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Gramophone This page provides an overview of Adventure Mode only and may contain major spoilers. For detailed descriptions of each level and strategies on completing Adventure Mode, please visit: Guides/Adventure Guide
Maxwell's Door in game
Chapter 1

Screen view at the start of a chapter.

Don't Starve huge map!

Picture of world 3 showing how far away certain parts can spawn from the Wooden Thing.

HIGH LEVELS OF EVIL DETECTED.

WX-78

Adventure Mode is the story mode of Don't Starve. In Adventure Mode, the player enters a battle of wits and endurance against the game's mastermind, Maxwell. The world is split into successive chapters with their own themes, introduced by Maxwell. The objective of each chapter is to survive, gather all four pieces of the Wooden Thing, assemble it, and activate the device in order to progress to the next chapter.

Players can take up to four items of their choice with them when teleporting between chapters. Wilson's Beard doesn't count as an item, so it's maintained. WX-78's stat increases from eating Gears are also carried over between chapters. Any character-specific item will also be replaced, meaning the player does not necessarily have to bring such items with them. Also, any built but not yet placed structures will carry over with the player, ready to be deployed in the next world.

Entering Adventure Mode

The player reaches Adventure Mode from Sandbox Mode by activating Maxwell's Door. The player is not allowed to bring anything over from Sandbox Mode (including learned recipes). Visiting Adventure Mode always starts the player at the very first chapter and a newly generated map, irrespective of previous attempts.

At the start of each level and every time the player loads up an Adventure game, the title of the level is displayed and the number of chapter. The length of Adventure Mode is 5 chapters plus an Epilogue. The order of appearance for most worlds is chosen at random. However, in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th world, the map will show some of the path indicating where the objectives are. A world only appears once in an Adventure play-through, but there are more worlds than chapters, which means that some worlds may not appear. There are 72 possible combinations of these 5 levels.

For more tips on all chapters, please check Guides/Adventure Guide.

Blue Hound Warning! The following text contains spoilers about the Adventure Mode worlds. It's always more fun for the player to explore them theirself.

A Cold Reception

May appear on chapters 1 - 3
Maxwell Greeting Adventure Mode World 1
Oh, You found my portal did you? You'd think you would have learned your lesson by now. Hmm. Let's try something a little more challenging, shall we?

Maxwell greeting the player

A Cold Reception is similar to a Sandbox world, except the seasons change very quickly. A rainy 6 days of summer followed by a snowy 3 of winter makes exploration difficult. In addition, daytime will never exceed one third of the day, and significantly less during winter. Players are more vulnerable to insanity and freezing as they have to face near-constant rain or snow and much less daylight. Due to the seasons being so short, it's unlikely to see a Deerclops in the first several winters.

There will always be at least one resource which is very rare. Sometimes the level generated will not have many Saplings, but a lot of Spiky Bushes instead; other times, Grass might either be scarce or plentiful, but they're all pre-picked and need to be fertilized. This makes it difficult to survive winter with Traps. Additionally, there might be no Trees, only stumps. Food sources are limited; there are little to no Berry Bushes and Carrots can be rare. Furthermore, when farming Berry Bushes and other plants, there will be a far greater chance of an unfortunate lightning strike, due to the near-constant rain, so Lightning Rods are a necessity.

All in all, this level should feel similar to a survival level, but with increased pressure on all of the player's resources. At least one Thing will be on an island connected by a bridge that serves as a Guardian Pig checkpoint, which can make it quite tough to get through. However, this means that players will find a Pig King on the island. Frog Rain may be chronic due to the constant rain, however, players can use this to their advantage as they make an abundant food source, provided the player finds a way to deal with them.

