Basic Guide to Skill Levels

A guide to the new skills available in the game and the perks earned for each level.

Summary

The seven special skills are Carcass Harvesting, Cooking, Fire Starting, Ice Fishing, Rifle Firearm, Archery, and Mending. These skills affect the character's daily activities. Each skill starts at Level 1, working up to Level 5, and provides special bonuses as each level is achieved.

There are other "skills" in the game--Rifle Cleaning, Repairing, and Sharpening. These skills start out at level 30 (but level 60 for Repairing) and max out at 100. ("Repairing" refers to increasing the condition of Storm Lanterns, Hacksaws, and other non-clothing items.) However, this guide will deal only with the seven special skills.

Carcass Harvesting

This skill affects the time it takes to harvest materials from dead animals.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 2 bonus:

• slight reduction in meat harvesting times

Level 3 bonus:

• 25% reduction in meat harvesting times
  
• can harvest 50% frozen carcasses by hand
  
• 10% reduction in hide or gut harvesting times

Level 4 bonus:

• 30% reduction in meat harvesting times
  
• can harvest 75% frozen carcasses by hand
  
• 20% reduction in hide or gut harvesting times

Level 5 bonus:

• 50% reduction in meat harvesting times
  
• can harvest 100% frozen carcasses by hand
  
• 30% reduction in hide or gut harvesting times

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harvesting Times:

Level 1.......................................Thawed........................Frozen

• hand.....................................15 min/ 0.5 kg meat.....not possible
  .............................................40 min/hide..................not possible
  .............................................40 min/gut....................not possible
  
  
• hatchet.................................8 min/0.5 kg meat........5 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................45 min/hide..................45 min/hide
  ............................................20 min/gut....................20 min/gut
  
  
• knife.....................................4 min/0.5 kg meat.......10 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................30 min/hide..................30 min/hide
  ............................................10 min/gut....................10 min/gut
  
  
• hacksaw...............................5 min/0.5 kg meat........8 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................60 min/hide..................60 min/hide
  ............................................30 min/gut....................30 min/gut

Level 2.......................................Thawed........................Frozen

• hand.....................................14 min/ 0.5 kg meat.....not possible
  .............................................40 min/hide..................not possible
  .............................................40 min/gut....................not possible
  
  
• hatchet.................................7 min/0.5 kg meat........4 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................45 min/hide..................45 min/hide
  ............................................20 min/gut....................20 min/gut
  
  
• knife.....................................4 min/0.5 kg meat........9 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................30 min/hide..................30 min/hide
  ............................................10 min/gut....................10 min/gut
  
  
• hacksaw...............................4 min/0.5 kg meat........7 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................60 min/hide..................60 min/hide
  ............................................30 min/gut....................30 min/gut

Level 3.......................................Thawed........................Frozen

• hand.....................................11 min/ 0.5 kg meat.....not possible
  .............................................36 min/hide..................not possible
  .............................................36 min/gut....................not possible
  
  
• hatchet.................................6 min/0.5 kg meat........4 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................40 min/hide..................40 min/hide
  ............................................18 min/gut....................18 min/gut
  
  
• knife.....................................3 min/0.5 kg meat...,....8 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................27 min/hide..................27 min/hide
  ............................................9 min/gut......................9 min/gut
  
  
• hacksaw...............................4 min/0.5 kg meat........6 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................54 min/hide..................54 min/hide
  ............................................27 min/gut....................27 min/gut

Level 4.......................................Thawed........................Frozen

• hand.....................................10 min/ 0.5 kg meat.....not possible
  .............................................32 min/hide..................not possible
  .............................................32 min/gut....................not possible
  
  
• hatchet.................................5 min/0.5 kg meat........4 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................36 min/hide..................36 min/hide
  ............................................16 min/gut....................16 min/gut
  
  
• knife.....................................3 min/0.5 kg meat.......7 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................24 min/hide..................24 min/hide
  ............................................8 min/gut......................8 min/gut
  
  
• hacksaw...............................4 min/0.5 kg meat........5 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................48 min/hide..................48 min/hide
  ............................................24 min/gut....................24 min/gut

