Guides/Getting Started Guide

Don't Starve is a game with simple mechanics. At first, it may seem difficult, but following this guide should keep the player alive for as long as they want to continue playing.

Game Screen
The picture below is a labeled game screen with HUD, short for Heads-Up-Display. (Note:  The labels of sanity and hunger are incorrect in the picture: the orange brain icon should be labeled "sanity" and the yellow stomach should be labeled "hunger".)



Health:

Displays how much damage the player can take. When it reaches 0, it causes the player's Death or Resurrection.

Hunger:

Tracks how full the character's stomach is. When empty, the player will experience constant health loss (similar to Freezing). This will continue until the player consumes an edible item or dies.

Spoilage: 

If the player keeps food for too long without eating it, the food item will begin to spoil and rot. The item in the inventory will start as a fresh (Green) item if it can spoil. It will first turn stale (Yellow), then spoil (Red), and finally turn into an inedible pile of Rot which can be used as weak fertilizer for Farms and Plants.

Each stage of spoilage will diminish the positive effects of the food and will eventually add a negative effect to it (i.e., Sanity loss). These effects do not apply to the character WX-78.

The spoil rate will double if the food is left on the ground, or it can be cut in half if it is placed in an Ice Box.

Sanity:

This keeps track of the player's current sanity level. When sanity drops, numerous things happen based on the current amount. As it falls, the screen will begin to distort and shake, and Eyes will soon begin to appear at night (Sanity 160). The distortion will continue until the Sanity level falls below 100. Below this, the player will experience their first Hallucinations (Shadow-like monsters and Beardlings). If the sanity level drops below 30, the character will start to hold their head in pain, and the Hallucinations will begin to attack the player without provocation (except for Beardlings).

Common actions that will reduce a player's sanity are eating Raw Meat and Monster Meat, constantly traveling through Worm Holes, staying in complete darkness, or fighting certain monsters. Actions that will increase the player's sanity are eating Crock Pot food (like Taffy and Pumpkin Cookie), eating Cooked food, picking flowers, wearing certain Dress items, etc.

Day/Night cycle:

On the HUD, a circular object will show the player exactly how much in-game time they will have left before the time of day changes to Dusk, Night, or Day.

The day will slowly turn to Dusk, then Night, and then again back to Day. This cycle will repeat infinitely, but the length of each stage will change depending on the current season (see below).

Summer & Winter: 

Summer and Winter are the 2 seasons in Don't Starve. During these seasons, the amount of Day, Dusk, and Night that will be left in a Day will differ.

Summer does not have much of a change from the games normal state besides the change in Day times. Winter however, is drasatically different.

During Winter...


 * the types of Animals and Monsters will either change entirely or just their coat color


 * the player is capable of Freezing to death


 * the neutral Deerclops boss will occasionally spawn


 * the duo of Mactusk n Son will begin hunting you

Winter is a very hostile season, so it is recommended that the player prepare before it begins.

Moon cycle: 

If players are looking at the Clock at night, a small moon phase can be observed. On a full moon, normal Pigs will become Werepigs, which are hostile and dangerous to players. Therefore it is recommended that players should not visit Pig Villages or befriend Pigs at night.

Equipped Items:


 * On Hand: For wielding Tools, Weapons, or Magical items.


 * Body: For wearing Armour, Dress items, Magical apparel, or different types of Backpacks on the torso.


 * Hat: For wearing Armour or Hats on the head.

Minimap:

Activated by pressing the Tab key.

The Minimap shows the player their location and notable items (Spider Dens, Boulders, Pig King, Fire Pit, etc.) The map fills in when it is explored in the world.

Game Tabs: 

Tabs that are used to Craft different objects (if the player has the correct resources). It also shows what items need to be unlocked and with what resources are needed to unlock them.

Pause:

Used to stop the game and choose an option from the HUD (Options, Save & Quit, or Continue.) The shortcut to do this is pressing the Esc key.

Prototype: 

The method used to unlock craftable items. Players must gather enough resources before unlocking/prototyping an item. A type of Science Machine must be used for prototyping.

If players have any enquiry, please feel free to read articles in the gameplay mechanics bar below or make comment below the page, editors will reply to your question.

Day 1
The player does not start with any items. Hunger and Night are the major concerns of players.

During daytime

 * 1) Pick up Flint and Twigs for crafting a Pickaxe in Icon Tools.png tab. While some say you're supposed to craft an Axe first, it is best to craft a Pickaxe first, so you don't have to go hunting for more Flint later on.
 * 2) Collect Cut Grass from Grass, also chop trees for Log. They will be used for crafting a Campfire at night.
 * 3) Collect Carrots and Berries for solving hunger problems.
 * 4) Continue with this until it turns to Dusk, find a place to settle down then build a Campfire in Icon Fire.png tab to prevent the Grue from murdering players Characters in the dark.
 * 5) Night should come soon after Dusk, then cook some Foods that have obtained during the day. Also, stay as close to the fire as possible to prevent loss of Sanity.

