Skill magazines are one of the most important gameplay elements in 7 Days to Die, as they directly affect crafting, character progression, and overall game pace. Unlike traditional perks, magazines require world exploration and looting to progress. In this guide, we explain what skill magazines are, how they work, where to find them, and which items they unlock.
What Are Skill Magazines in 7 Days to Die
Skill magazines are collectible items used to improve crafting skills. Instead of unlocking recipes directly through perks, players gain new crafting options by finding and reading specific magazine series while exploring the world. Each magazine is tied to a specific skill category and increases the ability to craft better tools, weapons, armor, and other items. Reading more magazines from the same series gradually unlocks more advanced recipes and higher-tier equipment.
Where to Find Magazines in 7 Days to Die
When you start your journey in 7 Days to Die, finding skill magazines becomes one of the most important goals if you want to progress in a specific crafting path. Skill magazines cannot be bought from traders or unlocked automatically – they must be found in the game world through looting. They appear in various locations, mainly inside containers such as cabinets, shelves, crates, desks, and storage units found in houses, shops, offices, and hospitals.
Skill magazines are distributed randomly, but certain series are more likely to appear in specific types of buildings. For example, magazines related to tools are more commonly found in garages and workshops, while medical magazines are more often found in hospitals and medical facilities.
Which Items Are Unlocked by Each Skill Magazine
The table below shows all skill magazines and the skills they train. Additionally, it allows you to check the maximum level of each skill and the items that are unlocked as you progress.
| Magazine | Crafting Type | Max Level | Unlocks |
| Tools Digest | Harvesting Tools | 100 | Stone Axe Stone Shovel Iron Fireaxe Iron Pickaxe Iron Shovel Steel Axe Steel Pickaxe Steel Shovel Auger Chainsaw |
| Handy Land | Repair Tools | 50 | Claw Hammer Nailgun |
| Scrapping 4 Fun | Salvage Tools | 75 | Wrench Ratchet Impact Driver |
| Furious Fists | Knuckles | 75 | Knuckle Wraps Iron Knuckles Steel Knuckles |
| Knife Guy | Blades | 75 | Bone Knife Hunting Knife Machete |
| Big Hitters | Clubs | 75 | Wooden Club Baseball Bat Steel Club |
| Get Hammered | Sledgehammers | 75 | Stone Sledgehammer Iron Sledgehammer Steel Sledgehammer |
| Bow Hunters | Bows | 75 | Primitive Bow Wooden Bow Iron Crossbow Compound Bow Compound Crossbow |
| Sharp Sticks | Spears | 75 | Stone Spear Iron Spear Steel Spear |
| Handgun Magazine | Handguns | 100 | Pipe Pistol Pistol .44 Magnum SMG-5 .44 Desert Vulture |
| Shotgun Weekly | Shotguns | 100 | Pipe Shotgun Double Barrel Shotgun Pump Shotgun Auto Shotgun |
| Rifle World | Rifles | 100 | Pipe Rifle Hunting Rifle Lever-Action Rifle Sniper Rifle |
| Tactical Warfare | Machine Guns | 100 | Pipe Machine Gun AK-47 Machine Gun Tactical Assault Rifle M60 Machine Gun |
| Explosive Magazine | Explosives | 100 | Pipe Bomb Grenade Cooking Pot Mine Stick of Dynamite Contact Grenade Hub Cap Land Mine Air Filter Land Mine Gun Powder (bundle) Timed Charge Rocket Components Rocket Launcher |
| Tech Planet | Robotics | 100 | Pipe Baton Robotic Sledge Stun Baton Robotic Turret Robotic Drone |
| Armored Up | Armor | 100 | Primitive Armor Set Light Armor Sets Medium Armor Sets Heavy Armor Sets |
| Medical Journal | Medical | 75 | First Aid Bandage Fort Bites Plaster Cast Herbal Antibiotics Recog First Aid Kit Antibiotics Steroids |
| Home Cooking Weekly | Food | 100 | Grilled Corn Baked Potato Corn Bread Goldenrod Tea Grilled Meat Red Tea Boiled Meat Yucca Juice Bacon and Eggs Coffee Pumpkin Bread Blueberry Pie Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Cheesecake Vegetable Stew Meat Stew Steak and Potato Meal Yucca Juice Smoothie Hobo Stew Fish Tacos Chili Dog Sham Chowder Tuna Fish Gravy Toast Grandpa’s Awesome Sauce Shepard’s Pie Grandpa’s Moonshine Grandpa’s Learn’n Elixir Spaghetti Gumbo Stew |
| Southern Farming | Seeds | 20 | Cotton Seed Goldenrod Seed Chrysanthemum Seed Coffee Seed Yucca Seed Aloe Vera Seed Blueberry Seed Hop Seed Pumpkin Seed Mushroom Spore Seed Corn Seed Potato Seed |
| Wiring 101 | Electrician | 100 | Generator Bank Electric Wire Relay Switch Trip Wire Post Basic Light Bulb Industrial Light Industrial Light Bulb Fluorescent Light Motion Sensor Electric Timer Relay Trigger Plate Spotlight Speaker Battery Bank Steel Door (Powered) Steel Door Double (Powered) Steel Hatch (Powered) Iron Garage Door (Powered) Wooden Garage Door (Powered) Steel Garage Door (Powered) Reinforced Drawbridge (Powered) Lead Car Battery |
| Electrical Traps | Traps | 75 | Electric Fence Post Dart Trap Blade Trap Shotgun Auto Turret SMG Auto Turret |
| Forge Ahead | Workstations | 75 | Dew Collector Forge Workbench Lockpick Advanced Bellows Anvil Cement Mixer Chemistry Station Crucible |
| Vehicle Adventures | Vehicles | 100 | Bicycle Chassis Bicycle Handlebars Wheel Minibike Chassis Minibike Handlebars Oil Gas Can Motorcycle Chassis Motorcycle Handlebars Gas Can 4×4 Truck Chassis 4×4 Truck Accessories Gyrocopter Chassis Gyrocopter Accessories |
