Cheat sheets · all 12 skills

Every skill, one page

Per skill: what it's for → fastest leveling route → must-picks → notes. Routes are broken out into level bands; picks you should always take are listed up front. Compiled from the 2018–19 original-game guides (namu.wiki, the r/DurangoWildLands leveling guide, Korean cook/level blogs) and the archived Fandom wikis.

Community-server caveat

Revivals (XD Lands, Primoria, Reborn, Primal Colony) reimplement the same 12 skill trees — the routes below should work, but tuned rates and content may differ. Check your server's Discord when exact numbers matter.

Global mechanics (read once)

Skill level can never exceed your character level.
Research gate: from Lv 20 on, every 5th level is time-gated. Start long researches before logging off, and keep several trees sitting at “research available”.
SP economy: ~827 SP by Lv 60, plus ~70 from milestones ≈ ~900 total. Survival + Gathering + Construction + Processing full trees alone cost 829 — specialization is mandatory, and combat trees realistically can't be maxed.
Unlearn: 5 free swaps per day, then 30 warp gems each (max 10/day). Auto-learned skills can't be unlearned. Full reset scroll = 900 gems (not worth it). “Craft, then unlearn” is a normal strategy — especially for Construction.
Quests require specific unlocks from Gathering / Butchering / Construction — you can't skip those basics entirely.
Tier rule everywhere: recipes only pay XP until their item cap — move up a tier when returns stop.

The research gate — how long each 5th level takes to unlock.
Level step	Research time	Level step	Research time
20 → 21	20 minutes	45 → 46	12 hours
25 → 26	40 minutes	50 → 51	1 day
30 → 31	1 hour	55 → 56	2 days
35 → 36	2 hours	59 → 60	3 days
40 → 41	4 hours

Quick reference

Fastest route and must-picks per skill.
Skill	Fastest route	Must-picks
Survival	Auto — follows character level, never research-gated	Bulk Up (energy), capture tools for taming
Gathering	Levels naturally; mud/ore spam if behind	Mud 2, Metal 1–4, Precious Metal I–II, Sap 1, Log 1–4, Fiber 1
Butchering	Clams (beaches) + Coconut Crabs; desert bone graveyards	Leather I, Pelt I, Bone II–III, Teeth I
Processing	Stalk → rope; log → split → nails (needs half the XP of other skills)	Nails, Charcoal, Refined Ore (40), trimmed mats
Melee	Kill lots of weak targets in defensive gear	ONE weapon line + one stance + Enhanced Melee
Ranged	Same — shoot from safety	Bow or Crossbow, one stance, Barrage/Aimed Shot
Defense	Compsognathus packs (temperate/tropical): block & roll on purpose	Roll, Weapon Block, Recovery + Physical Training
Weapon/Tool	Wooden Spear → Stone Plate / Stone Work tools (20+) → Earthenware Pot = 3× Mud (35+)	Metal tier, mortars, repair kits, Handle/Tang
Tailoring	Leaf → Straw gear (to 20) → Thread/Fabric at Flax Crater (Small Loom)	Looms, thread/fabric + upgraded mats
Construction	Leaf/stalk bundles (<20) → log→planks, rock→pillar→slab (20+)	Workbenches, kiln, oven/stove, racks, looms, boxes, warp holes
Cooking	Skewers → Meat Dumplings (mortar) → Lv 40: Squeeze Oil + Frying	Chop Meat, Squeeze Oil, Frying
Farming	Mud craters (Mud II + shovel) = instant 1 → 30+; then flax/corn plots	Mud 2 (Gathering), high-grade fertilizer (40)

1 · Survival (생존)

Auto-levels

Auto-levels — rises just by playing and alongside every other skill; the only tree that never needs research. Never grind it.

What the three sub-trees give you.
Sub-tree	Ranks	What it gives
Exploration	I–III	area exploration / discovery +1
Stealth	I–VI	Hiding ability
Bulk Up	I–X	Max Energy +10 per rank — energy is life in Durango

Taming lives here (it is not a separate skill), together with taming pens (Construction) and herb-lure mechanics.

Capture unlocks.
Unlock	Level	Gives you
Capture tools I / II / III	15 / 20 / 40	beginner / intermediate / advanced taming tool crafting
Four-legged capture I	15	zebraceratops, protoceratops
Four-legged capture II	45	centrosaurus, styracosaurus

How to tame

Equip a blunt weapon (e.g. a stone hammer) and beat the dino low.
Press capture — only dinos within 5 levels of you can be captured.
Feed, name, bag or ride it afterwards.

Mounts: max 3 without specialization — one fast (raptor-type; Ornithomimus at speed 790) + two high-carry pack animals. No feeding needed: summon → transfer → re-summon.

