Wes

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Wes
Nickname	The Silent
Motto	"..."
Perk	Can't talk Has trouble staying alive Practices Balloonomancy
Status
	113
	113
	150
Damage Modifier	0.75x
Hunger Modifier	1.25x
Special Item(s)
Starting Item(s)
Code	"wes"
Nickname	The Silent
Birthday	April 16
Motto	"..."
Curio Cabinet Bio	Wes is a mime of many thoughts, but few words.
Odds of Survival	None
Perk	Can't talk Practices Balloonomancy Is not a skilled fighter or worker Has trouble staying alive
Status
	75
	75
	75
Damage Modifier	0.75x
Special Item(s)
Starting Item(s)
Favorite Food
Code	"wes"
Links	Quotes Clothes

“. . .”

–Wes

Wes is one of the two playable Characters that are not unlocked via Experience in Don't Starve and one of the 17 playable characters in Don't Starve Together (DST). He is a fragile French mime that uses pantomimes to communicate instead of speaking. Wes's purpose in the game is to provide a challenge to experienced players.

Origin

“Some people just seem to attract more than their fair share of bad luck... and even those people are grateful they aren't Wes.”

–Official description for C'est La Vie

Don't Starve Together- C'est La Vie -Wes Animated Short-

Wes's backstory was revealed in an animated short titled C'est La Vie. An official summary of the short was provided in DST's Compendium:

Despite a life plagued by terrible luck, Wes has never been one to utter so much as a word of complaint. Rather than dwell on his own troubles, he has instead dedicated his life to making others smile... even if it's at his own expense.

His journey to the Constant itself was nothing if not a tragic comedy of errors. After a series of snowballing missteps, Wes found himself accidentally taking the place of a stranger caught in the grip of a shadowy portal bound for the Constant. His unexpected arrival infuriated the Nightmare King, who quickly exacted his vengeance on the poor mime for interfering with his plans. Wes was banished to his own private prison, far from sight, where he would remain until he was rescued by the Constant's other Survivors (being the kind soul that he is, Wes holds no grudge against Maxwell... though he does continue to give him the silent treatment.)

Had Wes known what fate awaited him on his last day on Earth, he likely wouldn't have done anything differently. In truth, there is a part of him that is happy to be in the Constant with the other Survivors - for who could be in greater need of cheering up than those poor souls?

Unlocking

“Maxwell's statues are trapping him.”

–Wilson, when examining Wes.

“He's trapped by those mean statues!”

–Willow, when examining Wes.

“Is puny man trapped by statue men.”

–Wolfgang, when examining Wes.

“Trapped by Maxwell's statues, forever alive.”

–Wendy, when examining Wes.

“SILENT HUMAN TRAPPED BY STATUES”

–WX-78, when examining Wes.

“Poor sod is being held here by those statues.”

–Wickerbottom, when examining Wes.

“Who's that hoser?”

–Woodie, when examining Wes.

“He displeased me.”

–Maxwell, when examining Wes.

“A performance artist! Who could have imprisoned him like this?”

–Wagstaff, when examining Wes.

“I'll save yöu, silent mörtal!”

–Wigfrid, when examining Wes.

“Hello? Can you hear me?”

–Webber, when examining Wes.

“You probably want me to like, free you or something, huh.”

–Walani, when examining Wes.

“I'll get you out, mon ami!”

–Warly, when examining Wes.

“'E be locked up tight!”

–Woodlegs, when examining Wes.

“'TIS UNSPEEKING UNPIG”

–Wilba, when examining Wes.

“... ...”

–Wormwood, when examining Wes.

“Just say the word and I'll get you out of there.”

–Wheeler, when examining Wes.

WX-78 in an effort to rescue Wes.

In the third chapter of Adventure Mode, a set piece may appear (if the map is not Two Worlds), which will have two chambers with a Maxwell Statue in each one, and a third one with Wes in the middle.

When players break one of the statues, it will release various non-damaged Clockwork Monsters. After breaking all the statues and defeating the Clockwork Monsters, go to the chamber where Wes is trapped. More Bishops, Knights and Rooks will spawn and the player will need to defeat them.

