Legend says that the First Chisel was forged by the gods themselves. It was a tool so powerful it could chisel the fabric of time. The citizens that roam this universe have tried to find the source of this unknown power. Though there has been no major success on that part, the chisels we have crafted are still quite powerful. I'm here to teach you how to handle these chisels properly and with care.

So what exactly does a chisel do? A chisel is a tool specifically crafted for shaping. Shaping blocks, that is. With it, you can turn your boring bulky structures into eye-catching masterpieces. If you think you're ready for what it takes, then keep reading...

Let's go over the very basics! Any sculptor worth their salt should know these things, so be sure to take in as much as you can. Parts that are extra important to read will be marked in bold.

Alright, now imagine a block. Actually, I'll just illustrate a block below to make it simpler for us both:

















It may seem like just a regular block, but hidden from view blocks in Boundless are divided into 8 parts (which I will call sections from now on) like this:

















Now let's chisel this block! For the purpose of this guide I'll be using the Square Chisel here. Like the name says, this chisel will chip away parts of the block in sets of squares (well, they're actually cubes).
Let me show you. To chisel one of the sections you just need to point your cursor on the same corner the section is in:

















There we go! You may have noticed that the block turned red, I'll be using the color red to represent blocks that have been chiselled using the Square Chisel.
Also, I'll be marking sections that have been chiselled with a bright red dot, so if you're unsure how to make the shape shown you can look at the dots to give you an idea of which sections I chiselled.
Important to remember is that when you've used the Square Chisel on a block you cannot use a non-Square chisel on that same block. Same goes for the other chisel shapes. As a consequence of this rule, it's not possible to blend shape types.

The fun doesn't end here, though! We can keep chiselling this block with our Square Chisel to make more interesting shapes. Let's complete this block by making it a stair:

















Beautiful! We just created a block that can be used as stairs. This'll make traversing different floors much easier. I should tell you however that so far I've only been using the precise square chisel for this demonstration. A precise chisel will only remove one section at a time, allowing for more detailed shapes. Chisels that aren't precise however will remove two sections at once adjacently. In practice, this means you can make your stairs by only hitting the block once! That's twice as efficient. It's good to save your precise chisels for when you really need them.

That concludes part one of the basics! In part two we're going to experiment with one of the other two chisel shapes: Bevel. Keep reading to learn about them!

Time to learn about Bevel shapes! Bevel is actually quite similar to Square. The difference with Bevel is that the shapes are much more smoother than Square, allowing for a more "rounder" or "curvier" look of your structures. Here let's chisel the same corner as we did before but with a Bevel Chisel. I'll be coloring the block green this time to represent that it's been chiselled with a bevel shape:

















Now you may be thinking

Originally posted by ChiselEnthusiast97:

Hey! You said that blocks had 8 sections, but that only looks like you removed like half a section!

It's true that it may not look like I removed a whole section, but this is how the game handles the Bevel shape. A section can only be in one of two states: Chiseled or Not Chiseled. There's no "Half-Chiseled" state, trust me. It's good to remember this just in case you were hitting the same corner over and over wondering why more never came off.

Something to know with Bevel shapes is that they blend with adjacent sections when chiselled, so a section may change shape because you chiselled the section next to it.
Here's an example:

















As indicated in the image, the block to the right is an impossible shape, contrary to what one might imagine. Instead, like the left block illustrates, these two sections blend together to form a smooth surface between them. This is what happens in practice. It's something to keep in mind when using the Bevel Chisel.

Now try to imagine what shape will be made if you chisel the bottom corner. When you're done, hover over the black box below to see if you got it right. (No cheating!)

Ta-dah! Did you guess correctly?


















Well, that concludes part two of the basics! Next up, we'll be discussing the next and last shape on our list: Slope. If you understood everything up to this point and finished the guessing game, you may continue reading right away! Otherwise, I'd recommend familiarizing yourself with the other two shapes, because this next one is gonna be very different from the previous two!

I can't believe how far we've come! Only one shape left, and this is gonna be a fun one, cause now we're thinking with slopes!
Alright, same scenario as always: We have a block and we hit the corner with it, but using a Slope Chisel this time. I'll be coloring the block a nice light cyan this time. Let's watch what happens!

















Huh, interesting! The Slope Chisel seems to have changed sections that weren't even chiselled.
Of course, this is only an illusion, as the only section chiselled is the corner marked with a dot. Slope shapes could be seen as an extension to bevel shapes. They're able to make certain shapes the Bevel Chisel cannot. It might be tricky to guess what shapes you'll get with the Slope Chisel, but there's a trick. The shape will never end halfway between two edges, it will always end its shape at an edge. This can create some very sharp designs, like maybe teeth on a giant dinosaur statue! The possibilities are (almost) endless.

As a final tip I should let you know that to use a precise chisel you must invest in the Chisel Epic skill, which costs 5 skill points. Yes, it's quite expensive. But if you're trying to make a builder character then this skill is a must have. If you don't have the skill, your precise chisels will act like normal chisels instead, which is a waste of a chisel in my opinion.

