Checklists
How creative can you get with your first free checklist?
All Books
Reading Perk Books in 7 Days to Die rewards you with abilities, recipes, and buffs to help you survive longer in the zombie-infested wasteland. There are dozens and dozens of books to discover, so read on for IGN's complete list.
How to Find Perk Books
Books are randomly found while looting in 7 Days to Die. You can typically find them by scouring trash bins, cupboards, supply crates, and loot crates.
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You can increase your chances of finding books by looking in places where it would make sense.
Perk Books are more common in:
- Book piles
- Bookcases
- Mailboxes
- File cabinets
- Desks
You can also check around towns for bookstores such as Crack-A-Book locations. Pawn shops and schools contain book piles and bookshelves to loot books. Traders can also offer books as quest rewards.
How to Use Perk Books
With a Book in your inventory, select it and press "Use" to use the book. Once a book is used up and a perk is learned, the icon in the image will change from a closed book to an open book.
All Perk Books
There are 18 Perk Book series with seven volumes each. Once you read all seven volumes, you unlock a bonus perk. You'll know you've finished a book series when the game awards you with a loud chime — try not to be too alarmed.
The Art of Mining
The Art of Mining teaches you perks that help improve your ability to mine ore like Coal using a pickaxe.
| The Art of Mining Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| The Art of Mining Vol. 1 | You get a small chance to mine rare gems from ore. | |
| The Art of Mining Vol. 2 | You can craft diamond-tipped blade mods for tools that dramatically increase durability. | |
| The Art of Mining Vol. 3 | Harvest 10% more ore when buzzed on coffee. | |
| The Art of Mining Vol. 4 | Can craft Blackstrap Coffee, a super-strong coffee. | |
| The Art of Mining Vol. 5 | Craft basic resources like ore into compact stacks. | |
| The Art of Mining Vol. 6 | Take 50% less damage from collapsing mines. | |
| The Art of Mining Vol. 7 | Mining tools do 10% more block damage. | |
| The Art of Mining - All Volumes | Gain 20% more ore while mining. | |
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The Automatic Weapon Handbook
The Automatic Weapon Handbook awards you with perks that improve your deadliness with weapons like machine guns.
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook Vol. 1 | Automatic weapons do 10% more damage. | |
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook Vol. 2 | Firing in fully automatic mode does 1% more damage per hit. | |
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook Vol. 3 | Automatic weapons have 20% less degradation. | |
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook Vol. 4 | You can craft Drum Magazine Mods for automatic weapons. | |
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook Vol. 5 | Fully automatic fire is more accurate with each shot fired. | |
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook Vol. 6 | Fully automatic fire increases the chance to ragdoll an enemy with each hit. | |
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook Vol. 7 | Hip-fire accuracy is greatly increased. | |
| The Automatic Weapon Handbook - All Volumes | Each kill boosts your run speed by 20% for 20 seconds. | |
Batter Up!
Batter Up! improves your ability to use Club weapons.
| Batter Up! Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Batter Up! Vol. 1 | Do 10% more damage with clubs. | |
| Batter Up! Vol. 2 | Sprinting with a club drawn in combat uses 20% less stamina. | |
| Batter Up! Vol. 3 | Power attacks to the legs slow enemies. | |
| Batter Up! Vol. 4 | Power attacks increase the chance of knock down. | |
| Batter Up! Vol. 5 | Bats and clubs degrade 20% slower. | |
| Batter Up! Vol. 6 | Can ragdoll enemies. | |
| Batter Up! Vol. 7 | Craft chain modifications for bats and clubs. | |
| Batter Up! - All Volumes | Power attacks that kill your enemy refill your stamina meter. | |
Bar Brawling
Bar Brawler lets you become deadly when armed with only your two mitts.
| Bar Brawler Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Bar Brawling Vol. 1 | Deal 10% more damage with fists. | |
| Bar Brawling Vol. 2 | Sprinting power attacks can knock down your opponent. | |
| Bar Brawling Vol. 3 | Gain 5% damage with each kill, up to 15%. | |
| Bar Brawling Vol. 4 | Do extra damage to knocked down and stunned opponents. | |
| Bar Brawling Vol. 5 | Recover health in combat with every punch. | |
| Bar Brawling Vol. 6 | Attack and move faster after getting hit. | |
| Bar Brawling Vol. 7 | Drinking Beer no longer blurs your vision. | |
| Bar Brawling - All Volumes | The 7th Curse (the seventh unarmed strike landed in a short time does 300% damage). | |
The Fireman's Almanac
The Fireman's Almanac allows you to become better when armed with an axe while offering heat-based buffs and more.