Tips:

  • If this is the first level, try to learn as many Recipes as needed, because they are kept throughout the rest of the journey.
  • It's important not to attack Frogs when others are nearby, as all of them will gang up and attack the player. Try to kite the Frogs until they give up the chase.
  • Alternatively, the player can trap the Frogs and they will be a consistent food source. Other Frogs in the area will not aggro because trapping them does not count as attacking.
  • If this is not the first level, prepare a Farm (in the previous level) to place, as the plentiful rain makes crops grow incredibly fast.
  • Keep in mind that Straw Rolls and Tents are very useful to skip the night and replenish Sanity during this level. However, it is important to remember that sleeping restores sanity at the cost of Hunger and is not highly recommended due to the scarcity of food sources.
  • The following sources of food are found on this level: lots of Rabbit Holes; Tallbirds, Frogs and Beefalos. Keep in mind that Tallbirds generally fight Frogs and if one does not die to Frogs, kiting and killing it is a good way to get Meat, Tallbird Eggs, and Frog Legs. Keep in mind that killing most of these increase Naughtiness, so be wary of Krampus!
  • There are several areas that are blocked off by Spider Dens. Building 6 or more Traps and luring wave after wave of Spiders into it is a good way of cleaning them. Another way is to attempt to burn the Spider Dens down, but this is only recommended when the Spider Dens are in a Forest, where the player would first light a tree on fire, or if they happen to come across the Fire Staff Trap where they can immediately light the dens on fire at a reasonably safe distance before making a run for it. One can also run in, plant a Pine Cone as close to the den as possible, then return when it is grown and light fire on it. If the player has just started and their area does not provide resources to make Traps, they can try and run through the Spider Dens at the cost of Health and Sanity.
  • It's possible to travel to Archipelago, The Game is Afoot, or King of Winter (with the latter having infinite Winter). Having Rabbit Earmuffs, a Winter Hat, or a Beefalo Hat will help greatly in those levels.
  • The player should keep on their feet during the day and evening, stopping only to pick up food and the bare minimum for tools. Use every other night to set a campfire by the trees so players may chop trees and cook carrots. Between those nights, keep moving by Torch, using the reduced vision to gather Twigs and Cut Grass, and to shave Beefalos. The player should make a base only if it's their first world and they need to prototype useful items, or if it is the 4th one and they want to prepare for the next world.
  • An Umbrella is highly recommended because Sanity will drop very very quickly due to the near constant Rain.
  • With rain comes lightning, so WX-78 will have trouble with sanity unless using an umbrella. Carry cooked Green or Blue Mushrooms, picked on dusk and night.
  • Consider gathering Flowers and using them to craft a Garland. Picking Flowers will restore Sanity and Garland will help combat Sanity loss due to Rain and foregoing sleep for the first few days. If the player manages to get a Science Machine and x6 Silk then they can craft a Top Hat, which restores 3.3 Sanity/min. Rain drains 3.3 Sanity/min., so it makes 0 Sanity loss.
  • A quick and easy but rather risky way to get past blocked off areas such as the Pig Guardian checkpoint is to place 1 cut grass or 1 twig next to the wood wall and light it up with a torch.
  • As the rain is frequent during summer, more combustible material is needed to maintain fire. Charcoal stacks up to 40 and will be in great supply when the large forests catch fire due to the of lightning strikes.
  • When trying to find the Things, if the player is on an island-like landform, walk around all the edges of it with the divining rod as they have a good chance to pick up a signal without having to explore too much of the island. This does NOT work if the island is too large.


King of Winter

May appear on chapters 1 - 4
Well, would you look at that, you survived. One down, four to go!

Maxwell greeting the player

Players are spawned in a Grasslands Biome. Maxwell informs them that an endless winter has already begun. Burning trees surround the player to prevent from freezing, while they hear Maxwell's dialogue. Players can look forward to 1.5–3 minutes of daytime while juggling the ever-present effects of freezing, starvation, and insanity in this harsh climate. On the other hand, nights do not last long in this world. It also introduces Hound Mounds, identified by animal Bones on the ground. These are usually on a small area or island of their own, guarding a location on the map and forcing players to go through if they want to collect all the pieces. Deerclops seems to spawn on day 7 to 9. If players ignore him and leave him somewhere, this will prevent him from respawning somewhere closer. However, his eye can help players gain Hunger and Health back, while also reducing their sanity if they need to go through some Obelisks. This may not be worth the risk in the earlier days, unless the players brought a durable Log Suit and Football Helmet combination to shield from damage. 

The journey will be blocked by a group of Boulders or Obelisks. For the latter, players may need to have a certain level of sanity (either low or high level) in order to pass through the Bridges.

The world is permanently set to winter. The aim is to survive the cold without any preparation time. Players should not stay here for long; they should spend the first 2 to 3 days collecting resources and gathering plenty of food. Then they must explore as quick as possible to find the rest of the pieces.

