Inventory

"I put stuff there!"

- Wolfgang

The Inventory is the area that the player can hold items while moving around. It is a way to carry various materials, Food, tools, Weapons and clothing. You can hold 15 different stacks of items in the inventory, which has 3 separate equip slots (Hand, Body, and Head). Equipped items are not stored in the inventory, meaning the player can technically carry 18 different stacks of items if they have 3 Equipable Items.

The Hand slot lets the player hold tools, the Body slot lets them wear body armor and clothing, and the Head slot lets them wear head armor and head clothing. Using the equip slots, one can equip armors, clothing, and tools applying them visually to the character. Most equipped clothing give the character added bonuses to heat and cold resistance. Equipped armor gives the character resistance to enemy attacks. Tools let the character harvest trees, mine boulders, catch bugs, destroy structures, and more. For example: in the inventory above, the player has equipped a Walking Cane, letting them walk faster.

The first ten inventory slots can be quickly selected by pressing the number keys. Selecting most items with the number keys triggers the character commenting on the item. This does not apply for foods and tools, which causes the player to eat or equip the item, respectively.

Most items in the inventory can stack, allowing you to carry multiples of the same item, leaving more space for other items. Items can only stack up to 40 or 20 though, thus causing the player to flood the inventory if too much of the same item is collected. There are some exceptions, like Tallbird Eggs, which cannot stack due to the fact that they hatch individually. Beefalo Horns also cannot stack, since they can be used as tools and have limited durability.

Expansion
There are a few ways to expand how much space you have to store items. Making a Backpack allows the player 8 more slots to store items, and making a Piggyback gives the player 12 more slots, but slows down the player when moving. The Krampus Sack is a very rare drop from killing Krampus, and gives the player 14 more slots, but without the weight penalty. These three items can only be equipped in the Body slot.

You can also store items in some structures, like Chests. Chests have 9 slots to store items, but do not move once placed. Ice Boxes are like chests, but they can only store food. It is recommended to put food from your inventory into Ice Boxes so the food spoils at a slower rate. Another option is to make a Scaled Chest. Though hard to make, it provides 12 slots to store items, and it won't burn down. Finding the Eye Bone will summon Chester, a passive mob who will follow you around. You can open Chester's mouth to access 9 storage slots in his belly. Of course, another alternative is to just drop items onto the ground. You can click and item and drag your mouse over the ground where you want to place the item. Though beware, monsters and animals will eat dropped food, and Moleworms in Reign of Giants will eat any minerals or rocks left on the ground.

Tips

 * Carrying the Backpack, Piggyback, or Krampus Sack can be a gamble during 'extreme' seasons like Winter (and Summer in the Reign of Giants DLC). This is because the player is sacrificing the option to wear insulated or cooling body clothing and staying warm/cool longer. This can be countered by storing a Thermal Stone in the backpack, allowing the player to stay warmer or cooler longer.