PC When do you make a higher level version of your preferred weapon?

ElCabong

Well-known member
If I make a level one 9mm, I'll wait until I can make a level six. I don't want to waste the weapons parts.  if all I have is the pipe pistol and I can make a level two when I get back to base, I'll make it. Same goes for the crossbow.  

I've been skipping the 44 magnum altogether because I want to have parts to make the SMG. However in the current playthrough I'm doing on experimental, I have plenty of gun parts so I made the 44. Very rarely does that happen. I'm not sure if this is consistent change or I'm just lucky

 I will immediately make clubs and baseball bats. No rare parts requirement for them. Except for the level six of course.

 
I usually do the following:

- Tools like pickaxes, shovels etc. , I'll do stone lvl1, stone lvl5, Iron lvl5, skip steel, auger lvl1-2 and auger lvl6

-Firearms for early game I'll do 2-3x lvl1 and use them only for hunting/hordes. I rarely craft firearms because of steel requirement and lack of weapon parts, but if I'm desperate for more firepower, anything above pipe tier will do. While I'm writing this, I'm noticing pattern of lvl5 of current tier or lvl2 tier above. 

 
My ultimate preferred weapon is the level 6 Sniper and level 5 or 6 Auto Shotty for "close encounters".

I ignore spears, clubs, batons and any pipe weapons.

I immediately craft Bone knives with bones being so plentiful and stamina usage being so low until I get a Hunting Knife. I'll use the Hunting Knife feeding points into Lucky Looter until I find a higher level knife and eventually a Machete.

Next I start crafting bows working my way up to the Compound Bow, my go to weapon until I get the Sniper.

Then I finally work my way towards getting a level 6 SMG and level 6 Deagle.

It's kinda interesting how easy it is to find level 5 weapons once you start feeding Lucky Looter, never needing to use weapon parts unless you want a level 6.

 
Once I can craft a lvl 6 version I'll do it, until then I just use what I find. Only early game I'll craft a new bone knife, stone spear or bow up to the point they cost special items or require repair kits.

 
I'll just wait till I get tier 5 or 6 or just wait till the next tier. 

Its a shame there aren't more practical uses to uses other tiers 

Shovels I craft a Tier 4 iron cuz you really don't need a steel shovel 

Melee I'll craft a Tier 1/2 but wait till 5/6 

Guns are the same

There needs to be reasons you should upgrade like increase stats like reload, headshot damage, damage up close etc

Armor I'll craft too each tier cuz I want that extra % stuff like biker and athlete I'll wait same for farmer 

But my main set I keep crafting

 
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I'll craft every level of stone tool or weapon as I go since they are cheap and the difference in damage is noticeable with the damage being low to begin with.  I basically never use pipe weapons, so never craft upgrades to those.  I'll also usually craft each level of primitive armor until I find real armor to replace it.

After that, I mostly use what I find unless I'm not finding my main weapon or tools quickly enough.  If I'm down a few quality levels, I may craft a better version up to Q5.  I won't craft Q6 for anything except tier 3.  I never craft normal armor until I can make Q6 of it.

 
I'm mostly crafting just the 1-part versions of guns, until I'll still have enough parts to make the T3-Q6 afterwards (which is rather rare). Then again, will often skip hunting rifle, as it isn't that great; will loot a toilet pistol, so there's no need. So, might craft a Q1 double barrel and an AK, if I'm specced into those. Melee parts are so abundant that those aren't usually stopping me at all, but finding a better one elsewhere isn't uncommon either...

I have crafted a few Q6 stone axes; feels like a waste, but it's basically three tools in one. Mainly it opens wooden boxes well enough, identical to iron axes, so it just takes the axe slot. And since it's there, it'll do well enough on iron/stone not to waste a slot for a low quality pickaxe. Will carry a steel pickaxe once available, but often times the stone axe serves well even from that point on. And as a bonus it provides a way for quick repairs / upgrades in a panic mode, without the need to carry an upgrade tool. In short, I use it so much, it's usually worth the "legendary". Might change if the legendary parts become actually rare.

 
I'm mostly crafting just the 1-part versions of guns, until I'll still have enough parts to make the T3-Q6 afterwards (which is rather rare). Then again, will often skip hunting rifle, as it isn't that great; will loot a toilet pistol, so there's no need. So, might craft a Q1 double barrel and an AK, if I'm specced into those. Melee parts are so abundant that those aren't usually stopping me at all, but finding a better one elsewhere isn't uncommon either...

