Aside from being one of the best survival games currently out there, Durango Wild Lands also features lots of RPG elements in the form of skill levels, character levels, faction reputation, and many other progression elements. For us, this aspect is a match made in heaven; we are huge fans of RPG games, so the mix between this genre with survival elements is a godsend for us. In other words, we couldn’t be more excited while playing Durango.

However, there are many skills to level up in this game, each with their own pros and cons. There are enough proficiencies and abilities to acquire to overwhelm even those who are experienced in the genre. Should I focus on developing as a tailor, or should I level up my gathering? When should I start working the land as a farmer? What does the “processing” skill even do? These are all questions that we made ourselves and that we’ve been able to answer after playing for a while.

In this guide, we’ll be discussing every single skill in this game, including which ones level up as you go along, and which skills require some effort on your part to increase.

Let’s get started!

Farming

“Wild terrain will only play host to the most stubborn of weeds…”

This skill is all about working the land and conditioning it to accommodate life in the form of flowers, trees, and even crops. Investing in the farming skill will allow you to prepare terrain and till fields to make them apt for growing all sorts of plants. Furthermore, a character versed in farming can learn to craft tools and implements used in this trade such as fertilizers and sprinklers.

However, this skill is useless by itself, as knowledge of the land does not necessarily give one the means to work it. Those who want to become farmers will also want to acquaint themselves with the weapon/tool skill as it will give them the means to craft the tools necessary for working the land. You can increase your farming skill by planting seeds, harvesting crops, and tilling the land.

Survival

“Survival should be your number one concern.”

This skill is all about living in Durango. Eking out an existence in the literal wilderness is a far cry from subsisting in the concrete jungle of modern society. In that sense, a pioneer must learn to coexist with nature, identify the risks and hazards of the local flora and fauna, and prepare both physically and mentally for the trials and tribulations that come with living in the wilds.

Your survival skill outright allows you to visit islands of higher levels. Investing points in this skill also increases your constitution, granting you more energy to explore for longer periods of time without having to rest. Furthermore, you can also learn how to tame dinosaurs with the survival skill, and then use these dinosaurs as mounts or for other purposes. The survival skill increases as you explore new lands.

Melee

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer…”

This skill is all about handling all sorts of weapons in combat and using them to either incapacitate or defeat your foes. The melee skill is one that you’ll naturally improve without really trying as fighting, taming, and hunting for food is standard in Durango. Investing points in this skill will grant you increased proficiency with many types of weapons, including one-handed arms, lances, and two-handed weapons.

The melee skill increases as you fight foes.

Gathering

“Gathering allows you to identify what’s useful and make it yours.”

Gathering is all about being able to tell what’s what in nature. As you progress in this skill, your character will be able to gather rare materials from many sources including minerals, plants, bugs, and even unusual herbs. Like melee, this skill will increase naturally over time as you’ll likely make a habit out of foraging and gathering ingredients in the jungle.

Butchering

“Butchery is used to handle dead animal carcasses, yielding meat, leather, and bones before the body returns to the earth.”

Butchery is to fauna what gathering is to flora. This skill determines your character’s proficiency at skinning, pelting, and processing felled animals to extract useful materials from their corpses. As you level up in this trade, your character will become skilled in extracting more materials from carcasses, maximizing the yield of every foe that you defeat. Furthermore, there are some parts that only experienced butchers can handle and that would go to waste in the hands of a novice.

Tailoring

“Those who come prepared get to leave with their lives.”

Tailoring is your character’s ability to put together leaves, straw, and other materials to create outfits for surviving in the jungle’s harsh environmens. A good hunter requires appropriate gear not only to stave off the heat but to also obtain protection from animal attacks. A good tailor can fashion clothing suited for both of these purposes.

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The tailoring skill increases as you craft more clothing.

Weapon/Tool

“The first cry of victory is blown from the bellows of a forge.”

A highly vital skill for any pioneer looking to survive in Durango. Those who train themselves in this trade are not only able to craft the finest weaponry in the islands, but also the tools required to work the land, chop down trees for wood, and even to process carcasses for their materials. Investing in this skill will also allow you to create cooking utensils used for creating some of the best dishes.

Defense

“A good defense can keep you alive against any offense.”

Remember when we talked about the melee skill? Well, defense is the exact counterpart to that one. Defense is all about keeping safe in the face of danger and offers abilities that increase your maximum health and life, as well as teach you to assume defensive stances to counter, parry, and avoid damage in battle. Those versed in this skill know how to use the enemy’s strength against them.

Defense will increase as you fight against enemies. Taking lots of hits will make it increase at a faster rate.

Construction

“Make wild and unruly environments inhabitable.”

As its name implies, construction consists of putting together materials to create facilities, workstations, and other paraphernalia for surviving in the wild. Your first foray into your tamed island starts with constructing your first tent, and it will likely end with the construction of many advanced buildings and structures. This skill increases by constructing new stuff and will allow you to create all sorts of useful furniture and facilities including containers, living quarters, and other infrastructure.

Cooking

“Consuming raw meat can be risky…”

Because no one can hunt and forage on an empty belly, cooking allows you to turn raw ingredients into delectable dishes. These meals are not only safer than eating the materials raw, but they also provide more benefits in the form of increased energy regeneration, among other effects. Those who choose to level this skill will also learn how to create herbal medicine, making it an indispensable proficiency to have at any time.

The cooking skill increases as you create new dishes and process ingredients into salves and ointments.

Processing

“The way of nature must bend to the will of man.”

You could hardly build a workbench using raw sticks and logs. The processing skill allows you to transform raw materials into forms that can be used for other purposes. Reeds and stalks are processed into rope; wood and bone can be turned into nails, and animal hides can be turned into straps. All of these processed materials can then be easily used to put together better and stronger gear, equipment, and even facilities and structures.

Ranged

“Take down fearsome enemies before they can even get close.”

The ranged skill allows the hunter to make better use of bows and crossbows to take down prey. Like the melee proficiency that levels up while wielding close-combat weapons, this skill increases by engaging monsters in combat with bows and crossbows. As your proficiency with these ranged weapons increases, you will be able to unleash arrows with more force, and in rapid succession. This skill is a must-have for those hunting for food.

There are 12 skills to level up in Durango Wild Lands, some of which increase automatically while you carve a path through the wilderness. However, some of these skills require a bit of grinding and farming to increase. Regardless, when it comes to surviving in this game, practice makes perfect. So get out there and start leveling up!

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