2 · Gathering (채집)

Core tree

Core tree. Your gathering level = the max level of materials you can collect — a Lv 55 island still gives Lv 30 mats if your skill is 30. It levels naturally as you play; the research gate is the real bottleneck, so keep it researching.

Must-picks

Mud II
Metal I–IV
Precious Metal I–II
Sap I
Log I–IV
Fiber I

Skip unless needed

Unusual Plants
Gathering Basics
Bugs

Mud II unlocks mud → Farming/Construction (Mud I: poo = fertilizer). Fiber I is required for Tailoring.
With Log I–IV you make sticks at will — skip picking up branches. Always mine rare ore when you find it.
Wild Seed I–V (Lv 10, 25, 35, 40, …) tell you which wild seeds you can pick — onion, flax, rose, mushroom … — to start Farming them.
Mining ability matters: low ability = very low success on rare ores. Don't lose a found gold vein — invest in the ability.

3 · Butchering (도축)

Free to level

Turns corpses and bone piles into meat / leather / pelt / bones / teeth / sinew. Result level = min(animal level, your butchering level).

Where to level it for free — clams and crabs alone can max it.
Source	Where	Notes
Clams	any beach	the production grind — spam these to max it
Coconut Crabs	tropical palm trees	also free
Bone graveyards	desert	also free

Must-picks

Leather I
Pelt I
Bone II (large leg bones)
Bone III
Teeth I

Skip if not needed: skulls and horns (market-cheap), the Carving sub-tree. Full Butchering Basics is only for a dedicated clan butcher.
Synergy: Cooking (meat), Weapon/Tool (bone, sticks), Tailoring (leather).

4 · Processing (가공)

Half XP per level

Converts raw → advanced materials (rope, nails, charcoal, planks, dried/trimmed leather, refined ore) — it touches every other tree.
Needs only HALF the XP of other skills — one of the fastest trees; almost never needs deliberate grinding.

Leveling chains that feed other trees.
Chain	What it's for
Stalk → Rope	rope for Tailoring & Construction (rope → rope also works)
Log → Split Wood → Nails	nails for Construction
Plank (from Construction)	pays BOTH Construction + Processing XP

Must-picks

Normal Nails (Lv 5)
Charcoal (Lv 10, kiln)
Dried Leather (racks)
Refined Ore (Lv 40)
Trimmed Materials (tables)

Non-crafters should still take nails, charcoal, leather drying and ore refinement. Metal consumables come from kilns.

5 · Melee (근접전)

Combat

XP comes from killing — stronger targets give more.
Build rule: ONE weapon type. SP are too tight for two — pick 1H or 2H, then Knife(/Sword), Axe, Blunt, or Lance (2H).

Stances

Attack (balanced)
Berserk (2H)
Blitz / Charge (lance)
Defense
Counter

Pick one stance and take all its combat skills — e.g. 2H Axe → Berserk + Crush/Cleave/Sunder maxed.

What each weapon line's mastery gives.
Weapon line	Mastery bonus
Sword	crit chance + defense penetration
Axe	crit damage + AoE
Blunt	accuracy + stun

Tactics: Assault Tactics (+damage, −cooldown), Vigilance Tactics (evasion/counter); advanced tactics at Lv 16 — Defense Tactics, Pinpoint Tactics.
Leveling: wear defensive gear and just kill lots of things; alternate Melee/Ranged sessions to feed Defense (the harder tree) at the same time.

6 · Ranged / Archery (궁술)

Combat

Weapons and stances at a glance.
Pick	Type	Character	Best for
Bow	Weapon	accuracy + defense penetration; fast, consistent	general play
Crossbow	Weapon (Lv 20)	crit + stun; slower	burst damage
Shooting	Stance	fast, medium range; Barrage DPS	solo play
Sniper	Stance	slow, heavy, long-range	big AoE bosses (e.g. mammoths) — bad vs fast movers

Skills: Barrage (3-shot volley — drains a lot of stamina/energy) and Aimed Shot; only one combat skill per stance + “Enhanced Ranged Attack” upgrades.
Leveling: the 2019 guide author preferred Ranged over Melee (no running to targets); shoot everything, then switch to Melee once Ranged caps.

7 · Defense (방어)

Needs timed play

The only combat tree that needs deliberate, timed play: XP only when your block / parry / roll actually avoids an incoming hit — a missed roll wastes the cooldown.
Grind route: temperate/tropical Compsognathus packs — aggro the whole group and spam weapon block or roll on purpose. Anticipate attack patterns.

The pickups worth SP for any build.
Skill	What it gives
Recovery (Defense I–VI)	+10 / +20 / +30 def
Physical Training (Health I–VI)	+25 / +50 HP
Roll	full evade — works in Attack & Shooting stance
Weapon Block (Lv 10)	block incoming hits with your weapon

Stance defense: Roll = full evade; Parry (Defense stance) mitigates rather than negates; Counter attack in Counter stance.

