Railroad Spike
| Railroad Spike | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Short Blade |
| Skill | Short Blade |
| Damage | 0.3-0.4 |
| Range | 0.61-0.9 |
| Crit | 5% x2 |
| Condition | 15 |
| Weight | 0.5 |
| Hands | One-handed |
| Location | Containers |
| Spawn ID | /additem Base.RailroadSpike
|
The Railroad Spike is a heavy iron spike made to pin rails to their ties. It can be held as a one-handed stabbing weapon that trains the Short Blade skill. As a weapon it is very weak, with tiny damage and a short reach. Its real value is as a crafting part.
Railroad Spikes fit onto bats, cudgels, handles and pipes to make some of the strongest improvised clubs. The spike itself is tough and wears down slowly. It is a rare find, turning up now and then in pawnshop display cases and at very low odds in attics, closets, halls and living rooms. The best occupations for short blades are the Burger Flipper, the Chef and the Doctor. Each starts with the same Short Blade skill.
Combat
The Railroad Spike is a stabbing weapon with a reach of only 0.9 tiles. Each hit deals between 0.3 and 0.4 damage, so a single zombie takes many stabs. The critical chance is 5 percent, and a crit doubles the damage.
The spike is one-handed and weighs 0.5, so each stab costs little endurance. The Short Blade skill raises damage, attack speed and crit chance with each level. The short reach puts the survivor within grabbing range of the zombie. That makes it a weapon of last resort. A proper knife does the same job far better, and the spike is worth more fitted to a club.
Uses
The Railroad Spike is the key part of the railspike weapons. Two spikes on a Baseball Bat make the Baseball Bat with Railspike at Carpentry 4. Five spikes on a Large Branch make the Cudgel with Railspikes at Carpentry 6. Two spikes on a Large Handle make the Large Handle with Railspike at Maintenance 3. One spike on a Short Bat or a Tree Branch makes the matching railspike weapon at Maintenance 3. One spike taped to an Iron Pipe makes the Iron Pipe with Railspike at Maintenance 1. A spare spike can also be smelted for iron or steel at a furnace.
Used in Crafting
These recipes take the Railroad Spike as an ingredient or a part.
| Recipe | Output | Image | Station | Skill | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Make Railspike Baseball Bat | Baseball Bat with Railspike | 
|
- | Carpentry: 4 | /additem Base.BaseballBat_RailSpike
|
| Make Railspike Cudgel | Cudgel with Railspikes | 
|
- | Carpentry: 6 | /additem Base.Cudgel_Railspike
|
| Make Railspike Iron Pipe | Iron Pipe with Railspike | 
|
- | Maintenance: 1 | /additem Base.MetalPipe_Railspike
|
| Make Railspike Large Handle | Large Handle with Railspike | 
|
- | Maintenance: 3 | /additem Base.LongHandle_Railspike
|
| Make Railspike Weapon | Short Bat with Railspike | 
|
- | Maintenance: 3 | /additem Base.ShortBat_RailSpike
|
Any recipe that asks for a smeltableironsmall accepts it as the tool, such as Smelt Iron From Small Item, Smelt Steel From Small Iron Item and Smelt Small Iron Item.
Repair
The Railroad Spike has 15 condition. Each hit has a 1 in 30 chance of taking a point off. The Short Blade and Maintenance skills lower that chance further. Fighting with it gives no Maintenance experience.
Locations
The Railroad Spike is a rare find. Pawnshop display cases give the best odds. Outside those, it turns up at very low odds in attics, closets, halls, living rooms, garage storage and storage units. Survivor safehouses of every stage hold one now and then in boxes and crates.
The places where it spawns, with the rough chance per container. Each tab shows one kind of place.
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Railroad repair | Other | 100% |
| Railroad storage | Other | 40% |
| Storage unit | Other | <0.1% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn shop | Display case | 1.8% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Any building | Shelter | 0.4% |
| Attic | Cardboard box | 0.4% |
| Attic | Crate | 0.4% |
| Attic | Other | 0.4% |
| Closet | Locker | 0.4% |
| Hall | Other | 0.4% |
| Living room | Locker | 0.4% |
| Living room | Other | 0.4% |
| Closet | Other | 0.2% |
| Garage storage | Other | 0.2% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Survivor safehouse | Cardboard box | 0.2% |
| Survivor safehouse | Crate | 0.2% |
| Survivor safehouse | Small box | 0.2% |
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Cardboard box | 0.2% |
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Crate | 0.2% |
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Small box | 0.2% |
| Survivor safehouse (mid game) | Cardboard box | 0.2% |
| Survivor safehouse (mid game) | Crate | 0.2% |
| Survivor safehouse (mid game) | Small box | 0.2% |
Notes
- Several spikes are needed for the strongest railspike weapons, so every spike found is worth keeping.
- The bat and cudgel recipes need a club hammer or a sledgehammer and a drill, both kept.
- Researching the spike can teach the railspike weapon recipe.
- A Railroad Spike Knife is a separate, sharpened weapon with a much better crit.
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