Black ScratchReport
English：Black Scratch · Locations
A walled town on the hills of the Outlands and the faction headquarters of the Tech Hunters. An ancient structure stands at its centre, and its Great Library holds more blueprints and history books than anywhere else on the continent.
Black Scratch stands on a hill in The Outlands and serves as the faction headquarters of the Tech Hunters. Its walls enclose a ring of domed buildings, and at the very centre rises an ancient structure of unknown origin — whether that ruin is the reason the town exists or merely the result of where it was sited, the game does not say.
The Great Library
Black Scratch's most important asset is not its fortifications but a bookshop.
The Great Library holds the largest quantity of blueprints and history books in all of Kenshi, and is the only place a player can top up an entire technical archive without exploring for it. Its operating parameters are worth noting: stock cap of 200 items, restock cycle of 15 hours, and open by day only — it does not trade at night.
The books are kept by a Skeleton bookshop trader. What he says to a Skeleton player character is the game's bluntest single line on the subject of censoring knowledge:
"I'm protecting precious knowledge that humanity needs to survive. And obviously, in this position, I can also hide certain things... you know how it is." — the Great Library's bookshop trader
The people in town
Black Scratch's bar is itself the Tech Hunter faction headquarters (the Tech Hunter Bar). The residents most worth noting are:
- Bo — a Scorchlander woman and a senior member of the Anti-Slavers, accompanied by an Anti-Slaver Jounin. She can be found sitting in the Tech Hunter Bar or at the waystation. Despite her small frame, her colleagues all call her "Big Bo".
- Silvershade — a hiveless Hive Prince, deep in debt to the casino, who joins once 3,000 Cats is paid off.
- Wall Man — a man who only wants to build you walls, 5,000 Cats.
- Bard — 3,000 Cats, personality field reading "traitorous".
The Outlands: outside the gate
Inside the walls is safe; outside is not. The Outlands' non-outpost spawn table is dominated by the Reavers at a weight of 20: a patrol is typically 1 Reaver Ironclad, 4–7 Reaver Blooded, plus 1–6 slaves. As long as Valamon lives, those squads keep coming.
Other regulars include Grass Pirates (weight 10), the Black Dog gang who come to collect protection money, and packs of scavengers.
Commercial facilities
Black Scratch's mix of shops leans towards resupply and modification rather than armament:
| Facility | Purpose |
|---|---|
| The Great Library | Blueprints and lore books |
| Tech Hunter Bar | Faction HQ, doubling as a bar |
| Tech Hunter Shop | Expedition gear |
| Mechanical Shop, Robotics Workshop | Prosthetics and Skeleton repair |
| Farming shop, headgear shop, ranger shop | General resupply |
| Waystation | Beds and information |
| Body incinerator ×2 | — |
Purchasable buildings are a Small Shack (4,000 Cats) and a Y-shaped house (28,000 Cats). You can find the town by exploring, or by reading the "United Cities Map (Central Territories)".
Trivia
- Black Scratch existed as far back as the game's Alpha, when it sat in a small valley in the south of the map with Eyesocket, Fisher (later renamed Fort Simion) and Heft for neighbours — and it belonged to the Holy Empire, the polity that would later become the Holy Nation. The town survived into the final release, but its allegiance flipped completely.
- The game contains a bounty poster reading "Wanted: Butcher of Black Scratch". The epithet very likely refers to this town, but the poster never explains what the butcher in question actually did.
See also
Buildings and shops
Corpse Furnace x2, Farm Shop, Headgear Shop, Mechanical Shop, Ranger Shop, Robotics Workshop, Tech Hunter Shop, Waystation, Tech Hunter Bar, The Great Library
Buildings for sale
| Building | Price |
|---|---|
| Small Shack | 4,000 Cats |
| Y-House | 28,000 Cats |
Sells
Vendors here stock 113 items in total, grouped by category — every entry links.
