It’s about time I get to chatting about my least favourite character in Don’t Starve (DS, DST RoG, SW & HAM), Woodie!
Now, I need to clarify that my disliking of Woodie isn’t because I don’t like his playstyle, but because of the annoying sounds his axe, Lucy, makes. While chop, chop, chopping Lucy will not shut the fuck up, making her the most unbearable part to playing Don’t Starve or Don’t Starve Together. Yes, more intolerable than aggroing a frog during Frog Rain.
Other than my complaints about Lucy’s obnoxious voice, Woodie is a terrific and extremely useful character to play in all versions of Don’t Starve.
Woodie is the 6th character players can unlock while playing single-player Don’t Starve and is immediately playable in Don’t Starve Together. Although Woodie appears in both versions of the game, similar to Willow, Woodie plays differently in each.
The following guide will take you through everything you need to know about Woodie, his rework and how he plays in each game.
WOODIE’S STATS
Hunger: 150
Sanity: 200
Health: 150
Beaverness/Wereness Meter: 100
WOODIE IS A RESOURCE MASTER
In my opinion, the most useful thing about Woodie is how easy it is for players to gather resources while playing him. Not only does Woodie have an unlimited Axe, but Woodie also chops down trees quicker and with fewer swings than all other characters.
Since Lucy the Axe has unlimited uses, it can be tempting to use her as a weapon against mobs; however, since Lucy the Axe only outputs 13.6 damage, she’s pretty useless as a weapon. Only use Lucy the Axe as a weapon in the very early game, if you’re trying to avoid using your fists, otherwise try crafting yourself a Spear or grab yourself a Tentacle Spike as soon as you can.
Not only do Woodie players have an unlimited Axe, but once players transform into the Werebeaver they will be able to quickly chew down Trees, break Boulders or even dig up stumps and Berry Bushes. Players will not be able to pick up the resources that they collect until they return back to their human form the following morning (or in Don’t Starve Together, immediately after.)
WOODIE’S CURSE IN DON’T STARVE (DS, ROG, SW & HAM)
In single-player Don’t Starve Woodie’s curse will always turn him into the Werebeaver. Woodie’s curse can be triggered in two ways in Don’t Starve. The first way Woodie can transform into the Werebeaver is when he swings Lucy the Axe at trees enough times and every time there is a Full Moon.
When Woodie turns into the Werebeaver in Don’t Starve players will lose access to their inventory and will no longer have to worry about their Hunger, Sanity or Health during the transformation. Woodie will also be invulnerable to Freezing in Winter and Overheating in Summer. Similarly, the Werebever is immune to Poison in Shipwrecked (SW) as well as Hay Fever and Fog in Hamlet (HAM).
Woodie will remain in his Werebeaver form until his Beaverness Meter, which replaces his stats, completely depletes. Woodie’s Beaverness meter will deplete over time (2 Beaverness per 2.5 seconds) and whenever he gets attacked by a Mob. To refill Woodie’s Beaverness Meter players must eat any type of wood including Logs, Saplings, Twigs, etc.
The following are the exact amounts of Beaveness Woodie will receive for eating Wood objects:
TYPE OF WOODADDITIONAL BEAVERNESSLiving Log 50 BeavernessPlank15 BeavernessSaplings, Bushes, Grass Tufts, Spiky Bushes and Logs10 BeavernessStick5 BeavernessPinecone2 BeavernessGrass1 BeavernessSince players will always respawn with 37.5 Hunger, 50 Sanity and 50 Health players can use this to their advantage when low on one of the stats. Say you’re very low on Health and don’t have access to Honey Poultice or any other Health-related items, begin chopping down Trees and transform into the Werebeaver to heal yourself!
Once Woodie’s Beaverness Meter hits zero, Woodie will revert back to his human form. Woodie will only have 37.5 Hunger, 50 Sanity and 50 Health. Although players shouldn’t have difficulty staying alive after reverting back into human form if players had aggro of mobs while in Werebeaver form, the mobs will continue to hold aggro on the player. As a precaution, try to make sure that you run far enough from mobs to drop aggro before you become human again.
One of the best uses for the Werebeaver is digging up graves so players don’t risk dying
In Shipwrecked (SW) if Woodie transforms into the Werebeaver while he is standing on a Boat he will immediately sink as the Werebever cannot swim. Woodie will immediately respawn on the closest island to where he was with the materials to build a Log Raft allowing players to return back to where they were before.
WOODIE’S CURSE IN DON’T STARVE TOGETHER (DST)
While playing Don’t Starve Together, Woodie players have the ability to transform into three forms, being the Werebeaver, Weremoose or the Weregoose. Similar to Don’t Starve, players have multiple ways to transform into one of Woodie’s forms though, in Don’t Starve Together although there is only one way for Woodie players to transform into the form of their choosing, being the Kitschy Idols.
