Aiming Skill
| Aiming | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Skill |
| Skill Group | Combat - Firearms |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 32,775 |
| Skill Books | Aiming Skill Books |
| Best Occupation | Police Officer (+4) |
The Aiming Skill governs how well a character shoots with firearms. It raises the chance to hit a target and the chance of doing extra damage. It belongs to the Combat - Firearms group, together with Reloading.
A higher level means fewer missed shots and more critical hits. That saves ammunition, which is scarce and heavy to carry. A skilled shooter also fires more quickly and has a wider cone in which shots can land. Guns are loud, though, so every shot draws zombies from around the area. The Police Officer starts with the most Aiming skill by far. The Veteran also starts with a solid head start.
Firearms work best as emergency tools for most survivors. A gun can clear a dangerous crowd fast, but the noise can bring an even bigger crowd. A high Aiming level changes that balance. Each bullet is more likely to land and to kill, so fewer shots draw less attention. A trained shooter can lean on guns far more safely than a beginner.
How to Level Aiming
Aiming experience comes from landing shots on enemies with a firearm. Each hit counts. Only shots fired outside a vehicle earn experience.
Training is harder than with melee skills. Every shot uses up ammunition, and the noise draws more zombies. A safe spot with an escape route makes a training session far less risky.
From level 5 upward, experience gains drop to a little over a third of the normal rate. The higher levels therefore take a long time to reach.
Some television and tape programs give Aiming experience. Dead Wrong, Knox Gun Owners Club's Guide to Guns and Basic Gun Handling (Officer Use Only) all help. Gains from watching only count in the first three levels.
The Fast Learner trait raises the experience rate to 130 percent. The Slow Learner trait lowers it to 70 percent. The Reluctant Fighter trait lowers it to 75 percent.
Experience depends on how many targets a shot hits, not on how much damage it deals. That makes shotguns the best training guns at low levels. Their spread of pellets often hits several zombies with one pull of the trigger. Shotguns also start with a higher hit chance than pistols and rifles.
The low levels also earn a large bonus on every successful hit. Early training therefore moves much faster than the climb past level 5.
A safe session draws a handful of zombies, not a crowd. Pick a spot with a clear way out before firing. Shotguns are extremely loud, so expect more zombies to arrive after every few shots.
The XP each Aiming level asks for, with the running total from level 0.
| Level | XP Needed | Total XP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | 75 |
| 2 | 150 | 225 |
| 3 | 300 | 525 |
| 4 | 750 | 1,275 |
| 5 | 1,500 | 2,775 |
| 6 | 3,000 | 5,775 |
| 7 | 4,500 | 10,275 |
| 8 | 6,000 | 16,275 |
| 9 | 7,500 | 23,775 |
| 10 | 9,000 | 32,775 |
Aiming Level Effects
Each level raises the basic chance for a shot to hit. It also raises the chance that a shot is a critical hit. A critical hit deals much more damage than a normal shot.
Higher levels let the character fire more quickly after each shot. The aim recovers faster after moving, and movement hurts accuracy less. Most firearms also reach a little further with each level.
The gain varies from gun to gun. A rifle such as the MSR788 Rifle gains more range from the skill than a pistol such as the M9 Pistol does.
The skill also lowers the chance that a firearm loses condition when fired. A trained shooter keeps guns working for longer.
Panic makes shooting less accurate at low levels. From level 6 onward, panic stops hurting firearm use. That makes the middle levels an important goal for any character who plans to fight with guns. Before then, staying calm matters as much as aiming well.
Movement also hurts accuracy. Standing still before firing gives the best chance to hit.
Aiming Skill Books
The Aiming Skill Books come in five volumes. Each volume speeds up experience for two levels. Aiming I: "Better Aiming" covers the first two levels. Aiming V: "Secrets From the World's Best Snipers" covers the last two. Because experience slows from level 5, the later volumes are especially valuable.
The boost from these books is smaller than the boost from most crafting books. Read the matching volume before a training session, so every bullet spent earns the most it can.
