Welding Skill
| Welding | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Class | Skills |
| Type | Skill |
| Skill Group | Crafting |
| Max Level | 10 |
| Total XP | 32,775 |
| Skill Books | Welding Skill Books |
| Best Occupation | Welder (+4) |
The Welding Skill governs building with metal. It covers metal barricades, walls, fences, gates, lockers, crates, counters and scrap metal weapons and armour. It belongs to the Crafting group.
Metal barricades and walls are some of the toughest defences a base can have. A skilled welder can seal windows with metal sheets and bars, wall in a compound and build strong storage. Welding also cuts metal stock and turns scrap into knives, choppers and swords. Constructions gain health with the skill, so a high-level wall holds far longer. The Welder starts with the most Welding skill, and the Mechanic starts with a small head start.
How to Level Welding
Welding experience comes from building, crafting and a few other actions. Barricading windows and doors with metal gives experience. Dismantling car wrecks gives experience too.
Barricading experience skips the usual multipliers. It stays the same with or without a skill book.
At levels 1 and 2, dismantling car wrecks is the best option. Cutting bars is another choice in the early levels. The bars can be reforged at a forge with charcoal and cut again.
At levels 3 and 4, making a scrap metal knife gives good experience for each use of the torch. Building metal walls, fences and frames gives a steady flow as well.
From level 5 upward, making metal sheets or cutting small metal sheets gives strong returns for little torch fuel.
A propane torch and a welding mask are needed for most welding work.
The Crafty and Fast Learner traits each raise the experience rate to 130 percent. The Slow Learner trait lowers it to 70 percent.
On standard settings, car wrecks are the one kind of dismantling that gives Welding experience. Highways and parking lots hold plenty of wrecks, and each one gives both experience and metal. Plan a route through areas with many wrecks rather than stopping at random.
Read the matching skill book before a long session. Torch fuel runs out, and a book makes every use of the torch count for more. Building the metal pieces a base will keep is a better use of fuel than endless practice loops.
The bar cutting loop pairs Welding with Blacksmithing. A welder cuts a bar, a smith reforges the pieces at a forge, and the welder cuts it again. Both skills gain from the same stock of metal.
The XP each Welding 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 |
Welding Level Effects
Each level makes metal constructions sturdier. Wall health depends directly on the welding level.
New builds open at key levels. Level 2 brings the metal wall frame and the scrap metal knife. Level 3 is a big step. Metal walls, doors, door frames, window frames, fences, gates and both metal barricades open here. Shoddy lockers, counters, crates and shelves also arrive.
Level 5 adds good metal walls, good fences, metal stairs, big double gates and the metal barrel oven. Scrap metal armour pieces and the scrap metal chopper also open.
The highest levels improve storage. Level 7 brings the metal crate, level 8 the metal counter and level 9 the small locker and shelves. Level 10 opens the big metal locker. Scrap metal swords and morningstars arrive along the way.
Walls and windows built at a low level can be upgraded to the next grade later. A welder can therefore wall in a base early and improve it as the skill grows.
Dismantling also improves with the skill. Taking an object apart with the torch can return full materials plus scrap metal. At low levels it may return only scrap, or nothing at all. A higher level makes the full return far more likely.
The skill also helps with vehicles. A welder can repair some car parts with the torch, which keeps a haul vehicle running for longer.
Welding Skill Books
The Welding Skill Books come in five volumes. Each volume speeds up experience for two levels. Welding I: "Basics of Welding" covers the first two levels. Welding V: "Technological Fundamentals of Metal Fabrication" 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welding I: "Basics of Welding" | 
|
1 to 2 | x3 | 220 | 7 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookMetalWelding1
|
| Welding II: "Building with Metal" |
|
3 to 4 | x5 | 260 | 8 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookMetalWelding2
|
| Welding III: "Machining Metal: The Mass Genfac Guide" |
|
5 to 6 | x8 | 300 | 10 h | /additem Base.BookMetalWelding3
|
| Welding IV: "Ore to Sheets: A Complete Metalworking Manual" |
|
7 to 8 | x12 | 340 | 11 h 20 min | /additem Base.BookMetalWelding4
|
| Welding V: "Technological Fundamentals of Metal Fabrication" |
|
9 to 10 | x16 | 380 | 12 h 40 min | /additem Base.BookMetalWelding5
|
Set of Welding Books bundles all five volumes in one item and unpacks into them.
| Item | Image | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|
| Set of Welding Books | 
|
/additem Base.BookMetalWeldingSet
|
Welding Starting Levels
The Welder begins with four levels of Welding. That start opens metal walls, doors and barricades straight away. The Mechanic begins with one level.
A Welder can fortify a base with metal from the first days of a run.
Welding was once part of a single metal skill. That skill now splits into Welding for torch work and Blacksmithing for forge work. A Welder handles walls, barricades and scrap weapons. Forged tool heads and anvils belong to the Blacksmith.
