Before you start
5 things to know
- Keep 1 working radio and 1 TV. Do not dismantle your only one. Chapter 3
- Restaurant kitchens are the best place to dismantle for XP. Chapter 3
- Never sell or burn scrap. It is the generator's medicine. Chapter 4
- The generator magazine lets any character hook one up. Grab it early. Chapter 5
- A running generator is loud. Run it for the freezer, then switch off. Chapter 6
Chapter 1
Electrical in Build 42
The power goes out in the first weeks. Sandbox: Electricity Shutoff After that, Electrical is the difference between a dark, thawing base and a lit one with a humming freezer.
Electrical is trained by dismantling electronics with a screwdriver and by repairing generators with scrap. It unlocks generator use, hotwiring, and a family of gadgets: radios, lights, timers, remotes and noise makers.
Generators
Level 3, or a magazine, or the right job. The reason most people learn this skill.
Hotwiring
Electrical 1 plus Mechanics 2 lets you hotwire a car.
Gadgets
Makeshift radios, battery lamps, and trap parts.
The electrician's loop
- ScrewdriverAlways in your pocket.
- DismantleWatches, radios, TVs, appliances.
- Keep the scrapIt fixes generators.
- Read the magazineHow to Use Generators.
- ConnectGenerator to the base.
- MaintainFuel and scrap, forever.
Why it matters
Grid power is a countdown. Every day you delay is a day of free fridge time you cannot get back.
Chapter 2
Build your electrician
Two jobs skip the whole generator problem on day 1.
Electrician (job)
Starts with high Electrical, around level 5, and already knows how to use generators. Also knows the electrical crafting recipes.
Engineer (job)
Electrical plus Carpentry, generator knowledge, and the trap recipes: bombs and noise makers.
Inventive (trait)
Lowers some research and auto-learn thresholds, including generator knowledge at Electrical 2 instead of 3.
Burglar (job)
Hotwires with no skill at all. But it does not raise your Electrical.
Watch out: point costs change
The game makers still tune traits and jobs. Always read the numbers on your own character screen.
Electrical is a normal skill with 5 books at 3, 5, 8, 12 and 16 times XP. The old book names like Electrician for Beginners are gone. Look for Electrical I to V. On default settings, VHS tapes give Electrical XP for the first 3 levels. The sandbox option is Maximum Media XP Level.
Chapter 3
Dismantling: the grind
Every electronic thing in the world is XP with a screw in it.
Dismantle a device
With a screwdriver in your inventory, right-click a watch, radio, TV or other electronic item and choose Dismantle. For a big appliance in the world, choose Disassemble. Some items also need a saw or other tool.
| What you dismantle | Base XP |
|---|---|
| Small device: watch, remote, CD player, alarm | 2 |
| Radio or TV | 10 |
| Small electrical furniture | 5 per tile |
| Large appliance or commercial kitchen equipment | 10 per tile, up to 15 |
These are base numbers. If your character started with 0 Electrical, you get only 1 quarter: 2 becomes 0.5. A job or trait that starts you higher gets full XP or more.
Secret: restaurant kitchens are the best classroom
Big kitchen appliances give the most XP per tile. Diners, hotel kitchens and restaurants are where electricians train.
Watch out: do not dismantle your only radio
Radios carry emergency broadcasts and teach skills. Keep one working radio and one TV until you have spares.
Chapter 4
Scrap and components
Dismantling gives parts. The parts are the point.
Scrap Electronics
The universal part. Every device gives at least 1. It repairs generators and builds gadgets.
Electrical wire
Connecting things. Radios and homemade lights need it.
Amplifiers, receivers, transmitters
Radio parts. Rarer. From radios and TVs.
Light bulbs and batteries
Lamps and gadgets.
Secret: higher skill means more parts
The chance of a skill-dependent part is 50% plus 5% per level. A level 10 electrician strips a radio bare.
Secret: keep a scrap crate
Scrap is the generator's medicine. Never sell it, burn it or lose it. A crate of 50 scrap keeps a generator running for months.
Chapter 5
Generators: the big prize
A generator makes power after the grid dies. But the game will not let you connect one until you know how.
4 ways to learn generators
- Electrical level 3. The natural path.
- Electrical 2 with the Inventive trait.
- The Electrician or Engineer job.
- The magazine "How to Use Generators". Read once. Garages, sheds, hardware stores, bookstores.
Secret: the magazine is the shortcut
Any character, any level, one read. Grab it on day 1 if you see it. Then you can hook up a generator before you ever dismantle a watch.
Where generators are
Sheds, garages, warehouses, construction sites, and behind some shops. They are heavy. Carry one with an empty inventory or use a car.
