Wilson

Wilson is the first available character in Don't Starve.

As the game progresses, Wilson grows a Beard that can reach up to three progressively longer sizes. The beard can be shaved by using a Razor, providing a quantity of Beard Hair that depends on the beard length. The beard also provides Wilson with additional Insulation, helping to prolong the time before he starts Freezing in Winter.

Origin
With a Forbidden Knowledge Video recently published to Klei Entertainment's YouTube channel and hidden in their website,Wilson's origin was revealed, and he's the only character with an official origin.

Wilson used to live in a rickety wooden house in the forest, doing experiments day and night. These experiments had a tendency to fail, causing a bit of a depression in Wilson. After a mixture of some sort explodes in a puff in his face, he sits down, aggitated that he just can't seem to do anything right. He doesn't have too much time to do so however, as he hears a mysterious voice coming from his radio (revealed to be Maxwell later on in the video). Maxwell offers Wilson secret knowledge, and Wilson, willing and hungry for this said knowledge, hastily agrees.

With this newfound knowledge, he began building a mysterious machine. When the machine was finished, he gazed upon it in wonder. Maxwell told him to throw the switch - Wilson, however, was hesitant. Only with a bit of egging on - Maxwell shouting "DO IT!" - does he pull the lever. Wilson then realized that this machine was some sort of door, more than likely leading to a place that isn't very good. As Maxwell laughs maniacly, dark shadowy hands appear from the floor to pull him (assumedly) into the dark, curious wilderness where Don't Starve takes place.

Strategy
As of the The End of the Beginning update, the only factor that differentiates Wilson from any other character is his beard. The beard provides only advantages, and literally no disadvantage. Naturally then, any strategies regarding Wilson will revolve around his beard, as well as its magnificence.

Magnificence
Unfortunately, providing even a rudimentary description of the beard’s magnificence would require some higher form of language or expression that humanity has not yet mastered. Suffice it to say; the encapsulation of all of mankind’s greatest achievements, such as the Sistine Chapel, the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, and the Large Hadron Collider, would only amount to an unquantifiably small fraction of the beard’s magnificence. Bearing this in mind, the beard, along with its magnificence, can prove to be a valuable asset in the survival wilderness.



Beard Based Survival
The beard, from now on referred to as “Beard,” has two basic characteristics and some indescribable characteristics (see: Magnificence):


 * Beard provides a maximum of 135 insulation against freezing
 * Beard can be shaved for beard hair, allowing the player to make a Meat Effigy

 Beard will take exactly 16 days to grow to its full length, and since winter usually starts around day 20 on default settings, this proves advantageous for winter survival. In fact, with a Puffy Vest, a Beefalo Hat, and Beard at full length, Wilson can have the highest insulation factor in the game at 615. With this much insulation, Wilson's body temperature will reach ambient temperature at less than 1/20th of a degree per second, or 1 degree every 20 seconds. Assuming the player leaves a heat source with a 40 degree body temperature, with 615 insulation he wil have about 13.3 minutes before taking damage from freezing, 5.3 minutes longer than a full Day-Night Cycle. This allows him more freedom during the winter days to gather supplies and food. Also, in the event that combat with other monsters in the dead of winter has proven to take longer than expected, Wilson will be able to fight longer before finding a source of heat. This is especially useful when chasing down a Winter Koalefant, which usually requires extended time away from fire to track its trail.

 The player should also consider the fact that with Beard at full length, obtaining sufficient insulation to survive the winter is less difficult, meaning the player can spend time preparing for winter in other ways. For example, instead of tracking down a Koalefant in order to make a Breezy Vest, the player could focus on ensuring enough Rabbit Traps have been pl aced, or plenty of Logs have been gathered in preparation for the reduced effectiveness of fuel during the winter days. If the player is entering winter with little more than Rabbit Earmuffs, it would be wise to keep Beard for the added insulation.

 If plenty of insulated clothing has been gathered pre-winter, shaving may be a good option. Bear in mind that a meat effigy will require 4 beard hair, and the soonest this can be obtained outside of lowering Sanity to hunt Beardlings is 16 days with a total yield of 9 hair. This means the player will be with less insulation for the winter days, but with the nice insurance policy a meat effigy provides. Shaving Beard at any stage before full length will not provide enough hair in a single shaving, but hair can always been stored for later as it does not degrade.

Overall, Wilson is meant for better winter survival and efficiency, as well as easier access to creating meat effigies due to the fact that he can create them without losing his sanity. He is a good all-around character, and many players from beginner to advanced find that Wilson, Beard, and Beard’s magnificence, are all welcome advantages to surviving in the wilderness.

Trivia

 * Wilson's voice is sounded by a trumpet, explained as a "Harmon muted trumpet (mixed with some cup muted trumpet as well)".
 * Wilson's full name is Wilson Percival Higgsbury.
 * Wilson shouting, "Go for the eyes!" references the Baldur's Gate series, in which Minsc will shout "Go for the eyes, Boo. Go for the eyes!" It could also be referencing one of the other countless times the generic phrase, "Go for the eyes!" has been mentioned in literature.
 * Wilson's hair is a wearable hat in Team Fortress 2, and goes by the name "The Wilson Weave"
 * With the introduction of the Insanity update, Wilson was no longer the only character that could build Meat Effigies.
 * When Wilson examines the hammer, he says "Stop! It's time! To hammer things!" reference to "Stop! Hammer time!"