Strange Obelish

This is one of the more difficult levels to start in because players initially have no way of keeping warm except for the Heat Stone, which isn't very effective. It's not a bad idea to stay here a little bit longer to prepare for the levels ahead. Getting the Tam o' Shanter is very helpful to raise sanity back up when players have to go insane to get through the Obelisks.

Near the start location will be a dead adventurer with a backpack containing a Blueprint for one random invention, a Heat Stone, some Logs, Cut Grass, Twigs, and a Torch. Sometimes the backpack may also contain a Red Gem and several Nightmare Fuels. Also, lying nearby is a blueprint for Rabbit Earmuffs, a Divining Rod, Logs, and an Axe.

General Tips:

This is a very difficult level and it might take more than 3 tries to pass this. It depends on the number of obelisks in the level, also the type and amount of natural resources available (e.g. Rabbits may not be present at all, or limited grass in a sector).

  • Because Obelisks will block passages, it's important to know how to pass through them. There are 2 types of Obelisks. One requires the player to have high Sanity, another requires low Sanity. The player will need 15% maximum sanity (30 for most characters) or lower to pass through the low one.
  • Timing is important when moving between 'sectors' that are split off by low level sanity Obelisks. The player should gather enough resources in case the new sector is lacking a particular resource (e.g. Boulders) and if one is unable to return to the previous location; as being insane can make it more difficult with Crawling Horror threats.
  • If the player happens to start in or find a 'rich' resource area, they might want to consider staying in the area for a while to gather all its resources before moving to the next sector.
  • It's best to stand near a fire source until the Heat Stone is charged to max. When it is charged to max, it will turn orange in color. This will give the player more time to explore before building a fire.
  • If the player has problems finding Boulders, remember that those can be found in small numbers in the Forests. Also, Gold Nuggets can be scattered around Graveyards or near big amounts of Spider Dens.
  • If the player reaches a choke point with Hound Mounds scattered around, two of the ways to get through them is by using a Beefalo Horn to lure beefalo and distract the hounds while the player destroys the mounds or flat out running, avoiding the hound's attacks until the player reaches a place where the hounds stop following (it is useful to wear a Feather Hat, as this will attract birds which will take the hounds interest for a short time).
  • Hounds from Hound Mounds, Tallbirds, and even Deerclops can also be taken out with use of Tooth Traps and the kiting method.
  • Obtaining the Tam o' Shanter can be tricky due to the long range of MacTusk's darts and the fast speed of his hounds. The best approach to the group is to lure the hounds away and deal with them separately from MacTusk and his son, analyze if any healing is necessary, then going back to fight MacTusk. The player may need to try several times, as the hat has merely a 25% drop rate. It is the best hat in the game to wear for regaining sanity and also helps with warmth, making it a worthy endeavour.

​Food/Resource Tips:

  • Berry Bushes, Grass and other renewable resources no longer respawn. Plan accordingly when using up an area's resources.
  • If Grass is scarce, try to pick up as many as possible and use sparingly. Since the level has only winter, Logs and Grass are needed all the time to make Campfires. An alternative way to quickly get warm is to use a Torch to burn stray trees (so it won't spread) and Manure (if available). Manure can be collected and used to fuel camp fires. A great approach, if rocks are in good supply, is to build Fire Pits. These require no grass to build and are permanent.
  • If there are Rabbits try to catch them with a Trap. Use Carrots to bait, or (preferred) 'guide' it towards the trap by placing it near the rabbit's home entrance so that it runs into the trap. 2 Rabbits and 1 twig are needed for Rabbit Earmuffs.
  • If there are no Rabbits on the map, hunting for Koalefants will provide 8 Meat which is more cost effective than hunting for Beefalo. However, Koalefants are also time consuming to locate and they hit a bit harder than Beefalo. It is advisable to have Armor and a Ranged Weapon when hunting.
  • Try to make a Crock Pot as soon as possible as it is more effective to fulfill hunger and sanity.
  • Remember to collect Monster Meat since it can be used to make Pigs follow. They can be a great help fighting against MacTusks and other aggressive animals. Beware, feeding them 4 Monster Meats in total turns them into Werepigs. It is also helpful to use Monster Meat in Crock Pot recipes.


