Railroad Spike Knife
| Railroad Spike Knife | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Short Blade |
| Skill | Short Blade |
| Damage | 0.3-0.7 |
| Range | 0.61-0.9 |
| Crit | 25% x4 |
| Condition | 10 |
| Weight | 0.5 |
| Hands | One-handed |
| Location | Containers |
| Spawn ID | /additem Base.RailroadSpikeKnife
|
The Railroad Spike Knife is a knife forged from a railroad spike. It is a one-handed stabbing weapon that trains the Short Blade skill. It also counts as a sharp knife for every cutting job.
The knife is small and light, with a short reach and modest damage. Its strength is the crit: a quarter of its hits can crit, and a crit deals four times the damage. It is made through a forging recipe. As loot it is almost unknown, turning up only in rare spots such as late-game survivor safehouses and pawnshop display cases. 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 Knife is a stabbing weapon with a reach of only 0.9 tiles. Each hit deals between 0.3 and 0.7 damage. The critical chance starts at 25 percent, and a crit multiplies the damage four times. Crits do most of the killing with this knife.
The knife is one-handed and weighs 0.5, so each stab costs little endurance. The other hand stays free for a flashlight or a bag. The Short Blade skill raises damage, attack speed and crit chance with each level.
The short reach puts the survivor close to the zombie, so the knife suits a single target. It is at its best against a zombie that is already knocked down. Compared with the plain Railroad Spike, it hits harder and crits far more often and far harder. It can also kill animals.
Uses
The Railroad Spike Knife counts as a sharp knife in crafting. It cuts plants and butchers animals. It cuts leather into strips or halves, twists rope and makes twine. It opens canned food and serves as the tool in many carving recipes, from handles and stakes to bone tools. It also assembles long and medium implements such as axes, hammers and garden tools from a head and a handle.
Used in Crafting
Any recipe that asks for a sharp knife accepts it as the tool, such as Cut Up Large Leather, Cut Up Medium Leather and Cut Up Small Leather.
Repair
The Railroad Spike Knife has 10 condition. Each hit has a 1 in 15 chance of taking a point off. The Short Blade and Maintenance skills lower that chance. A dull blade can be sharpened with a whetstone, at a Grindstone, or poorly with a file.
Locations
The Railroad Spike Knife is an extremely rare piece of loot. Late-game survivor safehouses and pawnshop display cases give the best odds, and even those are a tiny fraction of a percent. Forging one is the only practical way to get it.
The places where it spawns, with the rough chance per container. Each tab shows one kind of place.
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Drug shack | Counter | 1.7% |
| Drug shack | Other | 0.7% |
| Drug lab | Counter | 0.3% |
| Drug lab | Overhead cupboard | 0.3% |
| Derelict | Other | <0.1% |
| Derelict steel factory | Other | <0.1% |
| Storage unit | Other | <0.1% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Cardboard box | 0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Counter | 0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Crate | 0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Metal shelves | 0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Small box | 0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse | Cardboard box | <0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse | Crate | <0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse | Small box | <0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (late game) | Wardrobe | <0.1% |
| Survivor safehouse (mid game) | Cardboard box | <0.1% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Pawn shop | Display case | 0.1% |
| Location | Container | Chance |
|---|---|---|
| Any building | Shelter | <0.1% |
| Attic | Cardboard box | <0.1% |
| Attic | Crate | <0.1% |
| Attic | Other | <0.1% |
| Closet | Locker | <0.1% |
| Closet | Other | <0.1% |
| Garage storage | Other | <0.1% |
| Hall | Other | <0.1% |
| Living room | Locker | <0.1% |
| Living room | Other | <0.1% |
Notes
- The knife doubles as a full cutting tool, so one knife covers both fighting and crafting.
- Researching it can teach the crude blade and small knife forging recipes.
- The high crit chance rewards stabbing a downed zombie.
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All Short Blades