• 👍👍👍 Essential: A must-have skill that significantly boosts survival or performance.
  
  
• 👌👌👌 Useful: Frequently helpful in many scenarios; worth picking.
  
  
• ✊✊✊ Situational: Only valuable in specific builds or rare situations.
  
  
• 👎👎👎 Not Recommended: Offers little to no benefit compared to other skills.

Description: You are less likely to become infected by zombies.

• Skill Rank: ✊✊✊ Situational
  
• Thoughts: This is the Nurse's basic starting skill. After the v0.4 patch, melee combat became more common and infection chances rise as HP drops. Carrying at least two pills is always a smart move. This skill offers reduced infection risk, but not true immunity, meaning infection is still possible. It's a passive, luck-based perk with little strategic control.

Description: You are fully immune to infection.

• Skill Rank: ✊✊✊ Essential
  
• Thoughts: A major upgrade from the base skill, this one provides full immunity. Much more valuable than the standard version. No need to carry pills, unless allies need.

Description: At critical health, you consume less stamina.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: When you're surrounded, melee attack becomes your only way out. This skill lets you swing longer at critical HP, potentially helping you break through. You won't rely on it often, but it could be the reason you survive a swarm.

Description: At critical health, you consume no stamina.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: Removes stamina drain completely at critical health, allowing unlimited melee swings. Enter the BERSERK mode!

Description: Increased stamina.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: You're constantly low on stamina. Having more is universally helpful. This is one of only two ways to increase it, the other rooting the adrenaline syringe.

Description: Greatly increased stamina.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: A major boost to stamina, and far more impactful than the base skill.

Description: Easier to dismember zombies.

• Skill Rank: ✊✊✊/👌👌👌 Situational/Useful
  
• Thoughts: Dismembering zombies can make them less dangerous. Taking arms off will make their attack range significantly shorter. Attacking their legs will make "crawling zombies." This especially works well with shotguns or blade melee weapons. Dismembering special zombies (SWAT or firefighter zombies) can be more effective then taking time to kill. Still, headshots remain the most efficient kill method. Crawling zombies are hard to see, hard to kill, hard to jump over, can block paths, and get you/allies killed unexpectedly. Multiple crawling zombies can become particularly dangerous in tight/narrow areas like underground or indoor.

Description: Dismember zombies with great ease.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: Stronger than the base skill. Easier to cut legs.

Description: Damage falloff on heavy rifles is reduced.

• Skill Rank: ✊✊✊ Not Recommended
  
• Thoughts: Now that scopes are added, sniping is possible. But in most cases, close-range combat dominates. You rarely benefit from long-range shooting unless saving allies from far.

Description: Damage falloff on heavy rifles is greatly reduced.

• Skill Rank: ✊✊✊ Not Recommended
  
• Thoughts: A stronger version of Eagle Eye, but the benefits remain limited. Long-range sniping isn't often needed.

Description: Throwables have reduced weight.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Since v0.4, pipe bombs and grenades weigh 0.5 kg. Weight management has become critical, and reducing throwable weight lets you carry more crucial items like. Pipe bombs are especially effective against hordes or runners in harder difficulties. Just beware — explosives can now kill both yourself and your allies.

Description: Throwables have greatly reduced weight.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: A direct upgrade. More weight reduction, less burden.

Description: More stagger damage from two-handed melee attacks.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: With v0.4 forcing more melee combat, stagger becomes key. This skill helps you interrupt zombies reliably, reducing the chance of getting hit after your own swings. Great for crowd control.

Description: Significant stagger damage from two-handed melee attacks.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Even more stopping power. Excellent for close combat builds where every swing counts.

Description: Handguns deal increased headshot damage.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Before v0.4, all handguns could one-shot any zombie up close. Now, .45 and 9 mm often require two headshots for a kill. This skill increases your chances of downing enemies in one shot, especially at close range. Must have for pistol lovers.

