Leveling melee/ranged skills

[Dragometh]

What are your methods on leveling combat skills?
For ranged, I like getting a BB gun and finding some fungal zombie or a mob that is slower than me and keep shooting him with it. Or shoot something in a dark place, like zombies in a mansion, and keep baiting him around it. That levels up marksmanship and rifle pretty nice on earlier levels. Never got to try it on >4 marksmanship. Maybe use a slingshot for archery and a sling for throwing too?
For melee… I have no clue. My latest method was to go slice some ants, I guess. Maybe clearing a town would be a nice idea too.

[DarkOcelot]

Reading. Lots, and lots, of Reading.

I love skill books. So so much.

[BeerBeer]

You should pay attention to your character’s focus stat. Focus is a major element in learning speed, and it drops fast in combat with each strike/shot. Learn the connection between morale and focus. That being said, my method for trying to maximize combat skill gain is just trying to do combat briefly but often, and using right foods, drinks and stimulants for good focus recovery. There’s no point sticking to weak weapons although you’ll want more accurate weapons (and ammo) with higher skill levels because otherwise the skill gain stops. You’ll get a message if you’re using a weapon that won’t advance the relevant weapon skill.

[X-PLODE]

I still haven’t figured out if focus affects learning recipes when reading.

At least i recently figured out i can just leave the books on the ground and craft the recipe from the book to learn it immediately.

As for learning combat skills, i just whack things.

[deoxy]

What are your methods on leveling combat skills?

I play on x5 spawn, and even with the pacifist trait (all combat skills level at half speed), I don’t worry about them - they take care of themselves just fine over time.

[Dragometh]

[quote=“DarkOcelot, post:2, topic:11981”]Reading. Lots, and lots, of Reading.

I love skill books. So so much.[/quote]

Everybody loves skill books, but the max a combat skill book can get you is 3, maybe even 4.

You should pay attention to your character’s focus stat. Focus is a major element in learning speed, and it drops fast in combat with each strike/shot. Learn the connection between morale and focus. That being said, my method for trying to maximize combat skill gain is just trying to do combat briefly but often, and using right foods, drinks and stimulants for good focus recovery. There’s no point sticking to weak weapons although you’ll want more accurate weapons (and ammo) with higher skill levels because otherwise the skill gain stops. You’ll get a message if you’re using a weapon that won’t advance the relevant weapon skill.

That`s a nice tip. What stimulants you normally go with? I know atomic coffee gives a nice boost on stats. Also, I suppose masochist would help a LOT in learning in combat, right?

[Coolthulhu]

Also, I suppose masochist would help a LOT in learning in combat, right?

Not really, it only counters part of the penalty.
Pain resistance is better, not getting too much pain even better than that.

[Solusphere]

Here is my standard pre-training psych up session:

1. Turn on MP3 Player. (Small, extended morale boost)
2. Play a game of Snake on a handheld console or gamewatch. (Enormous, short term morale boost when you play well)
3. Use a vibrator. (Huge, short term morale boost, but makes you tired)
4. Read a fun book (adds a small amount of morale and gives time for your already huge morale to convert into focus)
5. Drink a coffee/take a caffeine pill. (Small morale boost, stimulant bonus to stats, delays tiredness from vibrator)

It works wonders, and generally gets you up to around 140-150 focus. Costs a lot of batteries though, if that’s a concern.

[pisskop]

Shoot zombie sharks.

Serious. They cant leave water, so bait one into shallow water and fire away at the giant tank of a thing.
If not, snipe at fungal ants or zombies.
If not, fire at zombies. Be unrepentent, and keep a getaway car (a bike or quad works really well) nearby.

Melee is harder. But, I do know that some vanilla critters wont get mad at you for hitting them. Start a fire, scare up some wolves, and melee them.
Zombie children now can be hit a low skill levels. They are pretty weak.
Scorched zombies and children are weak. Put the zombies into a pile, add 500 gas to the pile, put a match to the pile. When they wake up they will be scorched zombies/children, and weaker for it. And with more armor to boot. Viola, a free, renewable pile of melee training.

[Dragometh]

[quote=“Dragometh, post:6, topic:11981”]Also, I suppose masochist would help a LOT in learning in combat, right?

