Surviving the world of Don't Starve is no easy task. The game never hand holds, dumping the player immediately into a highly unforgiving landscape where starving is the least of their worries.
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The Constant is this world, a place thoroughly manipulated by the magician Maxwell and his associate, Charlie. There are monsters rampaging through the world, extreme seasonal changes, and only so much wood to go around. Not to mention, the shadow monsters fueled by nightmares that prey on the insane and weak-minded, the darkness herself, and the constant need to keep from running out of supplies.
10 Scout Out The Perimeter Of The Map
The second the sandbox world spawns, be prepared to hit the ground running. Pick a direction and go for it, then travel around the perimeter of the thing. It's going to take over a week, nearly two on larger maps, to make a full loop. However, once that's all said and done, all of the biomes should be at least slightly exposed— giving an idea of where resources are hiding and where is best to put down a suitable base.
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On Shipwrecked worlds, never stop moving, exploring, and cycling between the islands. Very rarely are the islands going to have everything, and this world is more affected by seasonal changes than the others so it's even more critical to find as much as possible during the early parts of the file, as that's when it's safest to do so.
9 Break Down Old Machines & Structures
Once a machine is upgraded, it can perform all of the same functions as the machine before it. So instead of wasting valuable space, reclaim roughly half of the materials by smashing it once the new one has been crafted.
This also means that if there is a structure that spawns naturally that can also be created, such as Pig Houses and Bunny Hutches, take a hammer to them to get some of the materials after killing what's inside of them. Additionally, structures like Beehives can be smashed to get supplies to build Bee Boxes, and tier 3 Spider Dens will drop Spider Eggs, giving the player the opportunity to move these to a more suitable farming location.
8 Keep An Eye On Finite Resources
Some resources are technically finite, like flowers, trees, mushroom spots, and rocks outside of the caves. If the player consumes all of these, there is no way to bring them back. The good news is that most of these have ways the player can intervene and make them renewable— such as catching butterflies and planting them for more flowers; planting tree seeds; only picking mushrooms when they are up instead of digging them out; trading things to the Pig King for gold if he is present in the world; or having caves active.
However, tentacles are totally finite unless the player is playing as Wickerbottom and has her On Tentacles book. Berry Bushes, Saplings, and Grass Tufts can all be destroyed permanently if the player is not careful. Then, without caves, there is no way to regenerate Clockwork Pieces in order to farm Gears, and thus one must rely entirely on Tumbleweed RNG.
7 Have Backup Plans
Backup plans are essential for the survival of the game. Every touchstone is another chance at life but is just going to be one lightning strike after another if the player isn't prepared to utilize them. Placing a chest nearby with enough resources to hobble back to base in any weather is strongly advised. Meat effigies will take precedence over touchstones at the cost of maximum health, and Life-Giving Amulets take up the body space. Don't get into dangerous situations without one of these available or it's just asking for trouble.
Additionally, always keep enough resources on hand for an emergency light, heat, or food source. Keeping materials also has the bonus of making sure that if a tool or piece of armor breaks, the player can still do something. Having multiple ways of producing light nearby, building sanity, and different methods of producing food are all essential for when the seasons change or the unexpected happens.
6 Build A Sustainable Food Source
There are only so many carrots sticking out of the ground, or so many jellyfish and clams to scoop up in the water. They also don't provide the best source of food, often requiring many of these, even cooked, to fill up the hunger dial. Cooked food will always provide more than raw, and specially made food like from a Drying Rack or a Crock Pot can also have extra bonuses or debuffs to take into consideration.
Building up a sustainable way to make food happen consistently is essential. Slap down an Ice Box to keep things fresher longer, build farms, layout traps for Rabbits, Crabbits, Spiders, Frogs, or any other little critters that can fit, grab a fishing pole, a net, or pick up a spear and terrorize the local pig village. Food is actually relatively easy to obtain, so once a sustainable source is built, starving becomes the least of the game's worries.
5 Make Suitable Bases
Depending on which DLC is being used, bases are going to vary. For Reign of Giants or in Together, building one massive base is going to be more beneficial than building a base in Shipwrecked where the island is going to flood and render machines useless. An underground base is fascinating but has even more specific requirements to ensure sanity stays up, food produces, and they aren't going to be destroyed by local mobs. Hamlet really leans on its house mechanics over a typical base.
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Regardless of what DLC is being played, a base is essential for storing items, making food, and keeping safe from the darkness.
4 Always Be Preparing For The Next Season
The first week of any season is going to be the safest. They ramp up in difficulty as time progresses, and there is little room for mistakes. Always be storing food in preparation for harder days, get any weather-related items prepped in advance, and stock up on the basics whenever possible. There is nothing worse than realizing it's about to become winter and there's no food and no warm clothes about, or forgetting that rabbit holes collapse in the spring.
Some seasons are better suited for sitting in base and scraping by with menial tasks, while others are better suited for using that time to bolt around the map collecting as many resources to bring back to camp as possible. Always be aware of what can be prepared for and prepare for that.
3 Learn How To Kite
Kiting is a common technique in many games. The point is to get in, give some hits, and then back out before the opponent has time to hit. Even the statistically worst character Wes can be a destructive force with good kiting skills. There will be no reason to bog down the inventory with healing items if the player is never hurt in the first place.
Some monsters are very fast and very hard to kite, such as Merms. Others are very slow and make for an easy time, like Treeguards. Learning how to kite will save a lot of stress and resources in the long run, but will take some time to get down.
2 Hold Crafted Objects Until Later
Once the crafting animation is done, certain objects are given the chance to be placed. These are usually structures, machines, or other little placeables. The button will turn blue and a ghosted image will appear so the player can place it where they see fit.
However, if the player clicks off of it by clicking another thing in the menu, it will put away the placer and leave the object sitting in the crafting tab for later. This makes it so the player can essentially carry around extra structures around with them while not bogging down their inventory with the supplies. It's also exceptionally useful in Adventure Mode, where only so many objects can be brought over. What's in the crafting tabs don't count, making for some quick building to get through the level.
1 Play To The Character's Strengths
Every character has their own unique perks. Wilson grows a beard and thus has free access to Beard Hair, something everyone else has to get through low-sanity encounters. Wigfrid and Wolfgang are competitive powerhouses. Wendy has her ghost sister who can fight with her. The list goes on and on until Wes, who is made to be horrifically awful just for the added challenge. Even he can be played to though, making for a wide range of playstyles to suit anyone.
Playing to the character's unique strengths and weaknesses can really shape how the game goes. A powerhouse like Wigfrid or Wolfgang might see way more fighting than Wes or Wormwood might ever, and their individual playthroughs benefit from having a suitable character for preferred playstyles.
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About The AuthorViktor Coble(140 Articles Published)Viktor is an avid ftm gamer fond of a wide range of games, such as Pokémon, Dungeons and Dragons, Stardew Valley, Don't Starve, and Assassin's Creed. He lives at home with his wife, two cats, and two ferrets and loves various forms of art. He loves to draw, write, stitch, sculpt, and experiment with various media. Find him on his blog for a better look.
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