Players can also transform by eating multiple pieces of Monster Meat and on the Full Moon, but as mentioned players will transform into a random “Were-being.” It seems like players only need to eat two monster foods within 4 minutes to transform.
Instead of having a Beaverness Meter, as is in Don’t Starve players will have a Wereness Meter which drains at three different speeds. If Woodie completes the tasks that are aligned to the form he is transformed into, the player will prolong the amount of time he is in that form; however if players are not completing tasks aligned to the form Woodie is in, the Wereness Meter will deplete at an alarming pace.
Players should be stationed near the resources they hope to farm or mobs they hope to kill before transforming to ensure that they do not waste a transformation.
The other difference between Woodie’s transformations in Don’t Starve in comparison to Don’t Starve Together is that upon returning back to human form Woodie he will have 0 Hunger, making having food nearby crucial.
Being in a Wereform will cause Woodie players to lose 6 Sanity per minute. If players die in a Wereform they will immediately turn into a ghost and when resurrected will remain in that Wereform with the same amount of Weremeter they died with and only 50 Health.
The following is all you need to know about the multiple forms Woodie can take in Don’t Starve Together:
WEREBEAVERRecipe for Werebeaver Kitschy Idol: 3 Monster Meat and 2 Logs
Exactly like single-player Don’t Starve the Werebeaver should be used to chop down Trees, mine Boulders, dig up resources, break objects and attack Mobs. Doing any of these actions will cause Woodie’s Wereness meter to slow down.
By far the Werebeaver is the most useful transformation Woodie players can transform into.
When Woodie is in his Werebeaver form in Don’t Starve Together he will not be able to spawn in Poison Birchnut Trees or Treeguards.
The Werebeaver does 27.2 damage every 0.433 seconds to regular mobs, though his damage skyrockets to 44.2 when against Treeguards, Birchnutters and Poison Birchnut Trees. So, get to transforming!
When Woodie is in the Werebeaver form he takes 25% less damage from all forms of damage including fire damage, freezing damage, and overheating damage.
WEREMOOSERecipe for Weremoose Kitschy Idol: 3 Monster Meat and 2 Grass
The Weremoose is the ultimate damage dealer, dealing 59.5 damage every 0.5 seconds. According to the Don’t Starve fandom the Weremoose does about 15% less DPS than a fresh Ham Bat, but since the Weremoose takes 90% reduced damage (from all sources), transforming into the Weremoose for battles is absolutely worth it.
Players will have to practice playing with the Weremoose as to attack a mob, the Weremoose must first charge. Charging causes the Weremoose to move 200% faster. The Weremoose cannot be interrupted or stunlocked while charging, though Woodie can be stopped, frozen or put to sleep while charging.
WEREGOOSERecipe for Weregoose Kitschy Idol: 3 Monster Meat and 3 Seeds
The only use for the Weregoose is for exploration as the Weregoose moves 40% faster than Woodie. The best part about travelling with the Weregoose is that Woodie players can travel over water, though if players transform back into Woodie in the water they will drown.
TREE FARMS ARE CRUCIAL TO WOODIE
Although any character will benefit from having a Tree Farm, Woodie will benefit the most as having multiple Tree Farms throughout the world. Use Tree Farms strategically to extend your time in Werebeaver form by eating some excess logs that you farm.
KEEP TABS ON THE FULL MOON
It doesn’t matter if you’re playing Don’t Starve (DS, ROG, SW & HAM) or Don’t Starve Together (DST) Keeping a tab for the Full Moon is crucial.
In Don’t Starve players will want to make the most out of the Full Moon by collecting as many resources as they can. If players are not in a good position to begin collecting resources they may end up wasting time getting to the resource they desire, risking the chance of Woodie transforming back into his human form.
While the same can be said about Don’t Starve Together, the bigger concern is that players may be transformed into a form that they don’t want to be in. In my experience, the Weregoose is pretty useless unless you’re planning on exploring through the night. To avoid transforming into a form that you don’t care for, make sure you craft yourself the Kitschy Idol that is related to the form you want to take and use the Idol before night hits.
You may want to download a mod that alters your HUD to let you know what part of the moon cycle you are currently on.
Speaking of Full Moons, if Woodie players want to get the Old Bell in Don’t Starve Reign of Giants players must use a Lureplant/Eyeplants to collect Glommer’s Flower.
Full Moons in Don’t Starve Together will cause the Weremeter to drain at half the speed.
USE TRANSFORMATIONS TO FIGHT BOSSES
Since Woodie is more powerful when he is transformed, it’s a good idea to try to transform before fighting big bosses. You’re definitely going to want to make sure there are Tree Farms nearby to make sure you stay in your transformation, especially in single-player Don’t Starve (DS, ROG, SW & HAM) since the bosses will 100% kill you if you transform back into Woodie before the boss is killed.