These occupations and traits start a character with levels in Welding.
| Name | Image | Type | Levels | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Welder | 
|
Occupation | +4 | -4 |
| Mechanic | 
|
Occupation | +1 | -4 |
Welding Recipes
At the lowest level, welding makes a metal floor. Low levels add cutting bars, blocks and ingots into smaller pieces. Drilling iron and steel pieces also opens here, along with the block bludgeon.
Level 3 brings most of the building work, plus the sawblade hatchet and drilled smithing tools. Level 4 adds metal sheets, small sheets, circular sawblades, iron bands and the scrap metal cleaver.
The higher levels bring scrap metal weapons and armour. The scrap metal chopper, shortsword, morningstar and sword are the main weapons. Spikes can be welded onto metal armour at level 5.
The torch can take apart many large metal objects in the world. Car wrecks, dumpsters, fridges, ovens, washing machines, lockers, file cabinets and road signs all break down for metal. That steady flow of scrap feeds both welding recipes and the forge.
Every recipe that asks for Welding or trains it, one tab per level asked.
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Floor | - | Metal Floor |
|
- | Welding: 0 | - | Yes |
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x Iron Bar Half | 
|
Cut Bar |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 1 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.IronBarHalf
|
| 4x Steel Chunk | 
|
Cut Block into Chunks |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 1 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.SteelChunk
|
| Iron Chunk (Pierced) | 
|
Drill Iron Chunk | 1x Iron Chunk | - | Welding: 1 | - | No | /additem Base.PiercedIronChunk
|
| Block Maul | 
|
Make Block Bludgeon |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 1 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.BlockMaul
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3x Steel Block | 
|
Cut Ingot into Blocks |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 2 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.SteelBlock
|
| Iron Block (Pierced) | 
|
Drill Iron Block | 1x Iron Block | - | Welding: 2 | - | No | /additem Base.PiercedIronBlock
|
| Steel Chunk (Pierced) | 
|
Drill Steel Chunk | 1x Steel Chunk | - | Welding: 2 | - | No | /additem Base.PiercedSteelChunk
|
| Scrap Metal Large Knife | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Knife |
|
Welding: 2 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.LargeKnife_Scrap
| |
| Metal Wall Frame | - | Metal Wall Frame |
|
- | Welding: 2 | - | Yes | - |
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Wire Fence Gate | - | Big Wire Fence Gate |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | - |
| Big Metal Locker (Shoddy) | - | Build Big Metal Locker (Shoddy) |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Bar Barricade | - | Build Metal Bar Barricade |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | No | - |
| Metal Counter (Shoddy) | - | Build Metal Counter (Shoddy) |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Counter Corner (Shoddy) | - | Build Metal Counter Corner (Shoddy) |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Crate (Shoddy) | - | Build Metal Crate (Shoddy) |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Door (Poor) | - | Build Metal Door (Poor) |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | No | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Door (Shoddy) | - | Build Metal Door (Shoddy) |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | No | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Sheet Barricade | - | Build Metal Sheet Barricade |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | No | - |
| Draw Plate | 
|
Drill Draw Plate | 1x Steel Bar Quarter | - | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.DrawPlate
|
| Heading Tool | 
|
Drill Heading Tool | 1x Iron Bar Quarter | - | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.HeadingTool
|
| Iron Ingot (Pierced) | 
|
Drill Iron Ingot | 1x Iron Ingot | - | Welding: 3 | - | No | /additem Base.PiercedIronIngot
|
| Steel Block (Pierced) | 
|
Drill Steel Block | 1x Steel Block | - | Welding: 3 | - | No | /additem Base.PiercedSteelBlock
|
| Metal Feeding Trough | - | Feeding Trough Metal (Double) |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | No | - |
| Sawblade Hatchet | 
|
Make Sawblade Hatchet |
|
|
Welding: 3 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.Axe_Sawblade_Hatchet
|
| Big Metal Pole Fence | - | Metal Big Pole Fence |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | - |
| Big Pole Fence Gate | - | Metal Big Pole Fence Gate |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | - |
| Big Metal Wire Fence | - | Metal Big Wire Fence |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | - |
| Metal Door Frame (Poor) | - | Metal Door Frame |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Fence (Shoddy) | - | Metal Fence |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Small Metal Pole Fence (Poor) | - | Metal Pole Fence |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Small Pole Fence Gate | - | Metal Pole Fence Gate |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | - |
| Metal Shelves (Shoddy) | - | Metal Shelves |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Wall (Poor) | - | Metal Wall (Basic) |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Window Frame (Poor) | - | Metal Window Frame |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Small Metal Wire Fence | - | Metal Wire Fence |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | - |
| Small Wire Fence Gate | - | Metal Wire Fence Gate |
|
- | Welding: 3 | - | Yes | - |
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4x Steel Sheet - Small | 
|
