Guides/Marsh Camp Guide

''Applicable to Hungry for your Hunger update. Thanks to Klei Forum Members and various Wikia Contributors: Spazmatic, Rabbitfist, Lexicroft, Jbeetle, TeoSS69, Carbon Coded and Roud72''

Marsh Camp Guide (concised version) by Jhepong



The Marsh Biome
Also known as the Swamp,  the marsh is considered the most hostile Biome, and the scariest place a new player can be. Not only does it lack raw material supplies; its inhabitants pose great threat to whomever braves its grounds. 'Being home to Tentacles, Merms and Spiders, the Marsh proves to be a common graveyard for the unprepared. 'Masked by all this danger and by its lack of natural resources, the Marsh is actually a place of abundance, and security from massive and powerful invasions.

Advantages
These are the advantages of having your base camp in this area:
 * Food supply is plentiful even in Winter.
 *   "How do I get FOOD?"    ever heard of "Pick and Run?"


 * Provides immediate strategic defense from all creatures, particularly Hounds, Deerclops, Spider Queen, Treeguards, etc, even at the early days of encampment
 * Ever thought that you've been spending most of your time redundantly picking up, properly placing, and constantly crafting those Rabbit Traps every day?
 * The whole region can be your Silk farm, Medicine farm, Fertilizer farm, Reed farm, and even Tentacle Spike farm!!!
 * and the newest: Beard Hair farm!!!
 * What else could it be?     "It's more fun and exciting here!"

The Swamp's Golden Rules of Survival


'"How many times do I need to tell you that it's not a walk in the park." ' Now now, why did you die?

RESISTANCE IS LOOT-ILE. I know seeing all that loot just makes your eyes bulge wide with greed. Remember, it's on the ground for a reason.

'MEAT EFFIGY BEFORE CURIOSITY. 'Maybe you're the new kid in town, or just an explorer passing by. I care not. But, whoever you are, value your life more than your curiosity.

'TOO MUCH CONFIDENCE KILLS THE RAT. 'So you're strong and heavily armored; and they don't call you the Deerclops Hunter for nothing. A word of advice: "The swamp bows to no one."

Searching for the Right Marsh
If you look in your Map, the brown or mud-colored areas are the Marsh Biomes. They can be randomly allocated in different shapes and sizes, joined or separated by other Biomes, and may also contain narrow streaks or small islands of Forests. They may even be found scattered in different parts of your World.

Hence, what you are really looking for is a large sized Marsh. Though, the secret to finding the best Marsh is actually the one with the greatest number of Rundown Houses. These are single-door hut-like structures where Merms spawn. You can easily find and count them as they are marked in your Map as yellowish hut icons. Do not confuse them with Pig Houses, which are the brownish hut version.

Finding the Sweet Spot
Once you have found the right Marsh, you are now ready to find the sweet spot in that vast dangerous area. The first thing that you need to look for is a Road, which sometimes pass through Forest islands. Next, open your map, and analyze the positions of Rundown Houses. You want to settle at a single spot by the road and surrounded by most number of Rundown Houses.

If you landed in a pure Marsh Turf area, then that would be just fine. Just be wary of Mosquito Ponds since they spawn Mosquitoes when Dusk arrives. And also, some parts in this area may be heavily infested with Spider Nests and hidden Tentacles. If you found your perfect spot near one or many of these, then you better get rid of them or move further. But during the early days, it is better to just settle at a safe distance from them.

Safety First
Once you have laid down your basic camp structures for a Base Camp, it is now time to equip yourself a bit of protective gear, which is of utmost importance for your survival in this hostile region. 'During the early days, it is better to wear head Armor than chest Armor; because during these stages you will mostly be gathering Natural Resources to improve your Base Camp  (such as digging for Saplings, Spiky Bushes and Grass Tufts, and collecting Pine Cones to plant Evergreens). So a Backpack gives you the most advantage.'

You can acquire Pig Skins (to craft Football Helmet) in a Marsh Biome by looking for Pig Heads which usually stand along Roads, near Rundown Houses, or inside a Merm Village (a group of Rundown Houses). Pig Heads can be hammered to produce two Pig Skins and two Twigs. Your most helpful piece of equipment in this area is a Walking Cane. Its speed boost is all you’ll ever need for evasive maneuvers and faster travel.

