Set Piece

Set Pieces (listed as Boons in the custom world screen) are rare, naturally spawned structures and items in all game modes. They were introduced in the Doorway to Adventure update. Players can usually find valuable items in the set piece. However, some set pieces function as a trap, forcing players to either bear the risk when attempting to take advantage of the boon, or to disable the trap if possible. In some occasions, the player will have to retrieve the items from the set piece in order to escape the danger.

Many of the set pieces have a Skeleton near them, representing the dead adventurers in the world.


 * Note: The names of these set pieces are unofficial; they are nicknames invented by the Don't Starve community.

Cave Camp
This camp is set up on a Grassy area, next to a Pond surrounded by Trees. It offers a Science Machine, a Chest, an Ice Box, a Tent, and two Improved Farms with a Pitchfork and a Straw Hat. Note that the Pond can spawn Frogs, which incidentally may be the reason a Skeleton lays nearby.

The Chest contains some items that can be found in caves (Gold Nuggets, Slurtle Slime, and possibly Gems), while the Ice Box contains some spoiled food (rot if you find the set piece long after entering the Cave). During the day, the set piece will be visible without a light source, as it is illuminated by the same spotlight that the Cave and Ruins exits have.

There is also another version that lacks the light, Grass, and Pond, but contains a Drying Rack, a Fire Pit, and Crock Pot.

Cave Camp with Light Flowers


This camp has a Science Machine, an Ice Box, a Chest, a Lantern, a Fur Roll, and a Pickaxe. The Ice Box may be empty, or it may contain a random amount of Light Bulbs, Meat, Berries, and Batilisk Wings. The Chest can contain a variety of items, including Healing Salves, Rot, Logs, and Broken Shells.

Ruins Camp Trap
Found in the Ruins, this set piece contains a Chest, Crock Pot, Ice Box, Tent, Science Machine, Prestihatitator, and a Skeleton. Be careful around this set piece, as the camp has webbing covering the ground; Dangling Depth Dwellers will be present, making it difficult for players to utilize this set piece safely.

Contagious Rot Trap
There are three variations of this set piece, all containing many pieces of Rot which are lying around. One version of the set piece contains a Backpack, two Ropes, two Rot, Straw Hat and a Straw Roll. If the player opens a Chest or a Backpack from the set piece, all food in the player's inventory will spoil. However, the player can avoid this by dropping all perishable items away from the trap and then opening the Chest or picking up the Backpack, though this method may be problematic if there are Pigs or any other kind of Mob nearby that might eat the dropped food. If the set piece contains a Chest, there will be a large amount of Rot and perhaps Blueprints. This set piece can be found in Sandbox Mode.

Imprisoned Pig
The Pig Trap set piece can be found in both Adventure Mode and Sandbox Mode. It consists of Basalt on three sides, and Obelisks on the other, with a Pig House in the middle. As stated on the Basalt page: Players can use the Imprisoned Pig Set Piece in which Basalt spawns to trap any kind of mob, even giants in Reign of Giants,  and hold them prisoner there without fearing their escape. An easy way to trap them is craft a Telelocator Focus inside the "prison" and then use the Telelocator Staff on the desired mob.

Crock Pot Camp


This set piece is a camp found in Adventure Mode. It is enclosed by Hay and Wood Walls, it has Wooden Flooring and some Rocky Turf, a Crock Pot, and a Bee Box or an empty Birdcage nearby. Several Skeletons are within the camp.

Disused Beefalo Pen Trap


The disused Beefalo pen trap can be found in Sandbox Mode and Adventure Mode. It is usually located in a Savanna Biome and consists of a long Wood Wall fencing that curls around a squarish piece of land. Inside the fence are several Bones and Beefalo Wool, conveying the idea of an old Beefalo pen. There is a Chest at the entrance, which contains 1 Fire Staff, 4 Gunpowder, and 4 Logs.

However, the Chest is trapped and will catch on fire when it is opened. The fire will cause the Gunpowder to explode, light the entire wooden fencing, and destroy the contents of the Chest. A way to prevent burning is to Hammer the nearby wood walls until they're destroyed. Hammering the Chest itself can trigger the trap.