Level 5.......................................Thawed & Frozen

• hand.....................................8 min/0.5 kg meat
  .............................................28 min/hide
  .............................................28 min/gut
  
  
• hatchet.................................4 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................32 min/hide
  ............................................14 min/gut
  
  
• knife.....................................2 min/0.5 kg meat.
  ............................................21 min/hide
  ............................................7 min/gut
  
  
• hacksaw...............................3 min/0.5 kg meat
  ............................................42 min/hide
  ............................................21 min/gut

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leveling-up Tip:
Camp out on Jackrabbit Island in Coastal Highway and set 8-10 snares for rabbits. Reset the snares each day and harvest each catch completely. Snares that break can be re-crafted at the Quonset Gas Station. Side benefits are plenty of food and meat which can be roasted to level up your Cooking skill as well.

Cooking

This skill affects the calories earned from cooked food.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 2 bonus:

• +10% calories from any cooked food item

Level 3 bonus:

• +15% calories from any cooked food item
  
• no calorie loss when smashing open cans
  
• cooking times reduced by 10%

Level 4 bonus:

• +20% calories from any cooked food item
  
• no calorie loss when smashing open cans
  
• cooking times reduced by 20%

Level 5 bonus:

• +25% calories from any cooked food item
  
• no calorie loss when smashing open cans
  
• cooking times reduced by 30%
  
• never get Parasites or Food Poisoning from cooked food

(Note: Cooked food includes only those items created by cooking. In other words, meat and fish and tea will increase in calories but canned foods will not, even if you heat them up.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Skill Level 1 and 2:

• 20 minutes: cooking a piece of meat
  
• 10 minutes: cooking a fish, melting 0.5 Liters of water, making tea or coffee
  
• 5 minutes: heating up food, boiling 0.5 Liters of water

Skill Level 3:

• 18 minutes: cooking a piece of meat
  
• 9 minutes: cooking a fish, melting 0.5 Liters of water, making tea or coffee
  
• 5 minutes: heating up food, boiling 0.5 Liters of water

Skill Level 4:

• 16 minutes: cooking a piece of meat
  
• 8 minutes: cooking a fish, melting 0.5 Liters of water, making tea or coffee
  
• 4 minutes: heating up food, boiling 0.5 Liters of water

Skill Level 5:

• 14 minutes: cooking a piece of meat
  
• 7 minutes: cooking a fish, melting 0.5 Liters of water, making tea or coffee
  
• 4 minutes: heating up food, boiling 0.5 Liters of water

(Note: Cooking times for levels 3-5 are approximate, since they seem to fluctuate randomly. They may be affected by the fire's temperature output and possibly by exhaustion level. When in doubt, plan as if all cooking times are at Level 1 and keep an eye on the remaining burn time to see what the cook time really is.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leveling-up Tip:
Since boiling and melting water does not count toward your Cooking skill, the easiest way to increase your skill is to combine your Cooking skill practice with either Carcass Harvesting or Ice Fishing.

Gather large amounts of fuel at either the house on Jackrabbit Island in Coastal Highway or at the fishing hut of your choice. Craft large numbers of Snares or Fishing Lines as needed. After hunting or fishing, spend some time cooking your catches. This preparation coincides well with camping out by the Forge or indoors with a Stove during a blizzard.

You can keep going even after your character is Exhausted--your condition will not drop quickly, and the only major downside is that your comfortable-carry limit drops to 15 kilograms, so you will almost always be overloaded. If you are outdoors, the fire will keep you from getting Hypothermia.

Fire Starting

This skill affects several aspects of building a fire--the materials needed, the success rate, and the burn time of various fuels.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 1:

• 40% chance to start fires

Level 2 bonus:

• 55% chance to start fires
  
• fires last 10% longer

Level 3 bonus:

• 65% chance to start fires
  
• fires last 10% longer
  
• can start fires without tinder

Level 4 bonus:

• 75% chance to start fires
  
• fires last 25% longer
  
• can start fires without tinder

Level 5 bonus:

• 90% chance to start fires
  
• fires last 50% longer
  
• can start fires without tinder

(Note: Achieving the Feat "Fire Master" will permanently skip over Levels 1 and 2.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Burn times:

