Maintenance in Project Zomboid (Build 42)
Maintenance is a Combat - Melee skill. Taking it from 0 to 10 costs 32,775 XP before multipliers — 5 skill books multiply what you earn on the way; the DIY Expert occupation starts with 2 levels, and it unlocks 46 recipes.
From the Build 42 dedicated server's files (depot manifest of 23 Sept 2026).
XP for each level
Level 10 alone costs 9,000 XP — 27% of the total.
XP needed for each level
| Level | XP for this level | Total XP |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | 75 |
| 2 | 150 | 225 |
| 3 | 300 | 525 |
| 4 | 750 | 1,275 |
| 5 | 1,500 | 2,775 |
| 6 | 3,000 | 5,775 |
| 7 | 4,500 | 10,275 |
| 8 | 6,000 | 16,275 |
| 9 | 7,500 | 23,775 |
| 10 | 9,000 | 32,775 |
What you actually earn is scaled first. Starting with no levels in Maintenance cuts every gain to ×0.25; a starting +1 is ×1, +2 ×1.33 and +3 or more ×1.66. Fast Learner adds ×1.3, Slow Learner ×0.7. How the multipliers work.
Maintenance skill books
Reading a volume multiplies the Maintenance XP you earn while your level is inside its range: every tenth of the book read adds a tenth of the multiplier. The game lets you open a volume from one level below its range, and not once you are past it (ISReadABook.lua).
Maintenance V: "Understanding Biomechanics of Tool Use"
- Levels
- 9–10
- Pages
- 380
- XP up to
- ×16
Multipliers from the game's skill-book table (lua/server/XpSystem/XPSystem_SkillBook.lua); “where it spawns” opens the map's item finder on the loot tables.
Start with Maintenance
Levels a new character gets in Maintenance — and, through them, a faster XP rate (see above):
- DIY Expertoccupation · +2
- Blacksmithoccupation · +1
- Burger Flipperoccupation · +1
- Carpenteroccupation · +1
- Chefoccupation · +1
- Construction Workeroccupation · +1
- Lumberjackoccupation · +1
Blacksmith Knowledgetrait · +1
Bushcraftertrait · +1
Handytrait · +1
Tinkerertrait · +1
Recipes you learn by levelling Maintenance
Reaching the level teaches the recipe — no magazine needed.
- Lv 1
Make Tire Sandals - Lv 2
Make Improvised Whetstone - Lv 2
Make Tire Forearm Armor - Lv 2
Make Tire Shin Armor - Lv 2Spike Large Armor
- Lv 2Spike Soft Armor
- Lv 3Barbed-Wire Wrap Weapon
- Lv 3Bind Spear Head
- Lv 3Bind Spear Head With Wire
- Lv 3Make Bone Club
- Lv 3
Make Glass Shiv - Lv 3
Make Tire Shoulder Armor - Left - Lv 3
Make Tire Shoulder Armor - Right - Lv 3
Make Tire Thigh Armor - Lv 4
Make Improvised Screwdriver - Lv 4
Make Railspike Iron Pipe - Lv 4
Make Railspike Large Handle - Lv 4Make Railspike Weapon
- Lv 4
Make Shiv - Lv 4
Make Tire Body Armor - Lv 5
Make Jawbone Club - Lv 5
Make Toothbrush Shiv - Lv 6Bone Spike Weapon
- Lv 6
Make Jawbone Axe - Lv 7
Make Bolt Metal Bat - Lv 7Make Kettle Maul
- Lv 8Make Bucket Maul
- Lv 10Hollow Out Book
What Maintenance unlocks (44)
Crafting and building recipes that need a Maintenance level. “Must be learned” recipes also need a magazine, a TV show or an occupation that teaches them.
| Level | Recipe | Also needs |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Assemble Bladed Item | — |
| 1 | Assemble Crude Knife | — |
| 1 | Assemble Long Implement | — |
| 1 | Assemble Mace | — |
| 1 | Assemble Medium Implement | — |
| 1 | Assemble Spear | — |
| 1 | Assemble Stone Mace | — |
| 1 | Assemble Very Long Implement | — |
| 1 | Barbed-Wire Wrap Weaponmust be learned | — |
| 1 | Bind Spear Headmust be learned | — |
| 1 | Bind Spear Head With Wiremust be learned | — |
| 1 | Fix With Zipties | — |
| 1 | Make Bone Clubmust be learned | — |
| 1 |  Make Bone War Hatchet | — |
| 1 |  Make Crude Stone Axe | — |
| 1 |  Make Glass Shivmust be learned | — |
| 1 |  Make Improvised Screwdrivermust be learned | — |
| 1 |  Make Improvised Whetstonemust be learned | — |
| 1 |  Make Large Stone Axe | — |
| 1 |  Make Railspike Iron Pipemust be learned | — |
| 1 |  Make Shivmust be learned | — |
| 1 |  Make Stone Hammer | — |
| 1 |  Make Stone Maul | — |
| 1 |  Make Tire Sandals | Tailoring 1 |
| 1 |  Make Toothbrush Shivmust be learned | — |
| 1 | Spike Large Armormust be learned | Tailoring 5 |
| 1 | Spike Soft Armormust be learned | Tailoring 5 |
| 2 | Fix Saw | — |
| 2 |  Make Jawbone Clubmust be learned | — |
| 2 |  Make Knife From Machete Blade | — |
| 2 |  Make Tire Forearm Armormust be learned | Tailoring 3 |
| 2 |  Make Tire Shin Armormust be learned | Tailoring 3 |
| 3 | Fix With Epoxy | — |
| 3 |  Make Jawbone Axemust be learned | — |
| 3 |  Make Railspike Large Handlemust be learned | — |
| 3 | Make Railspike Weaponmust be learned | — |
| 3 |  Make Tire Shoulder Armor - Leftmust be learned | Tailoring 4 |
| 3 |  Make Tire Shoulder Armor - Rightmust be learned | Tailoring 4 |
| 3 |  Make Tire Thigh Armormust be learned | Tailoring 3 |
| 4 | Fix With Epoxy And Rags | — |
| 4 |  Make Bolt Metal Bat | — |
| 4 | Make Kettle Maulmust be learned | — |
| 5 | Make Bucket Maulmust be learned | — |
| 5 |  Make Tire Body Armormust be learned | Tailoring 6 |
Recipes that train Maintenance
50 recipes award Maintenance XP when made; the most per craft (base XP):
- Make Bucket Maul · 50 XP
- Make Tire Body Armor · 50 XP
- Make Kettle Maul · 40 XP
- Make Bolt Metal Bat · 30 XP
- Make Jawbone Axe · 30 XP
Make Knife From Machete Blade · 30 XP- Make Tire Shoulder Armor - Left · 30 XP
- Make Tire Shoulder Armor - Right · 30 XP
- Make Tire Thigh Armor · 30 XP
- Make Toothbrush Shiv · 30 XP
- Fix Saw · 20 XP
- Make Improvised Screwdriver · 20 XP
- Make Jawbone Club · 20 XP
- Make Shiv · 20 XP
- Make Tire Forearm Armor · 20 XP
- Make Tire Shin Armor · 20 XP
More skills
Pictures: item and trait icons and the health-panel figure are The Indie Stone's game art; item renders and shop signs are from PZwiki (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0).
Project Zomboid is a game by The Indie Stone. PinDrop is fan-made and not affiliated with The Indie Stone.