Description: Handguns deal greatly increased headshot damage.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Makes pistols extremely deadly with well-placed shots. Excellent for conserving ammo and staying agile. Almost no need for heavier weapons after getting this skill.

Description: Increased melee headshot damage.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: This is arguably the best skill in the game. Regardless of your build, melee is unavoidable. Headhunter dramatically improves efficiency and pairs beautifully with the "Hitman" skill.

Description: Greatly increased melee headshot damage.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: You can kill regular zombies with just two head strikes using basic melee weapons. A true game-changer.

Description: Medical items have reduced weight.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Like Grenadier, but even more important. Medkits (1 kg) and bandages (0.5 kg) are heavier than you'd expect. You'll always want to carry more, and this lets you do just that.

Description: Medical items have greatly reduced weight.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: A huge advantage in long missions or high-difficulty runs.

Description: Shoving deals damage.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 Not Recommended
  
• Thoughts: It’s unclear why this exists. Shoving is useful for interrupting zombie attacks (which you must master to survive in this game), not to damage zombies. Regular melee attacks are far more reliable damage.

Description: Shoving deals heavy damage.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 Not Recommended
  
• Thoughts: No comment...

Description: Increased hip-fire accuracy with rifles.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 Not Recommended
  
• Thoughts: Ammo is scarce, and every shot counts. Hip-firing wastes bullets and makes precision difficult. Better to aim carefully than rely on this.

Description: Greatly increased hip-fire accuracy with rifles.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 Useful
  
• Thoughts: An improvement, but if you need to hip-fire, something's already gone wrong.

Description: One-handed melee attacks consume more stamina but do more damage.

• Skill Rank: ✊✊✊/👍👍👍 Not Recommeneded/Essential
  
• Thoughts: More power comes at the cost of faster stamina drain. Not beginner-friendly. Only use if you're experienced with stamina management and melee combat.

Description: Greatly increased one-handed melee damage at the cost of more stamina.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Unlike the base version, this expert skill makes a noticeable impact. You can take down standard zombies with two quick hits using basic weapons. Excellent when paired with high tier one-hand melee weapons like hatchets or crowbars.

Description: Increased shotgun range.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 Not Recommended
  
• Thoughts: Shotguns are built for close quarters so you can pin point where to shoot. There's no reason to engage from range when stepping forward works better. Skip this.

Description: Greatly increased shotgun range.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 Useful
  
• Thoughts: Improves range more, but still goes against one-shoot-one-kill because of the spread.

Description: You survive longer when down.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: Especially helpful for beginners. Staying down longer gives teammates more time to revive you. Simple, but solid.

Description: Greater endurance when down.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Essential
  
• Thoughts: You can remain down for surprisingly long with this. It increases your odds of being saved in chaotic moments. A nice upgrade.

Description: Greater lifespan for flashlight batteries.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Flashlights are crucial for navigating dark areas and spotting lootable items. Without this skill, you’ll be replacing batteries every few minutes. Unless you're disciplined about toggling your light (which you should master regardless), this upgrade saves hassle and enhances exploration.

Description: Maximized lifespan for flashlight batteries.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: With this, you’ll barely need to change batteries at all. A major quality-of-life boost for flashlight + one-hand weapon or pistol.

Description: Increased backpack weight capacity.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: One of the most important survival skills. Weight limitations are a constant struggle, and this skill gives you much-needed flexibility. A core skill for any build.

Description: Greatly increased backpack weight capacity.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: An even better version of Mule. More room means more healing, ammo, and gear — no reason not to take it.

Description: Shotguns fire more pellets.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: More pellets = more damage. If you're lucky enough to land a shotgun, this boosts your kill potential. But weapon spawns vary, so you can't always build around this. Much effective when combined with other shotgun skills.

Description: Shotguns fire a lot more pellets.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: An enhanced version that further improves shotgun efficiency. Great for fans of shotgun.

