Summary
Community skills in State of Decay 2 are critical when it comes to building a thriving basein a zombie apocalypse. Often regarded as the fifth skill by players, Community Skills can either be randomized or unassigned. Survivors with an unassigned fifth slot can use Textbooks to learn the skill of their choice. As such, communities are built using various survivors and the unique talents they each bring to the table.
Picking out useful survivors is essential in the game, as is knowing the actual worth of the abilities they have. The benefits of these skills include being able to build specialized facilities, or the chance to upgrade those you’re already using. These facilities can bring in a steady supply of resources like medicine, food, and building materials, and to ensure you have enough of everything, prioritizing different Community Skills for different group members is key. There are a total of eight options for a Community Skill slot, and to help with your choices (there are a lot of them to make in this organic experience), we’ve ranked them all.
8Craftsmanship
A Lot Of Utility, But Rather Basic
Craftsmanship can provide players with an array of upgrades and crafting options. While this can be invaluable, it might not pack the punch players are looking for. It splits into two branches,ConstructionandMetalwork,offering diverse abilities but falling short of delivering significant impact in a similar way.
Construction lets players whip up materials from parts, grab heavy-duty storage, and get a minor labor boost. Metalwork opens the door to forge usage, parts creation, and a slight weapon durability boost. However, the forge’s melee weapon crafting leaves much to be desired, perhaps making players question whether investing in Craftsmanship is worth it. With plenty of room for improvement, players are crossing their fingers for buffs or a complete overhaul to breathe new life into this skill and keep the game exciting.
7Utilities
Its True Utility Will Depend On Your Setup
Mastering the Utilities skill unlocks crucial structures like Hydroponics, but its relevance to your community’s survival is open for discussion. You’ll need to choose betweenElectricalorPlumbingspecialties, each offering unique perks.
Opting for Electrical grants you access to the Solar Array, but its importance diminishes compared to the benefits of Amenities. On the other hand, Plumbing shines by supercharging the latrine, providing morale boosts, and delivering a significant +20 max stamina boost for your community. This stamina boost is particularly noteworthy since stamina bonuses are less common than those for health, making it a potentially valuable asset in your quest for survival. This can also help a long list of characters remain active when they’re switching over.
The value of each of these skills is relative, but overall, other Community Skills seem to have greater potential advantages.
6Gardening
The Less-Than-Glamorous Building Blocks Of Survival
Players who emphasize the Gardening skill can unlock crucial upgrades and abilities for their survival journey inthis gripping zombie-infested RPG. With Gardening skills, players open the doors to Level III Food Outposts and Hydroponics, an essential resource farm for keeping one’s community thriving.
This skill branches intoAgricultureandHerbalism, each offering unique advantages. Agriculture lets one access Farm III, ensuring a steady daily increase of +1 in the food supply. However, if players are leaning towards Hydroponics, Herbalism is the way to go.
With Herbalism, players not only unlock Garden III but also expand their hydroponic setup to produce med, a necessity in tough situations. Plus, Herbalism boosts the community’s daily med production by +1, bolstering their resilience. Although Herbalism packs a punch, more seasoned players might opt for Lichenology for even greater benefits. As a Community Skill, Gardening has a lot of value, but it can be underappreciated and rather complex to get the best from.
5Chemistry
Energy Drinks, Explosives, And Buffs That Could Maybe Use Buffs
Chemistry takes center stage as a crucial skill, giving players access to vital upgrades and crafting abilities essential for surviving the apocalyptic world of State of Decay 2. This skill lets you enhance the Still and delve into crafting energy drinks, key resources in the battle against the undead. Chemistry splits into two paths:MunitionsandPharmacology.
Munitions let one craft ammunition and explosives, though it comes with a somewhat lackluster +10 max ammo storage boost. A better alternative to Munitions may potentially be Pharmacology. This specialization allows you to craft powerful painkillers, boost med yield and infirmary effectiveness, and improve medical supplies crafting. Plus, Pharmacology throws in a modest +10 max meds storage increase, adding extra utility to this essential skill.
4Computers
An Offensively-Oriented Route To Take
Mastering computer skills becomes essential for unlocking crucial upgrades such as Command Center III. As players progress, they will find plenty of opportunities to recruit survivors with the necessary computer skills, or obtain Textbooks to teach them as necessary. Computers branches intoElectronicsandProgramming, each offering its own set of advantages.
With Electronics, the player will be able to construct a Solar Generator and craft potent C4 explosives, ideal for taking down Plague Hearts. Meanwhile, Programming allows players to create Box Mines and offers an alternative approach to dealing with failed CLEO drops, though it’s not as efficient as using labor. There’s perhaps more of a situational element to boons like these.
3Cooking
Another Essential Piece Of The Survival Puzzle
The Cooking Skill often flies under the radar, especially in the early game when players are focused on basic survival needs. But one shouldn’t overlook its potential. Except for Providence Ridge,all starting outpostscome with a kitchen, providing a platform for players to level up their cooking skills. Cooking branches intoCuisineandNutrition, each offering unique perks.
Cuisine brings a substantial +6 morale boost for the community and a noteworthy +15% increase in influence gained. By cleverly managing food rationing (resulting in a 50% reduction in food consumption with minor morale and stamina penalties) alongside cooking feasts, players can conserve a significant amount of food while sidestepping potential pitfalls.
Alternatively, Nutrition offers a different path, granting a boost of +10HP and +10 Stamina for the community members. It also eases the stamina penalty from rationing and lets players craft nutritious snacks. This strategy becomes increasingly potent as your community grows and hunger becomes a bigger concern. By prioritizing Nutrition, players can optimize their base layout, saving precious building slots typically allocated for food production. This fosters a morestreamlined and efficient community. Overall, though, there are Community Skills that provide more dramatic effects.
2Mechanics
Workshopping The Importance Of The Workshop
The Mechanics skill becomes crucial for unlocking Workshop III, although its importance may diminish with the introduction of the Red Talon Workshop. This skill offers two distinct paths:Auto-mechanicsandEngineering, each with its own perks.
Opting for Automechanics grants access to the Auto Shop, where players can craft vehicle upgrade kits and enjoy a significant +25% fuel efficiency boost and a 50% vehicle stealth bonus. However, some players have expressed a preference for a vehicle durability bonus instead of stealth.
On the other hand, choosing Engineering allows players to craft crossbows and reduces the cost of weapon repairs by 33% on parts. Additionally, players can craft high-end gun mods at the Armory or regular mods at the Workshop, adding versatility to their arsenal. The Crossbow is deadly and silent, making it one of the best weapons in a zombie-infested environment (andthese particular zombies don’t mess around). The Mechanics Community Skill is very broadly useful, but there’s one more that perhaps tops it in that regard.
1Medicine
The Only Way To Keep The Blood Plague At Bay
Unless you have a sheriff leader to construct a Field Hospital, upgrading to Infirmary III requires proficiency in the Medicine Skill. This upgrade not only ensures the health and vitality of your community members, but also allows you to craft essential medical supplies.
Medicine offers two paths:SurgeryandPathology. Opting for Surgery grants a significant +20HP boost for the whole community. However, Pathology is a relatively better alternative, which provides an impressive +50 infection resistance. This can further prolong the amount of damage received when defeating plague zombies or destroying Plague Hearts. The Medicine skill is the absolute key to survival since the zombie infection can be cured in the game. Combine withsome valuable Quirksand you’ve got a very powerful community in the making.
