Mechanics Skill
| Mechanics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Skill |
| Skill Group | Crafting |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 32,775 |
| Skill Books | Mechanics Skill Books |
| Best Occupation | Mechanic (+4) |
The Mechanics Skill governs working on vehicles. It makes vehicle repairs more effective and lets a character remove, install and repair parts without breaking them. It belongs to the Crafting group.
Vehicles carry supplies, outrun hordes and open up the whole map. Keeping one running needs Mechanics. A skilled mechanic can swap tires, brakes, batteries and windows, and can rebuild an engine with spare parts. A higher level means fewer failed attempts and fewer damaged parts. Mechanics also counts toward hot-wiring, which needs level 2 together with level 1 Electrical. The Mechanic starts with the most Mechanics skill, and the Vehicle Knowledge trait adds one level.
How to Level Mechanics
Mechanics experience comes from work in the vehicle menu. Installing a part gives experience. Uninstalling a part gives experience. Repairing an engine or a lightbar gives experience too. Taking spare parts out of an engine also counts.
Failed attempts still give a small amount. Successful attempts give more, and harder parts give the most. A part that needs a higher level or has a lower success chance pays out better.
The same part on the same vehicle only gives experience once a day. The best training plan is a few junk vehicles that can be stripped and rebuilt every day. Wrecking yards are good places to find them. Early attempts often damage parts, so practice on cars that do not matter.
The Carzone tapes give a good boost. A few other tapes give smaller amounts. 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.
A good training order starts with a book. Read the first Mechanics book, then practise removing and reinstalling parts on junk cars. Once the main vehicle needs work, fix it with the skill already gained. Leave engine work until spare parts are on hand.
Several training cars work better than one. Each car offers a fresh set of parts every day. A row of wrecks in a parking lot or wrecking yard can keep a mechanic busy for hours. Strip each car, refit the parts and move to the next.
Most parts need a specific tool to remove or install. A jack and a lug wrench handle tires. Wrenches and screwdrivers cover many other parts. Keep a full tool kit at the base and a spare set in the car on long trips.
A part only installs from the main inventory, a nearby container or the floor. Parts inside a bag stay out of reach until moved.
The XP each Mechanics 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 |
Mechanics Level Effects
Each level raises the chance of removing and installing parts without damage. More parts can be swapped and repaired safely as the skill grows.
Engines become workable at key levels. Standard engines can be salvaged and repaired from level 4. Heavy-duty engines need level 5, and sport engines need level 6. Salvaging an engine for spare parts always drops its condition to zero.
Engine repairs get more efficient with skill. Each spare part restores more condition at higher levels. At level 10, a part restores about four times as much on a standard engine as at level 4. Every spare part in the main inventory goes into a single repair.
Engine quality is set when the vehicle appears in the world. Repairs raise condition but leave quality as it is. A fully repaired engine with poor quality may still start unreliably.
Low-level attempts on valuable parts carry real risk. A failed removal can damage the part or the car. Working on the main vehicle at a low level can turn a small fault into a breakdown far from home. Raise the skill on junk cars first.
Some parts can be repaired, while others can only be replaced. Those must come from mechanic shops or from other vehicles. A higher level makes salvaging them from wrecks much safer. When repairs would cost more than they save, stripping a wreck for parts is the better choice.
Mechanics Skill Books
The Mechanics Skill Books come in five volumes. Each volume speeds up experience for two levels. Mechanics I: "Carzone's Repair Guide" covers the first two levels. Mechanics V: "Mastering Automotive Fault Diagnosis Techniques" 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanics I: "Carzone's Repair Guide" | 
|
1 to 2 | x3 | 220 | 7 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookMechanic1
|
| Mechanics II: "How Vehicle Engines Work" |
|
3 to 4 | x5 | 260 | 8 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookMechanic2
|
| Mechanics III: "Laine's Repair Manual '93" |
|
5 to 6 | x8 | 300 | 10 h | /additem Base.BookMechanic3
|
| Mechanics IV: "Long Term Vehicle Maintenance" |
|
7 to 8 | x12 | 340 | 11 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookMechanic4
|
| Mechanics V: "Mastering Automotive Fault Diagnosis Techniques" |
|
9 to 10 | x16 | 380 | 12 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookMechanic5
|
Set of Mechanics Books bundles all five volumes in one item and unpacks into them.
| Item | Image | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|
| Set of Mechanics Books | 
|
/additem Base.BookMechanicsSet
|
Mechanics Starting Levels
The Mechanic begins with four levels of Mechanics. That start allows salvaging and repairing standard engines right away. The Mechanic also knows how to work on every type of vehicle from the start. The Vehicle Knowledge trait adds one level at character creation.
Other characters need to read the matching Laines Auto Manual magazines first. Standard, commercial and performance models each have their own magazine.
The Vehicle Knowledge trait gives one level and the knowledge for standard and commercial vehicles. Sport vehicles still need their magazine. That trait makes a solid choice for any character who plans to rely on a car.
A Mechanic can keep a group mobile from the first day. Tires, batteries and engines all stay serviceable without a long training period.
These occupations and traits start a character with levels in Mechanics.
| Name | Image | Type | Levels | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanic | 
|
Occupation | +4 | -4 |
| Vehicle Knowledge | 
|
Trait | +1 | -3 |
Notes
- Read the Laines Auto Manual for each vehicle type before working on it.
- Strip and rebuild a few junk cars each day for steady experience.
- Salvaging an engine always ruins it, so only salvage cars that will be left behind.
- Engine repairs at higher levels get far more from each spare part.
- Level 2 Mechanics and level 1 Electrical allow hot-wiring.
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