Tracking Skill
| Tracking | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Skill |
| Skill Group | Survival |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 32,775 |
| Skill Books | Tracking Skill Books |
The Tracking Skill governs finding and reading the signs of wild animals. It reveals more information about animal clues found in Search Mode and lets smaller clues be found. It belongs to the Survival group.
Tracking helps a hunter find game in the woods. Deer and rabbits roam the forests across the map, and they leave tracks, droppings and other signs behind. A trained tracker reads those signs to learn which way an animal went, how big it is and how fresh the trail is. That knowledge turns a long, aimless walk into a short hunt. The Hunter trait is the way to start with a level in it.
How to Level Tracking
Tracking experience comes from finding animal tracks. Each new type of sign found gives experience. Sneaking close to deer and rabbits gives experience too.
Tracks are found through Search Mode. The Animal Tracks focus shows signs of animal activity. Found tracks gain a yellow outline instead of the usual foraging highlight.
Walking through forests in Search Mode is the steadiest way to train. Inspecting each track found adds experience too, so stop and read every sign rather than walking past it.
Animals react to noise. A loud approach sends deer and rabbits running before the tracker gets close. Moving quietly, and crouching near game, keeps animals in place long enough to gain experience from them. That makes Sneaking and Lightfooted useful partners for this skill.
Reading the matching book before a long walk in the woods makes every find count for more. Books are the fastest way past the slow early levels.
The Fast Learner trait raises the experience rate to 130 percent. The Slow Learner trait lowers it to 70 percent.
The XP each Tracking 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 |
Tracking Level Effects
Each level adds detail to every clue. Right-clicking a track shows information about the animal that made it. The direction it went, its size and how recent the sign is all appear in that view. A higher level shows more of this information.
Higher levels also reveal smaller clues. A skilled tracker can spot faint signs that a beginner walks straight past.
Freshness is the most useful detail. A fresh trail means the animal is close. An old trail means it has likely moved far away. Following fresh signs in the direction they point saves hours of wandering.
Size tells the tracker what to expect. A large animal such as a deer gives much more meat than a rabbit. Knowing the size before the chase helps decide whether a hunt is worth the time and ammunition.
Tracks appear in Search Mode only when the Animal Tracks focus is chosen. Switching focus between foraging and tracking lets one walk serve both skills.
Tracking Skill Books
The Tracking Skill Books come in five volumes. Each volume speeds up experience for two levels. Tracking I: "Animal Pawprints" covers the first two levels. Tracking V: "Understanding Animal Behavior Through Spoor Placement" 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tracking I: "Animal Pawprints" | 
|
1 to 2 | x3 | 220 | 7 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookTracking1
|
| Tracking II: "Hunting with Hemingway" |
|
3 to 4 | x5 | 260 | 8 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookTracking2
|
| Tracking III: "Long Range Animal Tracking" |
|
5 to 6 | x8 | 300 | 10 h | /additem Base.BookTracking3
|
| Tracking IV: "The Smell of Ivory: An African Adventure" |
|
7 to 8 | x12 | 340 | 11 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookTracking4
|
| Tracking V: "Understanding Animal Behavior Through Spoor Placement" |
|
9 to 10 | x16 | 380 | 12 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookTracking5
|
Set of Tracking Books bundles all five volumes in one item and unpacks into them.
| Item | Image | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|
| Set of Tracking Books | 
|
/additem Base.BookTrackingSet
|
Tracking Starting Levels
The Hunter trait adds one level of Tracking at character creation. The same trait also brings Aiming, Short Blade and Sneaking levels, so it suits a character who plans to hunt.
Tracking pairs naturally with Trapping and Butchering. Tracks show where animals pass, traps catch them there and butchering turns the catch into food. A character built around all three can live off the land far from town.
These occupations and traits start a character with levels in Tracking.
| Name | Image | Type | Levels | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter | 
|
Trait | +1 | -8 |
Notes
- Use the Animal Tracks focus in Search Mode to find signs.
- Right-click a track to read where the animal went.
- Sneak close to deer and rabbits for extra experience.
- The Hunter trait pairs Tracking with the other hunting skills.
All Character Categories
All Skills