Description: Heavy rifles penetrate more targets.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: By default, heavy rifles pierce one zombie. This skill increases your potential for multi-kills in narrow corridors. Strong in theory, but hard to depend on due to random weapon access.

Description: Heavy rifles penetrate many more targets.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: Makes heavy rifles powerful in crowd control situations. Still, its value depends on map layout and lucky spawns.

Description: Reduced noise from movement.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 / 👍👍👍 Not Recommended / Essential
  
• Thoughts: A wildcard skill. When paired with rain boots, it’s powerful in solo stealth runs (minimize combat by using melee weapons pridominatly). But in team play, it's nearly useless. Firing a gun instantly negates the silence. Consider it only for specific, stealth-focused solo play styles.

Description: Greatly reduced noise from movement.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 / 👍👍👍 Not Recommended / Essential
  
• Thoughts: This expert version enhances stealth potential for solo or melee-only players. But like the base skill, it's negated the moment a firearm is fired or a horde event begins.

Description: Two-handed heavy melee attacks use less stamina.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Less stamina use means more swings. Two-handed melee weapons hit hard, so this skill helps you stay aggressive without exhausting yourself.

Description: Two-handed heavy strikes use much less stamina.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Significantly extends your two-hand melee stamina. Ideal for close combat specialists who rely on powerful two-handers.

Description: Increased ammo from pickups.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Ammo is always scarce. This skill boosts your supply and may allow you to distribute extra ammo to teammates(need to double check). Strong utility, especially in longer missions.

Description: Greatly increased ammo from ammo pickups.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Maximizes ammo efficiency.
  

Description: Revive other Responders faster.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: A few seconds can be the difference between saving someone and a team wipe. This skill adds that edge when it matters most.

Description: Revive others much faster.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: Even more speed when reviving allies. Strong in tight rescue situations, especially on higher difficulties.

Description: Heavy rifles deal increased damage.

• Skill Rank: ✊✊✊ Situational
  
• Thoughts: Pairs well with penetration skills, but less impactful if you're aiming for headshots — which you should be. Heavy rifles already one-shot heads without it.

Description: Heavy rifles deal vastly more damage.

• Skill Rank: ✊✊✊ Situational
  
• Thoughts: Amplifies the base skill, but still limited in impact unless you're consistently aiming for the body because you can't aim. Not a priority pick.

Description: Crouching enhances rifle precision and reduces recoil.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 Not Recommended
  
• Thoughts: Sniping requires time and positioning — both of which are rare luxuries.
  

Description: Rifle recoil is greatly reduced while crouching.

• Skill Rank: 👎👎👎 Not Recommended
  
• Thoughts: Improves the concept of Steady Shot, but it doesn’t fix the core problem. You rarely have time to crouch and snipe.

Description: Reduced damage from attacks.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Pair this with a bulletproof vest and you’ll take hits far better. While infection risk rises , overall survivability improves significantly.

Description: Greatly reduced damage from attacks.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Much stronger than the base version.

Description: Increased maximum health.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Provides a similar benefit to Sturdy Body but through max HP. More total health always helps.

Description: Significantly increased maximum health.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Further boosts your tankiness. Excellent when stacked with other defense-enhancing skills.

Description: Shotgun pellets have reduced spread.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: Tighter spread increases your chance of one-head shot kills. Stronger when paired with other shotgun-focused skills.

Description: Shotgun pellets have greatly reduced spread.

• Skill Rank: 👌👌 Useful
  
• Thoughts: Boosts consistency even further. A must-have for anyone focused on shotgun combat.
  

Description: Ammunition has reduced weight.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Ammo may be light individually, but it adds up. This skill frees weight for more gear or healing items — a practical upgrade.

Description: Ammunition has greatly reduced weight.

• Skill Rank: 👍👍👍 Essential
  
• Thoughts: Even better weight efficiency for your ammo pool.