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| + | {{Notice|text=This page contains '''major spoilers''' for the plot of ''Don't Starve'' and ''Don't Starve Together'' as well as the story details of puzzles. Read at your own risk.}}The '''Story Line''' of ''[[Don't Starve]]'' is not just contained within [[Adventure Mode]]. The developers have expanded the lore through supplemental material such as animated promotional videos or hidden puzzles. Some clues can also be gleaned from [[Quotes|character quotes]]. The Story Line continues in ''[[Don't Starve Together]]'', the sequel to ''Don't Starve''. |
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| − | {{Stub}} |
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| + | On September 25, 2014, Klei developer Kevin Forbes<ref name="timeline">[https://forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/40533-will-there-be-anything-more-for-puzzlesbackstory-after-intermission/?do=findComment&comment=541083 Thread with Kevin's timeline post (on page 2)], originally posted on September 25, 2014</ref> posted a rough canonical timeline for ''Don't Starve''. This page will incorporate this, however as it has been many years since this post, its accuracy can be questioned. For instance, this post was written before the reveal of ''[[Don't Starve: Shipwrecked|Shipwrecked]]''. |
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| − | == Introduction == |
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| − | The game is fragmental, without the introduction or the ending of the story or any explanation of what is happening. However, there is likely to be the story line relating the characters and the world they inhabit. Obviously, the story line is still being developed as the game is being expanded. The main sources revealing details about the story line are the promotional videos, hidden puzzles and the game itself. |
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| + | {{see also|William Carter Puzzles|Forbidden Knowledge Trailer Puzzle|Cyclum Puzzles|Metheus Puzzles}} |
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| − | For instance, Don't Starve Cinematic Trailer Forbidden Knowledge reveals how [[Wilson]] ended up in [[The Constant|The Constant.]] For the puzzles see William Carter Puzzles topic. In the game [[Maxwell]] refers to other players and objects, for example, says that he kept [[Wes]] locked up because he was weak. |
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| + | == Pre-Game Events == |
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| − | There are many nice details in the game, like how characters refer to objects which one could analyze and the infer about the story line. |
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| + | * 1873 - The Old Mill crossing is constructed.<ref name="puzzle4">[http://www.dontstarvegame.com/science/mdocs/4/dark-enlightenment.html William Carter Puzzle #4: Papers in the desert]</ref> |
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| + | * 1890s - 1906: Time period of William Carter's origin story.<ref name="timeline"/> |
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| + | ** July 26, 1901: [[William Carter]], a stage performer, departs from Liverpool, England aboard a ship named ''Quest'' to move to the United States.<ref>[http://www.dontstarvegame.com/science/mdocs/1/all-aboard.html William Carter Puzzle #1: William's Inspection card]</ref> |
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| + | *** In America, William Carter tries to make a living as a stage performer.<ref>[http://www.dontstarvegame.com/science/mdocs/2/abracadabra.html William Carter Puzzle #2: William Carter the Magician poster]</ref> However, he finds himself in debt. He receives a postcard from his brother, Jack, who lives on the West Coast.<ref>[http://www.dontstarvegame.com/science/mdocs/3/hard-times.html William Carter Puzzle #3: William's desk papers]</ref> |
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| + | ** August 15, 1904: William buys a ticket for a train going from New York City, New York to San Francisco, California.<ref name="puzzle4"/> |
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| + | ** August 23, 1904: ''The Daily Speaker'' newspaper has a story about a passenger train striking an Abernethy & Parker Circus wagon at the Old Mill crossing. Dozens are injured and one man is missing and presumed dead. Based on his description, the man is most likely William Carter. This is the third incident at this crossing since its construction in 1873.<ref name="puzzle4"/> |
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| + | *** After the train accident, William writes a postcard to Jack from North Fork, Nevada, in which he reveals he is alive and that he has found a [[Codex Umbra|book]] containing "terrifying new possibilities." <ref name="puzzle4"/> |
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| + | ** June 6, 1905: William Carter requisitions advertisements in ''The San Francisco Call'' for a lady assistant. He appears to be working under a new name: "[[Maxwell]] The Great." He no longer wears glasses, and appears very confident. He is now living in San Francisco, California.<ref name="puzzle5">[http://www.dontstarvegame.com/science/mdocs/5/ladies-and-gentlemen.html William Carter Puzzle #5: Maxwell the Great poster]</ref> |