| The Fireman's Almanac Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| The Fireman's Almanac Vol. 1 | Add 10% hyperthermal protection. | |
| The Fireman's Almanac Vol. 2 | Craft the fireman's axe mod. | |
| The Fireman's Almanac Vol. 3 | Increase attack speed with axes by 5%. | |
| The Fireman's Almanac Vol. 4 | Fire-based weapons burn 10% longer. | |
| The Fireman's Almanac Vol. 5 | Reduced chance of being lit on fire by 25%. | |
| The Fireman's Almanac Vol. 6 | Do 10% more damage to Coal and burnt wood. | |
| The Fireman's Almanac Vol. 7 | Reduce collision damage to vehicles. | |
| The Fireman's Almanac - All Volumes | Sprint longer and never encumbered in the Burnt Forest or Wasteland biomes. | |
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The Great Heist
Become a better thief by reading The Great Heist Books, which increases cash found while looting and improves your stealth capabilities.
| The Great Heist Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| The Great Heist Vol. 1 | Do 10% more damage to safes. | |
| The Great Heist Vol. 2 | Find more jewelry any precious gems. (10% more Silver, Gold, and Diamond when looting). | |
| The Great Heist Vol. 3 | Find 10% more Dukes and cash in safes and ATMs. | |
| The Great Heist Vol. 4 | Do 20% more damage to land-claimed property. | |
| The Great Heist Vol. 5 | Fall great distances. (You can fall up to 15 meters without taking damage while carrying 5,000 Dukes or more). | |
| The Great Heist Vol. 6 | You use no stamina while sneak-sprinting. | |
| The Great Heist Vol. 7 | Sneak past motion-detection devices. (Motion detection devices will not recognize you for three seconds when sneaking). | |
| The Great Heist - All Volumes | Find 20% more Lockpicks in loot, break into locks 20% faster, and have a 10% lower chance of breaking your Lockpick. (Can craft Lockpicks in stacks of 50). | |
The Hunter's Journal
Zombies aren't the only creatures lurking in these woods. The Hunter's Journal makes you a greater hunter of beasts.
| The Hunter's Journal Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| The Hunter's Journal Vol. 1 | Do 10% more damage against Bears. | |
| The Hunter's Journal Vol. 2 | Do 10% more damage against Wolves. | |
| The Hunter's Journal Vol. 3 | Do 10% more damage against Coyotes. | |
| The Hunter's Journal Vol. 4 | Do 10% more damage against Mountain Lions. | |
| The Hunter's Journal Vol. 5 | Do 10% more damage against Deer. | |
| The Hunter's Journal Vol. 6 | Do 10% more damage against Vultures. | |
| The Hunter's Journal Vol. 7 | Do 10% more damage against humanoids. | |
| The Hunter's Journal - All Volumes | Harvest more Bone, Meat, and Leather from animals. | |
Lucky Looter
You'll do a lot of looting in 7 Days to Die. Improve your odds by reading the Lucky Looter.
| Lucky Looter Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Lucky Looter Vol. 1 | Find more Dukes in loot. | |
| Lucky Looter Vol. 2 | Find more ammunition in loot. | |
| Lucky Looter Vol. 3 | Find more Brass in loot. | |
| Lucky Looter Vol. 4 | Find more Lead in loot. | |
| Lucky Looter Vol. 5 | Find more junk in loot. | |
| Lucky Looter Vol. 6 | Find more food in loot. | |
| Lucky Looter Vol. 7 | Find more medical supplies in loot. | |
| Lucky Looter - All Volumes | Enemies have a higher chance to drop loot (20%). | |
Magnum Enforcer
Do you dream of wandering the wasteland role-playing as Clint Eastwood? Magnum Enforcer is here to help.