Not really, it only counters part of the penalty.
Pain resistance is better, not getting too much pain even better than that.[/quote]

Didn’t masochist add a morale bonus when in pain? Atleast that’s what I heard. And I heard that you can get a GIANT morale bonus if using it right.

[Coolthulhu]

And I heard that you can get a GIANT morale bonus if using it right.

Only the mutant masochist.

[Alasnuyo]

There’s a method I used to train back in 0.A or 0.B and hadn’t the opportunity to test out in the recent experimentals: shoggoths.

They’re hardy, they regenerate, they’re usually slower than PCs, and they can’t break down doors, so you can put them back into their cell when you’re done with your training session.

And recently, I saw a pair of brutes playing ping pong with an out-of-ammo milspec turret. The turret didn’t even so much as get a scratch, so I’m pretty sure they might be invulnerable to being shot at by pneumatic assault rifles with pebble ammos. Which I’ll get around to doing once I’ve finished building my rolling doom fortress. I’ve marked down the turret’s last location on my map and will be using it for rifle and marksmanship practice in about hmm… a week in-game? Yeah, a week or so.

[Arek_PL]

for medium game ranged pistol/rifle and marskmanship skill grinding laser guns are awesome, my high inteligence character with high morale quickly turn focus into skills that i need to take frequent breaks

but laser ammo is dirt cheap (solar recharged ups anyone?) and near infinite with right cbms

for early game try pneumatic weapons

for archery/marksmanship of course bows are best, powerfull, cheap ammo, fast firing, accurate you just need some skills and junk

and mele and unarmed/piercing/cutting/bashing skills will quickly come to you but if you want to grind for some reason…

There’s a method I used to train back in 0.A or 0.B and hadn’t the opportunity to test out in the recent experimentals: shoggoths.

just take break from time to time to regenerate focus and give small break for shoggoth if you have high damage per turn

[deknegt]

Throwing - Either create a sling + pebbles and plink at live targets… Or grab rocks/nails and start chucking them at the wall of your shelter (makes noise).
Marksmanship - Create a slingshot and start shooting pebbles at everything. Eventually along the way you turn into Sniper Wolf

Before you know it you can chuck knives and spears with the best of them.

[Rot]

I remember being lucky and finding a ‘Breather’ enemy, it didn’t move, or anything. Just sat there in it’s massive blobby pink-ness. As long as I didn’t destroy the center of the mass (Which was the only way to kill it) I Could plow through it for days as it rapidly regenerates and I could level from 1-10 in melee and cutting (I used a katana) in about 20-40 minutes real time. (With breaks and constant mp3 playing to maximize the amount of exp gain)

[pisskop]

Breathers are the players allies, believe it or not.

… erm what are breathers a reference to exactly?

[Rot]

I’m guessing they’re of lovecraftian origin.

[deoxy]

I remember being lucky and finding a ‘Breather’ enemy, it didn’t move, or anything. Just sat there in it’s massive blobby pink-ness. As long as I didn’t destroy the center of the mass (Which was the only way to kill it) I Could plow through it for days as it rapidly regenerates and I could level from 1-10 in melee and cutting (I used a katana) in about 20-40 minutes real time. (With breaks and constant mp3 playing to maximize the amount of exp gain)

Yeah, breathers are the ultimate trainer find (not to mention ridiculously farmable for essence, if you’re playing with the arcana mod).

I’m guessing they’re of lovecraftian origin.

I would assume so. Most of the really messed up things in fiction are. That guy had PROBLEMS. Heh.

[pingpong]

Focus will make the biggest difference. Above 100 you can get 1-2% per hit, at like 50 or less you get trash. Sleeping with an MP3 player on will awaken you at 130 focus (I think it’s a bug, because MP3 players should only provide 20 morale). The car stereo would also work. Firing at walls is good.

According to the sticky, you get XP bonus from range and damage, range being very significant (shotguns level slower as a result). If you can find a low dispersion low damage ammo, and something hardy within range, that’d be the best bet, compared to slinging pebbles at a wall. I just tested if damage seems to work for XP when shooting cars, and it doesn’t seem to (pebble vs shotgun).

[Arek_PL]

actualy car stereo is better but still not enought
with laser rifle your focus will quickly disapear no mater how high morale