Freezing



Freezing is a game-mechanic which makes surviving Winter more difficult. Whenever a character is away from fire for too long they will begin to freeze. When freezing, the edges of the screen turn to ice which becomes thicker as freezing continues. After the initial ice is formed, freezing causes damage at a rate of about 1/sec. Freezing stops as soon as the character returns to a fire. Freezing can be slowed or stopped for a limited time by wearing warm clothing, carrying Heat Stones, equipping a Torch, or growing a Beard.

Fire
The best way to have a reliable and steady source of fire is having a Campfire or Fire Pit constantly fueled with logs, plants, manure, or other fuels. In emergencies, objects and even creatures can also be set on fire for an immediate source of warmth. Any of these options will prevent freezing for as long as the fire is burning.

Warm Clothing
One of the best options for traveling away from a fire during winter is to wear some combination of warm clothing. These items increase the amount of time a character can be away from fire before freezing begins. Sooner or later however, characters will be forced to return to a source of warmth, wearing insulation merely delays freezing to death.

Below is a table that gives a rough estimate of how long a character will last before the first stage of freezing begins. The exact values differ somewhat depending on temperature (it usually rises slightly during Day and goes the lowest during Night) which can be seen by building a Winterometer.

Having several items equipped at the same time provides an cumulative bonus (that is, wearing a Breezy Vest and a Winter Hat would grant a total of +180 seconds, plus the base 30). Note that individual items may have secondary effects, such as the Beefalo Hat protecting characters from being attacked by Beefalo during their mating season.

Survival
Although Fire and Clothing are the best methods of surviving winter, other options exist. Equipping a Torch is an option when it is cold but not snowing. Wilson's Beard also provides extra warmth depending on it's length. Heat Stones can be crafted to help fight off the cold, however they are costly in terms of resources.

If needed, a single flammable item can be dropped on the ground by holding the CTRL key and clicking the LMB. Once on the ground such items can be lit on fire with a torch, and will provide a small and limited amount of heat. Or better yet, a pine cone can be planted (with RMB) and lit on fire, which will give good 15 seconds of heat, a burnt tree (which can be harvested for charcoal) and sometimes another pine cone. With enough fuel small fires like this can provide enough warmth to get to a better source of heat. This can be dangerous however as any nearby objects can catch fire as well.

Trivia

 * The way to get warmed as possible at winter is to have a beard at full size, a puffy vest, a beefalo hat, a heat stone  and a torch equipped. This will let you stay out of fire for one whole day, not counting the torch and the heat stone running out time.
 * Currently your sanity, hunger, and health do not affect the rate that the player freezes.