Level 1

• stick: +7-8 min
  
• torch: +10 min
  
• book: +18 min
  
• reclaimed wood: +30 min
  
• cedar firewood: +1 hr
  
• fir firewood: +1 hr 30 min
  
• firelog: +2 hr
  
• coal: +1 hr (after the first 25 min of burn time)
  
• brand: -15 min

Level 2 and 3

• stick: +8 min
  
• torch: +11 min
  
• book: +19 min
  
• reclaimed wood: +33 min
  
• cedar firewood: +1 hr 6 min
  
• fir firewood: +1 hr 39 min
  
• firelog: +2 hr 12 min
  
• coal: +1 hr 6 min (after the first 25 min of burn time)
  
• brand: -10 min

Level 4

• stick: +9 min
  
• torch: +12 min
  
• book: +22 min
  
• reclaimed wood: +37 min
  
• cedar firewood: +1 hr 15 min
  
• fir firewood: +1 hr 52 min
  
• firelog: +2 hr 30 min
  
• coal: +1 hr 15 min (after the first 25 min of burn time)
  
• brand: -10 min

Level 5

• stick: +11 min
  
• torch: +15 min
  
• book: +27 min
  
• reclaimed wood: +45 min
  
• cedar firewood: +1 hr 30 min
  
• fir firewood: +2 hr 15 min
  
• firelog: +3 hr
  
• coal: +1 hr 30 min (after the first 25 min of burn time)
  
• brand: -10 min

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fires take somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes to start, depending on skill level. Also, the materials you use as starter and fuel affect the success rate.

Firestriker: +10%
Magnifying Glass: +10% (only when used outside during the day; otherwise becomes 0%)
Accelerant: +40% (and decreases fire start time)
Cardboard Matches: -5%

Fir Firewood: +5%
Firelog: +7%
Stick: +20%
Cedar Firewood: +20%
Book: +40%

(Note: Success rate will not exceed 100%.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leveling-up Tip:
Gather plenty of matches and sticks, and make several small, one-stick fires. The fires will burn out quickly, so you won't have long to wait to start the next one if you're using a Stove or Fire Barrel. If the weather is nice, you can use a Magnifying Glass outdoors during the day and save your matches for another time.

Getting to Level 5 will take about 200 fires started.

Ice Fishing

This skill affects the success of fishing and how often your line will break.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 2 bonus:

• only 8% chance of line break on catch

Level 3 bonus:

• fishing time reduced by 10%
  
• only 5% chance of line break on catch

Level 4 bonus:

• fishing time reduced by 20%
  
• only 3% chance of line break on catch

Level 5 bonus:

• +25% to average fish weight
  
• fishing time reduced by 30%
  
• only 1% chance of line break on catch

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cooking fish produces Lamp Oil in addition to Cooked Fish. The amount of oil produced depends on the type and weight of the fish, generally between 0.02 and 0.18 Liters per fish.

Coastal Highway:

• Rainbow Trout - around 0.05 L
  
• Coho Salmon - around 0.11 L

Mystery Lake, Pleasant Valley, Timberwolf Mountain:

• Lake Whitefish - around 0.03 L
  
• Smallmouth Bass - around 0.08 L

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leveling-up Tip:
Dress warmly and stockpile Fishing Lines, then head outside to the fishing hut of your choice and fish for a day or two all at once. You will save wear and tear on your tools by chopping open the fishing hole fewer times, and you can keep going for a long time when Exhausted as long as you keep an eye on your Condition and your Temperature.

As a side benefit, the abundance of fish is a good way to level up your Cooking skill as well as stockpile food for the next few days.

Rifle Firearm

This skill governs all aspects of using a rifle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 2 bonus:

• critical hit chance increased by 10%
  
• +2 condition per repair action

Level 3 bonus:

• accuracy range increased by 20%
  
• critical hit chance increased by 15%
  
• +3 condition per repair action

Level 4 bonus:

• damage increased by 10%
  
• accuracy range increased by 30%
  
• critical hit chance increased by 20%
  
• +5 condition per repair action

Level 5 bonus:

• damage increased by 20%
  
• accuracy range increased by 40%
  
• critical hit chance increased by 30%
  
• +5 condition per repair action
  
• per-user condition degradation reduced by 50%

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leveling-up Tip:
Take a clean Rifle to either the Camp Office at Mystery Lake or the Log Sort trailer in Coastal Highway. (Although cleaning a Rifle no longer causes the skill to level up, a clean Rifle has a much lower chance of a misfire.) On a clear day with good visibility, animals will be clearly silhouetted against the flat frozen surface of the water. Hit anything you can, though it may be best to start with deer since they let you get closer than wolves do and will not attack you in retaliation. Repeat as necessary.

