Skilled Survivor is an achievement in The Long Dark.
Guide[]
This achievement is obtained by getting all Skills to level five in a single game in Survival Mode.
The skills required are as follows:
- Archery
- Carcass Harvesting
- Cooking
- Fire Starting
- Ice Fishing
- Mending
- Rifle Firearm
- Revolver Firearm
- Gunsmithing
Note: Because some of the skills require access to firearms, the achievement is unobtainable on Interloper or Misery.
Strategy[]
Tips[]
- Research Books can be very helpful in leveling up skills faster and with less resources.
- If the player has the Tales from the Far Territory installed, the Trader has a chance to offer Research Books for every skill.
Skills[]
Most skills require 100 points to level up, unless noted. Generally, one successful action will provide 1 point towards the relevant skill.
- The hardest skill to level up by far is Mending, requiring a tremendous amount of Cloth and 350 points to reach level 5, not to mention Sewing Kit / Fishing Tackle durability. One strategy is to fix every item of clothing the player finds, or to immediately repair worn clothing as soon as its durability falls below 100%. Buying A Sewing Primer from Sutherland can help make this less tedious.
- Carcass Harvesting will often be levelled up naturally over time, but the process can be sped up by hunting and harvesting larger animals such as bear or moose.
- Cooking requires 350 points to reach level 5, but tends to be levelled up to level 5 fairly quickly through natural gameplay. It can require large amounts of fuel, however. Fully butchering and cooking a bear/moose can easily give 25-40 points towards this skill. Preparing beverages such as Rose Hip Tea, coffee, herbal tea, Reishi Tea, and Birch Bark Tea can also be a fast way to raise Cooking skill.
- Gunsmithing is one of the fastest to level up, so long as ample resources are available. The skill can be leveled to level 5 in only one day.
- Rifle and Revolver firearm skills are not difficult to increase, but do require lots of ammunition to be expended (minimum 100 rounds), and multiple firearm cleaning kits to keep the weapons in good condition. Frequent trips to Bleak Inlet or Blackrock may be required to restock on ammo and to repair damaged weapons at the milling machine if cleaning kits are in short supply. Ammo and cleaning kits can also be acquired from the Trader.
- Archery requires 125 points and is relatively easy to level up, as one experience point is gained by crafting each Simple Arrow. It can also be levelled by crafting a large stash of cheap Fire Hardened Arrows and shooting rabbits or ptarmigan. Reaching level 5 will require a few cured Maple Saplings and cured guts, along with many feathers and sticks or cured Birch Saplings, but these are generally easily acquired.
- Fire Starting requires 200 points, and can be acquired over the course of a game, but is most efficiently done by using the magnifying lens on a sunny day as to not consume matches. Another option is to gather a bunch of sticks and light/re-light campfires using a lit Torch.
- Ice Fishing also requires more points to reach level 5 than most other skills (250) but it can also be acquired overtime and will require lots of cured gut and scrap metal to provide fishing tackle. Making some lures can help speed the process up somewhat. Catching enough fish to produce all the lantern fuel for Sutherland's trades can provide good experience in both Ice Fishing and Cooking.