Items
Advanced First Aid Kit, Advanced Splint Kit, Armour Plating, Authentic Skeleton Repair Kit, Basic First Aid Kit, Bloodrum, Book, CPU Unit, Cactus, Chainmail Sheets, Copper Alloy Plates, Copper, Cotton, Crossbow Parts, Damaged Book, Electrical Components, Fabrics, Fuel, Gears, Generator Core, Greenfruit, Grog, Hacksaw, Hemp, Hinge, Iron Plates, Leather, Motor, Power Core, Press, Riceweed, Robotics Components, Sake, Skeleton Repair Kit, Sleeping Bag, Splint Kit, Spring Steel, Standard First Aid Kit, Steel Bars, Tools, Water Jug, Water, Wheatstraw
Robot Limbs
Economy Arm (left), Economy Arm (right), Economy Leg (left), Economy Leg (right), KLR Series Arm (left), KLR Series Arm (right), KLR Series Leg (left), KLR Series Leg (right), Scout Leg (left), Scout Leg (right), Skeleton Arm (left), Skeleton Arm (right), Skeleton Leg (left), Skeleton Leg (right), Steady Arm (left), Stealth Leg (left), Stealth Leg (right), Thief's Arm (right)
Light Armour
Assassin's Rags, Bandana, Black Bandana, Dustcoat, Hachigane, Ninja Mask, Ninja Rags, Rattan Hat, Side-Angle Hachigane, Tagelmust, Tricorn Hat
Backpacks
Bull Backpack, Garru Backpack, Large Backpack, Medium Backpack, Scavenger's Basket, Small Backpack, Small Thieves Backpack, Thieves Backpack, Trader's Wooden Backpack, Wooden Backpack
Crossbows
Bolts Heavies, Bolts Longs, Bolts Regulars, Bolts Toothpicks, Eagle's Cross, Oldworld Bow MkII, Oldworld Bow MkI, Ranger, Spring Bat, Tooth Pick
Nutrition
Bread, Cooked Vegetables, Dried Fish, Dried Meat, Foodcube, Meatwrap, Ration Pack, Raw Meat
Medium Armour
Armoured Hood, Black Plate Jacket, Iron Hat, Masked Helmet, Visored Helmet
Shirts
Blackened Chain Hive Shirt, Blackened Chain Shirt, Blackened Chainmail, Dark Leather Shirt
Headgear
Ashland Hat, Ashlander Stormgoggles, Sandogasa
Heavy Armour
Vendors and stock here
Compiled automatically from the wiki's vendor data: shops that can appear in this settlement and what they may carry. Actual stock varies with world state and randomisation.
Advanced Splint Kit, Authentic Skeleton Repair Kit, Basic First Aid Kit, Bloodrum, Bolts Heavies, Bolts Longs, Bolts Regulars, Bolts Toothpicks, Bread, Bull Backpack, Cooked Vegetables, Dried Fish, Dried Meat, Foodcube, Garru Backpack, Greenfruit, Grog, Meatwrap, … (30 items in all at this shop)
Adventurer Mechanical Shop
Armour Plating, Authentic Skeleton Repair Kit, Book, Cactus, Chainmail Sheets, Copper, Copper Alloy Plates, Cotton, Electrical Components, Fabrics, Fuel, Gears, Generator Core, Greenfruit, Hacksaw, Hemp, Iron Plates, Leather, … (22 items in all at this shop)
Bolts Heavies, Bolts Longs, Bolts Regulars, Bolts Toothpicks, Eagle's Cross, Oldworld Bow MkI, Oldworld Bow MkII, Ranger, Spring Bat, Tooth Pick
Basic First Aid Kit, Bread, Bull Backpack, Cactus, Cotton, Dried Meat, Garru Backpack, Greenfruit, Raw Meat, Riceweed, Water Jug, Wheatstraw
Headgear Shop
Armoured Hood, Bandana, Black Bandana, Hachigane, Iron Hat, Masked Helmet, Rattan Hat, Sandogasa, Side-Angle Hachigane, Tagelmust, Tin Can, Tricorn Hat, Visored Helmet
Authentic Skeleton Repair Kit, Book, CPU Unit, Copper Alloy Plates, Crossbow Parts, Damaged Book, Economy Arm (left), Economy Arm (right), Economy Leg (left), Economy Leg (right), Electrical Components, Fuel, Gears, Generator Core, Hacksaw, Hinge, Iron Plates, KLR Series Arm (left), … (39 items in all at this shop)
Tech Hunter Shop
Advanced First Aid Kit, Advanced Splint Kit, Ashland Hat, Ashlander Stormgoggles, Assassin's Rags, Authentic Skeleton Repair Kit, Basic First Aid Kit, Black Plate Jacket, Blackened Chain Hive Shirt, Blackened Chain Shirt, Blackened Chainmail, Bolts Heavies, Bolts Longs, Bolts Regulars, Bolts Toothpicks, Book, Bull Backpack, Dark Leather Shirt, … (33 items in all at this shop)