This skill is difficult to level up because the materials needed to use the skill are relatively rare, but the payoffs for leveling up are some of the biggest. It's fairly easy to get to Level 3, and Level 4 takes a little more work, but going from Level 4 to Level 5 will take a much longer time.

The good news is that there are an abundance of relevant skill books scattered around the map (compared to the books for other skills), so you may wish to begin leveling up through research first. Otherwise, the skill will level up only when you successfully hit a live target.

Archery

This skill affects all aspects of using a bow.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 2 bonus:

• bow sway reduced by 25%
  
• arrow damage increased by 10%

Level 3 bonus:

• bow sway reduced by 50%
  
• arrow damage increased by 10%
  
• critical hit chance increased by 15%

Level 4 bonus:

• bow sway reduced by 75%
  
• arrow damage increased by 10%
  
• critical hit chance increased by 25%
  
• bleed-out time reduced by 25%
  
• per-use condition loss reduced by 50%

Level 5 bonus:

• bow sway reduced by 75%
  
• arrow damage increased by 25%
  
• critical hit chance increased by 50%
  
• bleed-out time reduced by 50%
  
• per-use condition loss reduced by 50%
  
• can fire Survival Bow while crouched

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leveling-up Tip:
Gather as many saplings (both Green Birch and Green Maple) and Crow Feathers as you can. Drop off the saplings (both Cured and Green) at the Quonset Gas Station in Coastal Highway. You will need at least 14 Birch Saplings and about 120 Crow Feathers to reach Level 3.

Next, take at least 20 Scrap Metal and head to the Riken in Desolation Point. On the way, pick up Coal in the Abandoned Mine and other fuels. Inside the Riken, forge a stack of Arrowheads. Then take the Arrowheads back to the Quonset Gas Station and use them to craft as many Arrows as possible. Getting to Level 2 takes 15 Simple Arrows crafted, and Level 3 takes an additional 25 Simple Arrows.

If you're really desperate you can harvest arrows for the Arrowheads and Crow Feathers then re-craft the arrows. Other than arrow-crafting, the Archery skill levels up only when an arrow hits a live target. You will need Maple Saplings and Cured Gut to craft Survival Bows, but crafting Survival Bows will not increase Archery Skill level.

Like the Rifle Firearm skill, Archery is difficult to level up because the materials required are fairly rare, though not as rare as Rifle materials. Unlike a Rifle, the Survival Bow can be difficult to aim. There is an archery target next to the Pleasant Valley Outbuildings that you can practice on--as long as you save beforehand, you can fire arrows until you run out, quit the game, and restart for more practice. Non-Pilgrim players should stay alert since there is a bear that likes to wander nearby.

Mending

This skill affects all aspects of repairing clothing items.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Level 1:

• 50% chance of successful repair

Level 2 bonus:

• 65% chance of successful repair
  
• repair time decreased by 10%

Level 3 bonus:

• 75% chance of successful repair
  
• repair time decreased by 15%
  
• 10% greater item condition increase

Level 4 bonus:

• 85% chance of successful repair
  
• repair time decreased by 25%
  
• 15% greater item condition increase
  
• 25% reduction of sewing kit wear

Level 5 bonus:

• 100% chance of successful repair
  
• repair time decreased by 40%
  
• 25% greater item condition increase
  
• 35% reduction of sewing kit wear

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leveling-up Tip:
Loot all the buildings in Mystery Lake and Coastal Highway to find clothes to repair and the Sewing Kits to repair them with. You can also harvest Curtains and some furniture (Hatchet required) to acquire the Cloth needed. Repair each item to 100% condition, then harvest it for Cloth to repair the next one. You may also choose to repair shoes, but these require Cured Leather, which is not as common as Cloth.