After all monsters are cleared, Wes will pass out, fall on the ground, and disappear. Wes will then be unlocked as a playable character.

In Don't Starve Together, Wes is available to play from the start, with no unlocking required.

Special Power

Main article: Pile o' Balloons

Wes's special power is his Pile o' Balloons. It has unlimited uses, and it costs 5 to inflate each Balloon.

When a Balloon is attacked, it explodes, dealing 5 damage to anything nearby (including Wes). Balloons can also trigger other Balloons to explode, allowing Wes to generate chain reactions. Balloons can also be used as decoys or to distract Mobs.

Disadvantages

Wes's Hunger drains 25% faster than normal, he deals 25% less damage, and all of his stats are 25% lower than the average survivor.

Wes does not speak, so there are no actual words that show up on the screen, warning the player of incoming attacks or other pertinent information such as when night is approaching, low Hunger levels. The player will only be able to rely on audio cues in these situations.

Don't Starve Together

In Don't Starve Together, Wes has lowest stats of any survivor across the board, all of them having the maximum of 75 points. Much like in the singleplayer version of the game, he is able to inflate Balloons that once popped can deal a little amount of damage to entities that are nearby. Each inflation costs 5 , and there is no limit to how many balloons Wes can inflate. In addition, he can craft a variety of equipment in the Balloonomancy Tab.

Differently from Don't Starve, Wes's hunger drain rate is equal as that of other characters.

Disadvantages

Due to his misfortune, Wes suffers from more disadvantages when compared to the Don't Starve version. While retaining the damage output penalty, he is more susceptible to overheating and freezing, and takes more time to recover from grogginess (e.g. upon and after awakening or when being slowed down by attacks). Hounds will also prioritize attacks on Wes when there are other players in the server, and Wes is distinctly more likely to get targeted by them when other players are nearby. Lightning strikes are more likely to smite him.

Wes is less efficient while using tools when chopping, mining and hammering. Because of this, the tools used will not wear out as fast as with other characters. This also applies to weapons because of the damage output penalty.

Just like in Don't Starve, Wes does not speak, so there are no actual words that show up on the screen, warning the player of incoming attacks or other pertinent information (although he will still perform his usual miming animation should he be holding still). The player will usually only be able to rely on audio cues or other characters' quotes in these situations. This also means he is unable to speak to crops.

Skin Sets

See also: Skins

"Guest of Honor" "The Survivor" "The Triumphant" Mandrake costume "The Gladiator" "The Roseate" "The Verdant" "The Victorian" "The Pierrot" "The Magmatic" "The Lover" "The Merrymaker" "The Fool"

Tips

Wes surrounded by his balloons.

• Balloons can be used to lure Mobs to traps or to other hostile Mobs.
• Weapons that deal indirect damage, such as the Fire Dart or Gunpowder, are not affected by Wes's low damage multiplier, making them excellent choices for him.
• A Belt of Hunger will nullify Wes's Hunger drain and also provide a boost to Sanity, although a Backpack can't be equipped while wearing it.
  • In the Reign of Giants DLC, the Hibearnation Vest also provides a Hunger drain reduction, as well as the highest insulation against Freezing and more than twice the Sanity regeneration of the Hunger Belt.
  • It's not efficient to eat food that restore more than 75 hunger (such as Meaty Stew), as the extra hunger points will be wasted.
• In Don't Starve Together, Wes's favorite food is Fresh Fruit Crepes, meaning he gains 15 bonus when consuming it.
  • However, Fresh Fruit Crepes already restores 150 and Wes's maximum Hunger level is 75 . Because of this, the player can't get any benefit from the bonus.

