Be The Best Burglar Build 42

Exclusive Traits:

• Ability to Hot-wire vehicles
  
• 50% less likely to break a window lock
  
• Increased sheet rope climbing speed
  
• +2 Lightfooted (133% Lightfooted XP gain)
  
• +2 Nimble (133% Nimble XP gain)
  
• +2 Sneaking (133% Sneaking XP gain)
  
• 5% to ignore weather and 15% to ignore darkness when Foraging.
  
• +10% to finding ammunition, weapons, junk, and trash when Foraging.

The Burglar occupation starts with the following crafting recipes unlocked:

• Make Magazine Limb Armor
  
• Make Magazine Body Armor
  
• Make Glass Shiv
  
• Make Shiv
  
• Make Toothbrush Shiv
  
• Make Bulletproof Vest Forearm Armor
  
• Make Bulletproof Vest Shin Armor
  
• Make Bulletproof Vest Thigh Armor
  
• Make Screwdriver
  
• Make Lighter - Improvised Battery
  
• Make Blank ID
  
• Hemp Growing Season
  
• Copy Building Key
  
• Hollow Out Book

Burglar is very good at melee combat, scouting, resource gathering and foraging.
While also having great upfront mobility (Hotwire,Sneaking) and long term survivability. (Nimble,Lightfooted)

The Burglar's most valuable skill isn't Lightfooted or Sneaking or even Hotwire. It's Nimble.
Mobility is what keeps you alive. Being able to fight while retreating makes Nimble one of the most important Combat/Melee Skills in the game.

Try a Construction Worker or Lumberjack with Gymnast and you will know the value of Nimble. (See Other Builds)

Good Traits to start with:

Athletic - +4 Fitness. +20% running/sprinting speed. +25% grapple effectiveness.
-20% running/sprinting endurance loss from the trait itself. Costly but more bonuses than Fit.

Fitness affects several of the player's physical abilities, including:
- Attack speed
- Chance of automatically pushing a zed away when attacked
- Chance of tripping when a zed lunges at the player's feet
- Having a higher Fitness level reduces the chance of tripping over fences
- The rate of endurance loss and recovery
- The player's exercise speed
- Damage taken from long falls

Fitness experience is gained by performing fitness exercises, hitting zeds with melee attacks while not overexerted, and at random intervals while Running or Sprinting, with an equal chance of receiving either fitness or sprinting experience whenever experience is gained this way.

Brave - 70% panic reduction except for night terrors and phobias.
50% reduced stress and unhappiness from stripping corpses. +10% grapple effectiveness.

Crafty - 130% XP for all Crafting Skills.
Cannot be taken with Fast Learner/Slow Learner.

Dextrous - 50% inventory transferring time. -20% aiming delay.
Quicker to start aiming/shouldering a firearm. Still pretty useful.

Fast Learner - 130% XP gain for All Skills. (including Lightfooted, Nimble, Sneaking and Running), except Strength and Fitness. Highly recommended.

Fit - +2 Fitness. 133% Fitness XP gain. Physical Skills take long to level.
I suggest taking at least one. Often taken with Fast/Slow Metabolism to help mitigate cost.

Gymnast - +1 Lightfooted. 100% Lightfooted XP gain. +1 Nimble. 100% Nimble XP gain. Increased sheet rope climbing speed. Great for non-Burglars and melee.
Lightfooted determines the loudness of footsteps across all types of movement.
It stacks with the loudness reduction from Nimble. Unlike Nimble, Lightfooted also gives a bonus to Sneaking, increasing the likelihood of zeds ignoring footsteps entirely.

Keen Hearing - 200% perception radius. Zeds that approach from behind will be visible much earlier. Good to have if there are Sprinters.

Runner - Affects how fast a character runs and sprints, including running while sneaking.
The speed increase is added to movement speed and can stack with Lightfooted/Nimble to further increase movement/walking speed. Very slept on and super useful for a Burglar.

Stout - +2 Strength. +2-3 Carry Weight. Strength affects combat elements such as:
- Melee Damage
- Push Knockback and Knockdown Chance.
- The player's default maximum encumbrance.
- The chance to successfully force locked windows open.
- The chance to successfully climb tall fences.

Strong - +4 Strength. +40% knockback power. More damage and carry weight. Peak Melee.

Strength experience is gained by performing strength exercises, carrying more than 50% of the player's weight capacity, and Running. Strength experience is also granted when hitting zeds with melee attacks, and cutting trees.

Wakeful - (-30% fatigue increase rate). +10% sleep efficiency. Still a bargain at 3 points.
Players need to sleep:
≈9 hours a day.
≈6 hours a day if the Wakeful trait is selected.
≈12 hours a day if the Sleepyhead trait is selected.
Great for combat builds. Can use Caffeine Pills instead. Read in your car if you woke up early.
You will sleep ≈5 hours in a Good Quality bed with Wakeful, sometimes less.