I have crafted a few Q6 stone axes; feels like a waste, but it's basically three tools in one. Mainly it opens wooden boxes well enough, identical to iron axes, so it just takes the axe slot. And since it's there, it'll do well enough on iron/stone not to waste a slot for a low quality pickaxe. Will carry a steel pickaxe once available, but often times the stone axe serves well even from that point on. And as a bonus it provides a way for quick repairs / upgrades in a panic mode, without the need to carry an upgrade tool. In short, I use it so much, it's usually worth the "legendary". Might change if the legendary parts become actually rare.
Yeah, I always keep a stone axe on my tool belt.  And I've been known to craft a Q6 version of it.  One legendary part isn't a big deal.  I find that the stone axe does what I need better than the fire axe because it uses so little stamina that at high levels you don't even lose stamina since you regen faster and it does good damage with mods installed and swings faster.  The fire axe will break things more quickly, but you run out of stamina at lower levels and even if you aren't running out at high levels, you are using it.  And most things I'm using an axe on are broken so quickly even with a stone axe that it's just not necessary to use a second tool belt slot for the fire axe.  If I want to use the fire axe to chop trees, then I'll grab it specifically for that.  But otherwise, I stick to the stone axe.  And I never use the battle axe.  That is so slow and uses so much stamina that it's definitely not worth it.  And, as you said, it works for repairs as well if you don't have a better repair tool or don't want to use the space on your tool belt for one when you aren't building a base.

 
And I never use the battle axe.  That is so slow and uses so much stamina that it's definitely not worth it.
This isn't usually an issue for me; I tend to put at least 2 points into Miner, and am used to maintaining the "overhydrated" stamina buff if I need it. So I could use the steel axe, there just isn't a need for it, outside of deforesting an area.. :)

 
I have crafted a few Q6 stone axes; feels like a waste, but it's basically three tools in one. Mainly it opens wooden boxes well enough, identical to iron axes, so it just takes the axe slot.
I get that to Q5 as quick as possible, not a waste! It's my multitool to go, easy to repair and alwas good to repair doors when zeds are about to break trough in any POI or just break things that are not worth the wrench. And harvesting honey, don't forget honey 🫠

 
skip hunting rifle
After leveling dead eye by 3 points the pipe rifle is a sleeper it's cheap to repair and the reload is slightly the same however you do miss that extra points in damage.  I'm on warrior and if I get the 3 kill streak I can 1 shot Normals 

Plus it looks better and ADS is better. He'll I don't need a scope

However that extra damage from the hunting rifle really helps. But damn she's ugly.  The spoon saves that gun for me tho. 

 
After leveling dead eye by 3 points the pipe rifle is a sleeper it's cheap to repair and the reload is slightly the same however you do miss that extra points in damage.  I'm on warrior and if I get the 3 kill streak I can 1 shot Normals 
Ye, it's not completely useless; in my eyes it's just so slow that it kinda requires a side-arm. And if I'm carrying a side-arm, it doesn't really offer much benefit over any of the options. It has the best range, but if something is at 50m, it's not a threat anyway ... :)

Plus, somehow it feels I'm always starved for rifle parts specifically.

 
It can vary. Often, I'll simply loot or get rewarded with weapons and tools better than the ones I can make. If I get impatient for something specific, I will make a level 2 or 3. But after that the game usually ends up gifting them to me. I will make level 6 gear if it's essential but will persevere quite happily with a level 5 of anything.

I guess when you're playing alone, and you need to perk into so many things, the loot and rewards outpace you for specific things. Meanwhile when you're playing with your buddies, you can all perk more into specific things and make better versions before you can loot them.

 
depends on the type. Usually I want 2 mods minimum available before I move to the next tier, with the exception of the pipe weapons. I will craft anything above those just for the boost in reload speed. Bows/Crossbow I wait till at least two for the boost string mod and the whiskers/scope slots. That just makes stealth clearing CAKE.

After leveling dead eye by 3 points the pipe rifle is a sleeper it's cheap to repair and the reload is slightly the same however you do miss that extra points in damage.  I'm on warrior and if I get the 3 kill streak I can 1 shot Normals 
You make a great point about cheap repairs. I definitely weigh the use of weapons/tools that require repair kits early on before glue is in steady supply. Duct tape is such a bottle neck early on for so many things.

 
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I usually loot higher level tools / gear before I obtain the books, so parts are saved until I can craft a level 6...

But, I usually loot level 6's.

xD

 
I usually make a new higher quality version when it gives me an extra mod slot, if I have a mod to fit in there. Usually I find parts much faster than I can level up the crafting skill, in loot or I buy them at the trader. 

 
I am bringing back my No Repair mod for V2.0, so for me, it depends on if I can find a broken weapon that I can then repair for use.  At that point, it will be the highest level that I can craft.

 
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