Once you’re ready to gather food and resources, your destinations are already marked on your map. These are the Rundown Houses and the Spider Nests. But before you set off, you may want to plan your route to minimize your time and maximize your area coverage. Also, some of your destinations may be further away, and bringing in necessary materials is extremely helpful for your survival and maximum efficiency.

Things to Bring for Heavy Resource Gathering (for New Players)
OPTIONAL:
 * Logs – for making Campfires, Fire Pits and extra Log Suit (in case Log Suit breaks), can be used for Fuel
 * Grass – for Campfires, Torches, and Ropes
 * Twigs – for Torches and Tools
 * Food – please Don’t Starve
 * Hammer – for hammering down Pig Heads
 * Shovel – for digging Spiky Bushes, Saplings and Grass Tufts
 * Tentacle Spike – just bring one in case of trouble
 * Bush Hat – hide yourself beside a campfire, just do it
 * Walking Cane (always equipped)
 * Football Helmet (always equipped)
 * Backpack (always equipped)
 * Umbrella – in case it rains and you don’t want too much sanity drain
 * Miner’s Hat – if you want to keep on moving at Night without head armor
 * Top Hat – if you want to counter negative sanity while sacrificing head armor
 * Log Suit – in case there's no other option, drop that Backpack and fight!
 * Axe – if you plan on chopping some trees
 * Rocks – for making Hammers and Fire Pits (best placed between longer routes which serve as temporary Night camps, cooking and Winter heating stations; Rocks are better spent for other important Items and Structures during the early days)

For inexperienced players: please DO NOT BRING Chester with you. He may provide more inventory space, which in turn gives you a chance to wear various Armor or Clothing, however Chester is also very good at attracting Mobs. Soon you'll find yourself constantly running, evading and getting hit. Worst case, you'll be dead before sunrise.

If you're having problems staying Sane, just build a Tent in your Base Camp. Tents are highly renewable, since Silk can be found in great quantities just littered throughout this Biome.

Food and Resource Gathering
For new players, moving through this Monster infested area might easily put them to panic, and worse when they witness the events that typically occur in this Biome, which include random battles between different monsters like Merms vs Tentacles, Tentacles vs Spiders and Spiders vs Merms. And these are all natural. In fact, such day to day happening is the single most important aspect for a player’s survival in this region, because these Mobs will be the player’s main food sources for all time. Casualties from these random battles will drop loots including Food, and there you shall come in.

As effortless as it may seem, but picking those food and loots on the ground gives you an immediate danger. As you pick them up, you should always be ready for an incoming attack, commonly caused by Tentacles and your usual looting competitor, the Spiders.

Food Structure Setup
You may want to try this sample setup which gives you efficiency on food production: 'Note: In relation of food availability to the Food sources in a Marsh Biome: the more Mob deaths each day, the more food readily accessible. And the more food readily accessible, the more Food Structures you'll need to process the number of raw food supply.'
 * 2 or more Farm Structures, 1 or more Bee Boxes and 2 or more Drying Racks (quantity depends on player, but not really a need to even place one)
 * 1 Ice Box between 2 Crock Pots (Ice Box in proper location provides best efficiency)
 * or 2 Ice Box at the center of 3 Crockpots (1 Ice Box utilized for uncooked food, the other is used as storage for Crock Pot ingredients and for readily consumable food)
 * 1 Fire Pit placed below the Ice Box and Crock Pots (cooking through fire with an arm's reach Ice Box)
 * 1 Bird Cage placed not far from Ice Box and Fire Pit (one Bird Cage is more than enough)

Renewable Vegetable Source
You can easily find Mushrooms growing in this region. The most common are Blue Mushrooms. You may also find a Mushroom Set Piece, several Mushrooms formed in a wide circle. If you want to gather them in a regular basis, it is best to mark them on your map by placing a Sign (also Backpack, Piggyback, Tree, Grass, Sapling, Spiky Bush, Berry Bush etc). Mushrooms grow quickly during Rainy days. (best in "A Cold Reception Adventure Mode")

Farming, Planting and Fertilizers
As for farming, it is impossible to place Basic Farm or Improved Farm Structures on a Marsh Turf. You can either place your Farms in a different Biome or replace Marsh Turfs with other farmable turfs using a Pitchfork; though it is possible to plant Saplings, Grass Tufts, Berry Bushes and even Flowers on Marsh Turfs all with normal effects as if planted on other Turfs.