Combat Skills are optional. You may want some more utilitarian traits instead.
Or use the points to drop/change some Negative Traits.

Baseball Player - The long blunt skill influences attack speed, damage done, critical chance, and the chance of automatically pushing zeds away when grabbed (front grabs) while using long blunt weapons, like baseball bats and crowbars. +1 Long Blunt. 100% Long blunt XP gain.

60 kills for Level 3
500 for Level 5
2200 for Level 7
4000+ for Level 8

Brawler - +1 Axe. 100% Axe XP gain. +1 Long Blunt. 100% Long blunt XP gain.

Target Shooter - +1 Aiming. It's expensive at 5 points, but getting Firearms XP can be dangerous, especially with Sprinters.

Other Positive Traits to consider for a Burglar:

Bushcrafter - Can find medicinal herbs and craft medicines and poultices from them, and make simple stone and bone tools. Start fires faster. Some good skills in an 8 point package.
+1 To Carving, Foraging, Knapping and Maintenance.

Cats Eyes - Increased vision cone at night. Foraging: +0.4 radius. +20% ambient light vision. Useful if you're out at night, otherwise work on Skills in a vehicle until sunrise. No light needed.
Or just use a flashlight.

Fast Reader - Not necessary for single player, but a good time saver. 130% reading speed.
It takes 5 hours to read a Level 1 book & 7 hours to read a Level 3 book with Fast Reader.

Inconspicuous - 50% chance of getting spotted by zeds. Not good with high populations.

Inventive - Lowers the skill level requirements by 1 for researching recipes from existing items and for auto-learning recipes.
For example, you can auto-learn or research the generator recipe at Electrical level 2 instead of level 3. Can be useful for more Crafting and long term playthroughs.

Organized - 130% capacity for all containers, including bags, vehicles, and tiles. Space in the main inventory and on the floor is unaffected. I took this all the time and loved it, before vehicles. I don't find it as valuable now.

Outdoorsy - You will be outside a lot. This will help prevent catching a cold, getting scratched by trees, foraging, adverse weather and seeing in the dark.
Good to take with Thin-skinned and Prone to Illness.

If you can spare the points, you may want to have a secondary skill like Sewer, Vehicle Knowledge or Whittler for more character depth. Best Burglars have day jobs too.

Note that MP servers may have extra points and different traits/trait costs, so you can take on more positive traits, or lose some negative ones.

Good Negative Traits

Clumsy - 120% footsteps sound radius (results in 144% footsteps sound area).
Nimble/Lightfooted will cancel this and overtake it at 6 combined levels. Free points.

Conspicuous - Zeds are everywhere and they will see you no matter what.
You can still sneak by, just scan ahead and try to stay behind large groups.
Mind the ones that are looking in your direction, they will see you sooner. Good choice.

Hearty Appetite - 150% hunger. +3% bonus to packaged foods, mushrooms, berries, and animals for foraging. More snacks to pack. High Foraging Skill will help.

High Thirst - 100% more thirst. Mix different fluids into your auto-drink container for added benefits. Still annoying at 2 Points.

Prone to Illness - Getting bit is almost always a death sentence. Don't get bit and you won't turn into a Zed faster. You may catch a cold in the winter. Keep tissues on you then.
Outdoorsy will help with colds. Don't hang around when you see flys on corpses. A good pick.

Reluctant Fighter - 75% of skill XP for short blade, long blade, small blunt, long blunt, axe, spear, maintenance and aiming. Not bad if you took Fast Learner.

Short Sighted - Easy 2 points. Look like the Freeman! -2 radius modifier when foraging (negated with reading glasses or prescription glasses). Have extra pairs at home.
Wearing Reading Glasses reduces required reading time of literature such as skill books and magazines by 10%. This bonus works even if the player is not Short Sighted.

Slow Healer - Recently inflicted injuries have more severity. Does not apply to exercise fatigue. Spend your down time Reading or Tailoring. Check bandages often. Also good.

Slow Reader - 70% reading speed. It's slow. Can always fast forward.
Taking Wakeful is a good way to gain some reading time back.
It takes 9 hours to read a Level 1 Skill book with Slow Reader.

Thin-skinned - depending on the transmission level of the virus it may be too risky for some, but for 8 points, I think it's worth it, especially if it's saliva only.
You will have more down time getting damaged if you're sloppy and injuries will get you killed.
Avoid taking with Hard of Hearing, to give yourself a buffer zone.

