasm for exercise only to be disappointed.

Anyway if you really want to improve electrical quickly, or less slowly anyway, set up a ton of generators and keep them running constantly. The experience you get from repairing them is pretty favourable in comparison to dismantling 100 thousand wristwatches.