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| + | *** Maxwell appears to be holding rituals and summoning [[Shadow Creature|strange beings]]. He is writing notes about what he's seen.<ref name="puzzle5"/> |
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| + | *** Maxwell has acquired an assistant, [[Charlie]], and has become a very popular act. He is using the Shadow Creatures from his book as part of his performance. In a letter to Maxwell, Charlie talks about working on a new finale when she comes back from her [[Winona|sister's]] place.<ref>[http://www.dontstarvegame.com/science/mdocs/6/charlie.html William Carter Puzzle #6: Maxwell and Charlie poster]</ref> |
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| + | ** April 17, 1906: The night before Maxwell and Charlie's last show, Charlie visits Maxwell's apartment. She finds his hidden room behind the fireplace. As she takes a look at his book, shadowy hands appear in the other room. They are vanquished by Maxwell who magically manifests from a photograph on the wall. Charlie uses her lantern to look at the walls of his secret room, where Maxwell has scribbled troubling words and strange symbols. Distressed by what she sees, she runs out of the apartment with his outfit. She leaves a letter revealing that he had been out of contact with her for days.<ref name="puzzle8">[[William Carter Puzzles#Eighth puzzle|William Carter Puzzle #8]]</ref> |
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| + | *** That night, Maxwell and Charlie perform their final act. Maxwell attempts to pull shadows from the book, but they try to pull him in. Multiple shadow hands emerge from the book, grabbing Maxwell and Charlie.<ref>[http://www.dontstarvegame.com/science/mdocs/max/stage/1/grand-finale.html William Carter Puzzle #9: The Final Act video]</ref> |
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| + | *** A Shadow Watcher stands in the ruined remains of Maxwell's apartment.<ref name="puzzle8"/> |
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| + | *** Maxwell takes the [[Nightmare Throne]] becoming the "king" of [[The Constant]], bending it to his will and creating many creatures to inhabit it. Charlie becomes the [[Night Monster]]. |
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| + | * 1906 - 1910ish: Unknown "crazy stuff" happens.<ref name="timeline"/> |
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| − | == Story development in the game == |
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| − | The character is thrown into the world with presumably the game antagonist (Maxwell) telling us ''"Say pal, you don't look so good. You better find something to eat before night comes!" ''and there are no other instructions. We learn about the world by exploring it and trying different things. As the game develops, one can come across the adventure mode during which the same antagonist will appear and address us again. |
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| + | * 1910ish - 1921: Over this time period, Maxwell starts taking [[Characters|people]] from the real world into The Constant. They are forced to survive the nightmare world he created.<ref name="timeline" /> |
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| − | Summed up, the character explores the world which has loads of secrets and in the end, after completing five challenges in the adventure mode, confronts the antagonist. It looks as if the antagonist has designed some parts of the world but is not actually in control. Throughout the game we are haunted by shadow creatures which are holding the game antagonist and are likely to have caused the extinction of the ancient civilization. |
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| + | ** 1910: The ''Exposition Universelle et Internationale'' is held.<ref name="NoK">[https://youtu.be/G-Kn9tgO0mQ The ''Next of Kin'' Cinematic Trailer]</ref> |
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| + | ** March 29, 1911: A library in New York City burns down.<ref name="NoK"/><ref>[[:File:RWP 229 Conspiracy Board Behind The Scenes.png|Full pegboard background]] from ''Next of Kin'' shown during ''Rhymes With Play'' #229. A missing poster for Ms. Wickerbottom is in the bottom right corner.</ref> |
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| + | ** April 16, 1914: Wendy Carter writes an entry in her diary: "I keep hearing strange music when I dream... the same song repeating over and over... is it you, Abigail? Are you trying to tell me something?"<ref>[https://forums.kleientertainment.com/forums/topic/116540-wendys-character-refresh-is-now-available/ Wendy's Character Refresh is Now Available!]. Posted on March 19, 2020.</ref> |