Weak Stomach - Don't eat expired or uncooked food, or those mystery berries you foraged.
Easy to manage. Always take this.

Other Negative Traits to consider:

Agoraphobic/Claustrophobic - are tough to deal with at first, but will fade over time.
These add another layer to manage and may be too much for new players to handle.
If you have taken other things like Cowardly or Fear of Blood, it can get out of hand.
Carry Beta blockers or alcohol with you at all times.

Cowardly - 200% panic except for night terrors and phobias.
200% stress and unhappiness from stripping corpses. -10% grapple effectiveness.
Panic is bad for combat, this makes it worse. Will also fade as you gain panic resistance.

Fast/Slow Metabolism - It's pretty easy to gain weight early to overcome the -1 to Fit penalty for being Low Weight but you have 80% melee damage.
Having High Weight has 200% endurance loss and 70% endurance regeneration. Both can lead to dangerous situations. A normal weight can be regained in about 10-20 days with very low or low eating (letting a character become hungry or even very hungry from time to time).

Fear of Blood - Panic when performing first aid on self. Cannot perform first aid on others, gets stressed when bloody. It's harder to keep clean when the water is off.

Hard of Hearing - Backing up while fighting with this can get you killed.
Zed sounds are less hearable. Watch for the Panic moodle in situations where no zeds are visible. Keep scanning and rotating constantly every few seconds, and limit your battles to choke points, not wide open areas. Check your headgear for audio/visual impairments.
Using regular or Keen Hearing may be best for new Burglars.

Negative Traits to avoid as a Burglar:

Anything that affects energy, combat and movement is dangerous and must be considered carefully.

All Thumbs - Transfers inventory items slowly. 400% inventory transferring time.

Disorganized - Decreased container inventory capacity. 70% capacity for all containers, including boxes and cupboards. Less loot storage. Not bad with high Strength.

Motion Sensitive - Impacts combat and movement greatly when affected.
If your not driving around a lot you may consider it. Disabled in 42.14 for now.

Restless Sleeper - Sleep for fewer hours each time, and slower loss of tiredness when sleeping. You will have broken sleep and less energy throughout the day.

Short of breath - 140% running/sprinting endurance loss.
130% increase in swing endurance lost. Extra points for Firearms/Crafting builds.

Sleepyhead - +30% Fatigue increase rate, -10% Sleep efficiency. More down time.
Not as bad as Restless Sleeper, but you will lose large chunks of the day if you are tired.

Slow Learner - If you love the grind. 70% XP in all skills except Strength and Fitness.

Smoker - Stress will constantly increase at a rate depending on the time since last smoked, with a peak at approximately 13 hours.
Unhappiness will constantly increase while stress caused by not smoking is greater than 50.
Coughs in a random period between 12–35 hours. Not worth taking anymore.

See what ones you can live with, and what ones you can't. Find your Best Burglar !

Panic & Panic Loss

Panic reduction starts at 0.06 and increases slowly every night you survive.
After 30 nights, reduction is 0.12. It is capped at 150 days, which makes the reduction 0.36.

Bigger rooms cause less panic. (Claustrophobic)
Panic stops increasing when reduction is equal or greater than panic build-up.

Panic increase = 0.6 * (1 - x/70)
x is the size of the room you are in (in tiles).

70 tile room or larger causes 0 panic (no Claustrophobia effect).
1 tile room causes the most panic: 0.5914
With the base panic reduction you will not panic in a 63 tile room or bigger in the first day.

Pretty solid list, even for Build 42. I would place Clumsy into Free Points for Burglar.

When choosing Occupations/Traits for combat and long term playthroughs consider:

1.Physical Skills (Fitness,Strength,Nimble) Hardest Skills to level over time.
2.Weapon/Combat Skills (Aiming,Axe,Maintenance) Hard to level and helpful early.
3.Crafting/Survival Skills (Carpentry,Foraging) Easiest to level with Books & VHS.

Know that in the end, nothing can save you from yourself. There is no best build or skill, There is only you. The more good habits you practice, the more caution you employ, the greater your chances of survival. Be disciplined and diligent Best Burglar !

1. ALWAYS have a Crowbar. You are not a Best Burglar without it. It completes you.
Multi-hit 3 zeds with 1 swing !

2. Baseball bats will break. Wood is weak, but metal... this you can trust.
Best Burglars know "The riddle of steel". Make Can & Metal reinforced bats for more damage.

3. ALWAYS wear leather gloves. These will protect your dirty thieving hands. Also when you clear away broken glass. Best Burglars don't leave fingerprints anywhere.

4. ALWAYS wear the most durable clothing you can. Leather, denim, and army/fireman clothes all have long sleeves and are great early on. Best Burglars need to look their best but stay protected.

