Long Blade Skill
| Long Blade | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Skill |
| Skill Group | Combat - Melee |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 32,775 |
| Skill Books | Long Blade Skill Books |
The Long Blade Skill governs fighting with long blades such as the Katana and the Machete. It raises attack speed and damage with them and reduces the muscle strain of each swing. It belongs to the Combat - Melee group.
A trained hand with a Katana or Machete cuts down zombies in fewer swings. The skill also helps the blade hold its condition, which matters for a weapon that is hard to replace. Every character trains this skill from the first level up. Blacksmithing and Welding make long blades easier to come by, because both can produce swords.
Long blades rank among the strongest melee weapons in the game. They are also among the rarest finds. That pairing shapes the whole skill. A survivor may go weeks before holding a real sword, so many characters only start training once a blade turns up. Crafting a sword from scrap or at a forge closes that gap for a dedicated fighter.
How to Level Long Blade
Long Blade experience comes from hitting enemies with a long blade. Every blow that lands on a zombie counts.
The early levels fill fast, and the later ones need many more hits. Fighting small groups that the character can handle safely gives the steadiest progress.
Skill books help a great deal. Each volume raises the experience earned while its two levels are being trained. Reading them before the matching levels saves a lot of fighting.
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 for every combat skill.
Every character begins at level zero in this skill. The first levels come from practice, helped by the first book.
A cheap crafted sword is the best training weapon. Scrap metal swords train the skill just as well as a Katana. Using them for practice saves the rare blade for the fights that matter most.
Training goes best in short, controlled fights. Draw a few zombies, fight them with full endurance, then rest. Long sessions also raise Strength and Fitness, which add damage and speed to every swing.
The XP each Long Blade 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 |
Long Blade Level Effects
Each level makes long blade swings faster and harder. Damage climbs with the skill, so a trained fighter needs fewer swings per zombie. Critical hits also become more common.
A higher level raises the chance of pushing off a zombie that grabs from the front. That shove can turn a deadly grab into an escape.
Muscle strain falls at higher levels, so long fights tire the arms less. The skill also lowers the chance that the blade loses condition, together with the Maintenance skill. That protection is valuable for a weapon as scarce as a Katana.
These bonuses apply only to weapons in the long blade group.
A critical hit can kill a zombie in one blow. Long blades already hit hard at low levels. Higher levels add speed, which lets a fighter clear small groups before they close in. A high Maintenance level keeps that edge in use for a long time.
Long Blade Skill Books
The Long Blade Skill Books come in five volumes. Each volume speeds up experience for two levels. Long Blade I: "Cool Swords!" covers the first two levels. Long Blade V: "Wear Analysis of Selected Medieval Swords" covers the last two. Reading each volume just before its levels gives the most benefit. Long Blade and Maintenance are the melee combat skills with their own books.
These books save a great deal of fighting, so they are worth carrying home when found. A full set lets a sword fighter climb the late levels much sooner.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Long Blade I: "Cool Swords!" | 
|
1 to 2 | x1.5 | 220 | 7 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookLongBlade1
|
| Long Blade II: "Fencing: A History" |
|
3 to 4 | x2.5 | 260 | 8 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookLongBlade2
|
| Long Blade III: "Old Sword-Play" by Alfred Hutton |
|
5 to 6 | x4 | 300 | 10 h | /additem Base.BookLongBlade3
|
| Long Blade IV: "The Zettels of Johannes Liechtenauer" |
|
7 to 8 | x6 | 340 | 11 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookLongBlade4
|
| Long Blade V: "Wear Analysis of Selected Medieval Swords" |
|
9 to 10 | x8 | 380 | 12 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookLongBlade5
|
Set of Long Blade Books bundles all five volumes in one item and unpacks into them.
| Item | Image | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|
| Set of Long Blade Books | 
|
/additem Base.BookLongBladeSet
|
Long Blade Weapons
The skill covers swords and large chopping blades. The Katana, Machete, Sword and Shortsword are the main ones found in the world.
Crafted blades use the skill too. The Simple Sword, Simple Shortsword and the scrap metal swords and choppers come from metalworking. Broken swords and broken katanas still count as long blades.
A crafted sword can stand in until a Katana turns up. The same skill carries over to every blade in the group.
The Katana is a two-handed blade with heavy damage and good reach. It is one of the rarest weapons in the game. The Machete is one-handed and swings fast. It hits harder than most weapons of its size and suits fights against small groups. Both reward a high skill level more than almost any other weapon.
The hardest-hitting weapons that Long Blade governs. Every one of them is listed under Long Blades.
| Name | Image | Damage | Weight | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Katana | 
|
8 - 8 | 2 | /additem Base.Katana
|
| Simple Sword | 
|
1.5 - 3 | 2 | /additem Base.CrudeSword
|
| Machete | 
|
2 - 3 | 2 | /additem Base.Machete
|
| Sword | 
|
2 - 3 | 2 | /additem Base.Sword
|
| Scrap Metal Sword | 
|
1.5 - 2.5 | 3 | /additem Base.Sword_Scrap
|
| Simple Shortsword |
|
1 - 2 | 1.5 | /additem Base.CrudeShortSword
|
| Broken Katana | 
|
1.5 - 2 | 1.5 | /additem Base.Katana_Broken
|
| Scrap Metal Chopper | 
|
1 - 2 | 2 | /additem Base.Machete_Crude
|
| Shortsword | 
|
1.5 - 2 | 1.5 | /additem Base.ShortSword
|
| Broken Simple Sword | 
|
0.9 - 1.8 | 1.5 | /additem Base.CrudeSword_Broken
|
| Scrap Metal Shortsword | 
|
0.9 - 1.8 | 2 | /additem Base.ShortSword_Scrap
|
| Broken Sword | 
|
1.4 - 1.8 | 1.5 | /additem Base.Sword_Broken
|
| Broken Scrap Metal Sword | 
|
0.9 - 1.6 | 2 | /additem Base.Sword_Scrap_Broken
|
Notes
- Read the skill books early; they make training much faster.
- Blacksmithing and Welding can produce swords when none turn up.
- Keep Maintenance up to protect a hard-won blade.
- Broken swords still train the skill in a pinch.
- Train with a crafted sword and save the Katana for real danger.
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