Class Guide

How a background works

You choose a background once, on the character creation screen, and it cannot be changed afterwards. Every Operator starts from the same pack: 10 Scrap, 10 Wood, 10 Cloth, 5 Iron, 5 Food, 5 Water, 10 Ammo, 2 Reinforced Rope and 5 survivors in the camp. The background then adds a stat modifier, some extra gear or resources, and a named perk. All fifteen talent trees stay open to everyone, so a background is a head start, not a lock.

The creation screen shows a perk description for each background. Not every description is wired into the game yet, so this page separates what the code applies from what the text promises. If you only read one section, make it the perk table below.

Stats and starting kit

Base Max HP and Max Stamina are both 100 plus 5 per level. Percentage modifiers are recalculated from that base every time you level, so they grow with you. The figures below exclude gear and talents.

Which perks actually work

This table compares the perk text on the creation screen with what the game does. "Not found" means the text promises an effect but nothing in the current build applies it, so do not plan around it.

The ten backgrounds

Scavenger

The rucksack lifts your carry limit from 40 to 100, which means longer runs before you must go home. There is no combat edge, so you rely on gear and talents. Week one: scavenge the nearby ruins on the map, carry everything back, and build the Workshop and Scrap Pit first.

Mercenary

A 20% HP bonus is the simplest safety margin in the game, and the Combat Knife needs no ammo (6 damage, close range only). Swap to a gun once you find one. Week one: take the easier fights near the base for XP, and use your class to open the Mercenary-only talk options (see the encounter table).

Techie

Extra stamina and a real crafting perk. With the Workshop at level 1 you already craft Uncommon gear; at level 5 you craft Godlike. Week one: build the Workshop (40 Scrap, 40 Wood) and craft rope and a better weapon before upgrading anything else.

Field Medic

You start with a Med-Bay worth 30 Scrap, 30 Wood and 20 Medicine, plus 5 Medicine, and take half damage from ordinary hits. The cost is that you deal no more damage than anyone else. Week one: fight from cover, spend the saved materials on the Workshop, and keep the Medicine for radiation days.

Smuggler

Mechanically this is a small stamina bonus and nothing more, which makes it the weakest pick for a first run. It suits players who want to lean on talents (Broker, Engineer) rather than the class. Week one: play the economy: hand surplus materials in at the Quests terminal for Scrip and save it for the Wasteland Bar.

Heavy Gunner

The Scrap Launcher deals 55 base damage plus a normal 8 to 14 roll, so a single torso hit (85% chance) can often kill an early scout or hound outright. Compare that with the Combat Knife at 6. The price is 1 Scrap per attack, and your 60 starting Scrap is also your building budget. Week one: use the launcher only on dangerous fights and mine the Scrap Pit early. See the called shots guide for hit chances.

Botanist

A free Greenhouse (normally 40 Scrap, 40 Wood and 30 Water) takes pressure off food and water early. Combat is your weakness. Week one: get the Greenhouse working, then spend the saved Scrap and Wood on the Workshop and Walls.

Broadcaster

Ten Tech Data is a lot early on. At Comms each one reveals a new lead, and the Broadcaster also qualifies for the generator-repair encounter. Week one: decrypt a few leads, keep 5 back in case the Bar sells you the supply-caravan rumor, and read the quests and contracts guide.

Nomad

Thirty percent more stamina means more trips per day before you tire, and the Nomad can sneak into the Smuggler's Stash. Week one: explore widely, since stamina is what you spend on every expedition.

Mutated Anomaly

Sixty HP at level 1 is fragile, but Toxic Blood hits every enemy each turn: 5 damage at level 1, 13 at level 5, 23 at level 10, 43 at level 20, ignoring armor, and it scales with the number of enemies. Halved incoming hits soften the low HP. Warning: it also damages the captive in a Reptilian Convoy fight, so a rescue can fail on its own. Week one: avoid long fights below level 3 and invest in the Mutagen tree.

Encounter options by class

Some roadside and rumor encounters offer an extra choice if your class matches, or if your Reputation is high enough. Reputation is the equalizer: meeting Cipher gives +25 (not reachable in the current build), and every won fight adds 2 to 5, so most players open the lower gates regardless of class.

The first three rows are roadside encounters, whose rewards are scaled down to about 55%; rumor sites and contracts pay in full. The quests guide explains the scaling.

Which one should you pick

Related pages

New to the game? Start with the beginner guide. For fights read the combat guide and the talent builds. For crafting tiers see gear and rarity, and for income see quests and contracts.

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