| Magnum Enforcer Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Magnum Enforcer Vol. 1 | Do 10% more damage with .44 guns. | |
| Magnum Enforcer Vol. 2 | Take 5% less damage when wearing the Enforcer Outfit. | |
| Magnum Enforcer Vol. 3 | The last shot in the chamber does double damage. | |
| Magnum Enforcer Vol. 4 | Bartering with a .44 gun drawn gives you a 5% better deal. | |
| Magnum Enforcer Vol. 5 | You can craft AP .44 Magnum ammunition. | |
| Magnum Enforcer Vol. 6 | You can craft HiPower .44 Magnum ammunition. | |
| Magnum Enforcer Vol. 7 | Sprinting with a .44 gun in combat uses 20% less stamina. | |
| Magnum Enforcer - All Volumes | All shots with .44 ammo penetrate enemies. Bulk-craft ammo (all .44 Magnum ammunition). | |
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The Night Stalker
The Night Stalker gives you buffs that activate during the night, which lasts from 22:00 to 04:00.
| The Night Stalker Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| The Night Stalker Vol. 1 | Do 10% more sneak damage at night. | |
| The Night Stalker Vol. 2 | Sneak 5% better at night. | |
| The Night Stalker Vol. 3 | Bladed weapons do 10% more damage at night. | |
| The Night Stalker Vol. 4 | Never encumbered at night. | |
| The Night Stalker Vol. 5 | Bows do 10% more damage at night. | |
| The Night Stalker Vol. 6 | Gain 5% more experience points (XP) from kills at night. | |
| The Night Stalker Vol. 7 | Do an extra 50% sneak damage to sleeping victims at night. | |
| The Night Stalker - All Volumes | Sneak attacks with knives at night deal 200% extra damage. | |
Pistol Pete
Become the fastest draw in the West with Pistol Pete, which improves your ability to use handguns and the SMG while allowing you to craft better 9mm ammunition.
| Pistol Pete Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Pistol Pete Vol. 1 | 9mm weapons have 20% more range when sighted. | |
| Pistol Pete Vol. 2 | Each successive leg shot increases the chance (10%) to disable. | |
| Pistol Pete Vol. 3 | More accurate when rapidly firing 9mm weapons. | |
| Pistol Pete Vol. 4 | Pistols and SMGs degrade 20% slower. | |
| Pistol Pete Vol. 5 | You can craft HiPower 9mm ammunition. | |
| Pistol Pete Vol. 6 | You can craft AP 9mm ammunition. | |
| Pistol Pete Vol. 7 | Inflict 10% more damage with 9mm weapons. | |
| Pistol Pete - All Volumes | Shots fired at point blank ignore [20% of] armor. Bulk-craft 9mm ammunition (all types). | |
Ranger's Guide to Archery
Become a better archer and craft powerful arrows and crossbow bolts with Ranger's Guide to Archery.
| Ranger's Guide to Archery Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Ranger's Guide to Archery Vol. 1 | Can retrieve 20% more arrows after they've been fired. | |
| Ranger's Guide to Archery Vol. 2 | Craft Exploding Arrows and Crossbow Bolts. | |
| Ranger's Guide to Archery Vol. 3 | Leg shots slow your opponent. | |
| Ranger's Guide to Archery Vol. 4 | Craft armor-piercing Steel Arrows. | |
| Ranger's Guide to Archery Vol. 5 | Craft Flaming Arrows and Crossbow Bolts. | |
| Ranger's Guide to Archery Vol. 6 | Bows degrade 20% slower. | |
| Ranger's Guide to Archery Vol. 7 | Sneak attacks have a 20% greater chance of knockdown. | |
| Ranger's Guide to Archery - All Volumes | Bulk-craft [all types of] arrows and bolts. | |
Shotgun Messiah
Reading Shotgun Messiah Perk Books improves your ability to wield shotguns and unlocks recipes for more powerful ammunition.
| Shotgun Messiah Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Shotgun Messiah Vol. 1 | Shotguns do 10% more damage. | |
| Shotgun Messiah Vol. 2 | Craft breaching ammunition used to breach security (for doors and safes). | |
| Shotgun Messiah Vol. 3 | Targets within three meters have a high dismemberment chance. | |
| Shotgun Messiah Vol. 4 | You can craft Shotgun Slugs. | |
| Shotgun Messiah Vol. 5 | Shotguns degrade 20% slower. | |
| Shotgun Messiah Vol. 6 | You can craft shotgun Tube Extender Mods. | |
| Shotgun Messiah Vol. 7 | Targets with full health take 20% more damage. | |
| Shotgun Messiah - All Volumes | You can one-shot most wood blocks. Bulk-craft all shotgun ammo. | |
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Sniper
Aptly named, the Sniper series of books improves your damage with scoped weapons and unlocks recipes for better 7.62mm ammunition.