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| + | ** 1919: The [[Radio|Voxola PR-76 radio]] is manufactured in Sidney, Ohio. The factory is destroyed in a fire days after production. Only a few radios remain, one being in the possession of [[Wilson]]. The founder of Voxola, Robert Wagstaff, went missing the same night as the fire.<ref>[https://forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/14816-rp-all-the-way-rp-product-suggestions/?do=findComment&comment=138649 Post by Kevin about the Voxola], originally posted on April 11, 2013. "The radio is a Voxola PR-76, manufactured in 1919 by the Voxola Radio company of Sidney, Ohio. The radio offered revolutionary sound and reception quality for the time, and was promoted by an intense national marketing campaign. Very few units were actually produced, because the factory was destroyed in a fire only days after production began. Voxola founder Robert Wagstaff went missing the night of the fire, and the company declared bankruptcy soon thereafter."</ref> Someone presumed to be Wagstaff is sucked into a strange portal in an office. Factory worker [[Winona]] runs to investigate while the other workers escape. She is unable to save Wagstaff and the portal breaks down. Winona repairs and reactivates the portal, and sees her missing sister Charlie. She tries to pull Charlie through, but Charlie's Night Monster side takes over and pulls Winona into the portal as well.<ref name="NoK" /> |
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| + | ** 1921: Wilson, depressed after failing a scientific experiment, receives a message from his Voxola that he may be able to succeed with "secret knowledge", if he thinks he's ready for it. Wilson accepts the offer, and is given the knowledge to build a [[Maxwell's Door|strange contraption]]. He is ordered to pull the device's lever by the Voxola. Upon doing so, shadowy hands appear from below Wilson, pulling him into The Constant.<ref name="timeline" /> The Voxola was Maxwell all along.<ref>[https://youtu.be/N0QhvmisGWU The ''Forbidden Knowledge'' Cinematic Trailer]</ref> |
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| + | == In-Game Events == |
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| − | == Story development outside the game == |
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| + | === Don't Starve and Reign of Giants=== |
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| − | The game leaves many questions about the mechanics of the world and intentions of the characters. Some answers can be found from the cinematic trailers. |
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| + | * Wilson spends an indeterminate amount of time in The Constant, dying multiple times.<ref name="timeline" /> |
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| + | * The events of Adventure Mode begins, as Wilson finds Maxwell's Door and survives his challenges.<ref name="timeline" /> |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | === Don't Starve Together === |
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| − | In one of the posts on Klei forums one of the developers outlined the structure of the story as they saw it at that time |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | * Maxwell and Wilson meet, form a truce, and build the [[Jury-Rigged Portal]], which joins the survivors' dimensions.<ref>Florid Postern Portrait Frame flavor text: "Wilson and Maxwell constructed the first prototype of the Florid Postern, connecting the survivors' dimensions and allowing them to band together."</ref> [[Wendy]], [[Wes]], and [[Wolfgang]] arrive through it just as Charlie takes the portal over and turns it into the [[Florid Postern]].<ref>[[Cyclum Puzzles]] comic</ref> All the other survivors (excluding [[Walani]], [[Wilbur]], [[Woodlegs]], [[Wilba]], [[Wheeler]] and [[Wagstaff]]) arrive through the Postern and join forces. |
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| ⚫ | |||
| + | * [[Winona]] arrives through a portal similar to the Ancient Gateway,<ref>[[Winona quotes|Winona quote]] for The Forge, Ancient Gateway (off): "Just like the one I came through..."</ref> attempting to rescue her sister.<ref>[[Winona quotes|Winona quote]] for The Gorge, Ancient Gateway: "I might not be good at rescue missions."</ref><ref name="NoK"/> Her profile can be seen through the Ancient Gateway as Charlie picks a rose from the ground.<ref>[https://youtu.be/6EIvYGSeGUU What Lies Beyond?], a video available after completing the Metheus Puzzles.</ref> |
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| + | * Wickerbottom activates the Gateway with the Ancient Key. Wickerbottom, Wilson, [[Willow]], [[Wigfrid]], Wendy, and Wolfgang enter it. Charlie appears at the activated Gateway and draws a white energy out of the structure, though the exact nature of her interference remains unknown. The survivors arrive in a dimension known as [[The Forge]].<ref>[https://youtu.be/_vygRnYnPL0 The Forge cinematic]</ref> The inhabitants were banished here by "the Throne".<ref>Battlemaster Pugna quotes, Round 6: "... Do you understand the forces you serve?"/"We were severed from the Throne!"/"Trapped in a realm of stone and fire, with no scepter to provide."/"Why serve a power that deserted my people?"/"They destroy all They touch..."/"That is why we cannot let you win."</ref> Their leader, [[Battlemaster Pugna]], calls the survivors "Gatekeepers" and accuses them of attempting to return his people to the Throne.<ref>Battlemaster Pugna quote, Introduction: Gatekeepers? Have you come to return us to the Throne?</ref> The survivors battle a series of increasingly difficult enemies in Battlemaster Pugna's arena before defeating the [[Grand Forge Boarrior]]. Pugna surrenders and allows them to use the Molten Gateway.<ref>Battlemaster Pugna quotes, Victory: "No! My Forge, felled by the Throne's lapdogs!"/"Please. No more, Gatekeepers. We surrender."/"The day is yours, as is the Gateway."</ref> |