Chapter 6
Running a generator
A generator is 3 rules. Break one and you get a dead base or a dead survivor.
Place it outside
A running generator indoors fills the room with fumes and kills you. Put it outside, close to the building, under a roof if you can.
Connect and fuel it
Right-click it. Connect. Add fuel from a gas can. Turn it on. Everything powered within its range comes back to life.
Feed it and fix it
It burns fuel every hour it runs. Sandbox: Generator Fuel Consumption It also loses condition. At 20% condition or less it can catch fire or explode. Turn it off, then repair it with scrap electronics.
Watch out: noise
A running generator is loud. It draws zombies. Run it for the freezer, not all day. Turn it off when you leave.
Watch out: fuel is the real limit
Gas pumps need power or a generator of their own. Siphon cars. Fill every can. The Mechanics guide covers fuel.
Chapter 7
Hotwiring
A car with no key is a car for an electrician.
Hotwire
Sit in the driver's seat. Press the vehicle key. Choose Hotwire Engine. Then start it.
The Mechanics guide covers everything else about cars.
Chapter 8
What each level unlocks
Level 3 is the big one. Level 5 is the second. After that it is gadgets.
| Level | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hotwiring, with Mechanics 2. |
| 2 | Generators, if you have Inventive. |
| 3 | Generators for everyone. Better generator repairs. |
| 5 | Turn a lamp into a battery-powered light with a screwdriver and 1 scrap. Light with no generator. |
| 6 and up | You learn gadget recipes with no magazine: makeshift radio at 6, noise maker at 7, timers at 8. With the magazine, most gadgets need only level 1 to 4. |
Secret: is it worth going past 3?
For most bases, level 3 plus a scrap crate is enough. Level 5 buys battery lamps, which is a real quality-of-life win. Beyond that is for gadget fans and trap builders.
Chapter 9
Radios, lights and gadgets
Magazines teach the recipes. Skill lets you craft them. At high levels you learn them on your own.
| Craft | Learn from | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Makeshift radio | Radio magazines | Listen to broadcasts without a looted radio. |
| Improvised lights | Electronics magazines | Cheap lighting from scrap. |
| Timers and remotes | Electronics magazines | Trigger traps. Engineer knows the bombs. |
| Noise maker | Magazine or Engineer | Pull a horde away from where you want to be. |
| Motion sensors | Magazine, level 2 to 6 | Advanced trap triggers. |
Watch out: magazines do not give XP
An electronics magazine unlocks a recipe. It does not multiply XP. Only Electrical I to V do that.
Chapter 10
Batteries and lamps
Power without a generator: the level 5 trick.
Make a battery connector
At Electrical 5, use a screwdriver and 1 scrap electronics on a lamp. It now runs on a battery. Swap batteries as they drain.
- A car battery charger with power recharges car batteries.
- Flashlights and lamps use small batteries. Keep a box of them.
Chapter 11
Fixing generators
A generator wears out. Scrap electronics puts it back. It is also one of the best XP loops in the skill.
Repair with scrap
Turn the generator off. Right-click it with scrap electronics in your inventory. Choose Fix Generator. Each scrap is one operation.
Secret: the scrap loop
Dismantle small devices for scrap. Spend the scrap on the generator. Both halves give XP. Once power matters, this is the cleanest mid-game grind.
Watch out: repair the numbers you have
A generator at 60% with a level 3 electrician takes about 8 scrap to reach full. Do the math before you run out.
Chapter 12
Training plan: 0 to 10
Dismantle to 3. Repair to 5. Then decide if you need more.
Levels 0 to 3: kitchens and tapes
Read Electrical I. Watch the VHS tapes. Screwdriver in hand, clear a restaurant and dismantle the kitchen. Then every watch, remote and alarm clock in town. Keep the scrap.
Levels 3 to 5: the generator loop
Read II and III. Run your generator. Repair it with scrap when it drops. Dismantle to refill the scrap crate. Level 5 buys battery lamps.
Levels 5 to 10: only if you want gadgets
Read IV and V. Keep dismantling TVs and radios for the big XP. Build radios and traps as the magazines allow.
Secret: dismantle indoors, after clearing
Dismantling takes time and makes noise. Clear the room, shut the door, then work. A garage or shed keeps the sound off the street.