As for Fertilizers, another substitute for Beefalo Manure that can be gathered in this region are Pengull Manure (during Winter) and rotten Food, better known as Rot. Since random battles occur everytime you may not be able to pick all those food on the ground that will eventually turn to Rot, unless eaten by certain Mobs such as Spiders, Hounds, Pengulls (during Winter), Pigs /Werepigs and Batilisks. Also take note that Pigs/Werepigs eat Rot.

Never-Ending Food and Resources Farming Strategy
There are lots of strategies for a Marsh Biome that can constantly supply players with more than enough food. The moment you visit this Biome, you would easily find out that Tentacles are your major food and resources supplier during the early days of your survival. Notorious from their powerful surprise attacks and large health, there's no doubt about Tentacles being responsible to the majority of death in a Marsh Biome. They may be that strong, unfortunately, as of "Strange New Powers" update, the Tentacles are still one of the finite Natural Resources; which means they can go extinct in your World. Still, there are other strategies that does not require the help of Tentacles to provide constant food and resources. ''How to make Tentacles infinite can be found in Section 8. Other food farming strategies can be found in the Tips and Hints section.''



Monster Meat, Fish & Frog Legs. The easiest and readily observable strategy for constant Food supply is the acquisition of Monster Meat and Fish & Frog Legs. Hence, with the help of a Bird Cage and a Crock Pot, they easily become your staple Food in the Swamps.

''' Silk, Spider Gland, Tentacle Spike & Tentacle Spot. '''. These are your most common loot in the Swamps. Of course, the more Mobs you fill in, the more loot types you'll get.

''' Carrot, Bunny Puff, Meat, Pig Skin & Beard Hair. ''' These are your secondary loot, meaning: they are not found naturally in this region (except for Pig Houses that may spawn in or near a Marsh Biome). Player intervention is primarily required to get these as regular supply. Mobs responsible for these are Bunnymen, Beardlords and Pigs.

Monster Meat / Silk / Spider Gland Farm: Finite Type
' Spiders vs Tentacles.  During the early days, the most common source of Monster Meat in this region are the Spiders.' Random battles between these monsters are a natural day to day happening here. And Tentacles are responsible for the majority of Spider casualties in a Marsh Biome. Because of this, Silk and Spider Glands also litter much of the area. The first step to starting your own Monster Meat/Silk/Spider Gland Farm in this early stages is by acquiring Spider Eggs from areas you have no use for by destroying Tier 3 Spider Dens or killing Spider Queens. Then plant them to your desired location where Tentacles are present.



Planting Spider Eggs between two or more adjacent Tentacles is an effective tactic that produces more Spider casualties and more Spider drops in no time. Unfortunately, picking them up also becomes more dangerous as well. That is what your Walking Cane is for.

Another disadvantage though: if a single Spider managed to survive the gang war, with all the attacking Tentacles - dead, that lone Spider will quickly eat up all the Food loots scattered in the vicinity; unless you pick up all the food first or kill the Spider first. ''There's a fast and better strategy on how to start a clash between Spiders and Tentacles. See Tips and Hints section.''

Monster Meat / Silk /Spider Gland Farm: Infinite Type
 Spider vs Merms . You can now have the best Monster Meat / Silk / Spider Gland Farm for all time with the help of the Merms. This strategy best describes the true meaning of Everyday-Eat-All-You-Can-Monster-Meat for only $9.99. The first step is gathering enough Spider Eggs. Next, plant the Spider Eggs in the middle of those neighboring Rundown Houses. Once both parties meet, it will certainly be an all-out war.

