Pottery is a new Build 42 skill, and it quietly unlocks half the crafting tree. Bowls and jars are nice; the real prize is the crucibles, blowing pipes and molds that blacksmithing and glassmaking cannot start without. Updated for Build 42.21 Stable and 42.22 Pre-Release, November 2026.
This is the least settled part of the skill. Guides mention foraging in the stones category (reportedly better in rain), digging near rivers, and sacks of clay in art stores. An older Steam thread said digging was not in the game yet, and current guides do not agree, so try foraging and art stores first. Foraging tips are on foraging and herbs.
| Station | Build | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Pottery Wheel | 4 planks, 4 nails, 1 stone wheel, 1 small stone wheel, hammer | Sculpting; the stone wheels come from Masonry |
| Pottery Bench | Extra sculpting station | |
| Hand-operated press | Molds, bricks and tiles | |
| Primitive (small) kiln | 20 clay, mason's trowel (kept) | Fires pieces |
| Advanced (large) kiln | 20 clay, mason's trowel (kept) | Doubles brick, tile and quicklime batches; the only kiln that fires the anvil mold |
Each firing costs 1 fire starter plus 1 log or charcoal.
Sculpting gives unfired pieces that do nothing until a kiln fires them. A clay pot, for example, takes 5 clay and some water.
| Item | Base XP |
|---|---|
| Bowl, plate, mug, pot, teacup | 15 |
| Anvil mold (press) | 20 |
| Crucible | 25 |
| Glass blowing pipe | 35 |
| Smoking pipe, jar | 40 |
Pottery uses the usual curve (32,775 XP to level 10). Books run from "Ancient Pottery" (I) to "Pyrometamorphic Process of Ceramic Materials" (V), x3 to x16 (skill books). The Artisan trait gives +1 Pottery; no occupation boosts it. Two VHS tapes reportedly give about 550 XP up to level 3 (one source).
Opinion Make bowls to reach level 1, then switch to crucibles. They level you faster and you will need them anyway.
| Item | Base XP |
|---|---|
| Jar, smoking pipe | 40 each |
| Glass blowing pipe | 35 |
| Crucible, small ceramic crucible | 25 each |
| Blacksmith anvil mold | 20 |
| Sheet mold | 15 |
| Bowl, clay pot, teacup, mortar and pestle, mug, pipe segment, plate | 15 each |
| Bar mold, clay brick | 5 each |
Unlocks by level: 1 crucible and small ceramic crucible, 2 glass blowing pipe, 3 smoking pipe, 5 jar. No magazine needed.
VHS: two tapes give 550 XP in total, but stop counting at level 3 on default settings. Artisan trait gives +1. (One source: pindrop.gg.)
Every skill uses the same XP ladder in Build 42 (one source: pindrop.gg skill guides).
| Level | XP for this level | Running total |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | 75 |
| 2 | 150 | 225 |
| 3 | 300 | 525 |
| 4 | 750 | 1,275 |
| 5 | 1,500 | 2,775 |
| 6 | 3,000 | 5,775 |
| 7 | 4,500 | 10,275 |
| 8 | 6,000 | 16,275 |
| 9 | 7,500 | 23,775 |
| 10 | 9,000 | 32,775 |
Starting level changes how fast you learn: ×0.25 at level 0, ×1 at +1, ×1.33 at +2 and ×1.66 at +3 or more. Fast Learner multiplies by 1.3, Slow Learner by 0.7. Skill books stack on top of this.
From level 0, every craft counts for a quarter, so the first level costs about 20 bowls worth of clay. Take Artisan, or watch the two pottery tapes first: their 550 XP is roughly what it takes to reach level 3 (525 in total), and they only count while you are under level 3, so watch them on day one, not later.
Once you can make crucibles at level 1, they beat bowls: 25 XP against 15. Getting from level 1 to 3 takes 18 crucibles, or 6 with Volume I in hand. Save jars for level 5. At 40 XP they are the best regular Pottery recipe, and you will want them for storing food anyway.
Forage in the stones category (rain reportedly helps) or loot sacks of clay from art stores. Reports on digging clay vary by version.
Yes. Sculpted pieces stay unfired and useless until a kiln fires them.
Planks, nails and two stone wheels, which you make with the Masonry skill.
One log or one piece of charcoal plus a fire starter per firing.
Cookware, storage jars, bricks and tiles, plus the crucibles and molds blacksmithing and glassmaking need.
Pottery recipes come from pzfans.com's recipe database (built from the game files) and PinDrop; clay sources are reported differently across versions. Sources: PinDrop: Pottery · pzfans: pottery recipes · pzfans: kilns · The Indie Stone: Cellar Door-doid · projectzomboid.wiki: pottery. Your game is the final word: if it disagrees with us, tell us and we will fix the page.