The Game is Afoot

May appear on chapters 1 - 4
Maxwell Greeting Adventure Mode 3
What? You're still here? Impressive, but you should probably stop while you're ahead.

Maxwell greeting the player

Players are spawned on the ground of a Marsh surrounded by normal Grassland. The player will spawn near a chest usually containing 7 Logs, a Winter Hat, and 3 Flint. On a rare occasion, this chest may contain 10 Rot and 4 random Blueprints. Sometimes the Chest is spawned near a Campfire and can be ignited immediately, costing the player whatever items were inside. Seasonal cycles are not present in this world. The world begins in winter, and will turn to endless summer (Spring in Reign of Giants) after 10 days. Periodic Hound Attacks begin in this world.

The world features a resource-rich central island surrounded by dangerous lands containing the Teleportato Things. There is the possibility of an island being completely cut off from the rest of the world, requiring players to find a Wormhole to get to it. The central island will always have Grassland, Forest, and Savanna, but no other biomes except the tiny marsh at the spawning point. Outlying areas may have any biome.

Tips:

Players will see various mobs and mob housing occupying the bridges connecting the central landmass to the outlying areas and sometimes on bridges chaining together two outlying areas. It's also possible for a bridge to exist entirely within the central landmass connecting already contiguous land; in this case it can simply be avoided.

Players are advised to move quickly and be well equipped when crossing these blockades.

As Spiders will be present in the central area, it is possible to stock up on Healing Salves before venturing out.

A Grass Suit or Log Suit will provide protection without the reduced movement of a Marble Suit which can be deadly when running a blockade. It will also be possible to craft a Football Helmet from Pigs (the Crank Thing will always spawn one and there will usually be a pig village in an outlying area) or from Pig Heads near Touch Stones or Merm Houses.

Blockades on the bridges and the ways to deal with them:

  • Keep in mind that not everything needs to be killed if it can be avoided by the player.
  • Tier 3 Spider Dens - The Sticky Webbing around the dens will usually completely cover the ground, making it impossible to cross without provoking the spiders. The player can usually run past the Spider Dens anyway, at cost of Health as spiders attack. Equipping a Spiderhat and/or a Walking Cane can make this run safer. (For tips on clearing out the dens instead, see the Spider Den page.) If left alone, the tier 3 dens will spawn Spider Queens and consequently more dens, making the crossing more dangerous as time progresses. 
  • Hound Mounds - Avoidance is key here; this blockade can be run through because generally Hounds are not fast enough to catch a player who keeps moving. This is safer during Day when hounds are usually not roaming away from their mounds.
  • Tallbird Nests - This blockade can be run through during Dusk or Night because during this time the Tallbirds sleep. This blockade will also have Boulders, including gold vein boulders, make it a valuable source of food and resources.
  • Killer Bee Hives - A run through this blockade will almost always cost the player Health as not all attacks can be avoided. A player cornered by multiple Killer Bee swarms can easily be stun-locked and severely injured or killed; some cautious feints to avoid dead ends are advised. In addition to other armor, a Beekeeper Hat will reduce 80% of incoming damage from bees, useful either for running or for clearing the blockade. (For tips on clearing out some or all of the hives, see the Beehive page.)
  • Clockwork Monsters - A run through this blockade will almost always cost the player Health as Clockwork Bishop attacks are difficult to avoid. It is possible to clear this blockade with mob-on-mob violence: use a Beefalo Horn or a Spiderhat to lead a mob into the blockade or position the Clockwork Rook to charge into the other clockwork monsters.
  • Swamp Spiral - This spiral bridge is heavily infested with Tentacles leaving no safe place to stand. However, the tentacles do not anticipate the player's movements so it is possible to simply run around the spiral faster than the tentacles react, taking no damage except to Sanity. Stopping or reversing direction on the bridge is not advised, so watch for dead ends at the edges of the spiral.


Archipelago

May appear on chapters 1 - 4
Archipelago Map

The map for an archipelago level

Spider Dens cluster

Wickerbottom in Archipelago, by some tier 3 Spider Dens and a Worm Hole.

Say, pal. You're really pushing your luck. Turn back now, or I may have to resort to drastic measures.

