Sanity

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“I get crazy when I don't sleep.”

–Wilson

Sanity is the character's "mental health" in Don't Starve. The Sanity icon, represented as a picture of a brain, is located near the character's Health and Hunger. Characters can gain and lose sanity in various ways. A small animated arrow appears over the icon, indicating an increase or decrease in Sanity. The size of the arrow signifies the rate of gain or loss.

As sanity decreases, the player's vision becomes shaky, over-saturated, and bright, whispers are heard, and Shadow Creatures start to appear. These creatures become "physical" and aggressive and will attack the player when their sanity is below 15%. The sign that sanity is low enough for Shadow Creatures to attack is when the player's character covers their ears and closes their eyes while rocking back and forth, as if experiencing a bad headache.

Being alone in the wilderness will take its toll. Generally speaking, being in close proximity to Monsters, Darkness, Rain, eating bad or raw Food, or using various magic items decreases sanity; while wearing certain clothing, eating Jerky and Crock Pot food, being near friendly Pigs, and sleeping increases sanity. See the Sanity Tables below for a complete list.

Insanity Effects

The screen when at 0 sanity with distortion off.

≤ 80%

• Mr. Skitts will appear.

≤ 75%

• Night Hands appear at night.
• Screen start Shaking
• Start desaturation

≤ 60%

• Eyes appear in the darkness.
• The screen starts getting distorted.
• Lighting is desaturated in the Surface World and Caves. Lighting brightens in the Ruins.
• Willow begins lighting fires.

≤ 50%

• Crawling Horrors are visible.
• Shadow Watchers appears.
• Insanity ambiance becomes audible.
• When inactive the player regularly shakes his head between his hands.

≤ 45%

• Whispering can be heard.

≤ 40%

• Rabbits transform into Beardlings.
• Bunnymen transform into Beardlords.

≤ 15% for effects to appear and ≥ 17.5% to disappear

• The screen is surrounded by red tendrils.
• Present Crawling Horrors and Terrorbeaks will attack.
• Up to one Crawling Horrors spawns at a time.
• Player holds head with hands and rocks back and forth.
• The "day to night" transition jingle becomes warped.

 ≤ 10%

• Terrorbeaks appears.
• Up to two Crawling Horrors or Terrorbeaks spawn at a time.

Instant Sanity Table

Action	Sanity
• Eating ()	+150
• Resurrecting a Ghost Player ()	+80
• Sleeping in a • Eating • Eating as	+50
• Sleeping on a • Killing a • Eating	+33
• Repairing a • Eating	+20
• Killing a • Eating • Prototyping a new item using  • Learning a recipe from • Summoning Abigail as Wendy ()	+15
• Eating  • Eating () • Shaving a Beard • Eating as • Planting as • Getting hit by	+10
• Eating	+7.5
• Eating most Crock Pot Dishes except for those shown elsewhere in this table and • Eating • Picking when playing as any other character that isn’t Wormwood	+5
• Riding a wave on a • Throwing • Eating	+1
• Using a	-1
• Sneezing	-2.5
• Eating  • Picking • Using • Using • Picking as • Digging up Tree stumps or as • Eating as • Adding fuel to	-5
• Eating Spoiled Food • Eating • Digging up a • Digging through a using your bare hands • Crafting • Bats from opening a Chest or chopping a tree during Hallowed Nights ()	-10
•Eating • Going through a  • Using • Entering map boundaries in Shipwrecked • Being carried by	-15
• Eating • Eating () • Being attacked by Charlie • Using • Crafting • Picking up more than 20 as	-20
• Reading • Getting hit by lightning as	-33
• Eating • Reading • Using • Spawning  in singleplayer Don't Starve as Wendy	-50
• Blowing from	- between 25-50
• Using a	-55 Max Sanity
• Resurrection via	Set to 1/2 of maximum
• Absorbing damage via	Damage absorbed ÷ 3.4
• Eating	Set to Current health + 5