Trivia

In-Game

Don't Starve Together A 1st For Everything Wes Animated Short

• Wes was added in the Insanity! update on February 12, 2013.
• Wes was made unlockable through Adventure Mode, in The End of the Beginning update.
• Wes used to be the sixth unlockable character via Experience.
  • Wes is currently one of six characters that cannot be unlocked by gaining Experience, the others being Maxwell, Webber, Wilbur, Woodlegs, and Wilba.
• The Pile o' Balloons was added in the Strange New Powers update.
• In singleplayer version of Don't Starve, Wes has higher maximum Sanity than Willow, Wigfrid, Webber, and Woodlegs, and higher maximum Health than Maxwell and Wheeler. All his stats are higher than a non-upgraded WX-78.
• When struck by Lightning, Wes is shown to have bones in his hair.
• In RoG, the Pile o' Balloons can be given to a Catcoon to befriend them, but this is not advised as to get them back the Catcoon must die and similar results can be achieved with simple Twigs.
• Instead of using an actual paddle, Wes pantomimes one to move Boats in the Shipwrecked DLC.
• When The Gorge event first began, Wes's Culinarian skin was missing his red cheeks. This was later fixed in an update.
• In Rhymes with Play #201, it was revealed that Wes's Victorian skin was to have a soot cloud effect when he walked. This was not implemented as it would have made the skin more complex and thus more valuable compared to the others.
• For April Fools' Day 2020, Wes was given a fake character rework along with an animated short.
• Wes is the only character whose favorite food can only be cooked in Warly's Portable Crock Pot.
• His idle animation is blowing a red balloon, which audibly pops, surprising him.
  • Ironically, despite being a silent character, he is the only character so far to have an audible idle animation.

Lore

• Wes's birthday is listed as April 16 in the Compendium. This date is observed as World Voice Day. It is also the birthdate of silent film star Charlie Chaplin.
• According to the description for Wes's Roseate skin, he feels "his rosy cheeks [are] his best feature.".
• According to the description for his Verdant skin, Wes is an "avid landscape painter.".

Cultural References

• In the Valentine's Day card for 2018, it appears that Wes is using the American sign language (ASL) sign for "love".
• Wes's Guest of Honor skin may be based on a man's ballet outfit. This could be a reference to ballet mime.
• Wes's Victorian skin may be based on Bert from the Disney film Mary Poppins. Bert was played by Dick Van Dyke, who performed a mime act early in his career.
• Wes's Pierrot skin is based on Pierrot, a stock character in the French pantomime and form of clown.
• Wes's Magmatic skin is based on a bullfighter's uniform. In addition, the design takes inspiration from the titular character of The Scarlet Pimpernel, a novel by Baroness Orczy. The name of the individual skins call him the "Sulphur Pimpernel". Also, the skin's flavor text describes him as a dandy by day and a "swordsmime" by night, not unlike the Scarlet Pimpernel himself.

