Toolboxes

[Celeblith]

How do simple and quality tools work?

[Skelegutplays]

For repairing things like tools.

If you are asking about the differences between them quality tools weigh 0,25 kg  less and   only quality tools can repair the hammer or hacksaw.

[Celeblith]

2 minutes ago, Skelegutplays said:

For repairing things like tools.

How do I use them? And what are their effects, specifically? 

[Skelegutplays]

What you do to fix stuff with them you go to your  inventory select the tool you want to fix click on actions and repair it and the condition goes up. (Does not work on knives/axes)

[Doc Feral]

You don't "use" them. They are required to do some tasks, like sewing kits.

[Celeblith]

@Doc Feral & @Skelegutplays

If I'm understanding correctly, what you're saying is that having a box of tools in your inventory when you do repairs makes the repairs more efficient? Less time to repair and more condition gained per repair? 

How much more condition? How much less time?

[Drifter Man]

For example, hacksaw loses 1% per hour when used for carcass harvesting, 5% per use on things like cutting metal, wood, opening cargo containers. You can only repair it if you have a toolbox (simple or quality both work) and a piece of scrap metal, by 25%. You can't repair it otherwise.

Similar mechanics apply to the heavy hammer, where you need tools + a piece of fir firewood for repair.

Tools lose about 2.5% condition per use and can be repaired by other tools and scrap metal. This allows practically infinite number of repairs once you have at least two toolboxes and enough scrap.

Apart from these three examples, I can't remember any other use of the tools.

I think that quality tools, apart from being lighter, enable shorter repair times but don't know by how much.

Add 'last time I checked' to everything I've written because the game evolves and I don't keep track of everything... anyone who is more up to date, please correct me

[MrWolf]

Tools, at least Quality Tools, help with some crafting tasks as well.  If you have Quality Tools in your inventory when you craft an arrow, you can choose to use the "hand" icon, or the Quality Tools.  Using the Quality Tools will shorten the time to make the arrow.  I don't know if that also works with the Simple Tools, or if other crafting utilizes the tools.

[s7mar7in]

8 hours ago, Celeblith said:

what you're saying is that having a box of tools in your inventory when you do repairs makes the repairs more efficient?

Yes, your thinking is correct @Celeblith. 

Try this:

1. Make sure you have at least (1) Scrap Metal in the Crafting Tab of your Backpack.
2. Drop the toolbox or place it on a workbench so it is not in your Backpack.
3. Now go into your Inventory, (Backpack), and select your Storm Lantern, (or hacksaw).
4. Now click the 'Actions' tab below the picture of the Storm Lantern, (or hacksaw).
5. If you click "REPAIR", you will get a message from the game saying that "Simple Tools are required".
6. So go back, pick-up the toolbox, and try again, (you'll see "repair time" and "percent condition gain").
7. The repair will either succeed or fail but the "REPAIR Button" will work, (rather than the "Requires Tools" message).

So what we have learned is that if we store the rather heavy toolbox at our base, we will need to go to base, add it into our inventory, make our repairs, and then we may place the toolbox into storage at our base again to reduce our backpack "Encumbrance" / "Carry Weight".

As regards the finer points of how much more quickly or what percent condition is lost/gained; @Drifter Man said it very well; "the game evolves and I don't keep track of everything", and besides, you will notice the percent condition information is always provided within the "Repair Screen" of the game.

Good luck my friend and I hope this confirms your thinking.

[Drifter Man]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

Using the Quality Tools will shorten the time to make the arrow.

Really interesting info, I had no idea about this.

And right, you can also repair the storm lantern - although there is no benefit in doing that as far as I could tell.

[s7mar7in]

35 minutes ago, Drifter Man said:

And right, you can also repair the storm lantern - although there is no benefit in doing that as far as I could tell.

...except for the really nice audio with the "ratchet wrench sounds".

[Celeblith]

5 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

For example, hacksaw loses 1% per hour when used for carcass harvesting, 5% per use on things like cutting metal, wood, opening cargo containers. You can only repair it if you have a toolbox (simple or quality both work) and a piece of scrap metal, by 25%. You can't repair it otherwise.

Similar mechanics apply to the heavy hammer, where you need tools + a piece of fir firewood for repair.

Tools lose about 2.5% condition per use and can be repaired by other tools and scrap metal. This allows practically infinite number of repairs once you have at least two toolboxes and enough scrap.

Apart from these three examples, I can't remember any other use of the tools.

I think that quality tools, apart from being lighter, enable shorter repair times but don't know by how much.

Add 'last time I checked' to everything I've written because the game evolves and I don't keep track of everything... anyone who is more up to date, please correct me

Thanks, man. Btw, been reading 1000 Days in the Dam. Super cool and informative. You're like my Long Dark hero right now.

[Celeblith]

Thanks, everybody. I feel like I used to know more about toolboxes but now I can use them confidently in future runs.

[ajb1978]

Repairing your equipment can help it survive an animal attack.  Say you have a 12% storm lantern, you get into a bear tussle...there's a chance you will have a ruined storm lantern afterwards.  So it's a good idea to keep it in good condition, if you don't have any backups.

And I played this game for several years before I knew that having tools in your inventory would reduce arrow crafting time.  For the longest time, I just planned my days around the fact that it would take 1.5 hours to craft an arrow.  Then someone on the Steam forums clued me in, and I was blown away!

[Drifter Man]

On 30/08/2018 at 3:14 AM, Celeblith said:

Btw, been reading 1000 Days in the Dam. Super cool and informative.

Thanks. It's very old by now, so I expect about 50% of the information in it doesn't apply anymore.

[Drifter Man]

On 30/08/2018 at 3:19 AM, ajb1978 said:

Repairing your equipment can help it survive an animal attack.  Say you have a 12% storm lantern, you get into a bear tussle...there's a chance you will have a ruined storm lantern afterwards.  So it's a good idea to keep it in good condition, if you don't have any backups.

Interesting. I've never noticed that equipment (except clothes and bedrolls) lose condition in a bear attack. I'll pay close attention next time I get tossed around by a bear.

[ajb1978]

Well now I'm second-guessing my own memory (I have misremembered details before....) but I seem to recall having a mag lens ruined by a bear attack.  And I know for a fact that you can have a hatchet damaged in a bear attack--just the other day I had a 100% hatchet drop to 60% after I took a bear to the face.  (Could've sworn I was far enough down that cliff that he couldn't get to me...)

[Celeblith]

1 hour ago, Drifter Man said:

It's very old by now, so I expect about 50% of the information in it doesn't apply anymore.

Still, I never even thought to count calories, or to do any sort of inventory management at all, really. I accidentally spoiled the ending for myself, though  been reading it straight through, if for no other reason than inspiration.