Maxwell greeting the player

Players are spawned on one of six islands. The only way to get to other islands is by Worm Holes. There is one Thing on each island except on the beginning island. One island may contain one or more worm holes that split off to multiple islands. It's likely that the player may need to return to the previous island(s) after collecting one piece of the Thing, in order to set up the Teleportato at the Wooden Thing

The season begins at the start of spring and will gradually change over time similar to sandbox mode. Each island is dominated by mostly one or two biomes. The islands are placed in a circular shape, and while the shape is no indication of the order the wormholes will travel in, each island always has the same two biomes each time the player tries Archipelago.

The starting island has a small square shaped biome full of Carrots, Grass, Saplings, and Berry Bushes, with the rest of the island dominated by a massive Swamp filled with Spider Dens, Tentacles, and Merms

Tips:

  • It's suggested that in the first Forest biome encountered, the player should collect enough Logs, Cut Grass, Twigs, and Flint to survive for a long while, because they won't be seeing some of the resources in the forest biome again.
  • It is recommended that players establish a way to come back from or cope with insanity, since it's inevitable that they will be traveling via wormholes quite often.
  • Usually, two of the six islands are Swamps. It can be very useful to stick around when Merms and Spiders are fighting Tentacles, as this gives free items. Dead Tentacles provide a weapon. Dead Merms provide Fish and Frog Legs, which can be used to make Fish Sticks or Meatballs. Dead Spiders provide Silk and Spider Glands. The player just has to be cautious not to die themselves while attempting to collect the loot.
  • Spend the first day grabbing everything in the starting biome, especially food and flowers. Food is scarce on the other five islands, and there is a high insanity risk too.
  • Each island may have a particular set of creatures according to the biomes.
  • When using the wormhole, it's possible that the player will travel into the middle of a field of Killer Bee Hives, Spiders, or aggressive creatures. So be prepared to run towards safety.
  • the player can destroy the hives/mounds with ranged weapons and fires, especially fire darts due to the abundance of trees (Charcoal) and Swamps (Reeds). (Not Advised as it's time and resource consuming; the objective is to locate the Things)
  • If possible, bringing a Walking Cane from the previous level is helpful to kite aggressive creatures, pass through swamps with tentacles, and locate all five Things. 
  • If this is the fourth level, be prepared for the final stage Darkness as it's quite difficult.


Two Worlds

May appear on chapters 3 - 4
Maxwell Greeting Adventure Mode Two Worlds
Say. pal. Let's make a deal. You can stay here. Settle down, even. I'll give you food, gold, pigs, whatever you need. All I want in return is a truce.

Maxwell greeting the player

The character awakens on ground made of Cobblestones surrounded by a Fire Pit, a Tent, Trees, Berry Bushes, and Carrots. Maxwell materializes to ask the player for a truce, provided they stay there. Seven out of eight minutes are daylight on the large mainland where the player starts. In addition, there are no Things on this land.

In order to locate the Things the player must travel through Worm Holes that connect the mainland to the secondary land. There are two types of Worm Holes. One is the normal Wormhole encountered in sandbox mode, and the other is the Sick Worm Hole that can only be used for a one way trip.

When on the secondary island, certain parts of the biomes will cause the day/night cycle to turn from 7 out of 8 minutes day to a more normal cycle, about 3–4 minutes daylight out of 8 (E.g. Walking/traveling through worm hole from a grassland to a swamp biome will cause the time shift). Care should be taken of the time travelling between biomes as the time change may make it dark faster than expected.

Tips:

  • The mainland should have plenty of food and since daylight is much longer, respawn rates from berry bushes and other plants are faster. 
  • The secondary island has a wide range of aggressive creatures. Take caution.
  • If this world appeared on chapter 3, it's recommended that the player brings winter gear with them to the next world, as it is possible for The Game is Afoot or King of Winter to appear in chapter 4 if they haven't appeared before.
  • If this world appeared on chapter 4, it is recommended that the player brings a stack of fireflies (for a Miner Hat) and lots of food (Jerky or Honey because of their high spoilage time), as the next world will be in permanent night and scarce on food. Use this chapter as a chance to prepare for the challenging level Darkness.


Darkness

Always appears on chapter 5
You insolent, pitiful, insignificant ant! Do not arouse the wrath of the great Maxwell! You will regret coming any further...

