How to Get a Pickaxe in 7 Days to Die

Getting the right tools is essential for survival and progression in 7 Days to Die. While some items can be obtained through quest rewards or trader purchases, pickaxes are best acquired through crafting. This guide walks you through the exact requirements and progression tiers for both iron and steel pickaxes, so you can plan your skill leveling accordingly.

Understanding Pickaxe Acquisition

In 7 Days to Die, you have several options for obtaining items you need. Quest rewards and trader purchases can be convenient, but they’re not always reliable or consistent. For pickaxes specifically, crafting is your most dependable path to getting the exact tool you need when you need it.

Iron Pickaxe Requirements

To craft an iron pickaxe, you need to level up the Harvesting Tool skill (also called Tool Digest). The iron pickaxe has five tiers of progression, and each tier requires additional skill investment:

Tier 1: 11 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 2: 14 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 3: 18 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 4: 22 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 5: 26 Harvesting Tool levels

Higher-tier pickaxes require more materials and skill investment, so plan your progression accordingly if you’re working toward a specific tier.

Steel Pickaxe Requirements

The steel pickaxe is a superior version of the iron pickaxe and becomes available at higher skill levels. It requires similar parts to the iron pickaxe, with some components swapped for steel and steel tier 2 parts. The steel pickaxe has six tiers of progression:

Tier 1: 26 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 2: 32 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 3: 39 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 4: 46 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 5: 53 Harvesting Tool levels

Tier 6: 60 Harvesting Tool levels

A Note on Tier 6 and Legendary Parts

While a tier 6 steel pickaxe does exist in the game, reaching it requires 60 Harvesting Tool levels and a legendary part. However, experienced players recommend saving legendary parts for weapons instead. Later in the game, you’ll have access to an auger, which is significantly more effective than any pickaxe variant. This makes investing a legendary part into a tier 6 pickaxe a less efficient use of your rare resources.

Summary

Crafting is the best way to obtain pickaxes in 7 Days to Die. Start with the iron pickaxe at 11 Harvesting Tool levels and progress through its five tiers as your skill increases. When you reach 26 levels, you can begin crafting steel pickaxes, which offer better performance. Remember to allocate your legendary parts wisely—save them for weapons rather than pursuing the tier 6 steel pickaxe, since the auger will eventually outclass all pickaxe variants.

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