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| + | * Directly after the events in the Forge, Wilson, Wickerbottom, and Wendy find themselves in a new dimension: the [[The Gorge|Elder Bog]].<ref>[https://youtu.be/SfzvtHDsgTU The Gorge cinematic]</ref> For years the goat-like inhabitants of this dimension have been under the threat of [[The Gnaw]], a giant wyrm in the sky that turns those who fail to satiate its appetite into [[Merms]]. Only a few beings remain alive, and the world has been left in ruins by the wyrm's rage. The survivors, with the help of [[Mumsy]] the goat woman, must cook to satiate The Gnaw and eventually earn enough favors to charge the Ancient Key and grant them an escape. Mumsy, who also considers them Gatekeepers,<ref>Mumsy quote: "Are you... Gatekeepers, by chance?"</ref> mentions that "another of [their] kind" passed through her dimension once.<ref>Mumsy quote: "Another of your kind passed through here once."</ref> The survivors succeed, making their exit through the Mossy Gateway along with Mumsy and her son [[Billy]]. |
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| + | * A large piece of the Moon lands in the ocean. Wilson, Winona, and Wigfrid build a boat to reach the new island, on which they discover horrifying creatures and a bizarre aura of lunacy.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eznDM3AMPc Return of Them Turn of Tides cinematic]</ref> |
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| + | == {{pic|32|Placeholder}} Trivia == |
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| − | === 1890s - 1906 === |
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| + | * The date and location of Maxwell's last act, April 17, 1906, coincides with the real life [[Wikipedia:1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 San Francisco Earthquake]]. |
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| − | William Carter origin story |
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| + | * The 1910 ''[[Wikipedia:Brussels International 1910|Exposition Universelle et Internationale]]'' was held in real life in Brussels, Belgium. Notably, it suffered a large fire that gutted several pavillions. |
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| + | * The library fire in New York City that is seen on a newspaper headline in ''Next of Kin'' may be a reference to the real life fire that broke out in the library of the New York State Capitol on the same date, [[Wikipedia:March_1911#March_29,_1911_(Wednesday)|March 29, 1911]]. |
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| + | =={{Pic|32|Blueprint}} Gallery== |
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| − | === 1906 === |
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| + | <gallery captionalign="center" hideaddbutton="true"> |
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| − | William and Charlie enter the DS world. |
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| + | RWP 229 Conspiracy Board Behind The Scenes.png|A full version of Winona's pegboard from ''Next of Kin'' as seen in ''Rhymes With Play'' #229. |
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| − | |||
| + | Wendy Character Update Photo.png|Image posted with Wendy's refresh update. |
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| − | === 1906 - 1910ish === |
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| + | </gallery> |
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| − | Some crazy stuff happens that we haven't told you about <strong>yet</strong>.... |
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| − | |||
| − | === 1910ish - 1921 === |
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| − | The various playable characters get pulled into the DS world. |
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| − | |||
| − | === 1921 === |
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| − | Wilson gets pulled in (Forbidden Knowlege trailer). |
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| − | |||
| − | <nowiki>*</nowiki>THE ORIGINAL GAME + ROG STARTS HERE* |
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| − | |||
| − | === ? === |
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| − | Wilson lives in The Constant for a while. Dies a lot, eventually finds Maxwell's door and confronts Maxwell |
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| − | |||
| − | === ? === |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | |||
| − | === ? === |
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| ⚫ | |||
| − | |||
| − | === ? === |
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| − | The DST plotline begins. Events of ANR occur concurrently. |
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| − | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| − | |||
| − | ==== ? ==== |
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| − | [[Winona]] arrives under (as of yet) unclear circumstances. |
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| − | |||
| − | ==== ? ==== |
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| − | The events of [[The Forge]] event occur. |
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| − | |||