Maxwell greeting the player

Chapter 5 has several modifiers making it the end of the journey for all but the most well-prepared players. The player spawns with a bunch of Campfires and Fire Pits surrounding them. Also, there will be a backpack nearby which has Blueprints for the Miner Hat, a healthy stack of grass, a stack of logs, two random items, and an extra random blueprint. The level's Day-night cycle has only permanent night, thus players have to survive and find the Things in complete darkness. Since there is no daylight, most creatures are asleep, crops won't grow and other plants may take longer to replenish themselves, and most importantly, sanity continuously declines over time. To make things worse, due to chronic low sanity, building life-saving camp fires will often attract Night Hands that will attempt to put out the light (they also decrease sanity when near the player).

There are almost no food resources and the only source of natural light is Maxwell's Lights scattered around the map. They will not help the player much if they did not come prepared enough. The map is a linear progression where each Biome is connected by a bridge (slightly similar to the ones in "King of Winter") that might be blocked by Boulders. Players should have a Pickaxe or gunpowder ready to blow through them. There is a chance that the bridge might be blocked by Obelisks. Each area has a Thing so they should be found before moving onto the next Biome. 

There are Pigs sleeping on the map which can be killed for meat, however with their kiting A.I. they can be a bit tricky. There is a chance to find Tallbirds in this map which are in the player's best interest to kill, especially if they have laid an egg. Koalefant is also quite worth it. There are Maxwell Lights positioned around the map that turn on when the player is near; they can be used as an opportunity to take out the Divining Rod to find the Things. Cooking Mushrooms along the way can prevent extreme sanity loss e.g. Cooked Blue or Green Caps. The dual uses of the Blue Mushroom, which can be eaten raw to replenish hunger and health at the expense of sanity, can be a life saver in certain situations.

Tips:

  • In order to build a Miner Hat, it's HIGHLY recommended that the player unlocks the Bug Net from the previous level so they can catch Fireflies. This will save grass and twigs from making torches. Bringing a stack of Gold from the previous level is helpful. The greater light radius provided by the Miner Hat can be critical to survival when traveling through Tooth Trap fields and Hound Mound areas. 
  • Only build camp fires to cook food, but hurry as Night Hands would put out. It's not advised to stop them, as they will continuously attack the fire (due to permanent darkness) and also decrease sanity (just put on the Miner's Hat and walk towards them constantly until they vanish). 
  • The player may need to build a Log Suit while traveling through the Swamp Biomes as the darkness makes it difficult to navigate and avoid Tentacles. This means sacrificing the backpack.
  • If the player has not found any of these food sources and they are getting desperate for food, they must resort to Spiders. Cooked Monster Meat can be a life saver at the expense of sanity.
  • Suggested items to bring over from previous level:
    • A stack of gold to facilitate making the Miner's Hats.
    • A Walking Cane to kite and travel faster.
    • A stack of Jerky or other long-lasting food supply that also restores health or sanity.
    • Spider Silk for catching Fireflies with Bug Nets and Top Hats or a Tam o' Shanter (highly recommended) to use when standing near stationary light sources; or pre-captured stack of Fireflies for Miner Hats.


Epilogue: Checkmate

Appears after all the other chapters.
Is this how it ends?

Maxwell meeting the player

This is the last level of Adventure Mode. The player has reached Maxwell's location.

Epilogue is a dark and dead wasteland, with a hallway in the center leading to the Nightmare Throne. The hallway branches off into small areas containing resources. The first area contains 4 chests filled with supplies, the second area has some grass and Berry Bushes (most are barren), the third area has 3 crafting stations used for prototyping, and the last area has 3 Crock Pots and some mixed food lying on the ground next to them.

Similar to the last level, this level has permanent night, with Maxwell's Lights being the only light source. Regardless of sanity, eyes can be seen in the darkness. Out in the wastelands is a fully assembled Teleportato that teleports the player to the Nightmare Throne.

The map will always be covered by the fog of war, even after an area has been explored, thus rendering the map completely useless.

Nightmare Throne ingame

Maxwell on the Nightmare Throne.