| Sniper Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Sniper Vol. 1 | Weapons do 10% more damage when using a scope. | |
| Sniper Vol. 2 | Leg shots disable all but the strongest enemies and have a chance to dismember. | |
| Sniper Vol. 3 | Head shots have a chance to stun and a greater chance to dismember. | |
| Sniper Vol. 4 | Reload 10% faster with rifles. | |
| Sniper Vol. 5 | Zooming uses less stamina (by 15%). | |
| Sniper Vol. 6 | Craft AP 7.62mm ammunition. | |
| Sniper Vol. 7 | Craft HiPower 7.62mm ammunition. | |
| Sniper - All Volumes | Bulk-craft all 7.62mm ammo. | |
Spear Hunter
Using a spear allows you to defeat enemies in melee without having them get too close. Spear Hunter makes you even more deadly when wielding a long, pointy stick.
| Spear Hunter Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Spear Hunter Vol. 1 | You do 10% more damage with spears. | |
| Spear Hunter Vol. 2 | Spears degrade 20% slower. | |
| Spear Hunter Vol. 3 | Spears have a 25% chance to cause bleeding damage. | |
| Spear Hunter Vol. 4 | Power attacks do more damage (50%) to downed targets. | |
| Spear Hunter Vol. 5 | Increase attack speed by 10%. | |
| Spear Hunter Vol. 6 | Penetrate multiple targets. | |
| Spear Hunter Vol. 7 | Hits scored in quick succession deal more damage. (10% more damage per hit up to 30%). | |
| Spear Hunter - All Volumes | Kills with spears refill your stamina. | |
Urban Combat
Become more lethal in general by reading Urban Combat.
| Urban Combat Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Urban Combat Vol. 1 | Craft Stealth Boots Mod. (Medium and Heavy boots will have no stamina penalty and reduced noise when moving.) | |
| Urban Combat Vol. 2 | Craft Cigars and look cool like a sexual tyrannosaurus (boosts strength and barter ability). | |
| Urban Combat Vol. 3 | Sneaking over trash makes no sound. | |
| Urban Combat Vol. 4 | Sneak-landing makes less sound and sneak jump height is not reduced. | |
| Urban Combat Vol. 5 | Land mines won't detonate when stepped on. | |
| Urban Combat Vol. 6 | Armor doesn't slow you down when in combat. | |
| Urban Combat Vol. 7 | Take 5% less damage and deal 10% more damage when indoors. | |
| Urban Combat - All Volumes | Silencers have no damage penalty. | |
Tech Junkie
You'll get a charge by reading Tech Junkie, a series of books that makes Robotic weapons more powerful and unlocks recipes for turret ammunition.
| Tech Junkie Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Tech Junkie Vol. 1 | Robotic weapons do 10% more damage. | |
| Tech Junkie Vol. 2 | Robotic weapons and Stun Batons degrade 20% slower. | |
| Tech Junkie Vol. 3 | Craft AP robotic turret ammo. | |
| Tech Junkie Vol. 4 | Craft robotic turret shells. | |
| Tech Junkie Vol. 5 | Craft Stun Repulsor Mods. | |
| Tech Junkie Vol. 6 | Stun Baton Charging (25% chance for regular and 50% chance for power attacks to instantly charge Stun Batons). | |
| Tech Junkie Vol. 7 | Increase the fire rate of robotic weapons (robotic sledges by 5% and robotic turrets by 10%). | |
| Tech Junkie - All Volumes | Bulk-craft all robotic turret ammo. | |
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Wasteland Treasures
Wasteland Treasures is what you read when you want to find more loot when you loot.
| Wasteland Treasures Perk Books | ||
|---|---|---|
| Book Name | What it does | Collected |
| Wasteland Treasures Vol. 1 | Adds a small chance to harvest Honey from trees. | |
| Wasteland Treasures Vol. 2 | Harvest coffins for Bones, jewelry, and precious gems. | |
| Wasteland Treasures Vol. 3 | Adds a chance to harvest Acid from cars and medical equipment. | |
| Wasteland Treasures Vol. 4 | Purify Pure Mineral Water, the tastiest water in the wasteland. | |
| Wasteland Treasures Vol. 5 | Harvest Brass from most doors. | |
| Wasteland Treasures Vol. 6 | Learn to weave Plant Fiber into cloth. | |
| Wasteland Treasures Vol. 7 | Harvest more Lead and Brass from sinks. | |
| Wasteland Treasures - All Volumes | Find more Legendary Parts (while looting). | |
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