Maintenance Skill Books
| Maintenance Skill Books | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skill Book |
| Trains | Maintenance |
| Volumes | 5 |
| XP Bonus |
|
| Read Time, All Volumes | 50 h |
| Weight | 1 |
| Location | Containers |
| Spawn ID | /additem Base.BookMaintenance1and 5 more, see Volumes |
The Maintenance Skill Books are a series of five volumes that speed up training in the Maintenance skill. Maintenance is the skill of keeping weapons and tools in good working order. The series runs from Maintenance I: "Basic Repairs" for a beginner to Maintenance V: "Understanding Biomechanics of Tool Use" for the last steps to mastery.
Each volume works as an experience multiplier. Once read, the Maintenance experience earned in its two levels counts extra. The boost is strong, starting at three times for the first volume and rising to sixteen times for the last. For a survivor who relies on melee weapons, the books make every repair and every fight count for more.
The whole series takes about fifty hours of reading in game time. A Set of Maintenance Books holds all five volumes in one bundle.
Book stores and tool stores are the likeliest places to find them, and they turn up in many homes too.
Reading
The volumes are read in order, and each one helps only while its own levels are being trained. Maintenance I: "Basic Repairs" covers levels 1 and 2, so it is worth reading early. Maintenance II: "Better Tools, Made Easy" covers levels 3 and 4. Maintenance III: "Home Guide to Tool Repairs" and Maintenance IV: "Maintaining High Grade Tools" carry on from there.
A volume picked up too early does not help yet. The character says "I don't get it" and makes no progress until the earlier levels are done. A volume read after its levels are passed only gives the mood effect. The best habit is to finish each volume just before reaching its levels.
The bonus grows with each volume. Volume I gives three times the experience, Volume II five times, Volume III eight times, Volume IV twelve times and Volume V sixteen times. That top bonus is twice the top bonus of the Long Blade books.
Longer volumes take longer to read. Volume I takes a little over seven hours of game time, and Volume V takes close to thirteen. 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.
A read can stop at any time. Progress is kept, so the book can wait while zombies need attention.
Volumes
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance I: "Basic Repairs" | 
|
1 to 2 | x3 | 220 | 7 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookMaintenance1
|
| Maintenance II: "Better Tools, Made Easy" |
|
3 to 4 | x5 | 260 | 8 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookMaintenance2
|
| Maintenance III: "Home Guide to Tool Repairs" |
|
5 to 6 | x8 | 300 | 10 h | /additem Base.BookMaintenance3
|
| Maintenance IV: "Maintaining High Grade Tools" |
|
7 to 8 | x12 | 340 | 11 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookMaintenance4
|
| Maintenance V: "Understanding Biomechanics of Tool Use" |
|
9 to 10 | x16 | 380 | 12 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookMaintenance5
|
Set of Maintenance Books bundles all five volumes in one item and unpacks into them.
| Item | Image | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|
| Set of Maintenance Books | 
|
/additem Base.BookMaintenanceSet
|
Using
The Set of Maintenance Books packs the five volumes into one item. A set is a little easier to carry than five loose books and keeps the series together. Unpacking the set gives back the five volumes for reading.
Locations
Book store shelves are the best bet, holding one about one time in six. Tool store shelves come close behind. Duffel bags packed for maintenance work hold one about one time in eight, as does university storage. Pawn shops, gas station storage, janitor's rooms and school storage turn one up now and then. Bedrooms, closets, post offices, attics and living rooms hold one more rarely. It is a fairly common find across town.
The places where it spawns, with the rough chance per container. Each tab shows one kind of place.
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Book store | Shelves | 18.1% |
| Tool store | Shelves | 15.7% |
| Book store | Other | 8.1% |
| Pawn shop | Other | 8.1% |
| Pawn shop | Shelves | 8.1% |
| Gas storage | Counter | 6.5% |
| Zippee storage | Counter | 6.5% |
| Tool store | Counter | 6.3% |
| Bedroom | Small box | 6.2% |
| Welding workshop | Military locker | 3.4% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Inside a bag or case | Bag skill maintenance duffel bag | 12.1% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| University storage | Other | 11.4% |
| Janitor's room | Counter | 6.5% |
| Janitor's room | Locker | 6.5% |
| School storage | Counter | 6.5% |
| Post office | Other | 4.6% |
| Post office storage | Other | 4.6% |
| Classroom | Counter | 3.5% |
| Elementary classroom | Counter | 3.5% |
| Secondary classroom | Metal shelves | 3.3% |
| Secondary classroom | Shelves | 3.3% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Closet | Other | 6.2% |
| Kid's bedroom | Other | 6.2% |
| Bedroom | Cardboard box | 5% |
| Attic | Cardboard box | 3.7% |
| Attic | Crate | 3.7% |
| Attic | Other | 3.7% |
| Bedroom | Crate | 3.7% |
| Hall | Other | 3.7% |
| Living room | Other | 3.7% |
| Closet | Crate | 2.8% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Survivor safehouse | Cardboard box | 1.5% |
| Survivor safehouse | Crate | 1.5% |
| Survivor safehouse | Small box | 1.5% |
| Survivor cache | Counter | 1.5% |
| Survivor cache | Counter | 1.5% |
| Survivor safehouse | Metal shelves | 1.2% |
| Survivor safehouse (mid game) | Cardboard box | 1.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (mid game) | Counter | 1.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (mid game) | Crate | 1.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (mid game) | Metal shelves | 1.1% |
Notes
- Read each volume before reaching its first level, not after.
- Tool stores are a good place to look after the book stores.
- Janitor's rooms often hold a volume.
- Reading progress is kept if the read is stopped partway.
- A spare volume burns for about fifteen minutes as fire fuel.
All Literature Categories
All Skill Books