At the end of the road, players will reach Maxwell's Hall. A deformed Maxwell is sitting in a large chair with a phonograph nearby playing music, if the player turns it off, Maxwell will thank them. When meeting Maxwell, he will tell the player that when he got here there was nothing but dust and "them" and that he doesn't know what they want, that they are just watching. If the player attacks Maxwell, the throne protects him (a lightning bolt will strike the player and no matter what weapon they are holding, it will vanish). Maxwell tells the player that the throne will not allow it. He also tells them that he has been around here for a long time, and that the player can stay around and keep him company, or to put the key in the box.

Next to the throne is the Nightmare Lock where the Divining Rod can be placed. If the Divining Rod is put in the lock, the game will ask the player if they want to take pity on Maxwell but that his captors would not be happy about it. When Maxwell is freed from the throne, he gets up and instantly dies, then turns to dust and fades away. The character is grabbed by Shadow Hands and is placed on the throne, effectively taking Maxwell's place and becoming the new pawn (and turning the phonograph on again, if the player had turned it off before). After that, the player will get the final message from Klei, and then be brought back to the sandbox game as Maxwell. The player at this point has beaten Adventure Mode and unlocked Maxwell as a playable character.

Note: If the player beats Adventure World as Maxwell, the latest character they used to complete the game will be sitting in the chair, still doing the terrified animation. Unlocking the lock will kill them, and put Maxwell back in the chair. The player will wake up in the world as that character.

Note: There will still be periodic Hound Attacks in this level.

Easter Egg: Far behind (in the left side) the Nightmare throne is a graveyard, with an Eyebone and a Miner Hat next to a skeleton. On the graves are the names of the developers of the game, one example being Kevin Forbes. Caution is advised if the graves are dug up, as ghosts have a 100% chance to spawn from them.

Easter Egg: Randomly placed somewhere on the map, there is an island made of 2-3 tiles, on which there is a Teleportato as well as the 4 pieces. This island cannot be reached or "mapped" without the use of cheats, and when this Teleportato is used, it teleports the player back to the nightmare throne where a second deformed Maxwell will spawn (not on the throne) and say "Don't you think I've tried that?" then disappear.

Easter Egg: If the player uses the console to reveal the minimap fog, an island will be visible that is completely barren save for the underlying grass turf.


Exiting Adventure Mode

If the player dies in Adventure Mode, they will wake up in Sandbox Mode in the same state as they left it.

If the player beats Adventure Mode, they will wake up in Sandbox Mode in the same state as they left it, with one exception: they will now be the character who was rescued from the Nightmare Throne. The player may continue their Sandbox survival with this new character or choose to open Maxwell's Door again and attempt to rescue their original character.

When returning to the Sandbox by death or victory, the player will have all of the items previously held in the Sandbox and know all of the recipes previously learned in the Sandbox by the character who entered Adventure Mode. The items in the player's Adventure Mode inventory are lost and the recipes learned during Adventure Mode are forgotten. The player can immediately enter Adventure Mode again if they wish.


Possible Levels Found In Adventure Mode

A Cold Reception King of Winter The Game Is Afoot Archipelago Two Worlds Darkness
Chapter 1 yes yes yes yes no no
Chapter 2 yes yes yes yes no no
Chapter 3 yes yes yes yes yes no
Chapter 4 no yes yes yes yes no
Chapter 5 no no no no no yes

Placeholder Trivia

  • Caves will not spawn in this mode.
  • In adventure mode, if you put Wagstaff on the Nightmare Throne, and then return to him for another character, it seems that Wagstaff has escaped.

Mosquito Bugs

  • Chapters can sometimes be skipped by rapidly clicking the "Lets go" button. Additionally, chapters will sometimes load as the previous chapter's ending, allowing the player to reload the teleportato and go immediately to the chapter after that.
  • In Chapter 5, "Darkness", if the game is saved and reloaded during a full moon, the full moon will be permanent. However, a full moon no longer provides illumination in this chapter.
  • Sometimes, in the "The Game is Afoot" or "Archipelago" level, there is no Metal Potato Thing.
  • If Shadow Creatures appear when the player takes pity on Maxwell they can still attack the character in the cutscene, which means if the player dies, they will be sent back without actually freeing the other character.
  • Sometimes, islands on "Archipelago" will spawn fused to each other, putting two things on one large island.
  • If Lucy is destroyed via attacking Maxwell, Woodie will sit backwards on the throne.
  • While the animation that plays when the player enters adventure mode, time still runs, making it possible for the player to lose hunger, sanity or make it night on the world.
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