The Long Dark

IMPORTANT!! If you hit level 5 on a skill, you can NOT read the appropriate book!! Most people will probably not hit level 5 before they find a book, but you don't want to have to replay to find all the books! (Thanks to Zlodziey for this tidbit.)

There are 7 skills that you can level up, and there are 7 skill books you can use to get there. You need to find these 7 books by looting. If you search most places, especially houses and bases, you'll find a lot of books lying around. These 7 are obviously different because they have different names (although I can't remember their names in retrospect). The spawn is random except that they show up in places with a lot of books. (I found a few in houses, but your mileage may vary. Make sure you search everywhere.)

Each book must be researched with light...obviously you can't read in the dark. That means you're going to need to burn daylight or firewood to read them. Researching a book can be between 5 and 25 hours of game time. You don't have to do it all at once.

Once you've fully researched all 7 books, this will pop. You'll find more skill books afterward, which will help you level up even further toward rank 5, but any books beyond the initial don't matter for the achievement.

Zlodziey provided me with the names of the seven books. (Thanks!)

- Survive the outdoors (advances fire starting)
- Stay on target (advances archery)
- Frontier shooting guide (advances rifle a bit)
- Guns, guns, guns (advances rifle a lot)
- Wilderness kitchen (advances cooking)
- Field dressing you kill vol. 1 (advances carcass harvesting)
- Frozen angler (advances fishing)

(Guide made December 31st, 2020). Latest game version of 1.8 (69558).

New Year, new updates, so now it’s time for a new guide!
With the latest update adding the Revolver and Gunsmithing skills also comes with 2 new skill books which are now needed to get this achievement.
I’ll list all of the books and some tips on getting them.
IMPORTANT: if your skill level becomes too high you won’t be able to read certain books like Sewing Primer and Frontier Shooting Guide. It’s around level 3 or 4 so don’t worry too much, just don’t grind and max out your skills before you’ve gotten the required skill book. Also at level 5 you can’t research anything anymore as you’re a master in that field of knowledge at that point.

1) Stay on Target - Archery, 5 hours needed to read.

2) Field Dressing your Kills. Vol 1 - Carcass Harvesting, 10 hours.

3) Wilderness Kitchen - Cooking, 5 hours.

4) Survive the Outdoors - Fire Starting, 5 hours.

5) The Frozen Angler - Ice Fishing, 5 hours.

6) Sewing Primer - Mending, 5 hours.

7) Frontier Shooting Guide - Rifle Firearm, 4 hours.

8) Advanced Guns Guns Guns - Rifle Firearm, 25 hours.

9) Small Arms Handbook - Revolver Firearm, 5 hours.

10) Practical Gunsmithing - Gunsmithing, 5 hours.

You can only read books when you’re character does not need food and water, is not tired, and isn’t injured in a way that causes pain or blood loss. You also cannot read indoors during the night without a light source nearby, however you can read outside during most nights (at least with full moons) and inside during Auroras.
I recommend playing on Easy or a Custom game with increased loot spawns (not any of the Challenge modes, skill books don’t appear in those) so that the wildlife won’t bother you.
The best place to find books is in the Mountain Town Milton. After searching all of the homes you should find multiple books and close to half of what’s required if you’re lucky. Books tend to spawn in homes or close to civilizations or man made buildings (so homes, ice fishing huts, deer hunting stands, and next to dead bodies).
After that go and search Mystery Lake, then Coastal Highway. If you’re still missing a book at this point go to Desolate Point and Bleak Inlet.
I like how the books look so I tend to decorate my bases with the books I’ve read and it shows me what I have or haven’t read yet. You could do the same or just write a note in game with the note feature in your journal or make an IRL checklist.

Happy reading out there!
Thanks to “is that Hydro” for letting me know the need for an updated guide.

There are known areas where you are guaranteed to find a research book.
I got very lucky and nabbed 7 out of 10 books starting in Desolation Point. Here is where I found them:
Katie's Secluded corner - Field Dressing your kill
Stone Church - Frontier shooting
Lonely Lighthouse - Survive the Outdoors
The Riken - Sewing Primer & The Frozen Angler (usually in the sleeping quarters)
Trailers at Hibernia - Practical gunsmithing
Warehouse - Advanced guns guns guns (downstairs, up a pipe you'll find it under the upside down boat)

I then travelled to Coastal Highway and got Wilderness Kitchen in the gas station, Small Arms handbook in the Lookout. You can also find The Frozen Angler on the workbench at the fishing camp. There is a car between the log sort and fishing camp which contains either frontier shooting or field dressing.

Then I went to Mystery Lake. The last one I found was Stay on Target (archery) in a cave south of Hunters Blind. It requires two rope climbs. Other known areas in Mystery Lake are:
Trapper's Homestead
Camp office (guaranteed at least one)
Lonely cabin/lake cabins
Forestry lookout (not the destroyed one) will give you either survive the outdoors or small arms handbook
Logging camp near the stove
Carter dam, Max's last stand and Unnamed pond also have a chance of books.

If you still don't have all of them check the following:
Forlorn Muskeg - Poacher's camp has at least one book, possibly 2.
Broken Railroad - Maintence shed and hunting lodge.
Pleasant Valley - Community Hall, Store, Farmstead house and basement.
Mountain Town - loot all the houses and Orca gas station you should find some.
Timberwolf Mountain - Mountaineer's hut may contain one but not guaranteed.
Bleak Inlet - May contain up to 2 books one of which is the gunsmithing. Make sure you are prepared before tackling this region.
Any bunkers and prepper caches you can find are also worth checking.

Then of course you need a nice cosy place to read them all. The achievement will pop upon finishing the last book. Or you can read them as you find to save carrying them around. I hope this helps.