Gallery

Wes's silhouette. Wes's portrait. Wes in-game. Wes's icon in the Map. Wes doing one of his many examination animations. Wes struck by Lightning, showing his "hair bones" (Reign of Giants). Wes sleeping. A map of his location in "A Cold Reception". Wes pantomiming a paddle as he rows in Shipwrecked. Wes, frozen by a mob, in Reign of Giants. Wes's portrait as an unimplemented character. Wes's skull as found in the game's files. Wes's ghost in Don't Starve Together. Wes as he appears in the trailer for the Strange New Powers update. Wes and Wigfrid as seen in the DST Release trailer. Wes being robbed by Wortox in Possessions. Wes as seen in the launch trailer for the Salty Dog update. Wes as seen in the short film "Don't Starve Together: A 1st For Everything" Wes as seen in the short film "Don't Starve Together: A 1st For Everything". Wes as seen in the short film "Don't Starve Together: A 1st For Everything" Wes in the DST main menu in honor of April Fools' Day 2020. Wes in the DST main menu in honor of April Fools' Day 2020. Wes in the DST main menu in honor of April Fools' Day 2020 (without shadows). Wes in the DST main menu in honor of April Fools' Day 2020 (background). Wes in the main menu after his refresh update. Wes in the main menu after his refresh update (without shadows). Wes's animation in the main menu after his refresh update. Wes's animation in the main menu after his refresh update. Wes in the main menu after his refresh update (background). Promo art for Wes's refresh update. A Wes wallpaper made for the Insanity! update. Wes was introduced in the Insanity! update. Wes in a promo image for Don't Starve Together. Wes alongside other characters as seen in a promo image for DST leaving Early Access. Wes as seen in a teaser image for Wortox's animated short. Wes in a promotional animation for the Salty Dog update. Concept art of Wes and other characters. Concept art of Wes for Possessions. A rough animation featuring Wes and Warly from the Return of Them Salty Dog update trailer. Wes as seen in a rough animation for A 1st For Everything. Another rough animation for A 1st For Everything. Another rough animation for A 1st For Everything. A drawing of Wigfrid, WX-78, and Wes fighting the Toadstool from Rhymes With Play. Wes holding a Glommer balloon in a drawing from Rhymes with Play #158. A sketch of Wes's Survivor skin from Rhymes with Play #181. Wes as seen in a summer-themed DST drawing from Rhymes with Play #189. Wes as seen in a New Year themed drawing from Rhymes with Play #220. Wes as seen in a lunar island drawing from Rhymes with Play #253. Wes turned to stone in a drawing from Rhymes with Play #276. Wes as a clown in a drawing from Rhymes with Play #276. Inflatable Vest, Party Balloon, Balloon Hat, and unused Balloon items concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Balloon Hat concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Wes animation concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Wes animation concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Wes animation concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Wes animation concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Wes animation concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Wes animation concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Wes animation concept art from Rhymes with Play #279. Wes being chased by a Bunnyman as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 5. Wes with a Clay Varg as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 7. Wes with a Spider Queen as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 8. Wes with the Deerclops as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 9. Wes with a Tallbird as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 10. Wes riding a Beefalo as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 11. Wes with a Reanimated Skeleton as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 12. Wes with an Ewecus as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 16. Wes with Klaus and two Gem Deer as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 17. Wes with the Werebeaver as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 18. Wes with two Shadow Creatures as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 20. Wes with a Varg as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 21. Wes with the Pig King as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 22. Wes with the Dragonfly as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 23. Wes with the Bearger as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 24. Wes with a Rock Lobster as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 29. Wes with a Clockwork Rook, Clockwork Bishop, and Clockwork Knight as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 33. Wes with Woodie as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 35. Wes with two Pogs as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 48. Wes with Skittersquids as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 97. Wes with Slurpers as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 99. Wes in a Frog Rain as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 100. An image posted by the developers of Wes and a Reanimated Skeleton. Wes as seen in an image for Klei getting nominated for the Best Developer award on Steam in 2018. Wes and Wigfrid in a Steam Trading Card for DST. Wes in the expanded Steam Card. Wes's 2016 Valentine Card. Wes as seen on the 2017 Valentine Cards. Wes as seen on the 2018 Valentine Cards. Wes as he appears in a Valentine's Day comic for DST. Wes collectable figurine and an Umbrella. A limited-edition zombie Wes figurine holding a rotten model Ham Bat, next to a similarly decayed Tentacle Spike. The box art for the zombie Wes figurine. Wes in his Victorian skin from a vignette exclusive to The Gorge. Wes in a comic for Winter's Feast 2018. Wes in a loading screen for Winter's Feast 2018. Wes with his fellow cohorts in a promotional image for DST. Wes as seen in the Year of the Gobbler update poster. Wes on a promotional image for a fan art, cosplay, and mod 2020 Summer contest in the Chinese community. Willow and Wes on a promotional image for the Steam Awards 2019. Wes in promotional art for the March 2021 QoL Update. Wes Character Update Promo Advertising banner for his Fool skinset. Unused animatiom of Wes Eye of the Storm steam gif.gif Wes in Eye of the Storm gif from steam main menu Wes's The Verdant skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #181. Wes's Guest of Honor skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #181. Wes's The Roseate skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #181. Wes's Hallowed Nights skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #181. Wes's The Triumphant skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #181. Wes's The Gladiator skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #181. Wes's The Survivor skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #181. Wes's The Victorian skins concept art from Rhymes With Play #201. Wes's The Magmatic skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #214. Wes's The Contender skin concept art from Rhymes With Play #222. Wes' Harlequin skin concept art.

Sounds

Music from Wes's refresh update in DST.