Skills
The Last Caretaker: How to Level Up Fast and Get XP
You earn XP by picking up loot and resources, completing quests and killing enemies. The quickest early XP comes from dismantling and recycling junk and picking up the materials, because every pickup counts. Each level unlocks the next skill tier, and every 5 levels raises your security level.
What Your Level Unlocks
Enter your character level to see how many blueprints your level has made available, what the next level adds and your security level.
- Blueprints available so far
- 64 of 143
- Security level
- 2
New at level 10: Flamethrower, Food Processor, ONi PetroFlow, Petrol Tank, Red Dot Sight, Soilforge.
Next: level 11 adds 30 round rifle magazine, Battery Barrel, Bolt Rifle, Consumable Medium Battery, Dehumidifier, FortiHold, ONi VoltPlus, Rifle Slam, Water Tank.
Counts only the 143 blueprints whose unlock tier matches in the wiki Crafting table and the game 0.8.5 item data. Reaching the level makes a blueprint available; you may still need points or a quest to unlock it. The Skill Planner lists the checked point costs and quest requirements; read what the shield numbers mean in the security level guide.
What Gives XP
XP comes from picking up loot and resources, completing quests and killing enemies.
Early on, dismantling and recycling junk is the biggest source of XP. You level quickly this way, often well before they reach the later story locations.
Picking up the materials that come out of the Recycler gives XP.
Taking junk apart by hand with the Dismantle Tool gives XP when you pick up the scraps. Throwing junk straight into the Recycler skips that XP, leaving only what you get for picking up its output.
How to take junk apart and recycle it is in the dismantle tool guide; quest walkthroughs are in the quest list.
Best XP Farms
Every way to farm XP we could check, starting with the biggest early source. Methods that are not confirmed yet are marked.
Dismantle and recycle junk
From the start
Early on, dismantling and recycling junk is the biggest source of XP. You level quickly this way, often well before they reach the later story locations.
Taking junk apart by hand with the Dismantle Tool gives XP when you pick up the scraps. Throwing junk straight into the Recycler skips that XP, leaving only what you get for picking up its output.
Farm an enemy spawner
Once you can fight
Enemy spawners keep sending enemies, and every kill gives XP. Leave a bug nest, a hive or a Sweetheart’s spawning leg alive and keep killing what comes out.
Quests and exploring
All game
XP comes from picking up loot and resources, completing quests and killing enemies.
Craft parts and recycle them
Once you have a Fabricator and a Recycler
Not confirmed yetAs of September 2026, crafting parts in the Fabricator and recycling them gives XP again each time you pick up the materials. This could be changed at any time.
Night swarms from the boat
At night
Not confirmed yetAt night, leech swarms come to your lights and eels to a docked boat; killing them gives XP and biomass. Kills made with the Eclipse light give none.
Level Cap
The level cap has gone up with updates: it was 25 in late 2025, and level 34 has been reached since the summer of 2026.
The highest blueprint unlocks at Tier 27, so levels above that add no new blueprints; see every unlock by tier in the skill tree guide.
What Each Level Unlocks
Each level unlocks the skill tier with the same number: a blueprint listed at Tier 15 becomes available at character level 15.
Every 5 levels also raises your security level by one, which opens doors marked with a higher shield number.
Your level is the number in the small box beside the power and health bars at the bottom of the screen; the box fills up as you earn XP.
Reaching a tier makes its blueprints available; you may still need points or a quest to unlock each one. The Skill Planner lists every blueprint by tier with the checked point costs and quest requirements.
Not confirmed yet
The wiki says each level needs more XP than the last, and that levelling and quests also award enhancer points. Neither is confirmed yet.
Whether 34 is the top level now, and whether Update 6 raised the cap again, is not confirmed. Level 29 was reached in February 2026 while the Levels tab still stopped at 25.
As of September 2026, crafting parts in the Fabricator and recycling them gives XP again each time you pick up the materials. This could be changed at any time.
Scraps put in through the Recycler’s inventory screen, rather than thrown in, may still give XP.
At night, leech swarms come to your lights and eels to a docked boat; killing them gives XP and biomass. Kills made with the Eclipse light give none.
Leveling FAQ
What gives XP in The Last Caretaker?
Picking up loot and resources, completing quests and killing enemies. Picking up the materials that come out of the Recycler counts too.
What is the fastest way to level up?
Early on, dismantle and recycle junk and pick up the materials: this is the biggest source of XP. Quests and enemies add more as you explore.
What is the best XP farm in The Last Caretaker?
Early on, dismantle junk by hand and recycle it, picking up everything that comes out. Once you can fight, farm an enemy spawner: leave a bug nest, a hive or a Sweetheart’s spawning leg alive and keep killing what it sends.
What is the level cap in The Last Caretaker?
The level cap has gone up with updates: it was 25 in late 2025, and level 34 has been reached since the summer of 2026. The current top level is not confirmed.
Does recycling give XP?
Yes. Picking up the materials that come out of the Recycler gives XP, which is why scrapping junk levels you up quickly.
What does leveling up unlock?
The blueprints in the skill tier with the same number as your new level become available, and every 5 levels raises your security level by one.
Where do you see your level?
In the small box beside the power and health bars at the bottom of the screen. The box fills up as you earn XP.
