Metalworking is an essential skill in Project Zomboid that enables players to craft various items and structures to defend themselves against the undead. However, leveling up this skill requires a lot of practice and patience.
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This guide will show you how to level up metalworking in Project Zomboid.
In Project Zomboid, you can quickly level up your metalworking skill by choosing Metalworker as your starting occupation, disassembling metal objects, or making metal structures.
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How to Level Up Metalworking in Project Zomboid
In particular, metalworking is the skill you need to master to ensure long-term survival. Here are 3 different ways to level it.
1. Choose the Metalworker Occupation
In the early game, you can immediately get level 3 metalworking by choosing Metalworker as your profession. This level 3 also allows you to make the Metal Wall level 1.
On the other hand, regardless of what occupation you choose, you need to read Recipe Magazines (From Vol 1 to Vol 4) to craft specific metal items and structures.
You can find Recipe Magazines in mailboxes outside residential houses, on bookshelves in places, and especially at Zippee Market in all locations.
To use the Recipe Magazine, right-click on it and select “Read”. Once finished, the magazine will still exist in your inventory for other usages, such as fueling.
Besides, you can find and read metalworking skill books. Although they don’t add more recipes, they indirectly multiply your metalworking XP, which means a lot for leveling up your skill faster.
Metalworking skill books can be found in mailboxes, garages, or bookshelves in residential houses. Moreover, the best place to get skill books is the post office.
Prerequisite Items For 2 and 3
You must first gather a propane torch and a welder mask to disassemble stuff or make metal structures. Then, ensure to place them in your inventory to construct objects.
You can find propane torches and welder masks in garages, tool stores, factories, and storage units.
Besides, you also need a propane tank to refill your propane torch. You can find propane tanks mostly inside propane barbeques in residential houses. Right-click on the barbeque, select “Remove Propane Tank”, and get it.
Moreover, welding rods in crates, tool stores, and logging factories are necessary for metal construction.
Once you’ve collected the required items, read on to see the other methods to level up your metalworking skill!
2. Disassemble
Disassembling objects is the fastest and most effective method to level your metalworking skill in Project Zomboid.
Disassembling also doesn’t require metalworking skill, meaning you can dismantle things even at level 0. However, a higher level of metalworking skill provides more valuable rewards, such as metal pipes, sheets, and bars.
To disassemble objects, ensure you have a propane torch and welder mask in your inventory. Then find any metal object, right-click on it, and select “Dismantle <Metal Object>”.
The game has many objects to disassemble: shelves, car wrecks, washing machines, sinks, toilets, metal cabinets, charcoal BBQs… Note that each object provides a different XP after disassembling.
To quickly level up your metalworking skill, we suggest finding and disassembling as many metal objects as possible during your journey. Although metal shelves, toilets, and sinks offer a lower XP, they are worth disassembling due to their redundant quantities.
Remember that you must take all items out of the shelves or cabinets first to disassemble them like wooden furniture.
If you live in Muldraugh, you can come to McCoy Logging Company north of the town, which has lots of metal things to break down.
Car wrecks are the best objects to disassemble to gain metalworking XP, as they provide higher XP than others.
Here are some specific locations to find car wrecks: The crossroad south of Muldraugh, the bridge from West Point towards Louisville, the junkyard western side of Riverside, etc.
Remember that the undead often inhabits car wreck areas, so you must clean them before disassembling anything.
3. Make Metal Structures
Metal structures are good for leveling up your metalworking skill and provide better protection for your base.
To craft any metal structure, you need welding rods, propane tanks, a propane torch, and a welder mask in your inventory. Depending on the structure, you’ll need additional metal pipes, scrap metals, wires, or door hinges.
Next, right-click on the ground and select “Metalwork”, then choose either “Containers”, “Walls/Fencing”, or “Doors”, and craft any object you like.
Metal crates and big pole fences are worth making metal structures, as both provide generous XP. Metal crates offer better capacity compared to wooden crates, while big pole fences provide good protection from zombies.
To make the metal crate, you need 2 metal pipes, 2 metal sheets, 2 small metal sheets, and 1 scrap metal. For the big pole fence, you’ll need 5 metal pipes and 2 scrap metals. All can be found randomly in sheds, garages, or factories.
Metal bars and metal sheets can be collected as rewards after disassembling any object. Additionally, you can find them in garages, sheds, trash bins, and logging factories.
That’s how to level up metalworking in Project Zomboid!
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