| − | Wickerbottom activates the Gateway with the Ancient Key and six of the survivors (canonically Wilson, [[Willow]], [[Wolfgang]], Wendy, Wickerbottom, and [[Wigfrid]]) enter, transporting them to the Forge dimension. They battle a series of increasingly difficult enemies in [[Battlemaster Pugna]]'s arena before defeating the [[Grand Forge Boarrior]]. Pugna surrenders and allows them to use the Gate to go back to their old realm, The Constant. Meanwhile, Charlie appears at the activated Gateway at The Constant end and draws a kind of energy out of it, though the exact nature of her interference remains unknown. |
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| − | |||
| − | ==== 1901-1904: ==== |
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| − | * William Carter arrives at Ellis Island from London, England on the 26th July, 1901. He is a tall, frail, nervous looking man with glasses and an accent, working as a magician and stage performer. He aims to stay with his brother, Jack, and family (including his twin nieces, Wendy and Abigail), but finds that they have moved out west to Corona, California. |
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| − | * Without a place to stay and with an unpopular stage act, William struggles to stay afloat, and falls into debt for his show materials with a prop dealer named George T. Witherstone. Desperate and humiliated, he purchases a ticket to San Francisco by train. |
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| − | * In August of 1904, the train strikes a broken-down circus wagon at the Old Mill Crossing. Many are injured, and Williams story is thought to end here, as he goes missing from the crash and disappears into the harsh Nevada desert. |
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| − | 1904-1906: |
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| − | * At some time during the events of that day, William resurfaces in possession of a strange book, the Codex Umbra. Using the knowledge contained therein, he reinvents himself as Maxwell the Great, a summoner of shadows. This new persona of his has much more confidence and stage presence and wears no glasses. He enjoys a substantial amount of success, although whether this is how he actually appears to others or merely how he views himself is a different question. |
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| − | * Maxwell continues onwards to San Francisco (likely in the company of Wolfgang, Wes, and Wigfrids traveling circus), and sets up his show in the city. He puts out an ad for an assistant with "a curious demeanor and a keen interest in the mysteries of the universe" - qualities that match his own, but are in retrospect poor choices for the arts he now dabbles in. He hires a young woman named Charlie, and the two form a strong relationship in and out of their work. |
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| − | * As he studies the book, Maxwell begins to see shadows and dark things forming unbidden. He still exerts a measure of control over his work, but as his work dabbles in the value of dark madness, he keeps it largely hidden. He remains in San Francisco, performing in his act and growing steadily more unstable and powerful in the occult, until April 17, 1906. |
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| − | * On that evening, Charlie comes to Maxwell's apartment to check up on him and gather up the props for their show. She uncovers the secret passage to his study room and enters, attracting the attention of both Maxwell and a shadowy hand. As Maxwell intervenes quietly through a portrait to stave off the shadows, Charlie collects his things and reads the mad scrawls on his study room wall, visible only through the light of a special lantern. Making a hasty exit, she returns only to drop Maxwell a worried note, suggesting they take a break after the current run of shows. |
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| − | * Maxwell meets Charlie at the theater that night and the two give one last performance. Reaching into the Codex Umbra to pull forth the shadows within, Maxwell instead finds himself pulled upon instead. He fights back, and shadows emerge from every direction, capturing both Charlie and Maxwell and drawing them into another world. The next morning, an earthquake levels parts of San Francisco, collapsing all evidence of Maxwell's existence and killing thousands. |
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| − | 1906-1910: |
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| − | * Charlie is consumed by the darkness. Maxwell is enthroned by shadows and trapped in the world of Don't Starve. He can create and manage parts of its existence. Much stuff happens here we don't know about yet. |
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| − | 1910-1921: |
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| − | * Overcome by boredom, Maxwell begins communicating with the outside world and drawing in new people, targeting stage performers and those who bear dark obsessions and secrets of their own. He lures them into the Don't Starve world and in doing so, traps them there. |
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| − | * In 1919, Robert Wagstaff and the Voxola radio company release the Voxola PR-76, a revolutionary new radio and the thingy you see on top of the [[Divining Rod|divining rod]]. Only a few are made before the factory burns down and Wagstaff disappears. |