Things You Should Know: Advantages: Disadvantages:
 * Spider Den Tier 1 = 3 Spiders
 * Spider Den Tier 2 = 6 Spiders
 * Spider Den Tier 3 = 9 Spiders
 * 1x Rundown House = 4 Merms
 * 1x Merm spawns every 4 days
 * 1x Spider spawns every 0.2 days (accdng to Spazmatic)
 * Merm drops 1x Fish and 1x Frog Legs
 * Spider drops 1x (50% Monster Meat or 25% Silk or 25% Spider Gland)
 * Rundown Houses, one of the major ingredients for this Farming Strategy to work, are non-craftable and also immovable. So you should plan ahead on how you can maximize their presence.
 * Spider Queens are simply too powerful for a small number of Merms. If you did not expect its sudden arrival, you must intervene; or your farm will become unproductive.
 * For Merms and Spiders go clashing everytime, make sure that the Spider Den's webbing touches or, much better, passes through the Rundown House.
 * A single Tier 3 Spider Den placed right beside a single Rundown House is more than enough to eradicate all the Merms inside. Don't expect food loot though.
 * To maintain balance in your Monster Meat farm, then you must know the right quantity of Spider Dens regarding their Tier Levels, with respect to the number of Rundown Houses and their distances from each. Or simply make sure that the Merms always heavily outnumber the Spiders, since dead Spiders respawn around 0.2 days (according to Spazmatic)
 * Merms do not eat Monster Meat. They only eat Fruits and Veggies. Therefore, Meats on the ground are safe for a while.
 * You may also find Fish and Frog Legs loot, but not as many since Spiders immediately eat them if not occupied with battle.
 * As Spider Dens grow to higher Tiers, its dwellers also grow in number. Other than that, it may soon spawn a Spider Queen if a player is nearby. Therefore, constant monitoring of Spider Dens are needed just in case you had not planned their growth.
 * Due to their Kiting combat style, Merms can finish a group of Spiders at a slow rate, unless they are in such a great number.

''' Spider Hunting. ''' Sometimes, hunting Spiders yourself is much more efficient in acquiring their loot; since, it isn't always that they trigger a fight against Tentacles for these reasons: either all nearby Tentacles are dead, or they're just moving past the Tentacles without ever getting hit. However, if you do not fully understand the nature of your enemy, attacking them could be the beginning of your own demise. See "Spider" page for more tips.

''' Tentacle Hunting. ''' Tentacles have a 20% chance to drop a Tentacle Spot, 50% Tentacle Spike, and absolute drop of 2 pieces of Monster Meat. Oh please don't hunt Tentacles, they are your friends!Actually, you don't need to hunt Tentacles for their Monster Meat, Tentacle Spike or Tentacle Spot, because, in these region, Tentacle deaths occur almost everyday. Besides, they are hard to kill; but if you have time to observe their movements, a lone Tentacle is actually an easy prey. See "Tentacle" page for more Tips.

Meat / Carrot / Bunny Puff / Beard Hair / Fish / Frog Legs All in One Farm: Infinite Supply
''' Merms vs Bunnymen. '''. The best way to actually start this kind of Farm is placing Rabbit Hutches together with those already built Rundown Houses. Together, Bunnymen and Merms will go for a battle frenzy. Such Bunnymen's unique characteristic to transform to Beardlords gives players a choice of specific loots to scatter around. Since casualties from both parties are inevitable, drops will definitely be a hundred percent.

Things You Should Know: Advantages: Disadvantages: (soon to add photo)
 * Maximizing your Meat/ Bunny Puff/ Beard Hair Farm is found at Tips and Hints section.
 * 1x Rabbit Hutch requires 4x Boards, 10x Carrots and 4x Bunny Puffs craftable using Alchemy Engine
 * 1x Rundown House = 4 Merms
 * 1x Rabbit Hutch = 1 Bunnyman/Beardlord
 * 1x Merm spawns every 4 days
 * 1x Bunnyman/Beardlord spawns in less than 3 days (accdng to Spazmatic)
 * Merm drops 1x Fish and 1x Frog Legs
 * Bunnyman drops 2x Carrots and 1x (25% chance Bunny Puff or 75% chance Meat)
 * Beardlord drops 2x Beard Hair and 1x Meat
 * Bunnymen automatically becomes Beardlords when player's Sanity is below 80 (60 for Wes)
 * Even Bunnymen will attack you if you carry any kind of meats or meat-based Crockpot food, Eggs except Tallbird eggs, and even Batilisk Wings and Monster Meat; unless occupied with battle.
 * It is normal if Bunnymen and Merms do not instantly merge for battle, since a Bunnyman must first get really near to a Merm-guarded Rundown House before it gets attacked. So be sure that you place your Rabbit Hutches that almost touch a Rundown House.
 * Provides wide variety of loot
 * May choose to transform Bunnymen to Beardlords to change monster drops
 * Once few Rabbit Hutches are built, you can start farming Bunny Puffs and Carrots to place more Rabbit Hutches
 * You now have constant supply of Beard Hair, the most important and rare ingredient for Meat Effigy.
 * Rabbit Hutches' crafting materials are primarily found in Caves.
 * Bunnymen/Beardlords and Merms do not eat Meats, however they all eat Fruits and Veggies, that includes your Carrots.
 * Carrots lying around will be eaten by Bunnymen/Beardlords and Merms, so you should pick them fast or make sure all newly respawning Bunnymen/Beardlord will immediately start battle against Merms. Make it sure that the number of Merms can easily overcome the number of Bunnymen even if they turn into Beardlords. See Bunnymen page for more Tips.