Don'ts

 * DON'T attack Spiders, or Spider Dens. Attacking a den will aggro all spiders in the den (depending on the size of nest). It will be very dangerous for beginners if they are not equipped well.
 * DON'T attack Bees, or Bee Hives. Attacking the hive will cause surrounding bees to become angry. Also, Killer Bees will spawn and attack Characters proactively.
 * DON'T attack a Tallbird, or take their Tallbird Egg. They cause great damage to players' Health and they will chase after players for a long distance.
 * DON'T attack Beefalos, they are useful for producing infinite Manure.
 * DON'T travel in Swamp, dangerous Tentacles, Merms and Mosquitos may kill beginners easily.

Note: Only attack these monsters if players are well equipped to fight them, for example, having a Log Suit, a Spear and a Football Helmet. Also, prepare enough food (Berries) or healing items for healing.

Do's

 * DO collect lots of Pine Cones, it is useful to avoid traveling far for Log, and to tame Treeguards.
 * DO start building a base near Beefalos or Pigs, they are both the only sources of Manure. Beware that Beefalos may attack players when they are in mating season, this will be very dangerous. Players may have to craft a Beefalo Hat in advance.
 * DO try to attack birds. Although they may not be killed, they leave Seeds behind which can be planted in Farming. It is possible to kill birds using seeds to lure them and a Weapon.

Day 2-6
Similar to Day 1. However, players are recommended to the following things:


 * Continue to explore as much as possible.

Meanwhile, players are not recommended to consume Monster Meat, and instead save it to feed Pigs (especially if you want to fight Werepigs for collecting more loot); otherwise just let it turn into Rot as fertilizer for Farming.

Players may befriend with Pigs by giving them a piece of Meat, they can help chop down trees and fight against Monsters. They might be very helpful to beginners, but players are reminded that pigs will turn into Werepigs in full moon phase.

More Tips

 * Create a Pickaxe in Icon Tools.png tab. Mine Rocks for Gold Nuggets, and create a Science Machine in Icon Science.png tab.
 * Prototype Rope in Icon Refine.png tab for crafting Log Suit and Spear in Icon Fight.png tab.
 * Explore for an area that has Beefalos (Savanna biome), because lots of Manure can be found and they are used for fertilizing crops.
 * When the Hounds appear, to avoid taking damage, try to find a nearby beefalo herd, not in mating season, and avoid getting hit.
 * Avoid crazy enemies (Tentacles, Spider Warriors, etc.) until the player has acquired an Amulet, or created a Meat Effigy (used for reviving player when they die).
 * If ever fighting enemies, keep an eye on Spear and Log Suit durability
 * If exploring, don't forget to return and replace any checkable Traps.
 * Heal Characters by eating Petals or killing Spiders for Spider gland.
 * Explore as much as possible before setting camp. A great camping spot should be centered around a good list of the following: Touchstone, Pigs/Beefalos, a Savannah with lots of grass/rabbit holes, a worm hole, loads of boulders and trees. Priorities such as Beehives, Marsh, Caves, Maxwell's things, Walrus camps, Tallbird nests should be left alone until the later days when you don't have to worry about health, hunger, sanity and basic materials.
 * At night, when you can't find a good base around the early days(Day 2+), have at least a torch and materials for a emergency campfire to continue exploring. The more you expand your map, the better of an idea on where you want to set a fire pit. It is best to follow roads with a torch while constantly checking the map (tab) to avoid mob territory(spider dens, nests etc.) This can't be stressed enough. Explore!

Day 6+
Once a suitable location is found,
 * Set up a base with Fire Pit (a permanent structure)
 * Set up a Science Machine for prototyping useful Items

Fire pit is much better than the regular Campfire because players can see it on the map and if it goes out, players can restart it with a fuel. Also, players may build infinite food supplies like:


 * Building Farms for planting Seeds in Icon Food.png tab.
 * Building Crock Pot for making better food in Icon Food.png tab.
 * Collecting Berry Bushes, Saplings and Grass Tuft by a Shovel in in Icon Tools.png tab.

However, players should be aware of lightning, as it may burn bushes and tufts. Players may build a Lightning Rod to prevent wildfires. At the same time, continue to set traps for Rabbits and collect Seeds and Manure for farm plots. Any Beehives encountered need to be destroyed and rebuilt as Bee Boxes. Players may need a Beekeeper Hat in advance.

Players may continue to mine or look for the Pig King, and exchange Meat for gold nuggets to use for more efficient tools. De-construct some Pig Houses with the Hammer. Continue to explore the map and bring back any resources found, be sure to immorally dig up any Grave you find as you may obtain an Amulet, but keep an eye on your Sanity. With all of the traps, food should not be an issue and with Bee Boxes you should be able to avoid dying.


 * Craft some Armours for self-protection from Hounds

Since Hounds are more likely to appear during this time, players may want to create a Log Suit and a Spear. With these armours, players are able to kill Monsters easily and take loot from them.

Around day 16, players may create a Meat Effigy in in tab, but players will suffer from 30 Health penalty:


 * For Wilson - shave your Beard
 * For other Characters - get yourself insane to <80 sanity and kill Beardlings for Beard

If available, always bring an Amulet with you. Be sure to wear it when in real danger, simply having it in the inventory will not resurrect the player. However, the Meat Effigy will automatically resurrect the player on death when created.