Permafrost Skills
All 16 skills in Permafrost, with the bonus each level grants, the level cap and the XP one action earns. Skills level by doing: chop trees for Axes, shoot for Accuracy, build for Building.
All skills
Game dataSkill | Benefit | Per level | At cap | Cap | XP | Items | Boosted by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Accuracy | Accuracy: | — | — | 50 | 5 | — | Marksman |
 Axes | Additional damage (trees): | +2% | +100% | 50 | 5 | 12 | Engineer |
 Bows | Durability usage: | −1% | −50% | 50 | 5 | 3 | Marksman, Tracker |
 Building | Building time: | −1% | −50% | 50 | 5 | 12 | — |
 Cooking | Cooking time: | −1% | −50% | 50 | 12 | 8 | — |
 Crafting | Decreased crafting time: | −1% | −50% | 50 | — | — | — |
 Firearms | Durability usage: | −1% | −50% | 50 | 1 | 25 | Marksman |
 Jumping | Stamina Usage: | −1% | −50% | 50 | 3 | — | — |
 Knives | Durability usage: | −0.5% | −25% | 50 | 5 | 12 | Tracker |
 Lockpicking | Lockpicking time: | −1% | −50% | 50 | — | — | Scavenger |
 Pickaxes | Additional damage (ores): | +2% | +100% | 50 | 5 | 12 | — |
 Renovating | Renovating time: | −1% | −50% | 50 | 8 | — | — |
 Running | Stamina Usage: | −1% | −50% | 50 | 1 | — | Engineer, Scavenger |
 Skinning | Skinning time: | −1% | −50% | 50 | — | — | Tracker |
 Sneaking | Noise When Sneaking: | −1% | −50% | 50 | 0 | — | Scavenger |
 Toughness | Damage Reduction: | — | — | 25 | 5 | — | Engineer |
Data: Permafrost Early Access preview build 0.44.2.4552-playtest — refreshed at the Oct 9 launch. How we source this
How skills level
Skills have no skill points: they grow from use.
Every skill tracks one action. Axes gains XP when you chop wood, Pickaxes when you mine ore, Firearms and Bows when you shoot, Building when you place parts, Cooking when you cook, Running and Jumping when you move. Each qualifying action grants the XP shown in the table.
Each level adds the per-level bonus: Axes gives +2% damage to trees per level, so level 50 chops 100% harder; durability-usage skills take 1% less durability per level, halving tool wear at the cap. The ladder on each skill page spells out the value at every milestone.
Most skills cap at level 50. Toughness cap at 25. Specializations picked in the character creator start you with +1 in three skills each.
Specializations
View allEach character-creator specialization starts with +1 in three skills; the starting classes add a kit on top.
Permafrost has 16 skills that level through use rather than skill points. The biggest payoff at the cap is Axes at +100%. Most skills cap at level 50; Toughness stop at 25. The 4 specializations each start you with +1 in three skills, so pick the one that matches the tools and weapons you plan to use.
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Permafrost skills FAQ
How many skills are in Permafrost?
There are 16 skills in the preview build, covering tools (Axes, Pickaxes, Knives), weapons (Firearms, Bows, Accuracy), crafting (Crafting, Cooking, Building, Renovating), movement (Running, Jumping, Sneaking) and survival (Toughness, Skinning, Lockpicking).
Which skill gives the biggest bonus?
Axes has the largest value at its cap: +100%. Durability skills (Firearms, Bows, Knives) cut tool wear by 1% per level, which halves durability loss at level 50.
What is the skill level cap?
Most skills cap at level 50. Toughness cap at level 25.
How do you level skills in Permafrost?
By performing the skill's action: chopping, mining, shooting, building, cooking, running. Each action grants the XP listed in the table; there are no skill books or skill points in the preview build.
Do specializations change skills?
Yes. Each of the 4 specializations adds +1 to three skills at character creation. See the Classes page for every bonus.