''' Merms vs Tentacles.  ''One of the most common battles you'll ever find here is between the Merms and the Tentacles. This is your early source not only of Fish and Frog Legs, but also drops from Tentacles.'

Tentacles have a 20% chance to drop a Tentacle Spot, 50% Tentacle Spike, and absolute drop of 2 pieces of Monster Meat. There is always a high probability that you would find Tentacle Spikes just lying around near those Merms. Rundown Houses cannot be crafted, so you must rely on the natural order of things in this region. Or you may lure and start a fight between Merms and Tentacles by using Fruits and Vegetables as bait. Near a Rundown House, just leave one or two pieces of Berries on the ground right above a Tentacle. Just make sure that there are no Bunnymen or even Gobblers around that will not think twice horking those fruits.

''' Merm Hunting. ''' Be wary about doing melee against Merms. Merms are regarded as one of the best Kiters and fast runners in-game. But you don't need too much tactic against a single Merm by just doing fast continuous melee attacks (preferred using of Ctrl + Space buttons). Well of course, you need to at least be wearing a Log Suit and/or Football Helmet, and most importantly, a Tentacle Spike. Yes, you will be hit once or twice, but that Merm is dead in 5 hits of that Tentacle Spike. However, this strategy is not health and armor efficient against a group of Merms without properly utilizing other items and strategy. Though direct melee against 4 Merms at the same time really hurts, but they can still be killed this way if you just want to earn those Fishes and Frog Legs. There's a better tactic than direct melee against a group of Merms. See "Merm" page for more Tips.

Meat and Pig Skin Farm: Infinite Supply
Another secondary loot that can be farmed infinitely here are the Pig's Meat and Pig Skin. And of course, they are dropped by Pigs, which live in Pig Houses, that are also much easier to craft than Rabbit Hutches. Just like Bunnymen's Farm, just place Pig Houses right beside Rundown Houses, and soon there will be fights.

Things You Should Know:


 * Maximizing Meat/Pig Skin Farm is found at the Tips and Hints section.

Advantages: Disadvantages:
 * 1x Pig House = 4x Pig Skin, 4x Board and 3x Cut Stone
 * 1x Pig House = 1 Pig
 * 1x Rundown House = 4 Merms
 * 1x Pig spawns every 4 days
 * 1x Merm spawns every 4 days
 * Pig drops 1x (75% chance Meat or 25% chance Pig Skin)
 * Werepig drops 2x Meat and 2x Pig Skin
 * Merm drops 1x Fish and 1x Frog Legs
 * Using Pigs to hunt for Merm drops, though possible, is ineffective for one big reason: Pigs eat Fish and Frog Legs, unfortunately almost any food at all including their own drops (Meat and Pig Skin). They even eat Rot.
 * Werepigs have superior drops than Pigs.
 * Another version of this farm for earlier days: Just place Pig Houses near Tentacles since Pigs wander about in moderate distance from their Pig Houses.
 * You might observe that there will be times that Pigs just wander about in the area, not clashing with the Merms. The reason behind is either all the Merms in that Rundown House are dead, or your Pigs have not yet walked near the Merm's Rundown House after the Merm has spawned. Do not worry, it's just a matter of seconds before they start pummeling each other.
 * You won't acquire Naughtiness Rating since Merms and Tentacles will be responsible for Pig deaths.
 * You would sometimes be competing for Food loots, since you will be dealing with Pigs. If that's the case, you must make sure that all newly respawning Pigs will immediately commence battle with Merms. And also, make it sure that Merms always overpower those Pigs, even if they turn to Werepigs.
 * Pigs will morph into Werepigs, which have better drops, during a Night of Full Moon. But only if they survive the Merm's onslaught through the Day.

