Lumberjack
| Lumberjack | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Occupations |
| Type | Occupation |
| Points | 0 |
| Skill Boosts |
|
| Free Traits | Ax-pert |
The Lumberjack brings the best axe start in the game and an easier time in the woods. It suits a survivor who fights with axes and gathers timber.
The occupation costs no points from the trait budget. It starts with two levels of Axe. It also starts with one level of Maintenance and one extra level of Strength. The Ax-pert trait comes free. The Lumberjack also moves slightly faster through forests and woodland and suffers less muscle strain from chopping trees.
The Lumberjack is one of the simplest strong starts in the game. It is often recommended to new survivors for that reason. An axe is both the weapon and the tool, so one item covers fighting, firewood and building timber. The free trait budget leaves plenty of room for traits that shore up other weaknesses.
Lumberjack Skills
Two levels of Axe make every axe swing faster and stronger. Critical hits come more often, and fewer swings are needed per zombie. No other occupation starts higher in this skill. The chance of pushing off a zombie that grabs from the front rises as well.
Higher Axe skill also helps the weapon itself. An axe keeps its condition longer in skilled hands. Muscle strain drops at higher levels, so long fights tire the arms less.
One level of Maintenance helps every melee weapon last longer. Axes stay in working order through more fights. Weapons wear down with use, so this level matters from the first day. Repairs also succeed more often and restore more condition.
One extra level of Strength raises melee damage, knockback and carry weight. Strength is slow to train, so a free level is worth a lot.
A new Lumberjack starts with these skill levels.
| Skill | Levels | Skill Group |
|---|---|---|
| Axe | +2 | Combat - Melee |
| Strength | +1 | Physical |
| Maintenance | +1 | Combat - Melee |
Lumberjack Free Traits
Ax-pert comes free with the occupation. It makes the Lumberjack better at chopping trees. It also speeds up axe swings on top of the Axe skill.
Axe swings come about a quarter faster. Chopping trees speeds up by the same amount, and chopping damage with an axe rises by half. Trees fall in fewer hits, which saves both time and endurance.
Faster swings matter in combat too. A quicker swing means less time exposed to a lunging zombie. It also means more hits in a short window when several zombies close in.
A Lumberjack gets these traits for free.
| Name | Image | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Ax-pert | 
|
Occupation Trait |
How to Play Lumberjack
A Lumberjack plays as a strong axe fighter and a natural woodsman. An axe serves as both the main weapon and the main tool. Felling trees for logs goes faster, with less strain on the arms.
Muscle strain is also lower when removing bushes with a weapon. Clearing land for a base or a farm is easier as a result.
Wood is a basic resource in a long run. Planks for building, logs for fires and handles for tools all start with a felled tree. The Lumberjack spends less time and endurance on each tree than anyone else.
Chopping trees also builds Strength over time. Axe skill, though, only grows from hits on enemies. Steady fighting against small groups that the character can handle is the surest way up.
The Lumberjack has strong foraging bonuses for firewood and good bonuses for mushrooms. Weather hurts the Lumberjack's foraging less, and the search radius is a little wider. Wild plants and wild herbs get a small boost as well.
The faster movement through forests helps in a pinch. A wooded area makes a good escape route when a crowd gives chase.
The occupation costs nothing, so the full trait budget stays free. Strong, Stout and Brawler all suit an axe fighter. Strong adds four levels of Strength and extra knockback. Brawler adds a level of Axe and a level of Long Blunt. A Lumberjack with Ax-pert and Brawler together makes a very strong axe fighter.
Pairing it with Carpentry training turns felled logs into planks and walls. Sawing logs into planks gives Carpentry experience, and each log gives three planks.
The axe group is wide. The Hand Axe, Hatchet, Wood Axe and Firefighter Axe all use the skill. Crafted stone axes, the Bone War Hatchet and sawblade weapons count too. The Wood Axe hits very hard and is the best axe for felling trees. Its swings are slow and cost a lot of stamina, though. Lighter axes swing faster and suit fights against a few zombies at a time.
Axes turn up in hardware stores, warehouses and storage units. Fire stations give a good chance of finding one. Zombies sometimes carry axes too, so checking corpses can pay off.
Early goals include a good axe, repair supplies such as duct tape or glue and a safe place to rest.
Notes
- The Axe start and Ax-pert together make axe fighting very strong.
- Chopping trees causes less muscle strain for a Lumberjack.
- Only hits on enemies train the Axe skill.
- Movement through forests is slightly faster.
- The occupation leaves the full trait budget free.
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