Skill Books

Skill Books are the textbooks of Knox Country. Each one covers a single skill for two levels, and reading it multiplies the experience earned in that skill. Practice still does the work, but every hour of it counts for far more, so a survivor with the right book levels up in days instead of weeks.

All Literature Categories

Best Skill Books

The top pick for each role, by the game's own figures.

For	Name	Image	Stats	Spawn ID
Lightest	Carpentry I: "A Guide to Nailing"		1 weight	/additem Base.BookCarpentry1
Heaviest	Set of Carpentry Books		4 weight	/additem Base.BookCarpentrySet

Mechanics

The game's guide says that some books give a skill multiplier to level up a skill faster. Each skill book weighs 1.0. Its tooltip names the levels it covers and reads "Gives an XP multiplier for levels" followed by the range. Once read, the multiplier applies to every action that trains that skill within those levels.

Every skill has a series of volumes numbered I to V. Volume I covers levels 1 to 2, volume II levels 3 to 4, volume III levels 5 to 6, volume IV levels 7 to 8 and volume V levels 9 to 10. Higher volumes give a bigger multiplier.

The multiplier grows with each page. A book read halfway gives about half its bonus. Reading progress is saved, so a book can be put down and picked up again later. The Minutes Per Skill Book Page sandbox option sets how long each page takes.

Late Volumes

Each level costs more experience than the one before. A regular skill needs 75 experience for level 1 and 150 for level 2. Level 5 takes 1500, and level 10 takes 9000. Practice alone slows to a crawl in the high levels.

That gap is where the books pay off. Volume V gives the biggest multiplier, and it covers the two most expensive levels. A character with Carpentry V: "Site Joinery and Architectural Carpentry" read in full reaches Carpentry 10 far sooner than one without it. Fitness and Strength are passive skills with much higher costs, from 1500 for level 1 to 150000 for level 10, and they rise through exercise instead of books.

Reading Order

A skill book only helps at the right level. A volume too far ahead stops the read, and the character says "I don't understand...". A character can read a book at most one level ahead of the current skill level. So a character at Carpentry 0 can read Carpentry I: "A Guide to Nailing", but needs Carpentry 2 before Carpentry II helps.

A volume that is already behind is useless as well. The character remarks "Mmh, this book is obsolete." or "I already know that...". Keep the next volume in the series ready before the current levels run out.

The best habit is simple. Read the volume for the next two levels first, then practice the skill. The multiplier works only while those levels are being earned. Fast Learner adds to the effect, while Slow Learner cuts experience from every action.

Covered Skills

Crafting skills have full series. Carpentry I: "A Guide to Nailing" opens Carpentry, and Carpentry V: "Site Joinery and Architectural Carpentry" closes it. Cooking runs from Cooking I: "Better Burger Flipping" to Cooking V: "Ruban Vert Gourmet - Complete Cooking Techniques". Electrical I: "Basic Electronics" starts Electrical. Mechanics I: "Carzone's Repair Guide" starts Mechanics. Tailoring I: "Basic Clothing Repair" starts Tailoring. Welding I: "Basics of Welding" starts Welding.

The newer crafts have books too. Blacksmithing I: "Elementary Forge Practice", Carving I: "Beginners Carving", Glassmaking I: "Glass: A History", Knapping I: "Flint Knapping 101", Masonry I: "A Bricklayer's Life" and Pottery I: "Ancient Pottery" each open their series.

Survival and farm skills follow. Agriculture I: "Better Gardening", Animal Care I: "A Tale of St. Francis", Butchering I: "Butchering Basics", Fishing I: "Dean's Good Fishing Guide", Foraging I: "A Feast in the Forest", Tracking I: "Animal Pawprints" and Trapping I: "Basic Pest Control" start those series. First Aid I: "A Scouts Injury Guide" starts First Aid.

A few combat skills have books. Aiming I: "Better Aiming" and Reloading I: "Basic Reloading" help gunfighters. Long Blade I: "Cool Swords!" helps sword fighters. Maintenance I: "Basic Repairs" helps every melee fighter keep weapons in shape.

Book Sets

Each skill also comes as a boxed set. A Set of Carpentry Books, a Set of Cooking Books or a Set of Mechanics Books weighs 4.0. The Unpack Set of Books recipe opens a set into its loose volumes. Pack Set of Books in Box puts them back together.

Locations

Skill books stay close to their trade. Carpentry books sit in carpenter tool boxes, tool store book shelves and construction worker gear. Mechanics books fill auto bookstores, car supply stores, garages and mechanic shelves. First Aid books sit in medical libraries, medical offices, laboratories and ambulance gear.

Bookstores, libraries and post offices carry books of every kind. Low volumes are common. High volumes are much rarer. Carpentry V turns up only a fraction as often as Carpentry I. University libraries and survivor safehouse bookshelves are good places to look for the late volumes.

Notes

• An Illiterate character cannot read skill books.
• The Fast Reader trait shortens reading time, and Slow Reader lengthens it.
• Reading needs light. In the dark, the character says "Too dark to read."
• Life and Living TV shows and some VHS tapes also grant skill experience directly.

All Skill Books