VEIN is an early access zombie survival game featuring open-world exploration, crafting, and RPG-style skill leveling.

This guide summarizes the skill mechanics in VEIN, based on direct in-game testing during Early Access.
Because the game is still under development, some mechanics may change in future updates.
For now, this article organizes the confirmed information on:

• How skills work
• How to allocate starting skill points
• The main benefits of each skill
• Efficient ways to level them

A section at the end also includes additional findings discovered during testing.

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Basic Skill Mechanics

VEIN currently features 20 skills, each with a maximum level of 100.

Every skill has three main elements:

1. Passive bonuses gained by leveling
2. Perks, unlocked every 25 levels
3. Level requirements for crafting, tools, or schematics

The usefulness of each skill varies, and the difference in leveling speed is extremely large.
Some skills level naturally and very quickly, while others can take dozens of times longer to reach the same amount of experience.

Because the “power value” and “ease of leveling” differ greatly between skills, the sections below cover:

• Recommended starting skill choices
• Main benefits of each skill
• How to level them efficiently

Additional notes based on hands-on testing are included at the end.

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Recommended Starting Skills

At character creation, you can distribute three free skill bonuses, raising the selected skills by +25 levels.
You cannot stack the bonuses on a single skill.

There are no irreversible choices—every skill can be leveled during gameplay—so you can allocate freely based on preference.

However, choosing skills that are highly useful but extremely slow to level can make the early game much smoother.

The three top choices are:

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Scavenging

• Very slow to level
• Perks increase search speed and rare loot chance

Sneaking

• Very slow to level
• Perks reduce detection range, improving safety during exploration

Lockpicking

• Slightly slow to level
• Some locked containers require specific levels, so early points help progression

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Useful but NOT worth choosing at character creation

The following skills either level extremely fast or rise naturally through normal gameplay.

Strength

• Levels very quickly (tree chopping or punching walls is enough)
• Increases carry weight (~0.45 kg per level)
• Perks add +22.7 kg carry capacity
• Boosts melee damage and knockback

Farming

• Levels very quickly (large experience from harvesting)
• Required for crafting:
  • Medium Planter Box (Lv. 15)
  • Large Planter Box (Lv. 35)

Construction / Crafting / Mechanical / Electrical

• Level easily through crafting
• Required for advanced builds, but rise naturally while playing

Note

In high-difficulty runs or challenge playthroughs where you want to accelerate base-building or crafting progression, you may intentionally prioritize these.
Choose according to your playstyle.

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Skill Overview — Main Benefits & Leveling Methods

This section summarizes the practical effects and leveling methods confirmed through testing.

(Originally this section includes a table; omitted here as requested.)

If you want detailed methods for leveling each skill, check the complete guide below:
👉 Fastest Leveling Methods for All 20 Skills (Full Analysis)

Skill	Main Benefits	How to Level	Leveling Speed
Agility	Reduces stamina consumption	Running / walking / exercising	◯
Construction	Required for advanced building	Craft construction materials at workbenches / build structures	◯
Cooking	Required to read and use recipes	Cook food / slice vegetables	△
Crafting	Needed for advanced items and intermediate materials	Craft items at workbenches	◯
Dismantling	Perk increases resource yield when dismantling	Dismantle objects	◯
Driving	Perk reduces stress while driving	Drive vehicles	△
Electrical	Required for high-tier electrical equipment	Hotwire vehicles / craft electrical items (components, etc.)	◯
Farming	Required for medium & large planters	Harvest crops	◎
Lockpicking	Required for high-difficulty locks	Unlock with lockpicks	△
Mechanical	Needed for mechanical equipment	Craft items (metal brackets, etc.)	◯
Medical	Required for advanced medical items / perk allows seeing other players’ HP	Treat wounds / craft medical items (bandages, etc.)	◯
Repair	Higher repair efficiency (more durability restored)	Repair at repair benches / craft repair-related items (wooden spear, etc.)	◎
Scavenging	Perks increase instant search speed & rare item chance	Loot containers such as furniture	✕
Sneaking	Improves stealth performance (assumed)	Crouch-walk	✕
Sociability	Not implemented	――	――
Strength	Increases carry weight & melee performance	Melee attacks / move objects / walk overweight / exercise	◎
Throwing	Increases throwing distance? (needs confirmation)	Throw throwable items	◯
Trading	Not implemented	――	――
Vitality	Increases HP, reduces fall damage, boosts resistances	Move objects / take damage / exercise	△
Weapon Handling	Faster reload speed	Fire guns (bows included)	△

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Additional Notes & Detailed Observations

Findings discovered during hands-on testing.

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Agility

• Leveling reduces stamina consumption
• Perks mostly reduce stamina usage further
• Movement speed difference between levels is minimal
• Stamina regeneration speed also shows no significant difference

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Strength

• Melee damage increases slowly
  • Lv ~10: ~7 hits (bare hands) to kill a torso zombie
  • Lv ~75: ~6 hits under same conditions
• Knockback rate rises noticeably; high levels make melee much safer
  • At high levels, knockback exceeds ~90% when unarmed
• Best XP comes from high-DPS weapons
  • Example test: Hitting a wall 30 times
    • Spoon: ~800 XP
    • Toilet Brush: ~1900 XP
• Leveling methods:
  • Punching walls
  • Tree chopping (axe has high DPS and gives resources simultaneously)

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Repair

• Higher levels slightly improve repair efficiency (small benefit)
• Perk reducing equipment degradation by 25% is extremely strong
• Because equipment breaks permanently at 0 durability, this perk reduces risk
• Practical usefulness peaks around Lv 50
• Levels 50–100 offer limited benefit (mainly repair efficiency)

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Stealth

• Levels only when crouch-walking (needs further testing)
• Extremely slow to level
  • Rough estimate: ~75 XP after ~10 seconds

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Medical

• Leveling method:
  • Self-injure using window glass
  • Apply bandage → remove → reapply (loop)
• Possible infection concerns exist
  • Probably safe, but not fully confirmed

To remove a bandage, open your inventory and switch to the Medical tab.
Find the injury (e.g., “Deep Wound”) and click the ❌ icon next to “Bandaged” to unbandage it.

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Scavenging

• Gain XP when looting containers
• Despite appearances, does not grant XP for every container
• Appears to have a hidden cooldown—looting multiple containers in a row only grants XP once
• Conditions for XP reset (distance? time? cooldown?) remain unconfirmed

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Conclusion

This guide summarized the current VEIN skill system and efficient ways to allocate and level skills.

Skill characteristics vary significantly, especially in leveling speed:

• Scavenging, Sneaking, and Lockpicking
  → Highly useful but extremely slow to level, making them excellent choices for starting bonuses
• Strength, Farming, and crafting-related skills
  → Very easy to level through normal play, so starting bonuses are unnecessary

Because VEIN is still in Early Access, skill and perk behavior may change in future updates.
This guide will be updated when major changes occur.

When in doubt about where to place your starting points, refer to the charts and observations in this guide, and adjust according to your preferred playstyle.