Electrical Skill
| Electrical | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Skill |
| Skill Group | Crafting |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 32,775 |
| Skill Books | Electrical Skill Books |
| Best Occupation | Electrician (+5) |
The Electrical Skill governs building and repairing electrical devices. It covers makeshift radios, flashlights, timers, remote triggers and bombs, and it helps keep a generator running. It belongs to the Crafting group.
Electrical becomes vital once the power grid fails. A generator keeps lights, fridges and stoves working, and a skilled character repairs one far better. At level 5, a lamp can be fitted with a battery connector to run on batteries. The skill also matters for vehicles. With level 1 Electrical and level 2 Mechanics, any vehicle can be hot-wired and driven without a key. The Electrician starts with by far the most Electrical skill. The Engineer also starts with a small head start.
How to Level Electrical
Electrical experience comes mostly from taking electronics apart with a screwdriver. Televisions, radios, ham radios, walkie talkies and household appliances all give experience when dismantled. Small furniture such as wall clocks, lamps and vending machines gives a little more per piece. Large furniture and commercial kitchen appliances give the most, and big appliances pay out for every tile they cover.
Industrial kitchens are the best training grounds. Restaurants and similar buildings hold many fryers, hoods and large ovens to dismantle.
Repairing a generator with scrap electronics gives experience for each repair. Each repair uses one piece of scrap electronics and restores some of the generator's condition. A higher level restores a little more per repair.
Crafting electrical items also gives experience. The makeshift radio, walkie talkie and ham radio give the most among the low-level recipes.
The tapes How Electricity Works, Muldraugh AV Club and TV repair each give a good boost. Watching only pays off in the first three levels, unless experience spills over from a level-up.
The Crafty and Fast Learner traits each raise the experience rate to 130 percent. The Slow Learner trait lowers it to 70 percent.
Living rooms and offices are good early targets. Radios, televisions and other small electronics sit in almost every house. Carry a screwdriver and some spare bag space on every looting trip. Dismantled devices return useful parts such as scrap electronics, which later feed generator repairs and crafting.
Work indoors after clearing the room. Dismantling makes noise, so a quiet room or garage keeps attention down. Read the matching skill book before a long session of taking things apart.
Keep one working radio before dismantling the rest. Broadcasts carry useful news, and a spare radio guards against losing that link.
The XP each Electrical 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 |
Electrical Level Effects
Higher levels open more devices and improve generator repairs. Level 1 brings the improvised flashlight, the improvised lantern, the makeshift radio and timers. Level 2 adds the makeshift walkie talkie, remote triggers and short-range motion sensors for bombs. Level 3 opens the makeshift ham radio and the noise maker.
Level 4 adds medium-range remote controllers and motion sensors. Level 5 allows battery connectors on lamps, a major help when the power is out and no generator has turned up. Level 6 brings the long-range remote controllers and motion sensors.
Hot-wiring gets safer with the skill. A higher level lowers the chance of setting off a car alarm during the attempt.
Level 3 is a key goal for generator use. Reaching it teaches how to connect and maintain a generator. Reading the magazine How to Use Generators does the same at any level. The Electrician and Engineer know how from the start.
Generator repairs improve with every level. Each piece of scrap electronics restores more condition as the skill rises. A skilled repairer stretches a small stock of scrap much further.
Dismantling also returns more parts at higher levels. Communication devices always give at least one piece of scrap electronics. The chance of extra skill-dependent parts climbs with each level.
Electrical Skill Books
The Electrical Skill Books come in five volumes. Each volume speeds up experience for two levels. Electrical I: "Basic Electronics" covers the first two levels. Electrical V: "Understanding Integrated Controls for Electronic Systems" covers the last two. Reading each volume just before its levels gives the most benefit.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical I: "Basic Electronics" | 
|
1 to 2 | x3 | 220 | 7 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookElectrician1
|
| Electrical II: "Kentucky AV Guide '93" |
|
3 to 4 | x5 | 260 | 8 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookElectrician2
|
| Electrical III: "Practical Wiring Guide" |
|
5 to 6 | x8 | 300 | 10 h | /additem Base.BookElectrician3
|
| Electrical IV: "Telecommunications in the 20th Century" |
|
7 to 8 | x12 | 340 | 11 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookElectrician4
|
| Electrical V: "Understanding Integrated Controls for Electronic Systems" |
|
9 to 10 | x16 | 380 | 12 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookElectrician5
|
Set of Electrical Books bundles all five volumes in one item and unpacks into them.
| Item | Image | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|
| Set of Electrical Books | 
|
/additem Base.BookElectricianSet
|
Electrical Starting Levels
The Electrician begins with five levels of Electrical. That start opens battery connectors from the first day and makes generator repairs far more effective. The Engineer begins with one level.
Level 1 alone is enough, together with Mechanics, to start hot-wiring cars. Recipe magazines teach many electrical recipes to characters who do not know them from the start.
