Throughout your adventure in Atomfall’s northern England, you’ll regularly run into Skill Manuals or find them available in Trader inventories.You want to pick up all of these where possible – unless it’s a Manual you have already learnt from – as these will unlock new Skills for you, and Skills become incredibly important for upgrading your character’s capabilities as you progress in Atomfall.
With no fancy gear or levels, Skills – and upgrading weapons – are the only way to make your character feel as though they’re getting that little bit more powerful during the game. So without further ado, here’s where to find all Skill Manuals in Atomfall.
All Skill Manual Locations in Atomfall
There are multiple Skill Manuals to track down in Atomfall, and fortunately, the majority of these are in places that are relatively hard to miss. Some Manuals can also appear in more than one place, so you may run into them again and find you have already learnt its associated skills.
There are a few different types of Manuals too, all of which – depending on what the Manual is about – will provide access to new Skills that you can then spend Training Stimulants on unlocking. All known Skill Manual locations can be found on the below map from MapGenie:
On top of the above map, we’ve also listed all known Skill Manuals – including some not noted on the above map – and what Skills they unlock for you below.
Firearms Mastery Manual
The Firearms Mastery Manual, which is sold by Bootsy in Skethermoor, will unlock the Firearms Focus, Firearms Handling, and Firearms Stability Skills. These all respectively increase your damage, reduce sway, and reduce recoil when using a firearm.
There is another Firearms Mastery Manual that can be found in Data Store Charlie.
Crafting Manual
The Crafting Manual can be found in Data Store Delta (in the Interchange), inside of Data Storeroom D. Grab the key off the corpse in the area to enter the room, where you’ll find the Crafting Manual, some Training Stimulants, and some crafting supplies.
You can also purchase the Crafting Manual from Morris Wick in Wyndham Village.
The Crafting Manual is one of the most important Skill Manuals to get your hands on, as it provides access to the Gunsmith Skill – which costs a whopping seven Training Stimulants – but is well worth it. The Skill allows you to upgrade your firearms, which you’ll want to do as you progress in Atomfall.
Bow Mastery Manual
The Bow Mastery Manual can be acquired by trading with Molly at the Trader’s Camp in Slatten Dale, or it is found just outside of the front entrance to the Castle Ruins in Casterfell Woods.
This particular Manual unlocks the Bow Focus, Draw Control, and Draw Speed Skills which will improve your bow usage!
Consumables Manual
The Consumables Manual can be found inside the master bedroom of the Bakery in Atomfall’s Wyndham Village. The bedroom will initially be locked, but you can find the Bakery Bedroom Key inside of Wyndham Garage.
Now, I don’t recommend entering the bedroom without handing some Strange Tonic over to Iris, the baker, first. Her husband – who is residing in the bedroom – is infected and will be hostile towards you if he isn’t given the tonic first. That said, you can also waltz in and kill him, collect the Manual, and leave. Though, Iris will then also become hostile and try to fight you. Bear that in mind!
The Consumables Manual unlocks some great skills: Gut Health makes food items give you a defense buff, Buff Duration extends the length of your active buffs, and Blue Fingers lets you safely harvest spores from heavily infected sources. These all come in good use.
Stealth Manual
The Stealth Manual is found inside of Datlow Hall Conservatory, and it unlocks some of my personal favourite Skills in the game: Quiet Takedown, Quiet Movement, and Surprise Attack. These, if you have all three, allow you to stealthily approach enemies and take them down one at a time without alerting others. It’s great fun!
Melee Combat Manual
The Melee Combat Manual is found inside of the Outlaw’s Cave in Slatten Dale, and is a Manual definitely worth grabbing given that you’ll be using melee a lot throughout your Atomfall adventure. This unlocks access to the Heavy Melee Attack Power, Seasoned Brawler, and Melee Weapon Attack Power Skills.
Each of these skills will increase the damage of your heavy attacks or melee weapons, with Seasoned Brawler reducing the heart rate cost of your melee attacks, so you can swing that bat or sickle even more.
Resistances Manual
The Resistances Manual is found in the Auditorium, which is in the lower level of the Medical wing inside of the Interchange. You won’t be able to access this area until you have acquired the Church Cellar Key and met Dr. Holder beneath St. Katherine’s Church in Wyndham Village, however.
This Manual provides access to the Poison Resistance, Bleed Resistance, and Burn Resistance Skills, which – you guessed it – will improve your resistance against specific status effects. Considering we have the likes of Antidotes and Burn Salves to craft, however, these aren’t the most important skills to unlock.
Experimental Inoculation
The Experimental Inoculation is technically not a Skill Manual in Atomfall, but it is an item that unlocks three new Skills for you that’ll be incredibly useful to you during the late-game.
You won’t be able to access this until you’ve found the Church Cellar Key and met Dr. Holder in the Forgotten Cellar as mentioned above. Once you do, however, the Experimental Inoculation is on a desk in the Forgotten Cellar.
The Experimental Inoculation provides access to the Radiation Resistance, Infection Resistance, and Healing Boost Skills. The Infection Resistance Skill is especially interesting and worth unlocking, as this is something you can’t really protect yourself against until you have the Strange Tonic Recipe.
For more on Atomfall, take a look at where to find all Atomic Batteries, where to find the Signal Redirector, and how to solve the murder in the church.