The five volumes, the levels each one speeds up, the XP bonus while those levels are trained, and how long each takes to read. Reading times are game time at the default two minutes a page. Sitting down and wearing Reading Glasses each cut the time by a tenth, the Fast Reader trait cuts it by about a third, and Slow Reader adds a third.
| Volume | Image | Levels | XP Bonus | Pages | Read Time | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aiming I: "Better Aiming" | 
|
1 to 2 | x1.5 | 220 | 7 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookAiming1
|
| Aiming II: "Drawing and Shooting" |
|
3 to 4 | x2.5 | 260 | 8 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookAiming2
|
| Aiming III: "Leading Moving Targets" |
|
5 to 6 | x4 | 300 | 10 h | /additem Base.BookAiming3
|
| Aiming IV: "Long Range Sniping Tactics" |
|
7 to 8 | x6 | 340 | 11 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookAiming4
|
| Aiming V: "Secrets From the World's Best Snipers" |
|
9 to 10 | x8 | 380 | 12 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookAiming5
|
Set of Aiming Books bundles all five volumes in one item and unpacks into them.
| Item | Image | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|
| Set of Aiming Books | 
|
/additem Base.BookAimingSet
|
Aiming Starting Levels
The Police Officer begins with four levels of Aiming. The Veteran begins with two levels. The Hunter and Target Shooter traits each add one level at character creation.
A Police Officer can rely on a pistol from the first day. Lower starting levels still help, because the first levels make a big difference to hit chance.
The Veteran and Police Officer both start with Reloading as well. That pairing makes them the natural gun characters. Adding Target Shooter or Hunter pushes the starting level even higher.
These occupations and traits start a character with levels in Aiming.
| Name | Image | Type | Levels | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police Officer | 
|
Occupation | +4 | -4 |
| Veteran | 
|
Occupation | +2 | -8 |
| Hunter | 
|
Trait | +1 | -8 |
| Target Shooter | 
|
Trait | +1 | -5 |
Aiming Weapons
The skill covers every firearm. Pistols include the M9 Pistol, M1911 Pistol and B-F Pistol. Revolvers include the Patrol Revolver, SN38 Revolver and Magnum.
Shotguns include the JS-2000 Shotgun and the Double Barrel Shotgun, along with their sawed-off versions. Rifles include the MSR700 Rifle, MSR788 Rifle, M1A Rifle and M16 Assault Rifle.
The Toy Cap Pistol and Toy Cap Rifle also fall under this skill.
Pistols and rifles are quieter than shotguns. They earn less experience per shot, since each bullet hits one target. Shotguns suit training and close crowds. Rifles suit careful shots at a distance once the skill is higher.
The hardest-hitting weapons that Aiming governs. Every one of them is listed under Firearms.
| Name | Image | Damage | Weight | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Barrel Shotgun | 
|
1.5 - 2.2 | 4 | /additem Base.DoubleBarrelShotgun
|
| JS-2000 Shotgun | 
|
1.5 - 2.2 | 4 | /additem Base.Shotgun
|
| JS-3T Tactical Shotgun | 
|
1.5 - 2.2 | 4.5 | /additem Base.JS3T_Shotgun
|
| M1A Rifle | 
|
1.2 - 2 | 4.5 | /additem Base.AssaultRifle2
|
| MSR788 Rifle | 
|
1.2 - 2 | 4 | /additem Base.HuntingRifle
|
| Sawed-off JS-2000 Shotgun | 
|
1.3 - 2 | 3 | /additem Base.ShotgunSawnoff
|
| L94 Rifle | 
|
1.2 - 2 | 3.5 | /additem Base.L94_Rifle
|
| MSR7T Tactical Rifle | 
|
1.2 - 2 | 4.5 | /additem Base.MSR7T_Rifle
|
| Sawed-off Double Barrel Shotgun | 
|
1.2 - 1.8 | 3 | /additem Base.DoubleBarrelShotgunSawnoff
|
| M16 Assault Rifle | 
|
1 - 1.6 | 4 | /additem Base.AssaultRifle
|
| B-F Pistol | 
|
1 - 1.6 | 2 | /additem Base.Pistol3
|
| Magnum | 
|
1 - 1.6 | 2 | /additem Base.Revolver_Long
|
| MSR700 Rifle |
|
1 - 1.6 | 4 | /additem Base.VarmintRifle
|
| JS-14 Rifle | 
|
1 - 1.6 | 3.5 | /additem Base.JS14_Rifle
|
| L92 Carbine | 
|
1 - 1.6 | 3.5 | /additem Base.L92_Carbine
|
Notes
- Every shot is loud, so plan an escape before training.
- Experience slows from level 5, so read the later books.
- Train on foot, since shots from a vehicle earn nothing.
- Rifles gain the most range from a higher level.
- The Police Officer starts with the strongest Aiming level.
- Shotguns train the skill fastest, because each hit target counts.
- Panic stops hurting shots from level 6 onward.
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