These occupations and traits start a character with levels in Electrical.
| Name | Image | Type | Levels | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | 
|
Occupation | +5 | -2 |
| Engineer | 
|
Occupation | +1 | -4 |
Electrical Recipes
At the lowest level, electrical work means taking things apart. Electronic devices, simple electronic items and power bars give parts and experience. An improvised lighter and a pipe bomb are also possible at level 0.
Low levels add lights and simple radios. The improvised flashlight and lantern help at night, and the makeshift radio picks up broadcasts.
Middle levels turn to communication and traps. The makeshift walkie talkie and ham radio allow talking over a distance. Remote triggers, motion sensors and noise makers turn bombs and decoys into traps. The longest-range controllers and sensors come last.
Makeshift radios are worth the effort. The walkie talkie and ham radio allow two-way talk on a set frequency. The plain radio only listens. The quality of a makeshift radio depends on the Electrical level of its maker. A higher level gives a lighter device with better range and lower power use.
Generators must run outdoors or in a well ventilated spot. Running one in a closed room causes carbon monoxide poisoning. Fuel comes from gas cans, and runtime drops as more devices draw power.
Every recipe that asks for Electrical or trains it, one tab per level asked.
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerosol Bomb with Timer | 
|
Add Timer to Bomb |
|
- | Electrical: 0 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.AerosolbombTriggered
|
| Scrap Electronics | 
|
Dismantle Electronic Device | 1x Antique Television or similar | Screwdriver | Electrical: 0 | In Hand | No | /additem Base.ElectronicsScrap
|
| Scrap Electronics |
|
Dismantle Electronic Item | 1x CD Player or similar | Screwdriver | Electrical: 0 | In Hand | No | /additem Base.ElectronicsScrap
|
| Electrical Wire | 
|
Dismantle Power Bar | 1x Power Bar | Screwdriver | Electrical: 0 | In Hand | No | /additem Base.ElectricWire
|
| Scrap Electronics |
|
Dismantle Simple Electronic Item | 1x Camera | Screwdriver | Electrical: 0 | In Hand | No | /additem Base.ElectronicsScrap
|
| Lighter - Improvised Battery | 
|
Make Improvised Lighter |
|
- | Electrical: 0 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Lighter_Battery
|
| Pipe Bomb | 
|
Make Pipe Bomb |
|
Hacksaw | Electrical: 0 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.PipeBomb
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flashlight - Improvised | 
|
Make Improvised Flashlight |
|
Electrical: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Flashlight_Crafted
| |
| Improvised Electric Lantern | 
|
Make Improvised Lantern |
|
Electrical: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Lantern_CraftedElectric
| |
| Makeshift Radio | 
|
Make Makeshift Radio | Screwdriver | Electrical: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.RadioMakeShift
| |
| Timer - Crafted | 
|
Make Timer |
|
Electrical: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.TimerCrafted
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Remote Aerosol Bomb |
|
Add Remote Trigger to Bomb |
|
- | Electrical: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.AerosolbombRemote
|
| Aerosol Bomb with Short-Range Sensor |
|
Add Short-Range Motion Sensor to Bomb |
|
- | Electrical: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.AerosolbombSensorV1
|
| Makeshift Walkie Talkie | 
|
Make Makeshift Walkie Talkie | Screwdriver | Electrical: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.WalkieTalkieMakeShift
| |
| Remote Controller (Short-Range) | 
|
Make Remote Controller (Short-Range) |
|
Electrical: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.RemoteCraftedV1
| |
| Crafted Trigger | 
|
Make Remote Trigger |
|
Electrical: 2 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.TriggerCrafted
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Makeshift Ham Radio | 
|
Make Makeshift Ham Radio | Screwdriver | Electrical: 3 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.HamRadioMakeShift
| |
| Noise Maker | 
|
Make Noise Maker | Electrical: 3 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.NoiseTrap
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerosol Bomb with Medium-Range Sensor |
|
Add Medium-Range Motion Sensor to Bomb |
|
- | Electrical: 4 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.AerosolbombSensorV2
|
| Remote Controller (Medium-Range) |
|
Make Remote Controller (Medium-Range) |
|
Electrical: 4 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.RemoteCraftedV2
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aerosol Bomb with Long-Range Sensor |
|
Add Long-Range Motion Sensor to Bomb |
|
- | Electrical: 6 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.AerosolbombSensorV3
|
| Remote Controller (Long-Range) |
|
Make Remote Controller (Long-Range) |
|
Electrical: 6 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.RemoteCraftedV3
|
Notes
- Dismantle every appliance in a restaurant kitchen for fast experience.
- Level 1 Electrical and level 2 Mechanics allow hot-wiring cars.
- Battery connectors at level 5 light a base without a generator.
- Keep scrap electronics on hand for generator repairs.
- A screwdriver is the key tool for dismantling electronics.
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