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| − | * In 1921, under urging by Maxwell through Wagstaffs radio, Wilson enters the Don't Starve world and the game officially begins. Like the other playable characters, he dies a lot. Canonically, he's the one who completes [[Adventure Mode]]. |
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| − | * Wilson finds Maxwell's throne and frees his tortured spirit from the limbo he controls, crumbling his body to dust. Unfortunately, his rescuer is enthroned in his place, and Maxwell's spirit remains trapped within the world. |
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| − | * This circle can only be repeated. It becomes clear that no one survivor can stop the true overlords of this world or achieve freedom from its clutches -- though perhaps many, sharing a common purpose, might battle the nightmares and win. |
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== References == |
== References == |
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| + | <references /> |
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| − | The information about the story developments surrounding the game have been gathered from this wiki and the below links |
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| − | |||
| − | https://www.reddit.com/r/dontstarve/comments/2vdc2g/dont_starve_the_story_so_far/?st=irl68sx8&sh=f39294b7 |
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| − | |||
| − | http://forums.kleientertainment.com/topic/40533-will-there-be-anything-more-for-puzzlesbackstory-after-intermission/?page=2#entry541083 |
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[[Category:Articles using improper tone]] |
[[Category:Articles using improper tone]] |
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| + | [[Category:Lore]] |
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| + | [[Category:Supplemental material]] |
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Revision as of 22:42, 19 March 2020
 |
This page contains major spoilers for the plot of Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together as well as the story details of puzzles. Read at your own risk. |
The Story Line of Don't Starve is not just contained within Adventure Mode. The developers have expanded the lore through supplemental material such as animated promotional videos or hidden puzzles. Some clues can also be gleaned from character quotes. The Story Line continues in Don't Starve Together, the sequel to Don't Starve.
On September 25, 2014, Klei developer Kevin Forbes[1] posted a rough canonical timeline for Don't Starve. This page will incorporate this, however as it has been many years since this post, its accuracy can be questioned. For instance, this post was written before the reveal of Shipwrecked.
See also: William Carter Puzzles, Forbidden Knowledge Trailer Puzzle, Cyclum Puzzles, and Metheus Puzzles
Pre-Game Events
- 1873 - The Old Mill crossing is constructed.[2]
- 1890s - 1906: Time period of William Carter's origin story.[1]
- July 26, 1901: William Carter, a stage performer, departs from Liverpool, England aboard a ship named Quest to move to the United States.[3]
- August 15, 1904: William buys a ticket for a train going from New York City, New York to San Francisco, California.[2]
- August 23, 1904: The Daily Speaker newspaper has a story about a passenger train striking an Abernethy & Parker Circus wagon at the Old Mill crossing. Dozens are injured and one man is missing and presumed dead. Based on his description, the man is most likely William Carter. This is the third incident at this crossing since its construction in 1873.[2]
- June 6, 1905: William Carter requisitions advertisements in The San Francisco Call for a lady assistant. He appears to be working under a new name: "Maxwell The Great." He no longer wears glasses, and appears very confident. He is now living in San Francisco, California.[6]
- Maxwell appears to be holding rituals and summoning strange beings. He is writing notes about what he's seen.[6]
- Maxwell has acquired an assistant, Charlie, and has become a very popular act. He is using the Shadow Creatures from his book as part of his performance. In a letter to Maxwell, Charlie talks about working on a new finale when she comes back from her sister's place.[7]
- April 17, 1906: The night before Maxwell and Charlie's last show, Charlie visits Maxwell's apartment. She finds his hidden room behind the fireplace. As she takes a look at his book, shadowy hands appear in the other room. They are vanquished by Maxwell who magically manifests from a photograph on the wall. Charlie uses her lantern to look at the walls of his secret room, where Maxwell has scribbled troubling words and strange symbols. Distressed by what she sees, she runs out of the apartment with his outfit. She leaves a letter revealing that he had been out of contact with her for days.[8]
- That night, Maxwell and Charlie perform their final act. Maxwell attempts to pull shadows from the book, but they try to pull him in. Multiple shadow hands emerge from the book, grabbing Maxwell and Charlie.[9]
- A Shadow Watcher stands in the ruined remains of Maxwell's apartment.[8]
- Maxwell takes the Nightmare Throne becoming the "king" of The Constant, bending it to his will and creating many creatures to inhabit it. Charlie becomes the Night Monster.