TRANSFORMING IN A CAVE CAN BE DANGEROUS
Woodie can transform into the Werebeaver (or his other forms) while in the Caves in both Don’t Starve (DS, ROG, SW & HAM) and Don’t Starve Together (DST), though transforming in Caves can be extremely dangerous. Since Woodie players drop their inventory upon transformation, there is a high chance that they will be in darkness once they wake up.
The dangers of waking up in the dark are increased in Don’t Starve as players will always wake up in the morning. So, if Lanterns are dropped (and burnt out) if Light Flowers are not in their light cycle, or if the player is not near external light there is a chance the player will die to Charlie. In Don’t Starve Together players may have an easier time with survival as they will be able to maneuver themselves into a well-lit area before the end of their transformation.
As a general rule, I would avoid using caves when you’re the Werebeaver, though with some extra experience you’ll be able to clear out those lovely Mushtrees down below!
As a precaution, I would put all of the items you have in your inventory into a Backpack to make sure no Rock Lobsters eat your rocks and so your resources, like Lanterns, don’t burn out.
WOODIE’S BESTIES ARE PIGS, BUNNYMEN & ROCK LOBSTERS!
Having followers can be extremely useful, especially when you’re playing characters like Webber or Wurt. A piece of information I found shocking about Woodie was that he will gain extra loyalty time when feeding Pigs.
Pigs can come in extremely useful when trying to farm Spiders or when trying to steal aggro from a seasonal giant in Don’t Starve Together. Would I rely on pigs to get myself through Don’t Starve (DS, SW, RoG & HAM) or Don’t Starve Together (DST)? Nah, but Pigs are fun to play with when you get the opportunity, especially if you’re someone who takes too much damage.
More useful followers include Bunnymen and Rock Lobsters, though you may want to wait until you’ve got some more experience before training them!
WOODIE’S BEARD KEEPS HIM WARM IN THE WINTER
Although Woodie’s beard isn’t as helpful as Wilson’s Magnificent Beard or Webber’s Silky Smooth Beard, it does provide players with 45 seconds of Insulation in Winter.
Players will still need to use a Thermal Stone and a bit of clothing to make it through Winter safely. Woodie can get by with a Winter Hat, but like all other characters, Woodie is best paired with a Beefalo Hat.
BEWARE OF THE POISON BIRCHNUT TREES AND TREEGUARDS
Woodie is 50% more likely to spawn a Treeguard or Poison Birchnut Tree when he chops down trees. While spawning in a Treeguard or Poison Birchnut Tree can be a bit scary for new players, I will say that Treeguards are much easier to deal with.
Poison Birchnut Trees spawn in Birchnutters that can stun-lock players, easily breaking all of their armour. If a player’s armour is low on durability or if the player gets stun-locked for too long they will be at risk of death, more so than with a Treeguard.
Players should take advantage of Woodie’s 50% boost on Treeguards since they drop Living Logs, which are useful when trying to make a Shadow Manipulator, Mushroom Planters, a number of weapons and even some game-specific objects. The only other character that gives easier access to Living Logs is Wormwood, who can actually craft them.
OH, NO! I LOST LUCY THE AXE!
In Don’t Starve Together (DST) if players end up losing Lucy the Axe for any reason they can craft a regular Axe which will transform into Lucy upon first use. Only Woodie will be able to pick up Lucy the Axe, meaning that there is no reason to have multiple Lucys.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS ON WOODIE & WHO TO PAIR WOODIE WITH IN DON’T STARVE TOGETHER (DST)
As I mentioned in my opening statements, I think that Woodie is one of the most useful characters in Don’t Starve and Don’t Starve Together. Realistically, even though players will have to get used to Woodie’s curse, it’s fairly easy to get a hang of.
My partner recently switched off of using Woodie on our main server and while we don’t absolutely need a Woodie, our resource income dropped significantly. It’s just nice having someone or being someone who can quickly farm resources so you can get to the more fun parts of Don’t Starve Together!
Woodie is pretty much a group server’s biggest dream. Think of him as the Gold Nugget and Log version of Wickerbottom.
Does Woodie pair up well with other characters? Much like Wigfrid or Wolfgang, it doesn’t really matter who Woodie pairs up with because he’s just going to be a general asset.
Woodie’s transformations make him extremely useful in Don’t Starve Together, especially when trying to fight seasonal giants. In my opinion, Woodie players should take aggro when in Weremoose form and use the speed boost you receive as an easier method to kite bosses like the Deerclops or Bearger.
You may want to pair Woodie up with Webber so you can easily get supplies of Monster Meat, especially safely without being attacked by too many Spiders.
So, I’m curious, what do you think of Woodie? Do you find him as useful as I do? Let me know in the comments below!
WOODIE’S FAVOURITE FOOD (DON’T STARVE TOGETHER)
If players are looking for more stats from food when it comes to Woodie, they should really feed him Honey Nuggets.
Honey Nuggets require:
1 Meat
1 Honey
2 Fillers
Instead of providing 37.5 Hunger, they will provide Woodie with 52.5 Hunger.