Skills

Degradation scale
Level	Turn
1	8192
2	4096
3	2048
4	1024
5	512
6	256
7+	128

There are a total of 24 skills currently in the game. Skills are raised upon practice (combat, crafting, tools usage), but only when the character has at least [skill level]+1 points in his experience pool. The experience pool is capped at 800 points, and every 10 turns (one in-game minute) this experience is increased by one point. You can increase the speed at which you gain this kind of experience by increasing your morale. The wait for getting the next point is reduced by one turn per each 20 morale your character currently has. At 180 morale your character would gain one experience point per turn.

You can also increase skill levels by reading books or being taught by NPCs. This way you don't waste any experience points in the process. On the contrary, you'll earn experience points as reading or being taught takes time, and times means more experience pool points.

You can toggle on and off the skill-gain of individual skills by pressing the SPACE bar in the Skills section of the player menu @.

If skill rust is turned on, skills will degrade after a while without practice. Skill percent has a 25% (33% with Forgetful trait) chance to be decremented each certain turn, which calculated from current skill level. The higher the skill is, the faster it will be forgotten. Skills that are displayed as red or pink have dropped below 0% practice and will eventually degrade a level if not used (when they reach -100% practice). Using the skill (or bumping it up via reading) will quickly bring it to or above 0%. Skill rusting can be stopped with the Enhanced Memory Banks bionic.

Note that the Melee and Firearms skill will improve both accuracy and damage of the weapon but not as much as the weapon's main skill (handguns, cutting weapons etc.)

The skills bellow which are underlined can be learned by reading books or magazines on the subject.

Dodge

Your skill at dodging whether it be from an attack, a trap, or a natural occurrence. It is also used when attempting to fall gracefully, or in other acrobatic feats. Dodging is only practiced either if your skill level is lower than the attacking monster's melee skill, or if you fail the dodge check. Total dodge parameter with all bonuses cannot be higher that half of current dexterity plus doubled skill level (DEX + (dodge * 2)).

Melee

Your skill at hand-to-hand combat, both with and without a melee weapon. At low levels this merely increases your change to hit, but at higher levels it also increases the damage done significantly.

Unarmed combat

Your skill at combat without a weapon or by using martial arts. While at low levels, unarmed combat is a good way to die quickly, those skilled in it can eventually use throws and crushing blows to quickly dispatch enemies.

Bashing weapons

Your skill at combat with weapons that club or bash your enemies. This includes everything, from rocks to baseball bats, and even the butt of rifles. This increases damage, and at higher levels will improve your change to hit.

Cutting weapons

Your skill at combat with weapons that cut or slice your enemies. At first this will simply slightly increase accuracy and damage, later on it will help you bypass armor and thick hides.

Piercing weapons

Your skill at combat that involves piercing weapons. This includes spears, which only have a stabbing attack, and things like knives, which can cut or pierce. This increases your accuracy and chance of a deadly critical.

Throwing

Your skill at throwing items and getting them to go where you want. Increases both accuracy and, at higher levels, range. Throwing costs 125 moving points.

An easy way to raise this skill is by gathering some rocks and throwing them at the evac shelter walls.

Firearms

Your general skill when using projectile weapons. This increases your accuracy with any gun, but not as much as the skill associated with the gun in question. It also allows you to apply modifications to your guns.

Handguns

Your skill with handguns. These have poor accuracy, but generally are fired and reloaded faster than any other guns, and are good in close quarters.

Shotguns

Your skill with shotguns and flamethrowers. Shot is easy to hit with, and does massive damage, but has short range. Shotguns may also be loaded with slugs, which go further and do as much damage, but are not very accurate.

Submachine guns

Your skill with submachine guns and machine pistols. Halfway between a pistol and an assault rifle, these weapons fire and reload quickly, and may fire in burst, but they are not very accurate.

Rifles

Your skill with rifles, both assault rifles and semi-auto hunting rifles. These have terrific range and accuracy, but are very slow to fire and reload, and are not very good in close quarters.

Archery

Your skill with crossbows and longbows. It determines your accuracy, damage and chance of recovering the fired projectiles.

You can start training this skill either by reading a magazine or by using any bow, composite bow or crossbow you find. Those are usually found in sporting goods stores or by deactivating or triggering traps (only for the crossbow trap). Once you have at least one skill point you can easily increase this skill by crafting bolts and arrows.

Grenade launcher

Your skill and accuracy with grenade and rocket launchers.

Computers

Your skill with computers, both in terms of legitimate use, and hacking. This will help you to use complex systems and bypass their security.

Mechanics

This skill defines your ability to repair, install or remove vehicle parts, and the crafting of other complex items which aren't electronic in nature.

Apart from reading books on the subject, you can easily raise this skill by removing and reinstalling parts of a vehicle.

Electronics

Your skill with repairs to electrical systems, and the crafting of many items that use electrical parts.

Apart from reading books on the subject, you can easily raise this skill by disassembling ( any electronic device you find and don't need (like flashlights).

Cooking

Your skill in combining food ingredients to make other, tastier food items. This may also be used in mixing chemicals and other more esoteric tasks.

Construction

Your general knowledge in construction. This is used primarily when building terrain, via the * screen.

Digging pits is an easy way to raise this skill up. You just need a shovel, stone shovel or digging stick.

Survival

Your skill in butchering and skinning. This decides how much, if any, meat, bones, sinews, fur pelts, etc you get from a corpse.

For a more efficient butchering you'll need this skill at level 3, dexterity at 8 and strength at 4 or higher.

Apart from reading books on the subject, you can easily raise this skill by crafting stone hammers and, later, digging sticks and snare triggers.

Traps

Your skill at setting and disarming traps safely and effectively. Note that this does not help you to detect traps, or avoid their effects if you activate them.

Tailoring

Your skill at repairing, reinforcing and adjusting clothing, and at higher levels, creating clothing and containers from basic materials. Generally a sewing kit or bone needle is needed. This skill also applies to other methods of clothing repair and textile crafting.

A good way to increase this skill is to try to reinforce or repair clothes any cloth pieces you find when looting that you don't plan to wear (you don't want to practice on your own clothes, as you might destroy them in the process).

First Aid

Your skill at emergency medical treatment, such as that from first aid kits and bandages. High levels of this skill will help you heal more HP. Drugs in general have a more potent and lasting effect the higher this skill is.

Speech

Your skill at talking to people, convincing them of things, lying, and many others. Works best in conjunction with a high intelligence.

Barter

Your skill at getting a good deal when trading with others. Very high levels might even see you getting freebies.

Swimming

Your skill at swimming. This affects speed, your ability to swim while wearing clothes or carrying weights, and in-water combat.

Driving

Your skill at driving. This affects how well you can control a vehicle, as well as the penalty to shooting while driving.