- 1906 - 1910ish: Unknown "crazy stuff" happens.[1]
- 1910ish - 1921: Over this time period, Maxwell starts taking people from the real world into The Constant. They are forced to survive the nightmare world he created.[1]
- 1910: The Exposition Universelle et Internationale is held.[10]
- March 29, 1911: A library in New York City burns down.[10][11]
- April 16, 1914: Wendy Carter writes an entry in her diary: "I keep hearing strange music when I dream... the same song repeating over and over... is it you, Abigail? Are you trying to tell me something?"[12]
- 1919: The Voxola PR-76 radio is manufactured in Sidney, Ohio. The factory is destroyed in a fire days after production. Only a few radios remain, one being in the possession of Wilson. The founder of Voxola, Robert Wagstaff, went missing the same night as the fire.[13] Someone presumed to be Wagstaff is sucked into a strange portal in an office. Factory worker Winona runs to investigate while the other workers escape. She is unable to save Wagstaff and the portal breaks down. Winona repairs and reactivates the portal, and sees her missing sister Charlie. She tries to pull Charlie through, but Charlie's Night Monster side takes over and pulls Winona into the portal as well.[10]
- 1921: Wilson, depressed after failing a scientific experiment, receives a message from his Voxola that he may be able to succeed with "secret knowledge", if he thinks he's ready for it. Wilson accepts the offer, and is given the knowledge to build a strange contraption. He is ordered to pull the device's lever by the Voxola. Upon doing so, shadowy hands appear from below Wilson, pulling him into The Constant.[1] The Voxola was Maxwell all along.[14]
In-Game Events
Don't Starve and Reign of Giants
- Wilson spends an indeterminate amount of time in The Constant, dying multiple times.[1]
- The events of Adventure Mode begins, as Wilson finds Maxwell's Door and survives his challenges.[1]
- Wilson replaces Maxwell on the Nightmare Throne, and Maxwell becomes one of the survivors.[1]
Don't Starve Together
- Charlie banishes Wilson back to The Constant and takes the throne for herself.[15]
- Maxwell and Wilson meet, form a truce, and build the Jury-Rigged Portal, which joins the survivors' dimensions.[16] Wendy, Wes, and Wolfgang arrive through it just as Charlie takes the portal over and turns it into the Florid Postern.[17] All the other survivors (excluding Walani, Wilbur, Woodlegs, Wilba, Wheeler and Wagstaff) arrive through the Postern and join forces.
- Wilson, Wendy, Wickerbottom, and Webber fight the Ancient Fuelweaver.[18] Eventually, the Fuelweaver is taken away by Charlie. The Ancient Gateway destabilizes.[19]
- Winona arrives through a portal similar to the Ancient Gateway,[20] attempting to rescue her sister.[21][10] Her profile can be seen through the Ancient Gateway as Charlie picks a rose from the ground.[22]
- Wickerbottom activates the Gateway with the Ancient Key. Wickerbottom, Wilson, Willow, Wigfrid, Wendy, and Wolfgang enter it. Charlie appears at the activated Gateway and draws a white energy out of the structure, though the exact nature of her interference remains unknown. The survivors arrive in a dimension known as The Forge.[23] The inhabitants were banished here by "the Throne".[24] Their leader, Battlemaster Pugna, calls the survivors "Gatekeepers" and accuses them of attempting to return his people to the Throne.[25] The survivors battle a series of increasingly difficult enemies in Battlemaster Pugna's arena before defeating the Grand Forge Boarrior. Pugna surrenders and allows them to use the Molten Gateway.[26]
- Directly after the events in the Forge, Wilson, Wickerbottom, and Wendy find themselves in a new dimension: the Elder Bog.[27] For years the goat-like inhabitants of this dimension have been under the threat of The Gnaw, a giant wyrm in the sky that turns those who fail to satiate its appetite into Merms. Only a few beings remain alive, and the world has been left in ruins by the wyrm's rage. The survivors, with the help of Mumsy the goat woman, must cook to satiate The Gnaw and eventually earn enough favors to charge the Ancient Key and grant them an escape. Mumsy, who also considers them Gatekeepers,[28] mentions that "another of [their] kind" passed through her dimension once.[29] The survivors succeed, making their exit through the Mossy Gateway along with Mumsy and her son Billy.