8 · Weapon/Tool (무기/도구 제작)

Top-2 money maker

Top-2 money maker (with Tailoring): tools, weapons, mortars, repair kits.
Non-crafters should still take the metal tier — Lv 55+ islands need metal tools to harvest anything, and buying them is expensive. Cooks: take cooking-tool crafting.

Fastest route by level.
Level	Route	Notes
Early	spam Wooden Spear	—
Lv 20+	rock → Stone Plate; or Stone Work Knife / Axe / Hammer	sell knives — always in demand
Lv 35+	Earthenware Pot = 3× Mud, no workbench, craftable on the spot	gather mud in swamp/tundra craters; batch-craft at home while resting
Lv 40+	Earthenware Mortar	—

Must-picks

Stone/bone work tools
Stone Work Knife at 25 (unlearn the Standard knife)
Stone + Earthenware Mortar
All repair-kit skills
Handle / Improved Handle / Tang
One weapon family you actually use (bow / knife / blunt)

Repair loop: repairs give skill; repeated repairs lower max durability → retire tools once a repair would drop them below ~100. Kits are cheap to mass-produce and sell.
Caps climb wood → stone (~44) → bone → metal (45+). Batch style: gather mats for 100, craft 100, sell the extras.

Bone & metal material buff tables → Crafting details.

9 · Tailoring (옷 제작)

Late bloomer

Needed for inventory bags and desert/tundra climate outfits (otherwise fatigue drains fast). Keep it moving to at least 20 even if it's not your main.

Route by level band.
Level	Do this	Notes
1–5	Leaf Outfit / Hat (2× Leaf, no bench)	—
5–20	Straw Outfit	unlearn Straw at 20 to free up SP
20+	learn Thread + Fabric; build Small Looms (Construction 15)	take a loom to a Tundra island's Flax Crater near your skill level; fill a bag with flax; spin Thread → Fabric until you drop the loom there
50+	Strong Thread + Thick Fabric (Large Loom)	fill mounts with flax + sticks and grind at base/camp

Desert kit (Lv 20+): fabric bag, canteens, sleeve pockets.
Upgrades: modern-clothes repair (20), remodel (25); the bag line climbs Fabric Bag 30 → Backpack 60.
Supports: Fiber 1 (Gathering), Farming 25+ (grow your own flax), Construction 15 (Small Loom).

Hide, fabric & modification tables → Crafting details.

10 · Construction (건설)

Craft, then unlearn

Builds workbenches, facilities, storage, furniture. “Red ocean”: high demand early, saturated later — craft what you need, then unlearn (facilities keep working inside your domain even at 0 durability; the 2018-03 patch lowered repair wear anyway).

Route by level.
Level	Route	Notes
< Lv 20	leaf & stalk bundles	bundles from bundles also works
20+	log → plank; rock → stone pillar → stone slab	—
Any time	box-spam	also levels it — and boxes sell well

Must-picks

Courier warp holes (best you can make)
Basic + Journeyman Workbench
Simple Kiln
Oven + Stove
Small + Large Drying Rack
Small + Large Loom
Small / Large / Wide Boxes
Makeshift Taming Pen
Plank, Stone Pillar, Hinge
From Processing: Normal Nail, Charcoal

Facility notes: cooking fire (아궁이) = 2 cooking jobs; hearth (부뚜막, Construction 40) = 3 — four hearths cook 12 회찜찜 at once.
Workstations upgrade: basic 2 jobs → 3 jobs, and unlock advanced crafts (e.g. crossbows).

Building material cheat sheet → Crafting details.

11 · Cooking (요리)

Energy supply Medicine lives here

Jobs: energy supply, buffs, and medicine — meds live in this tree.

Full tree = 303 SP.
Sub-tree	SP
Basics	78
Ingredient Processing	62
Medicine	45
Baking	43
Preservation	31
Practice	17
Applications	27

The easiest route to max — four skills do the work.
Stage	Skills	Route
To Lv 19	—	skewers: any food + a branch + a fire — shortest cook time; cook twice for “well-done”. Stops training you at Lv 19.
Lv 19 → 40	Chop Meat (mortar)	combine meat so the piece keeps ≥ 2 processing counts; only convert ≥×2 meat into Meat Dumplings — else skewer it. Cooking must be the last processing step.
Lv 40+	Squeeze Oil 1–2 + Frying 1	fry meat in nut oil (pine/hazel nuts from tundra islands) repeatedly.

For eating: the food table on the Systems page is the quick version — 회찜찜 is the staple.

