7 Days to Die Character Progression
Character progression in 7 Days to Die follows a three-part progression system: attributes and their perks determine your combat and survival style, perk books deliver additional permanent bonuses independent of skill points, and crafting skill magazines govern your crafting abilities alone. This page explains how 7 Days to Die character progression combines all three pillars and what to keep in mind when planning your build.
Attributes & character progression
The five main attributes
Every character starts at level 1 in all five attributes. By spending skill points, each attribute can be raised to a maximum of level 10. You get skill points by leveling up and as quest rewards.
| Attribute | Focus / specialization |
|---|---|
| Perception | Ranged combat, rifles, spears, explosives |
| Strength | Melee combat, shotguns, mining, construction |
| Fortitude | Survival, health, stamina, regeneration |
| Agility | Stealth, pistols, bows, knives, parkour |
| Intellect | Technology, drones, traps, trader discounts |
With every level, each attribute passively increases headshot damage with the associated weapons and gradually unlocks new perk tiers.
:::warning Attribute levels and perk requirements Perks within an attribute require a certain minimum attribute level. If the attribute level later drops below the requirement — for example when a temporary buff from drugs or equipment runs out — the corresponding perk bonus is temporarily disabled until the requirement is met again. :::
Perk costs by level tier
Raising an attribute becomes more expensive at higher levels:
| Attribute level | Cost (skill points) |
|---|---|
| 2 – 5 | 1 per level |
| 6 – 8 | 2 per level |
| 9 – 10 | 3 per level |
Mastery perks
From attribute level 6 onward, a dedicated mastery perk is unlocked for each of the five attributes. Every further tier of this perk grants an individual one-off bonus — similar to perk books, but tied exclusively to the respective attribute. Anyone deliberately maxing out one tree benefits from it in particular.
General perks
Since update 2.0 (Storm's Brewing) there is an additional General Perks tab. Some perks that previously sat behind attribute requirements — such as Heavy Armor, Medium Armor, Lock Picking or Living Off The Land — are accessible to all players here, regardless of the attribute level invested.
Perk books
How perk books work
Perk books are standalone items that require no skill points. Every book you read unlocks a permanent perk bonus that stays active for good. The order in which you read the volumes of a series does not matter.
Where to find them:
- Bookshelves, newspaper boxes, mailboxes
- Book stores (Crack-A-Book)
- Traders (available to buy)
- Quest rewards
Series and the collection bonus
There are 19 perk book series with 7 volumes each. Anyone who has collected and read all 7 volumes of a series receives an exclusive collector's perk that is available only through completing the series — not through skill points.
"Reading books will unlock permanent perks. Read all the volumes in a series and receive a special collector's perk."
Some perks passively raise the chance of finding thematically matching book series while looting. This can be used deliberately to complete missing volumes faster.
Crafting skill magazines
The principle: learn by reading
Crafting skills are raised exclusively by reading thematic crafting skill magazines — not through skill points or attributes. Every magazine category corresponds to one crafting area. Reading a certain number of magazines from the same category unlocks new recipes and raises the maximum quality tier of the items you can produce in that area.
:::warning Exceptions Modifications are still unlocked through schematics, not through magazines. A few special recipes (e.g. Can of Sham, Super Corn Seed) are exempt as well. :::
Categories and quantities
In total there are 23 crafting skill magazine categories. The number of magazines needed for the maximum level varies by category — typical values lie between 50 and 100 copies per category.
Examples:
| Magazine title | Crafting area | Issues required |
|---|---|---|
| Tools Digest | Tools | 100 |
| Handy Land | Repair tools | 50 |
| Knife Guy | Knives | 75 |
| Big Hitters | Clubs & blunt weapons | 75 |
| Get Hammered | Sledgehammers | 75 |
Where to find them and drop chance
Magazines show up in the same places as perk books — that is, in mailboxes, bookshelves, book stores and as quest rewards (in the form of Crafting Skill Magazine Bundles, which contain 2 copies each from 3 categories). On top of that, thematically fitting magazines appear preferentially in contextually relevant surroundings: Forge Ahead magazines are found more often in garages and at demolished workbenches, cooking magazines rather in kitchens.
Investing in perks raises the drop chance for the associated magazines: every perk tier increases the likelihood of finding the magazine in question while looting by 200% per tier (up to +1000%). Once the crafting skill maximum in a category is reached, this bonus falls away and other magazine types show up more evenly again.
:::warning Mind multiple boosts from perks Perks such as Advanced Engineering raise the drop chance for four different magazine types at once. That dilutes the pool and makes it harder to pile up one specific type on purpose. Anyone who wants to max out Forge Ahead quickly, for example, is better served by Lock Picking, since that perk boosts this category exclusively. :::
How the three pillars interact
The three systems are deliberately separate, yet they complement each other:
- Attributes & perks — determine combat strength, survival values and the general play style; controlled through skill points.
- Perk books — deliver permanent special bonuses that are entirely independent of the skill tree; the priority is the collection bonus of the 7-volume series.
- Crafting skill magazines — govern crafting depth; they can be sped up through deliberate perk choices and clever looting.
An efficient build combines all three pillars: character progression does not advance through distributing skill points alone, but requires active exploring and collecting out in the game world.