Level by level: Electrical
The best single thing to do at each level. Read the matching book first when one exists.
| Level | Do this for most of your XP | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 1 | Watch the tapes. Read Electrical I. Dismantle a restaurant kitchen | The most XP per tile |
| 1 to 2 | Every watch, remote and alarm clock in town | Small but endless |
| 2 to 3 | Dismantle TVs and radios, keep one of each | 5 times the XP of a watch |
| 3 to 4 | Read Electrical II. Run the generator, repair with scrap | Repairs are XP |
| 4 to 5 | The scrap loop: dismantle, repair, repeat | Both halves pay |
| 5 to 6 | Read Electrical III. Battery lamps unlock | Light with no generator, but no XP |
| 6 to 7 | Craft makeshift radios from magazines | Recipes count |
| 7 to 8 | Read Electrical IV. Timers and remotes | Gadget crafts |
| 8 to 9 | Keep dismantling every new town | Loot routes are XP routes |
| 9 to 10 | Read Electrical V. Only if you want traps | Most stop at 5 |
Power-up checklist
Knowledge
Kit
Base
Your ticks are saved in this browser, on this device only.
Chapter 13
Tips, tricks and fixes
20 tips from the workshop
Setup
- Take Electrician or Engineer to skip the generator gate.
- Read How to Use Generators the moment you find it.
- Screwdriver in your main inventory, always.
- Read Electrical I before your first kitchen.
- Watch the tapes before level 3.
Grinding
- Restaurant kitchens first. Best XP per tile.
- Then every watch, remote and alarm clock.
- Keep one working radio and TV.
- Keep all the scrap. All of it.
- Dismantle indoors after clearing the room.
- Higher level strips more parts per device.
- Magazines unlock recipes. Books multiply XP. Both matter.
Power
- Generator outside, always.
- Run it for the freezer, not all day.
- Turn it off when you leave.
- Repair with scrap before it fails.
- Fill every gas can you find.
- Level 5 lamps light rooms with no generator.
- Two generators for a big base.
- Hotwire needs Mechanics 2 too.
Fix-it table
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| I cannot connect the generator. | No generator knowledge. | Electrical 3, the magazine, or the right job. |
| I died next to my generator. | It was indoors. | Outside. Always. |
| The generator stopped. | Out of fuel or low condition. | Add gas. Repair with scrap. |
| Half my base has no power. | Out of range. | Move it closer, or add a second one. |
| No Disassemble option. | No screwdriver, or the item needs another tool. | Carry a screwdriver. Check the tooltip. |
| I cannot craft a radio. | Recipe not known. | Read a radio magazine. |
| No Hotwire option. | Electrical below 1 or Mechanics below 2. | Level both. |
| Zombies keep coming to the base. | Generator noise. | Run it less. Move it. |
| The lamp does not work. | No power and no battery connector. | Electrical 5 plus scrap, or a generator. |
| Electrical XP is slow. | Dismantling watches only. | Kitchens, TVs, and generator repairs. |
Chapter 14
Electrician's test
7 questions. Get them all right and you keep the lights on.
Chapter 15
Words and sources
Electrician's word list
- Dismantle
- Taking a device apart with a screwdriver.
- Scrap Electronics
- The universal part from dismantling. Repairs generators.
- Generator knowledge
- The game's permission to connect a generator.
- How to Use Generators
- The magazine that grants that knowledge.
- Range
- How far a generator's power reaches.
- Battery connector
- The level 5 mod that runs a lamp on a battery.
- Noise maker
- A gadget that pulls zombies toward a sound.
- Hotwire
- Starting a car without a key.
How sure are we?
Every fact here was checked in September 2026. We checked the game files for version 42.21.0. Order of trust: the official wiki, then well-sourced fan guides, then player reports.
- XP values. The official wiki, updated this week, says 0.5 per small device, 1.25 per small furniture, 2.5 per appliance, and 1.25 per generator repair. A fan guide for 42.19 reports higher numbers. Both are given.
- The 4 generator routes and the level 5 lamp trick. Confirmed on the official wiki.
- Hotwire requirements. Confirmed on the official wiki.
- Electrician's starting level. Approximate. Check your character screen.
- Gadget level gates above 5. Fan guide summary. Trust your crafting menu.
- Checked against the game files (42.21.0). Generator routes, repair (4 plus half your level, 5 XP), base dismantle XP (2, 5, 10, up to 15), the level 5 lamp, hotwire levels, gadget levels and magazines.
Sources
- PZwiki (the official wiki): Electrical, Electrical I skill book, Generator, Hotwiring
- Guides-factory electrical guide, cross-checked against the wiki (generator routes, kitchen XP, level 5 lamps)
- Gamers.wiki electrical milestones guide for 42.20 (repair formula, level breakpoints)
- PZfans electrical leveling guide for 42.19 (XP counts, magazines versus books)
- Projectzomboid.wiki electrical and hotwire pages