Spices amplify stat buffs.
Spice	Buffs
Salt	Str / Per
Sugar	Dex / Per / Cha
Herb	Str / Dex / Will

Ingredient hidden abilities

What certain ingredients secretly add to the dish (both player PDFs agree).
Ingredient	Hidden ability
Tomato	+Cooking ability
Grape	+Sewing (tailoring)
Banana	+Leather processing
Pumpkin	+Farming ability
Bell pepper	+Weapon crafting ability
Onion, potato	+Gathering ability
Fig	+Clothes crafting

Base ingredients also carry stat buffs (player guide): meat/sirloin/peas → STR, onion/potato/wheat → DEX, tomato/pumpkin → INT, salt/worm → CHA. Advanced baking and the full food-buff list live in the Systems food section.
Never burn the stone plate — “burnt” is a huge energy loss. Eat standing still (finish the animation).
Salt from seawater (Lv 25+) makes skill grinds easy.

12 · Farming (농사)

Easiest to level

Cheapest & easiest to max — no farming skills required. Avoid animal poo (dirty/fatigue debuff).

Mud first, then plots.
Step	Do this	Notes
Unlock	Mud II (Gathering) + a shovel	mud work starts here
Grind	swamp mud nodes / tundra mud craters	one spree can take you 1 → 30+; mud at or above your farming level gives faster skill
Plots	grow flax — or corn	flax: stalk + seeds + leaves feed Tailoring / Construction / Processing at once; corn needs zero farming-skill investment
Lv 40	high-grade fertilizer	quality meat fertilizer out-values fruit/grain ones (compost 97→105 vs 46→50) — big plots get cheap

How a plot works.
Mechanic	Detail
Plot	mud + hoe
Water	success chance
Fertilizer	yield — excess carries over to the next crop (small flower beds hold 5 compost, large 10)
Crop level	set by your farming level + the field's level + the seed's level — water and fertilizer don't change it

Fertilizer values

Compost values, Nutritious Lv 5 → Lv 6 (player guide). Lv 60 fertilizers out-value lower tiers.
Fertilizer	From	Compost
Quality meat fertilizer	meat, fish (intestines — dumpling them first)	97 → 105
Quality manure	animal droppings (Lv 60)	82 → 89
Quality grain/fruit fertilizer	grains, fruits, moss, honeycomb, raw fish	46 → 50
Plain compost	mud, droppings, moss	10 / 20 / 35

Domain location matters: gravel/sand/coastal ground = bad farming; if your domain sits there, plan around it.

Stats & attribute boosts

Attributes raise the chance of better gathering/crafting outcomes. Use Titles (University of Durango courses) and gear to match — and leveling any skill also grants +1 to two stats every 3 levels.

What each stat does

Every stat's effect (player guide).
Stat	Boosts
STR	attack power, defense penetration, weapon crafting
INT	plant gathering, mining, demolition, cooking, furniture crafting, building, handicrafts, metal processing
AGI	accuracy, evasion
DEX	crit chance, food gathering, mining, weapon crafting, tailoring
END	health, energy, furniture crafting, building
WILL	energy, butchering, farming, handicrafts, metal processing
CHA	tailoring, cooking, farming
PER	faster butchering, demolition, hiding

What to wear

Main ability and matching stats per activity.
Activity	Main ability	Primary stat	Secondary stat
Butchering	Slaughter	—	—
Cooking	Cooking	Charisma	Int
Construction	Furniture crafting	Endurance	Int
Defense	Max Health	Endurance	—
Farming	Farming	Will	—
Gathering	Plant/Mining gathering	Perception	Dexterity
Melee	—	Strength	Accuracy
Ranged	—	Agility	Accuracy
Tailoring	Tailoring	Dexterity	Charisma
Weapon/Tool	Weapon crafting	Dexterity	Strength
Processing	? (not documented)	—	—

Skill level buffs

+1 to each stat below every 3 skill levels (Lv 3, 6, 9 …; player guide).
Skill	Buffs	Skill	Buffs
Survival	AGI + PER	Defense	AGI + END
Butchering	WILL + PER	Melee	STR + END
Gathering	DEX + PER	Ranged	STR + AGI
Processing	INT + WILL	Weapon/Tool	STR + DEX
Construction	INT + END	Tailoring	DEX + CHA
Cooking	INT + CHA	Farming	WILL + CHA

Skill-management tips

Plan your SP tree before level 40 — everything cannot be maxed (~900 SP total vs 829 SP for just four full trees).
Construction: finish your facility kit → unlearn the extras; only keep points in what you'll repair/expand.
Research timing: before logging off, start the longest research available; avoid grinding a tree that's sitting on “Research Available”.
Combat is the SP sink — stick to one weapon + one stance family, and level Defense opportunistically.

Where this came from

namu.wiki skills doc (§1–§14), r/DurangoWildLands “Character and Skill Leveling Guide” (2019), Inven webzine cook guide, KR leveling blogs and the archived Fandom wikis. Full list on the About page.

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