Since Don’t Starve has been a hot topic lately, I’ve decided to make a short list of ways to help you survive when you first spawn in the game Don’t Starve. My longest period of survival in Don’t Starve has been 70+ days. Up until the caves update, I was able to self sustain and had a great supply of materials, equipment, and protection from the hounds that spawn every couple of weeks. Many people are baffled as to how I am able to survive for so long and have a self-sustaining settlement so I am going to share some of my secrets and tips that have worked for me. Characters really don’t matter since I have been able to survive long periods of time with all of the unlock-able characters. Each character has perks that can either hinder or help you.
1. Home Sweet Home
Explore your map in Don’t Stave when you first spawn to discover key areas for materials.
As soon as you spawn in your game, explore! Try and uncover as much of your map as possible while still grabbing sticks, flint, berries, carrots, and grass. You want to explore your map so you can discover the locations of key areas for materials. Some important things you want near your base camp are roads (faster travel), close to beefalo or pig men (unlimited supply of manure which is KEY to self-sustainment), and close to a grassland biome (for a steady supply of rabbits to trap for morsel meat). You might think that camping near a lot of trees or a forest is a great idea but think again… building a camp fire near forests or trees will cause them to catch on fire which will burn down your forests and deplete valuable resources.
2. Poop and Beefalo
A cute and fluffy Beefalo from Don’t Starve.
One of the most important materials in Don’t Starve is… well… poop! Remember when I said to build your base camp near Beefalo? It’s because Beefalo will provide you with an unlimited supply of manure which can be used to create farms and also fertilize your crops which will be very important when you are trying to have a self-sustaining settlement. In addition to providing an unlimited supply of manure, Beefalo are fantastic protection against the random hound spawns. Beefalo are passive aggressive so they will not attack you unless you attack them first. When I hear the hounds approaching, I quickly run towards a herd of Beefalo and stand right in between the herd. When the hounds start to chase you, run in a circle around the Beefalo and eventually the hounds will accidentally attack one which will cause the entire herd to attack and kill the hounds. This is a great way to always survive a hound attack unless your Beefalo are in heat but so far that hasn’t happened to me. When the Beefalo are in heat, they will be aggressive so keep your distance until they are done. Beefalo are in heat for one week.
3. “I thought I saw a wabbit?”
Don’t take your traps for granted! Morsel meat from rabbits do not replenish much of your hunger bar but when you build drying racks, that morsel meat will come in handy after you have dried it. Dried meat will replenish more of your hunger bar and will also stay fresh for a longer period of time. Set up traps close to rabbit holes for a higher chance at catching them. Make sure to have a good supply of sticks and grass so you always have materials to make traps.
4. Fuel your campfires wisely
Use pine cones to fuel your camp fires to avoid using important resources.
You might want to use your sticks or logs from trees to fuel your camp fires at night. Don’t do it! Try and use pine cones from trees to fuel your fires. You want to preserve materials like logs, sticks, and grass. Pine cones do not have a lot of uses besides growing new trees but you shouldn’t have to worry about re-growing trees for awhile (unless you burned down a forest… WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!?)
5. You’re not Rambo. Seriously.
Leave the Tailbirds and their eggs alone in Don’t Starve.
Only hunt when you absolutely have to! In the beginning of your spawn, you really do not need to attack anything except spiders but even then you want to do it carefully. If a warrior spider or queen appears, book it out of there and don’t be a hero! You’ll most likely only have a spear and grass armor so your protection will be limited. If you can, hire some pig men to help you out when you have to hunt. Pig men are passive aggressive and will not attack unless you attack them. If you feed pig men meat, then they will help you chop trees and protect you in battle. The best meat to feed pig men is monster meat since you cannot eat it without lowering your sanity.
6. Keep calm and stay sane!
I’ve noticed that most people focus on their health bar and hunger bar and completely forget about their sanity bar when playing Don’t Starve. Sanity is just as important as your health and hunger so do not forget it! If your sanity gets too low, it will affect not only your food supply (rabbits will no longer provide morsel meat but monster meat when you catch them) but you will begin hallucinating and your hallucinations will start attacking you. Keep your camp fire completely fueled at night to prevent losing sanity from darkness, do not pick or eat evil flowers, do not eat monster meat, do not eat uncooked meat, and get some sleep when you can. When you have extra materials, craft a sleeping bag or a tent. If your sanity starts getting too low, then use one of these items. A sleeping bag has only one use so use it wisely but a tent has multiple uses.
7. Winter is coming
The alternate name of Don’t Starve should be Don’t Freeze!
Last but not least, prepare for winter. Winter starts on the 21st and gathering supplies will be very difficult as you will start to freeze if you stay away from your camp fire too long. Make sure to craft a heat stone before winter which will allow you to travel from your campfire for longer periods of time. Stock up on food as crops will not grow in the winter. Craft multiple drying racks and a crock pot and if you can, try to craft an ice box to make your food last a little bit longer but it’s really not necessary as I’ve been able to survive the winter without one.
With these tips, you will be able to survive the beginning of your spawn and also establish a self-sustaining settlement which will make surviving in Don’t Starve a lot easier. How do you survive in Don’t Starve? If you have any additional tips or tricks, comment and share them with me and the community!