Temporal Sanity Table

Name	Sanity (/min)	Notes
• Sanity aura of	≤+100	Change with Moon Phase
• Sleeping in	60	Drains 60 & 20/min respectively
• Sanity aura of	≤+40	Must be very close to benefit from aura.
• Sanity aura of a	+36	Decreases hunger (roughly 0.5 per second) in exchange for sanity.
• Sanity aura of a	≤+25
• Sanity aura of a friendly , nearby or held , and • Sanity aura of a glowing	≤+25	Must be very close to benefit from aura.
• Playing as	+20, +6.75 in
• Being near a fire as ()	≤+11 per fire	Amount depends on strength of fire.
• Being near a fire as	≤+10	Amount depends on strength of fire.
• Wearing and using /dance emote	+6.67	Can increase up to +20/min if there are other players nearby (wearing a costume piece and dancing).
• Wearing • Wearing while on Boats	+6.67
• Sanity aura of	+6.25	Must be very close to benefit from aura.
• Being inside	+6.25
• Wearing	+4.44
• Wearing	+3.33
• Wearing or holding	+2
• Wearing	+1.33
• Day on Lunar Island	+0.625
• Wearing	-1.33
• Wearing	-2	For One-Man Band this is the default insanity aura without followers.
• Insanity aura of	-3	Only when active, except for
• Rain	≤-3.3	Sanity loss depends on "precipitation rate".
• Wetness	≤-3.3	Sanity loss is not linear, e.g. at 50 Wetness the sanity loss is -1.67 instead of -3.33
• Wearing	-3.3
• Being on land as	-4.8
• Dusk, Night and Caves	-5
• Wearing soaked items.	-6 per item
• Being Poisoned	-6
• Insanity aura of	-6.25
• Wearing to forestall a Werepig transformation	-6.6
• Insanity aura of	≤-10
• Wearing • Total darkness on Lunar Island	-10
• Being attached by	-12.5
• Wearing or holding	-20
• Insanity aura of • Insanity aura of ()	≤-25
• Insanity aura of	≤-25	Increases by approximately -5/min per 20 coins collected
• Wearing and having or befriended	-2 (-25 per follower)
• Insanity aura of	≤-40
• Total darkness	-50
• Freezing as	-100
• Insanity aura of • Insanity aura of	≤-100
• Insanity aura of	≤-400
• Insanity aura of	≤-900	Shadow Creatures spawned from Nightmare Lights are not present during the "warning" phase of the Nightmare Cycle.

Character Specifics

Wilson looking around from paranoia.

Sanity maximums:

150-300 Max Sanity - WX-78 (depending on upgrades)

100-300 Max Sanity - WX-78 (depending on upgrades)

250 Max Sanity - Wickerbottom

200 Max Sanity - Wilson, Wendy, Wolfgang, Woodie, Maxwell, Walani , Warly , Wormwood , Wheeler , Winona

150-200 Max Sanity - Wurt (depending on King of the Merms)

150 Max Sanity - Wes, Wagstaff, Wilbur , Wortox

120 Max Sanity - Willow, Wigfrid , Woodlegs

100 Max Sanity - Webber , Wilba

Characters with the potential to stay sane longer:

Wendy - 0.75x Sanity is lost while in darkness or near monsters.

Willow - Gains Sanity while near a fire.

Wolfgang - 1.1x Sanity is lost while in darkness or near monsters, but this is compensated by fights being shorter if fighting while 'Mighty'.

Maxwell - Sanity is restored at a rate of 20 (6.75 in ) in points per minute.

Wigfrid - Gains Sanity after killing Mobs.

Walani - Due to her drying off quicker, the combined Sanity loss from wetness would be reduced over time. She also does not have a sanity drain from Wetness itself, although she does have a sanity drain from Wet Items.

Warly - Gains more Sanity from Crock Pot meals.

Wilba - 1.5x Sanity is lost while in darkness, but no loss of sanity in darkness in Werepig form.

Wormwood - Gains Sanity when planting most Plants.

Trivia

• Sanity was added in the Insanity! update.
• Distortion can be turned off in the Options menu, removing the blurry effect on the edges of the screen that occurs from Sanity loss. This can also boost performance on slow systems.
• When being on Lunar Island in Don't Starve Together, Sanity becomes Enlightenment.
• In the Hamlet DLC, when being in any interior, there is no loss of sanity in Darkness.

Gallery

All stages of the Sanity meter.

The Sanity meter in different stages.

A pin of the Sanity symbol from Klei's online store.