All items can be taken from the Chest before the trap explodes, provided the player is fast enough. There is also a chance for it to be a dud (although this may be a bug)

Fire Staff Trap
This set piece consists of a Fire Staff surrounded by sleeping Red Hounds. Once the staff is retrieved, the Red Hounds will awake, the player will lose a large amount of sanity, and it will begin to rain.

The most efficient way to deal with this is to kill the Red Hounds before retrieving the staff, as they can be fought individually without fear of waking the others.

Ice Staff Trap


An Ice Staff trap, similar to the Fire Staff trap, is an Ice Staff surrounded by five sleeping Blue Hounds. Once the staff is retrieved, the Blue Hounds will awake, the player will lose a large amount of sanity, and it will begin to rain.

The most efficient way to deal with this is to kill the Blue Hounds before retrieving the staff, as they can be fought individually without fear of waking the others.

Icebox Trap


This set piece can be found in any Biome, most often a Forest, and consists of a Chest spawned between a Thermal Measurer and an Ice Box.

The Chest itself contains an assortment of winter-related items, such as an Ice Staff, a Winter Hat, and a Breezy Vest. However, upon opening the or Hammering the Chest, there is a 66% chance that the Winter starting immediately accompanied by the roar of Deerclops(though he will not spawn). Setting the Chest on fire in Reign of Giants drops its loot, without activating the trap. A Krampus can also trigger the trap. It is safe to open or Hammer the Ice Box.

On trap activation, Wolfgang says 'Whoops', Wendy will say 'Oh, goodness', WX-78 will say 'IT'S A TRAP' and the rest of the characters say 'Oops'. The trap can be found in both Sandbox Mode and Adventure Mode.

If the player finds an icebox trap, it can be used to their advantage by triggering it during winter (if the trap is triggered on the first day of winter, the players won't have to worry about a longer Winter), thus providing the player with the winter items without the negative effects of immediate winter.

If the player activates the trap while the season preset for the world is "Summer only", the resulting winter will be permanent until restart.

If the player activates the trap while in Adventure Mode, winter will still begin and Deerclops will spawn, but within 1 game day, seasons will revert to the preset for the current level. For example, if activated in A Cold Reception during summer, the player will have 1 day of winter, and then it'll return to summer the next morning.

In the Reign of Giants expansion, there is also a Summer version of this trap, however it will only spawn in the Desert biome. When the chest is opened, the trap will trigger Summer at the maximum heat instead of Winter, and will contain items to survive Summer instead of Winter, such as the Summer Frest. Instead of hearing the roar of Deerclops, the player will hear the roar of the Dragonfly, which may or may not spawn in the biome. Unlike the winter variation, opening or Hammering the ice box will trigger the trap and start Summer as well.

Killer Bee Hayfield


A Killer Bee Hayfield is a field of Grass Tufts with 3 Killer Bee Hives concealed within. It can be found in both Sandbox and Adventure Mode. The grass makes it difficult to effectively target the Bees. To handle this, the player may plant a Lureplant nearby, then destroy the Bee Hives and Lureplant once the area has been cleared of Killer Bees, Another way to get around this is to press F (attack) and that will instantly lock on to 1 bee/hive but is not recommended unless you are tanking it. This Set Piece also has a version including a group of Guardian Pigs.

Note: The Killer Bee Hives are controlled by the sandbox settings. If one has them set to "none," this set piece will simply be a dense field of harmless grass.

Living Forest


A highly forested area with a large group of Treeguards roaming around or sleeping, often more than five. The Treeguards are not aggressive to the player unless provoked. The Set Piece can be found in Sandbox Mode.

In Reign of Giants the set piece is common in Desert Biome, but does not include any Trees.

MacTusk Village


MacTusk Village is a group of Walrus Camps surrounded by a wall of Trees on three sides.

This is a dangerous place in daytime during the Winter, as numerous MacTusks, WeeTusks, and Ice Hounds spawn, aggressive to everything.

Players are not advised to stay overnight at MacTusk Village.

Pig Fortress


The Pig Fortress is a place found only in Adventure Mode. It is surrounded by Wood Walls with several Pig Torches inside. It serves as a road barrier on the Bridges between continents, as the Guardian Pigs inside are hostile, and they will chase and try to kill the player.

For passing through the fortress,
 * Wear a Log Suit for minimizing damage from the Guardian Pigs.
 * Bring some allied Pigs for distracting the Guardian Pigs when you are passing through.
 * Wait until after a full moon, when many of the Pig Guardians turn into werepigs. In the morning, the werepigs are asleep, and it's easy to pass through. Also one can use a Pan Flute to put the Guardian Pigs sleep.