- A large piece of the Moon lands in the ocean. Wilson, Winona, and Wigfrid build a boat to reach the new island, on which they discover horrifying creatures and a bizarre aura of lunacy.[30]
Trivia
- The date and location of Maxwell's last act, April 17, 1906, coincides with the real life 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
- The 1910 Exposition Universelle et Internationale was held in real life in Brussels, Belgium. Notably, it suffered a large fire that gutted several pavillions.
- The library fire in New York City that is seen on a newspaper headline in Next of Kin may be a reference to the real life fire that broke out in the library of the New York State Capitol on the same date, March 29, 1911.
Gallery
A full version of Winona's pegboard from Next of Kin as seen in Rhymes With Play #229.
Image posted with Wendy's refresh update.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Thread with Kevin's timeline post (on page 2), originally posted on September 25, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 William Carter Puzzle #4: Papers in the desert
- ↑ William Carter Puzzle #1: William's Inspection card
- ↑ William Carter Puzzle #2: William Carter the Magician poster
- ↑ William Carter Puzzle #3: William's desk papers
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 William Carter Puzzle #5: Maxwell the Great poster
- ↑ William Carter Puzzle #6: Maxwell and Charlie poster
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 William Carter Puzzle #8
- ↑ William Carter Puzzle #9: The Final Act video
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 The Next of Kin Cinematic Trailer
- ↑ Full pegboard background from Next of Kin shown during Rhymes With Play #229. A missing poster for Ms. Wickerbottom is in the bottom right corner.
- ↑ Wendy's Character Refresh is Now Available!. Posted on March 19, 2020.
- ↑ Post by Kevin about the Voxola, originally posted on April 11, 2013. "The radio is a Voxola PR-76, manufactured in 1919 by the Voxola Radio company of Sidney, Ohio. The radio offered revolutionary sound and reception quality for the time, and was promoted by an intense national marketing campaign. Very few units were actually produced, because the factory was destroyed in a fire only days after production began. Voxola founder Robert Wagstaff went missing the night of the fire, and the company declared bankruptcy soon thereafter."
- ↑ The Forbidden Knowledge Cinematic Trailer
- ↑ The A New Reign Cinematic Trailer
- ↑ Florid Postern Portrait Frame flavor text: "Wilson and Maxwell constructed the first prototype of the Florid Postern, connecting the survivors' dimensions and allowing them to band together."
- ↑ Cyclum Puzzles comic
- ↑ A New Reign trailer
- ↑ Events of the Atrium raid event
- ↑ Winona quote for The Forge, Ancient Gateway (off): "Just like the one I came through..."
- ↑ Winona quote for The Gorge, Ancient Gateway: "I might not be good at rescue missions."
- ↑ What Lies Beyond?, a video available after completing the Metheus Puzzles.
- ↑ The Forge cinematic
- ↑ Battlemaster Pugna quotes, Round 6: "... Do you understand the forces you serve?"/"We were severed from the Throne!"/"Trapped in a realm of stone and fire, with no scepter to provide."/"Why serve a power that deserted my people?"/"They destroy all They touch..."/"That is why we cannot let you win."
- ↑ Battlemaster Pugna quote, Introduction: Gatekeepers? Have you come to return us to the Throne?
- ↑ Battlemaster Pugna quotes, Victory: "No! My Forge, felled by the Throne's lapdogs!"/"Please. No more, Gatekeepers. We surrender."/"The day is yours, as is the Gateway."
- ↑ The Gorge cinematic
- ↑ Mumsy quote: "Are you... Gatekeepers, by chance?"
- ↑ Mumsy quote: "Another of your kind passed through here once."
- ↑ Return of Them Turn of Tides cinematic