Prolonging Limited Food and Resource Supply
Tentacles. As you may learn, Tentacles are your best food supplier especially during the early days of encampment, since they provide most Mob casualty therefore producing most Mob drops. Unfortunately, Tentacles are finite Monsters and may go extinct.

It is only vital to preserve their population for as long as you can, or until you finished setting up unlimited food and resource farms for a late game.

As for early days of encampment, it must be your duty to help clear their attackers as long as you're not putting yourself in too much danger.

Nonetheless, even if you do not take measures to preserve Tentacle population, they may still be around your base camp for around 200 days or more, since their numbers and map distribution are randomly generated for every World.

Rundown Houses. Other than Tentacles, Rundown Houses are finite structures, therefore, avoid destroying them or protect them from Deerclops. The Merms they regularly spawn are infinite sources of food.

Some Strategies to Prevent Tentacles from Easy Death

 * Make sure to control population of Spider Dens by properly spacing them out, as Spiders tend to help each other when one of them is attacked by Tentacle/s.
 * If you are planting Spider Eggs, they are best planted between two or more adjacent Tentacles. That way, a Tentacle is not singled out by a group of Spiders.
 * Minimize luring Deerclops and Tree Guards to Tentacles, unless necessary. There are lots of other strategies for defending or hunting Deerclops and Tree Guards.

Other Strategies that Provides Fresh New Tentacles Spawns
(soon to add photo)
 * One is by playing as Wickerbottom. Crafting and using her Book, "On Tentacles", spawns 3 new Tentacles at whatever Turf she may be. It has 5 uses and its crafting materials (2x Papyrus and 1x Tentacle Spot) are only found in Marshes.
 * Another way to provide new population of Tentacles (and Rundown Houses) requires you to leave your World and start a new one through the "Wooden Thing" (a portal for a new World).

Disadvantages of a Marsh Base Camp

 * Constant danger, particularly during the early days of encampment. It is your duty on how you will regulate or utilize the Mobs in your area.
 * Constant and inevitable Sanity loss due to day to day confrontation with Tentacles, Spiders and Spider Queens. To counter this, Tents and Top Hats can be regularly crafted since their crafting components are readily accessible in this region.

Marsh Set Pieces (exact names found in "Set Piece" page)
Most of the time when you venture into the Swamps you may encounter Set Pieces. There are lots of varieties of these - some beneficial and some contains tricks. If you do not know what you are seeing, then you better move and do things under extreme caution. Here are some examples:




 * Tentacle Infested Reeds Area. This set piece has abundant amount of Reeds but is actually swarming with hidden Tentacles. Its best not to get in as you will suffer great damage and sanity loss. This is the perfect defensive spot since no one gets out alive - The Perfect Killing Pit. However, if you want those Reeds, it is best to just wait until Tentacles are killed by Mobs (lure Spider Queens). It will take time but patience will reward you with large amounts of Reeds.


 * Rot Trap. Another set piece is Rot trap in the form of a Chest or a Backpack. This trap wont kill you, but once you open it, all of the Food you have in your inventory including those at the Backpack will instantly turn stale. If you have stale food, they will instantly become spoiled. To avoid this, remove all food including Seeds in your inventory before opening the chest. The Chest or Backpack usually contains Blueprints and a good amount of Rot (10) which you can use for fertillizing grass tufts, berry bushes and farm. 2013-07-28_00002.jpg


 * Tentacle Circle. A set piece with a Beefalo Hat, a Spear and a few Hound Tooth at the center, surrounded by more than a dozen Tentacles positioned in perfect circle. Set_piece_tentacle_circle.png


 * Mushroom Circle. A set piece with less than a dozen Mushroom planted in perfect circle. Set_piece_mushroom_circle.png

Further Testing (Tested and Answered)

 * Will Merms be aggressive towards Beefaloes when they step on their territory? No
 * Do Merms eat Mandrakes and Vegetable/Fruit Crock Pot Recipes? Yes, they are even capable of inducing the Mandrake's knock out effect. And also Yes, they eat Vegetable/Fruit Crock Pot Recipes.
 * Will Mosquitoes stop respawning if Plants on their Mosquito Pond are burned? No
 * Is it possible to go fishing on Mosquito Ponds? Yes
 * Do Deerclops destroy Rundown Houses?