For destroying the fortress,
 * Destroy the Wood Walls by setting the segments on fire with a Torch or Fire Staff.
 * Bring some monsters like Deerclops and Spider Queen to slaughter most of the Guardian Pigs. Deerclops will probably destroy many of the structures in the process.
 * Use a Hammer to destroy the Pig Torches so that no Guardian Pigs will be spawned from them once they've died. You may want to leave some torches intact so you can utilize those pigs later on.

Maxwell's Cemetery
Maxwell's Cemetery contains Graves, Marble Pillars, Evil Flowers, Carpeted Flooring, two Maxwell Statues, and a Shovel. The Graves that populate the Cemetery are the same as those found within a Graveyard (i.e. they drop the same items when destroyed, and can spawn Ghosts). It can be found in Sandbox Mode as well as in Adventure Mode.

Each Grave has a different name on it when examined, which correspond with the names of the members of the development team at Klei Entertainment.

Every grave dug within this set piece can spawn a Ghost. Digging the last grave will spawn a group of ghosts (one from each grave).

Maxwell’s Swamp
A Maxwell Statue surrounded by Evil Flowers, often at the end of a road. The road is lined with Rundown Houses which spawn Merms. The houses are situated on Rocky and Cobblestone Turfs. However, next to the Rundown Houses is a thin strip of Marsh, containing many Tentacles.

The Merms may proceed to attack either the player or the Tentacles, but reaching the statue without aggravating the Merms is possible. This trap is found in Adventure Mode, in Two Worlds.

A very similar trap, also in Two Worlds, is a Maxwell Statue surrounded by Flowers and lined by Pig Torches. The layout is identical, but the Rundown Houses are replaced with Pig Torches, Evil Flowers are replaced by normal Flowers, Rocky Turf with Grassland, Marsh with Forest and Tentacles are replaced by Trees.

Miner's Camp


This set piece consists of a Skeleton, Miner Hat, and an Opulent Pickaxe beside a small base camp. Inside the base, there is a Shadow Manipulator and a Tent.

Other objects like Berry Bushes, Bee Boxes, Stone Walls, Wooden Flooring, and Crock Pots may also be nearby.

If one manages to find these when starting in a world, this is a rather excellent place to take shelter, as it has a lot of things to keep a player alive, and can be "upgraded" to an even better base.

Queens' Gathering


A Queen's Gathering is a ring of Tier 3 Spider Dens with an additional den In the centre, commonly found in a forest. There is a good chance for a Spider Queen to appear. The Set Piece can be found in Adventure and Sandbox Modes.

There is another, even bigger version of this set piece, which contains multiple Tier 1 Spider Dens scattered around the area with Gold nuggets lying in various places. This variety is usually found in a rocky biome.

Reed Field Trap
This Set Piece is a field of Reeds that conceals a large number of Tentacles around and inside it. It can be found in Sandbox Mode.

The player can attempt to collect the Reeds by wearing armor and carrying a Walking Cane, but it is very risky.

Using a kiting technique, it is possible to slowly and steadily kill all of the Tentacles one by one. It is a good idea to set up a permanent camp nearby, as during the clearing process, the player will get a large supply of Tentacle Spikes and Monster Meat.

Building several Pig Houses near the Reeds will result in a steady supply of Meat and Pig Skin, as well as gradually destroying the Tentacles. Although, any surviving Pigs will likely eat any meat before the player can get to it.

Alternatively, you can also use Spider Dens, to get large amounts of Silk and Spider Glands. However once the spiders take out the Tentacles, you will have to deal with the den itself, and potentially a Spider Queen.

Once cleared of Tentacles, the area is a steady supply of usually hard-to-come-by Reeds, making items such as Honey Poultice much easier to acquire.

There is also an underground version of this Set Piece, which features Light Flowers.

Spider Trap


There is a Spider Warrior sleeping on a Carpeted Flooring, close to a little Grass and Twigs farm. There are also Bones and a Pig Head around the Carpeted Flooring. If the Spider Warrior is attacked, three more Warriors will spawn around the player. Sometimes there are multiple sleeping Spider Warriors.