Cut 4 Small Metal Sheets |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 4 | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.SmallSheetMetal
|
| 2x Circular Sawblade Half | 
|
Cut Circular Sawblade |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 4 | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.CircularSawblade_Half
|
| 4x Iron Band - Small | 
|
Cut Iron Band |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 4 | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.IronBandSmall
|
| Steel Ingot (Pierced) | 
|
Drill Steel Ingot | 1x Steel Ingot | - | Welding: 4 | - | No | /additem Base.PiercedSteelIngot
|
| Steel Sheet | 
|
Make Metal Sheet |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 4 | In Hand | Yes | /additem Base.SheetMetal
|
| Scrap Metal Cleaver-Axe | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Cleaver |
|
Welding: 4 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.Axe_ScrapCleaver
| |
| Fingerless Gloves - Scrap Metal | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Gloves |
|
Welding: 4, Tailoring: 1 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.Gloves_MetalScrapArmour
| |
| Scrap Metal Mask | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Mask |
|
Welding: 4, Tailoring: 1 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.Hat_HockeyMask_MetalScrap
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Double Pole Gate | - | Big Double Pole Gate |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | Yes | - |
| Big Double Wire Gate | - | Big Double Wire Gate |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | Yes | - |
| Metal Barrel Oven | - | Build Metal Barrel Oven |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | No | - |
| Metal Fence (Good) | - | Build Metal Fence (Good) |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | No | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Small Metal Locker (Shoddy) | - | Build Small Metal Locker (Shoddy) |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Scrap Metal Chopper | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Chopper |
|
Welding: 5 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.Machete_Crude
| |
| Scrap Metal Forearm Armor | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Forearm Armor |
|
Welding: 5, Tailoring: 1 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.VambraceScrap_Right
| |
| Scrap Metal Helmet | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Helmet |
|
Welding: 5, Tailoring: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Hat_MetalScrapHelmet
| |
| Scrap Metal Shin Armor | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Shin Armor |
|
Welding: 5, Tailoring: 1 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.GreaveScrap_Left
| |
| Scrap Metal Shoulder Armor | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Shoulder Armor |
|
Welding: 5, Tailoring: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Shoulderpad_MetalScrap_L
| |
| Scrap Metal Thigh Armor | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Thigh Armor |
|
Welding: 5, Tailoring: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.ThighScrapMetal_R
| |
| Sawblade Axe | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Weapon |
|
|
Welding: 5 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.Axe_Sawblade
|
| Metal Door Frame (Good) | - | Metal Door Frame |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Stairs | - | Metal Stairs |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | Yes | - |
| Metal Wall (Good) | - | Metal Wall (Advanced) |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | Yes | /additem Base.BlowTorch
|
| Metal Window Frame | - | Metal Window Frame |
|
- | Welding: 5 | - | Yes | - |
| Spiked Scrap Metal Thigh Armor | 
|
Weld Spikes On Metal Armor |
|
Welder Mask | Welding: 5 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.ThighScrapMetalSpike_R
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Baseball Bat with Sawblade | 
|
Make Sawblade Metal Bat |
|
Welding: 6 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.BaseballBat_Metal_Sawblade
| |
| Scrap Metal Body Armor | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Body Armor |
|
Welding: 6, Tailoring: 1 | Any Surface | Yes | /additem Base.Cuirass_MetalScrap
| |
| Scrap Metal Shortsword | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Shortsword | Welding: 6 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.ShortSword_Scrap
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Crate | - | Build Metal Crate |
|
- | Welding: 7 | - | Yes | - |
| Bone Club with Spikes | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Morningstar |
|
Welding: 7 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.BoneClub_Spiked
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned | Spawn ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Counter | - | Build Metal Counter |
|
- | Welding: 8 | - | Yes | - |
| Metal Counter Corner | - | Build Metal Counter Corner |
|
- | Welding: 8 | - | Yes | - |
| Scrap Metal Sword | 
|
Make Scrap Metal Sword |
|
Welding: 8 | Any Surface | No | /additem Base.Sword_Scrap
|
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Metal Locker | - | Build Small Metal Locker |
|
- | Welding: 9 | - | Yes |
| Metal Shelves | - | Metal Shelves |
|
- | Welding: 9 | - | Yes |
| Name | Image | Recipe | Crafting Materials | Tools | Skill | Station | Learned |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Metal Locker | - | Build Big Metal Locker |
|
- | Welding: 10 | - | Yes |
Welding Building
These pieces in the build menu ask for Welding, from the lowest level up.
Notes
- Dismantle car wrecks for the first levels.
- Make metal sheets from level 5 for efficient experience.
- Metal bar and sheet barricades open at level 3.
- Wall health rises with the welding level.
- Keep a propane torch and a welding mask together.
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