Tips and Hints
These section is divided into:

Food and Resources Strategy

 * Spiky Bushes, in relation to its usefulness, are best used as Fuel supply as it lasts more or less half a day.


 * As for emergency light source while exploring the Marshes, your 15% Torch duration is enough to save you from Grue. How? Before it gets too dark for you to see, be sure to stand right next to a Spiky Tree, Spiky Bush or Mosquito Pond Plant (or anything flammable like Spider Gland, Rot or Spider Egg. When it gets too dark, equip your Torch, light the Spiky Tree, immediately unequip your Torch, then go move beside another flammable object or tree. There's a certain duration on how long a Spiky Tree will stay aflame (different duration for different objects). Wait for the flame to die before you light another Tree or object. Then repeat until morning comes. This is also applicable to prevent freezing during Winter.


 * Your Log Suit is a great Fuel. Make sure to just use it as fuel if its durability is extremely low.
 * You can use Lureplants for gathering Mob loots. Just plant them near Spider Dens, Rundown Houses, Pig Houses or even Rabbit Hutches. One disadvantage of using Lureplants is that it needs constant watch or monitoring, since they are capable of digesting anything they swallow for a certain duration. And also, they are completely useless during Winter since they dont produce Eyeplants, which are their attacking and swallowing parts. For more info, see "Lureplant" page.

Maximizing Your Meat/ Bunny Puff/ Beard Hair Farm (and/or Pig Skin Farm)



 * Make sure that your target Rundown House has no surrounding Tentacles or Spider Dens. If there are, then get rid of them.
 * Also, make it sure that your target Rundown House have at least three(3) healthy Merms before you start placing a Pig House or Rabbit Hutch.
 * 1x Rundown House can control 1-4x Rabbit Hutches if you follow this guide, and if there are no other mobs that may kill or hurt your Merms.
 *  DO NOT place Rabbit Hutches* beside a Rundown House ALL AT THE SAME DAY /Night
 * Place only 1x Rabbit Hutch beside 1x Rundown House each Day/Night - this allows respawning allowance for Rabbit Hutches* (1x Bunnyman per 4x days) to ensure that only one Bunnyman/Pig will fight against all four Merms (1vs4 battle) each day, giving the Merms easy killing advantage. Hence, no Merm will die in their everyday battle while providing constant everyday Drop/Loot from those Pig/Bunnyman they kill.

Note: Rabbit Hutches also goes for Pig Houses for a Meat and Pig Skin farm.

Defense and Battle Strategy

 * At Night while asleep, Pengulls can easily be killed by pushing and clumping them together to a Tree. Then light the tree with fire. They won't bother waking up unless it's already morning and they're still alive. However, their Jet Feather and Manure drops will turn to ash. Pengull_fired.png


 * Merms can be baited with Fruits and Vegetables (except Seeds and Honey) by dropping them on the ground. Useful when you want Tentacles to swat them like fly. Just make sure you drop separately at least one or two right above a Tentacle.


 * Spiders can be baited with Meats by dropping them on the ground. Useful for Tentacle kills, just like baiting Merms. This strategy can also be used to deplete all Spiders inside a Spider Den, giving you a chance to destroy it while all the Spiders are busy fighting (or they're already killed by the Tentacle/s). Spider_baiting.png


 * You can use a Spiderhat and command them little Spiders to attack a Tentacle, Merm, a Spider Queen, Spider Den, or even another Spider. To conserve its durability you may immediately unequip it right after you issue an attack. For more info, see "Spiderhat" page.


 * Use Wickerbottom's "On Tentacle" Book to make a dangerous "Tentacle Field" for base defense. Fore more info, see "Wickerbottom" and "Books" page.

Other Tips

 * A Tentacle can be healed by a Spider Gland, but I don't think they want to.
 * It is possible to set up a Base Camp in the Swamps even at Day 1-10. Exploration of this large biome, though, while looking for your best spot might prove difficult for some. For starters, you may set up a Base Camp just near the Swamps (and to get a feel of what's going to be your life here).

Gallery
''more edits coming... ''last edited August 1, 2013  1440 hour GMT+8

- jhepong