If you have already looted the world or have run out of things to repair, you can also move to the Mountaineering Hut in Timberwolf Mountain for a few weeks or stand outside in a blizzard to decrease the condition of the clothes you're wearing. Timberwolf Mountain has Cargo Containers scattered around the map--some containers may contain clothes or repair materials. You can also repair clothing you've crafted with pelts and Cured Gut. If you run out of Sewing Kits, you can use Fishing Tackle instead.

Of the non-weapon skills, this skill takes the most effort and the longest time to level up.

This much should get you to about Level 3.

Research

In addition to performing the related skill actions, you can level up your skills by reading research books. Each book has a certain number of hours of research required in order to get the skill points offered. Once a book has been researched, you cannot use that book for research again. However, you can read more than one of the same type of book if you find more than one copy to boost your skill points multiple times.

(Note: Research can be done only while not Exhausted, and a light source is required while indoors at night.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

• Field Dressing Your Kill, Vol. I ---> 10 hours of research, +10 skill points Carcass Harvesting
  
• Wilderness Kitchen ---> 5 hours of research, +10 skill points Cooking
  
• Survive the Outdoors! ---> 5 hours of research, +10 skill points Fire Starting
  
• The Frozen Angler ---> 5 hours of research, +10 skill points Ice Fishing
  
• Frontier Shooting Guide ---> 4 hours of research, +5 skill points Rifle Firearm
  
• Advanced Guns Guns Guns! --> 25 hours of research, +10 skill points Rifle Firearm

[Frick]

Oh on the fire starting skill you could get a fire striker or a ton of matches and make about 200 tinder plugs and go to the dam part of winding river and scrap the pallets there then it'll take awhile but you'll get to level 5 at some point.

[lawrence]

Another update? I'll check it out. Thanks for the tip.

[deunan_of_rubika]

The book skins have been redone. More importantly the cooking times in this guide are no longer accurate. Cooking time has substantially increased since the Vigilant Flame update.

[ScarletDuke]

Have they since redesigned the research books? Because I'm pretty sure those books look different than the one's I've seen in-game.

[lawrence]

@FluffyGuy: Yes, you can harvest partially frozen carcasses, but it takes the same amount of time as a thawed carcass. So less than 50% would count as "thawed," and more than 50% is considered "frozen" and therefore requires a tool.

@pazartesi_gorosuruz: The idea of harvesting clothes you aren't wearing is in order to level up the skill. However, if you don't need to level the skill, you don't have to. Also, if you're playing at higher difficulties and keep getting attacked by wildlife, you may find yourself repairing or replacing items pretty often anyway. The point is, it's easier to level the skill--especially at first--by repairing fabric clothing than using up valuable hides, which take time to dry and more effort to acquire.

[pazartesi_gorusuruz]

Isn't just ripping clothes off so you can senselessly repair other things that you won't wear, a bit pointless? You are wasting valuable resources considering you are playing on voyageur and above. If you are pilgrim, well then you don't really need to get any skill up. I don't see the point of ripping clothes and repairing them continously without aim.

Nice guide though, lots of important information gathered in one place :D

[Darkwater-2034]

in short your margin of error gets smaller. If you do this without error one match can be used to light as many fires as you have the sticks for letting you rank up your fire starting skill to five wile burning (pun intended) a minimal amount of non-renewable resources. a must in interloper as day 20 second box of matches is a feeling you get used to.

[Darkwater-2034]

Start your fired with sticks get it up to 30-20 minutes a brand takes a full eight to draw wait for it to burn down to twelve take a brand wait for the fire to burn out. start your new fire with your brand as soon as you can that brand will only last for two try's at the most. if your starting with sticks the fire will last one in game minute without accelerant giving you time to throw in a stick. be ready when you throw in the stick you have not even a second to draw a brand before you need to add another stick resulting in the need to wait for a burn out wasting time on your current brand adding to the chance that it burns out before a fire is started

[Darkwater-2034]

happy to help

[lawrence]

Oh, okay. That explains why I never discovered that trick. Once again, thanks for the tip.