Tallfort
A Tallfort features a patch of rocky terrain with numerous Boulders, Stones and Tallbird Nests. The Tallbirds there do not help one another out, and like solitary Tallbirds, go to sleep at night.

Reign of Giants icon.png Set Piece
There are set pieces based on a small patch of a Chess biome. They are usually filled with Evil Flower, Marble Tree, Marble Pillars, Maxwell Statues, Harp Statues, Gears, Clockwork Monsters and sometimes with a Spear. These Set Pieces make Marble and Gears more abundant on the surface.

They can sometimes be found partly covered by the surrounding terrain, with only a few flowers, a statue or trees, or a few Clockwork Monsters present. Other times, the set piece is more elaborate. For example, the player may find one with a Maxwell Statue in the center surrounded by Marble Trees.

Reign of Giants icon.png Fortress
In the Desert biome, there is a set piece with numerous Boulders surrounded by Hound Mounds, under which is Rocky Turf. The layout is very similar to the Tallfort set piece, having Hounds instead of Tallbirds.

Reign of Giants icon.pngess Pig/Merm
In any Biome, you can find a group of homeless Pigs or Merms. Usually spawning in groups of 2-4, they can sometimes spawn together. This creates a battle when the player enters the area. They are exactly like the regular creatures that spawn from their respective houses, but have no home nearby to go back to when they would normally sleep. Wandering Merms can pose a threat to an unprepared player, and wandering Pigs can turn into wandering Werepigs during a Full Moon. However, a quick player can take advantage if they spawn together to grab their respective Loot during the battle.

Don't Starve Together icon.png Dragonfly Nest
In the Desert biome, there is a set piece with a bunch of Lava Ponds, Burnt Trees, Burnt Spiky Bushes and a few Crispy Skeletons. You can also see lots of burnt swipes and slashes on the ground. A Dragonfly lives and respawns here, regardless of season.

Don't Starve Together icon.png Goose/Moose Nest
In the Plains Biome, you can find a set piece with Some Berry Bushes, Carrots, Birchnut Trees and a Pond. On the ground are some twigs aligned in a circle. During spring, the Moose/Goose will spawn here and make a nest on the spot where the twigs used to be, and lay its egg in it. Many new players build their base here because of the resources, only to discover their base has been taken over by a giant bird with antlers in spring.

Shipwrecked icon.png-Island
Found on the Volcanic Biome, several Tallbirds and Tallbird Eggs will spawn. The set piece is very close in resemblance to the Tallfort set piece.This is the only place to find Tallbirds in Shipwrecked.

Shipwrecked icon.png Marks the Hat
Found on a sandy island usually with a few Skeletons surrounding the area. A Pirate Hat can be found in the middle. It is a safe Set Piece, and the Pirate Hat can be retrieved without worry of dangers, despite the Skeletons surrounding the area. The Skeletons probably allude to dead pirates.

Shipwrecked icon.png Skull
An arrangement of the Magma Turf against a Beach background that resembles a skull. The eyes of the skull are made of gold flecked Magma Piles. Around the area many Rocks, Flints and some Gold Nuggets can be found. If a player finds the correct Message in a Bottle, they can find and excavate a chest in the nose of the Skull, containing extremely valuable loot; namely an Obsidian Armour, an Obsidian Spear, 3 Obsidian Coconades, a Boat Repair Kit and some other items.

Shipwrecked icon.png Gland Trap
3 Venom Glands found in the middle of 6 Viney Bushes. Picking up the Venom Glands will cause Poisonous Snakes to spawn from each Viney Bush and attack. If there are Prime Apes around, they can also pick up the Venom Glands and trigger the trap.

Shipwrecked icon.png Lake
A lake in found inside a Jungle biome. The Lake is surrounded by a small Beach with 3 Palm Trees, and 3 Seashells, along with some Limestone Walls. In the lake 3 Seaweeds, a Shoal and a Fishing Rod can be found.

Shipwrecked icon.png Boat Trap
A lone Cargo Boat in the Ocean that contains a Spear Gun, a Spear and 3 Morsels. Upon sailing in it, 3 Sea Hounds will spawn.

Shipwrecked icon.pngno Staff Trap
A Volcano Staff sits in the middle of 6 pieces of Obsidian. Upon picking up the Staff, it will trigger the Volcano to erupt and Dragoon Eggs to fall from the sky. It does not change the Season.