You can't buy a skill level in Permafrost. Chopping trees raises Axes, mining ore raises Pickaxes, and a skill you never touch stays exactly where it started. So the real choice isn't where to spend points. It's which jobs you let fill your days, and which of them you steer on purpose.
Skill
Skills
Accuracy
Sharpens your aim with ranged weapons. It's separate from Bows and Firearms, which only cut weapon wear.
- Effect
- Precision with ranged weapons
- Per level
- -
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 5
- Levels up by
- Landing hits on targets
- Specialization head start
- Marksman
Axes
Hits trees harder, so the Wood your recipes keep asking for comes in faster.
- Effect
- Additional damage (trees)
- Per level
- +2%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 5
- Levels up by
- Chopping down trees
- Specialization head start
- Engineer
Bows
Makes your bow last longer. It only helps bows, so it does nothing for a gun.
- Effect
- Durability usage
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 5
- Levels up by
- Hunting or fighting with a bow
- Specialization head start
- Marksman, Tracker
Building
Shortens the time it takes to put a structure up. Every piece you place trains it.
- Effect
- Building time
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 5
- Levels up by
- Building structures
- Specialization head start
- -
Cooking
Speeds up cooking at a stove or campfire. Each meal you cook trains it.
- Effect
- Cooking time
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 12
- Levels up by
- Cooking meals over a stove or campfire
- Specialization head start
- -
Crafting
Cuts the time every craft takes. Anything you craft trains it.
- Effect
- Crafting time
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- -
- Levels up by
- Crafting tools, weapons and supplies
- Specialization head start
- -
Firearms
Slows the wear on your guns, so the one you lean on lasts longer. Bows have their own skill.
- Effect
- Durability usage
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 0.5
- Levels up by
- Shooting guns
- Specialization head start
- Marksman
Jumping
Trims the stamina a jump costs. Every obstacle you jump over while you travel trains it.
- Effect
- Stamina usage
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 3
- Levels up by
- Jumping over obstacles
- Specialization head start
- -
Knives
Slows the wear on your knives and shivs. It doesn't help any other tool.
- Effect
- Durability usage
- Per level
- -0.5%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 5
- Levels up by
- Using a knife in fights or on tasks
- Specialization head start
- Tracker
Lockpicking
Cuts the time a lock takes to open. Every locked door or chest you open counts.
- Effect
- Lockpicking time
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- -
- Levels up by
- Opening locked doors and chests
- Specialization head start
- Scavenger
Pickaxes
Adds damage to the ore you mine and spares the pickaxe some wear. Mining ore and stone is what trains it.
- Effect
- Additional damage (ores)
- Per level
- +2%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 5
- Levels up by
- Mining ore and stone
- Specialization head start
- -
Renovating
Speeds up renovating existing structures. Repairing and upgrading them is what trains it.
- Effect
- Renovating time
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 8
- Levels up by
- Repairing or upgrading buildings
- Specialization head start
- -
Running
Burns less stamina while you sprint. Long runs train it, and you'll make plenty.
- Effect
- Stamina usage
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 0.7
- Levels up by
- Running long distances
- Specialization head start
- Engineer, Scavenger
Skinning
Cuts the time a carcass takes to skin. Every animal you process trains it.
- Effect
- Skinning time
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- -
- Levels up by
- Skinning hunted animals
- Specialization head start
- Tracker
Sneaking
Makes you quieter when you creep. It trains when you slip past enemies without being spotted.
- Effect
- Noise when sneaking
- Per level
- -1%
- Level cap
- 50
- XP per action
- 0.4
- Levels up by
- Sneaking past enemies unseen
- Specialization head start
- Scavenger
Toughness
Cuts the damage you take. It trains the hard way, by getting hit and living through it.
- Effect
- Damage reduction
- Per level
- -
- Level cap
- 25
- XP per action
- 5
- Levels up by
- Taking hits and surviving fights
- Specialization head start
- Engineer
How Permafrost Skills Level Up Without Skill Points
A skill grows when you do the thing it's named after. Skinning a carcass trains Skinning, cooking a meal trains Cooking, and creeping past an enemy without being spotted trains Sneaking. Press K to open the Skills screen and check where each one stands.
Every action adds a set amount of XP, and each skill pays its own amount, so two skills won't climb at the same speed for the same effort. Each skill also stops at a level cap, which its card shows. Once one tops out, more of that work does nothing for the skill, so put your hours into the next one.
Which Permafrost Skills to Train First
Start with Axes and Pickaxes. You chop and mine from your first hour, so both climb without a detour. Wood goes into most early tool recipes, so a quicker axe keeps everything else moving.
Crafting and Building come next. Crafting cuts the time you spend on each craft, Building cuts the time it takes to put up a structure, and everything you make or place trains them anyway. Cooking, Skinning, Renovating and Lockpicking save time on chores, so let them rise as you go instead of grinding them.
Match the wear skill to what you carry. Firearms, Bows and Knives each cut wear only on the weapon type they name, so leveling Firearms while you hunt with a bow does nothing for the bow. Check the weapons you're actually using before you decide.
Why a Minus Per Level Is Good on Most Skills
Most skills make something cheaper, not you stronger. When the effect is a cost, like crafting time, weapon wear, stamina or noise, a minus sign on the card is the good direction, because you spend less of it. Axes and Pickaxes are the exceptions. Their effect is extra damage, so a plus is what you want.
Which Specialization Gives a Head Start in Which Skills
The specialization you choose at character creation starts you one level up in the skills in its row. It's a head start, not a build.
| Specialization | Starts a level up in |
|---|---|
| Engineer | Running, Axes, Toughness |
| Marksman | Accuracy, Firearms, Bows |
| Scavenger | Lockpicking, Sneaking, Running |
| Tracker | Skinning, Bows, Knives |
Pick the row you'd be training anyway. Engineer suits a player who chops a lot, runs far and expects to take hits. Marksman fits a gun or bow build. Tracker fits a hunter who skins what they shoot. Scavenger is the quiet one, with Sneaking and Lockpicking for slipping past trouble and into locked rooms. Running appears under both Engineer and Scavenger, and Bows under both Marksman and Tracker, so you get that head start with either pick.
FAQ
Do Permafrost skills unlock recipes?
Not by themselves. A skill level never teaches you a recipe. You learn recipes by spending blueprint points on a blueprint set in the Blueprints tab (U). A higher Crafting level only shortens how long each craft takes.
What do Accuracy and Toughness do in Permafrost?
Accuracy sharpens your aim with ranged weapons, and Toughness cuts the damage you take. Both level by use like every other skill: land hits on targets for Accuracy, and take hits and survive for Toughness. Toughness also caps lower than the rest, so it tops out sooner.
Can a specialization lock me out of a skill in Permafrost?
No. A specialization only starts you a level up in the skills in its row. Every skill levels by use whichever one you picked, so a Marksman who spends the winter chopping wood will still level Axes.