5. ALWAYS have a back up weapon like a hammer, hatchet or knife (for stealth kills) on your belt, or in your bag. Maybe there is another Crowbar in there for a friend.

6. Keep rotating and looking around every few seconds, especially if you have ghosted a crowd recently, or have been stationary for a while. Best Burglars have gyroscopic necks.

7. Have a fanny pack or small bag with bandages, alcohol wipes, suture needles, tweezers, beta blockers, meds etc. Best Burglars say their vitamins, and eat their prayers.

8. Have another small bag on your secondary for your bullets and extra clips if/when you use guns. Mind your carry weight, usually 1 extra bag untill you get stronger.

9. Have a bag of tools in your trunk, including sledgehammer, axe, hammer, screwdriver and anything else you need to break in someplace. A Best Burglar is prepared.

10. ALWAYS have food and water in your vehicle. Stay hydrated and well fed.
Juice up before battle.

11. Keep an extra pair of glasses in the glove box/trunk if you took Short Sighted, along with a flashlight, batteries, a lighter, some tissues and cigarettes and maybe some alcoholic drinks.

12. Close doors and windows behind you, but leave yourself an escape route.
Practice being a safe Burglar.

13. ALWAYS move crouched. You will level those Burglar skills faster and be more stealthy.

14. If your out at night, have a 1 handed weapon ready so you can carry a flashlight.

15. Be mindful of entering open areas, many eyes will be upon you. Best Burglars are cautious.

16. Move from cover to cover, staying tight to walls, houses, fences at all times.
Leave space by treelines. You could get suprised by a horde inside.

17. Have a bailout/fallback area when things go south. Best Burglars have many safe houses.

18. If you have attracted too much attention, DO NOT LEAD THEM TO YOUR HOME. Best Burglars lose their tails before they return to their safe house and place their friends in danger.

19. Case a building before you enter it, maybe drive by with your car first and draw the Zeds away. Circle around the block and wait if you need to. Best Burglars are patient.

20. Do not jump over tall fences blindly, unless your out of options. Best Burglars don't panic.

21. Make sure your vehicle is quiet and well maintained, you may need to escape quickly !

22. Wear as much clothing as you can. Dress appropriately and keep your cars heater/AC on. It's easy to wear too many layers in the summer and get hot and sweaty. Protect ya neck. Wu-Tang.

23. You can store more loot on the empty seats in vehicles if your trunk is full.
Best Burglars are hoarders.

24. Look inside windows first, and listen a few moments before entering a building. If it is dark, step in, and then back out. Wait and see if anyone follows.

25. Bathrooms are great entry points. They act like an airlock before you search the other rooms. This will prevent you from alerting large groups inside.

26. DO NOT climb over counters/tables when entering a house.
You will be locked in an animation and nearby zombies will bite you.

27. Have Foraging on when you are out walking.
It will level quickly and you may find something useful.

28. Look for Military/Hunting zeds wearing Chest Rigs and vests.
They often have good clothes and items.

29. Sledgehammer is hard to find. Look for Road Events and work trucks at McCoy Logging.
Search warehouse bins for worn heads. Trade skill trucks (Electrician/Carpenter) are gold.

30. Find Skill Books in the back of mail trucks, community centers, schools and boarded up homes. Maintenance books will often be in trade shops and warehouses.

31. VHS experience caps at Level 3. You have to find books and use those skills !
No more easy Level 6 Carpentry from Woodcraft.

32. Some Home VHS will be inside the TV. When the power goes out, they will be inaccessible without a generator.

33. Vehicles in good condition will often have the keys nearby on the ground.
Check inside desks and file cabinets for keys to vehicles in driveways and parking lots.

34. You can move Armchairs/Rattan chairs outside to sleep on if took Claustrophobic.
They won't break when you pick them up with low Carpentry Skill and have Average sleep quality.

35. Go for a gas run ASAP. Fill up as many empty gas cans and vehicles as you can find.
It's easier than finding a generator and the magazine to operate it later.

36. Use Bathtubs to clean all of your clothes when the power goes out. Most tubs will have water.

37. Save/Rip Sheets for 10 rags at a time for Tailoring. Use Coveralls to apply patches, they have the most slots. After Level 7 you will get more patches back.

38. Any activity that requires light like Reading/Tailoring can be done inside a vehicle, even if it's dark outside.

39. Build a Small Drying Rack for foraged herbs, medical plants and edible flowers.
Rural fields and Farmlands have tons of food and seeds. Use Mortar and Pestel to make Poultices.

40. Find Anitque/Old Stoves in basements, farmhouses and warehouses. Winter is coming.

Safe journey to you Best Burglar !

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