The Last Caretaker Skill Tree Guide: What Unlocks at Each Tier

How unlocking works

A blueprint’s tier requirement is the player level you must reach before the Skills menu allows you to unlock it. Reaching that level does not automatically buy the blueprint or complete its quest requirements.

Tier requirements and point costs are different checks. A higher tier is not a price, and a resource container’s class is not its skill unlock level. The items database separates these fields.

This guide includes 16 blueprint point costs with two-source confirmation. The 8 barrel blueprints below each cost 2 points:

• Battery Barrel
• Diesel Barrel
• Petrol Barrel
• Fresh Water Barrel
• Oil Barrel
• Oxygen Barrel
• Methane Barrel
• CO2 Barrel

Recovery Grinder costs 4 points; Bolt Rifle costs 3 points. Bulk Battery, Bulk Diesel Tank, Bulk Petrol Tank each cost 3 points. Other point costs are not treated as confirmed here.

A goal in the planner reports the highest required level, its quest requirements and the sum of confirmed costs. When some costs are unknown, that sum is only a partial total.

Tiers 2–5

Representative blueprints, grouped by the job you are planning. This is a selection, not the complete unlock list.

Tiers 6–12

Representative blueprints, grouped by the job you are planning. This is a selection, not the complete unlock list.

For Efficiency Matrix — Tier 8, use the Efficiency Matrix savings calculator. For Conservation Coil — Tier 12, read the Conservation Coil guide. Lazarus Pod — Tier 12 is covered in the Lazarus guide.

Tiers 13–20

Representative blueprints, grouped by the job you are planning. This is a selection, not the complete unlock list.

Sabatier Reactor — Tier 16 is covered in the fuel and gases guide. Boat Extension, Gyro Deck — Tier 13 and Salvage Gyro — Tier 17 have different unlock levels; see the Salvage Gyro guide.

Tiers 21–27

Representative blueprints, grouped by the job you are planning. This is a selection, not the complete unlock list.

No recipe was found at Tier 25 in the reviewed data. The planner skips that gap when showing the next batch.

Unlocks that need a quest

Do not treat level eligibility as the whole requirement. These blueprint records also list a quest:

• Salvage Gyro — Tier 17: Lost Blueprints (scan the blueprints at the three Gyro Service Towers). Salvage Gyro guide.
• Recovery Grinder — Tier 23: Ugly Work. Recovery Grinder guide.
• Bulk Battery — Tier 24: MOSES Field Reserve Program.
• Bulk Diesel Tank — Tier 26: MOSES Field Reserve Program.
• Bulk Petrol Tank — Tier 27: MOSES Field Reserve Program.

For the bulk container quest, see MOSES Field Reserve Program.

What we couldn’t verify

• Skill points awarded per level.
• The total number of skill points available.
• Whether skill points can be reset (respec).
• A fixed upper limit for the skill tree.

These gaps are not filled with estimates. The highest blueprint tier is evidence of an unlock, not proof of a level cap or a point budget.

Sources and version limits

The unlock tiers were reviewed on 2026-10-06 against the Wiki Crafting table and community item data for game 0.8.5. Agreement between these sources is Grade B under this site’s evidence rules. The complete planner also links the checked in-game skill cards.

Confirmed point costs use skill-card footage plus a corroborating source. Footage can predate this game version; only the reviewed values are carried forward.

• Basic Electric Engine Cylinder: Red Lichtie Games, around September 23, 2026 (9:44); wiki entry.
• Electric cable extender: UnkemptGamer, around September 23, 2026 (9:37); wiki entry.
• Battery Barrel: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• Bolt Rifle: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• Diesel Barrel: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• LumiMax: Geek Nation, September 30, 2026 (5:05); wiki entry.
• Petrol Barrel: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• Fresh Water Barrel: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• Oil Barrel: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• Oxygen Barrel: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• Methane Barrel: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• CO2 Barrel: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• Recovery Grinder: skill card at the recorded timestamp; wiki entry.
• Bulk Battery: skill card at the recorded timestamp; second skill card (Update 5.5 test build).
• Bulk Diesel Tank: skill card at the recorded timestamp; second skill card (Update 5.5 test build).
• Bulk Petrol Tank: skill card at the recorded timestamp; second skill card (Update 5.5 test build).

Salvage Gyro’s Lost Blueprints requirement follows the existing quest guide. Its older reported point cost is not included among the confirmed examples.