Long Blunt Skill
| Long Blunt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Skill |
| Skill Group | Combat - Melee |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 32,775 |
| Best Occupation | Construction Worker (+1) |
The Long Blunt Skill governs fighting with long blunt weapons such as bats, crowbars and golf clubs. It raises attack speed and damage with them and reduces the muscle strain of each swing. It belongs to the Combat - Melee group.
Long blunt weapons are often everyday objects. Baseball bats, crowbars, brooms and guitars all count. A higher level makes these common tools into reliable weapons and helps them hold their condition. The Construction Worker starts with a level in it, and the Baseball Player and Brawler traits each add one.
Many survivors build their first fighting style around this skill. Long blunt weapons are easy to find in homes, garages and sports shops. Their reach keeps zombies at a safer distance than a knife or a hammer. Their blows also knock zombies down well, which buys time to finish them on the ground or to back away.
How to Level Long Blunt
Long Blunt experience comes from hitting enemies with a long blunt weapon. Every blow that lands on a zombie counts. Steady fighting with a bat or crowbar is the main way up.
The early levels fill fast, and the later ones need many more hits. Small groups that the character can handle safely give the steadiest training.
Some television and tape programs give a little Long Blunt experience. The tape Mathematical Quadratics and Algebraic Configurations is one of them. Gains from watching only help 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 for every combat skill.
A good training routine draws a few zombies at a time to a known spot. Fight them while the character still has plenty of endurance. Rest before the next group, since tired swings are slow and weak.
Long training sessions also raise Strength and Fitness. Strength adds melee damage, and Fitness speeds up attacks and fights off exhaustion. A character who trains Long Blunt for weeks ends up stronger and fitter as well.
The XP each Long Blunt 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 Blunt Level Effects
Each level makes long blunt swings faster and harder. Damage climbs with the skill, so a trained fighter needs fewer blows per zombie. Critical hits become more common as the skill rises.
A higher level raises the chance of pushing off a zombie that grabs from the front. That shove can save a character caught off guard.
Muscle strain falls at higher levels, so long fights tire the arms less. The skill also lowers the chance that the weapon loses condition, together with the Maintenance skill. A well-trained character can use one good bat for a long time.
These bonuses apply only to weapons in the long blunt group.
A critical hit can kill a zombie outright. At low levels a bat mostly knocks zombies over and softens them up. At high levels the same bat often ends a zombie in one or two blows. The jump in speed also means less time spent open to the next attacker.
Long Blunt Starting Levels
The Construction Worker begins with one level of Long Blunt. The Baseball Player trait adds one level, and the Brawler trait adds another. A character with both traits starts with a solid head start before the first fight.
A starting level gives a little more damage and speed straight away. It also skips the first step of training.
Baseball Player and Brawler are the usual picks for a character who plans to fight with bats. The head start matters most in the first days, when a missed swing can be fatal. A Construction Worker also starts with Short Blunt, so hammers and bats both work well for that occupation.
These occupations and traits start a character with levels in Long Blunt.
| Name | Image | Type | Levels | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball Player | 
|
Trait | +1 | -4 |
| Brawler | 
|
Trait | +1 | -6 |
| Construction Worker | 
|
Occupation | +1 | -2 |
Long Blunt Weapons
The skill covers a wide group of weapons. The Baseball Bat, Crowbar, Golf Club and Iron Bar are common early finds. Musical instruments such as the Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Electric Bass and Banjo count as well.
Garden tools such as the Garden Hoe and Leaf Rake also use the skill. So do sports gear like the Field Hockey Stick, Ice Hockey Stick and Lacrosse Stick.
Crafted versions use the same skill. The Baseball Bat with Nails, Long Spiked Club and the various mauls all train it. So do the can-reinforced and sheet metal reinforced bats.
The Baseball Bat is the classic starter. It is common, has good reach and knocks zombies back. Adding nails makes the Baseball Bat with Nails, which hits harder but wears out sooner. The Crowbar is among the most durable melee weapons in the game. It also works as a tool for prying, so it earns its place in a pack twice over.
The hardest-hitting weapons that Long Blunt governs. Every one of them is listed under Long Blunt.
| Name | Image | Damage | Weight | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jawbone Morningstar | 
|
1.3 - 3 | 4 | /additem Base.JawboneBovide_Morningstar
|
| Block Maul | 
|
2 - 3 | 4 | /additem Base.BlockMaul
|
| Bucket Maul - Metal Handle | 
|
1.5 - 3 | 10 | /additem Base.BucketMace_Metal
|
| Bucket Maul - Wood Handle | 
|
1.5 - 3 | 10 | /additem Base.BucketMace_Wood
|
| Cudgel with Garden Fork Head | 
|
1.8 - 3 | 6 | /additem Base.Cudgel_GardenForkHead
|
| Kettle Maul - Metal Handle | 
|
2 - 3 | 6 | /additem Base.KettleMace_Metal
|
| Kettle Maul - Wood Handle | 
|
2 - 3 | 6 | /additem Base.KettleMace_Wood
|
| Railroad Spike Puller | 
|
2 - 3 | 6 | /additem Base.RailroadSpikePuller
|
| Sledgehammer | 
|
2 - 3 | 6 | /additem Base.Sledgehammer
|
| Cudgel with Railspikes | 
|
1.8 - 2.9 | 6 | /additem Base.Cudgel_Railspike
|
| Cudgel with Spikes | 
|
1.8 - 2.9 | 6 | /additem Base.Cudgel_Spike
|
| Barbell | 
|
1.8 - 2.8 | 6 | /additem Base.BarBell
|
| Cudgel with Bone Spikes | 
|
1.8 - 2.6 | 6 | /additem Base.Cudgel_Bone
|
| Cudgel with Nails | 
|
1.7 - 2.5 | 6 | /additem Base.Cudgel_Nails
|
| Engine Parts Maul | 
|
1.5 - 2.5 | 6 | /additem Base.EngineMaul
|
Notes
- A Baseball Bat or Crowbar is an easy first weapon for this skill.
- Nailed and spiked bats train the same skill as plain ones.
- Baseball Player and Brawler together give a good start.
- Keep Maintenance up to slow wear on long blunt weapons.
- Watching tapes only helps the first three levels.
- Knock a zombie down first, then finish it while it lies on the ground.
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