It seems like we're reaching the end of the basics. It's sad to see you go so soon, though you can stick around and I'll have more things to show like statistics and such. Nerd stuff, you know.
You're of course welcome back anytime to hear the basics as many times as you want.

Good luck out there with your new-found knowledge of chisels!

There are certain chisel skills in the game that can prove very useful, or even essential, to someone who dedicates every second of their lives to chisels. Here's a list of all skills related to chisels and chisellin':


Seriously, you need this.


Unlocks the ability to shape Blocks in a more detailed way using Precision Chisels.

Requires: 5 Skill Points



Improves Control by 10 Pts which increases your Interaction Range by 1m, and also Increases your Stealth Modifier by 6% allowing you to get closer to Creatures before they make unprovoked attacks.

Requires: 1 Skill Points (per level)



Raises Dexterity by 10 Pts which increases your Action Speed by 2 and Block Placement Speed by 10%.

Requires: 1 Skill Points (per level)


Increases Zeal by 10 Pts which increases your maximum Energy by 690 and increases your (De)Buff Duration Modifier by 6% making Buffs last longer and Debuffs last for less time.

Requires: 1 Skill Points (per level)



Boosts all Attributes by 2 Pts.

Requires: 1 Skill Points (per level)



Multiplies Max Energy by x3.

Requires: 5 Skill Points
Makes Unavailable: HEALTH EPIC



Your Energy regenerates by an extra 900 per s.

Requires: 5 Skill Points
Makes Unavailable: HEALTH REGENERATION EPIC



Reduces the amount of Durability lost when using Gear by 30%.

Requires: 5 Skill Points




Increases your Tech Crafting Level by 1.

Requires: 1 Skill Points (per level)


Increases your Tool Crafting Level by 1, your Weapon Crafting Level by 1 and your Tech Crafting Level by 1.

Requires: 5 Skill Points
Makes Unavailable: CONSUMABLE CRAFTING EPIC



Increases your Tech Crafting Level by 1 and reduces Spark cost for Tech by 20%.

Requires: 5 Skill Points
Makes Unavailable: TOOL CRAFTING EPIC & WEAPON CRAFTING EPIC

Not all blocks can be chiselled, and some chisels may not work on blocks that other chisels work on. Below is a table of block types and if a chisel can be used on them or not.

Stone Square Chisel






Copper Slope Chisel






Iron Bevel Chisel

Silver Precise Slope Chisel






Gold Precise Bevel Chisel






Titanium Precise Square Chisel

Amethyst Square Chisel






Diamond Precise Bevel Chisel






Emerald Bevel Chisel

Topaz Precise Slope Chisel






Ruby Slope Chisel






Sapphire Precise Square Chisel

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

There are 47 unique shapes a block can have.

• 19 Square Shapes (248 incl. orientations)
  
• 19 Bevel Shapes (248 incl. orientations)
  
• 1 Bevel/Square Shape (6 incl. orientations)
  
• 8 Slope Shapes (116 incl. orientations)

Counting block orientations, there are 618 shapes in total!

Below is an illustration containing every unique chisel shape. I might make my own in the future, but for now it's just gonna be a developer picture.

There's supposed to be pictures of amazing builds made with chisels here, but I don't have any pictures yet. Come back later, or if there's a build you really like (doesn't have to be your own), you may tell me about it and I'll determine if it's worthy of a spot in this gallery.

An achiever like me? Here's a summary of in-game goals related to chisels!



Chiselled a Block for the first time


Chiselled 10,000 Blocks




Tier 1 Builder Objective

Unleash your structural creativity with a Chisel. When equipped, aim the Chisel at any corner of a Block, then use it to sculpt a new shape. Chisels can be crafted within a Workbench or purchased from another Citizen.

• Acquire a Stone Chisel
  
• Use the Stone Chisel to shape Blocks: (0/20)
  
• Use a Chisel to rotate Machines or Props: (0/5)

Rewards
XP: 300 | Coin: 50


Tier 1 Builder Objective

Take heed, not all Chisels are made equal! Different Chisels create different results, and not all can be used on all Blocks. Experiment with various Chisels to add character to your Beacon bases and structures.

• Acquire a Copper Chisel
  
• Use the Copper Chisel to shape Blocks: (0/20)

• Acquire an Iron Chisel
  
• Use the Iron Chisel to shape Blocks: (0/20)

Rewards
XP: 300 | Coin: 50



Tier 1 Basic Builder Feat

• Blocks Chiselled (0/50)

Rewards
XP: 500 | Coin: 100

Tier 2 Basic Builder Feat

• Blocks Chiselled (0/500)

Rewards
XP: 1,500 | Coin: 300

Tier 3 Basic Builder Feat

• Blocks Chiselled (0/5,000)

Rewards
XP: 4,500 | Coin: 900

Tier 4 Basic Builder Feat

• Blocks Chiselled (0/10,000)

Rewards
XP: 13,500 | Coin: 2,700

Tier 5 Basic Builder Feat

• Blocks Chiselled (0/100,000)

Rewards
XP: 40,500 | Coin: 8,100