–Woodie
Woodie is the sixth playable Character unlocked via Experience in Don't Starve, with 1600 XP. He is also one of the playable Characters in Don't Starve Together (DST). He is a stereotypical Canadian lumberjack with a love for chopping Trees and a mysterious curse.
In DST, he received a character refresh on September 12, 2019.[1][2]
Origin
Woodie is notorious for having very little known about his character. His biography in DST's Compendium reveals a bit about himself:
Hailing from the pine-covered mountains of the great white north, Woodie is an unassuming yet strangely mysterious man who keeps his past close to the vest (or in his case, the flannel). He is never seen without his signature bushy beard or trusty axe Lucy, who herself is a bit of an enigma. The other Survivors are not quite sure whether Woodie is simply mad, or if there might be something else to the seemingly inanimate object. Sometimes they swear they can hear a jovial female voice speaking to Woodie when no one else is around...
In the animated short Tree's A Crowd, his DST exclusive forms Weremoose and Weregoose are given the spotlight. The short is officially summarized in the Compendium:
As the power of the moon has grown, so too have the effects of Woodie's curse. Woodie soon found that his form would shift into not only the Werebeaver, but a Weremoose and Weregoose as well. As his changing forms became more unpredictable, Woodie resolved to find a way to have more control over his curse. Using every bit of knowledge he'd gained from his time in the Constant (and some additional tips from Ms. Wickerbottom) he soon discovered that his transformations could in fact be controlled. By fashioning representations of each of the three beasts and consuming them only when he wanted to invoke that form, Woodie now feels more comfortable in his own skin than he has in quite a while.
Trivia
In-Game
- Woodie was added to Don't Starve in the Strange New Powers update on July 2nd, 2013.
- Woodie's voice is played by a cello.
- He is the only character who was added to the game post-release who isn't connected to any DLC.
- While the regular meters are gone as a Werebeaver, Woodie can still raise his "naughtiness" rating and cause Krampus to arrive.
- Woodie was the first character to have different examination quotes for all Crock Pot recipes.
- When struck by Lightning in the Reign of Giants DLC, Woodie, like most other characters, is shown to have bones in his hair. In addition to this, his beard seems to be part of his skull, and the lightning's light has a more reddish hue.
- Since Woodie can avoid starving by turning into the Werebeaver, he's the only Character that can live forever without eating Food or using Healing objects.
- Woodie is the only character to have four Ghost transformations in Don't Starve Together.
- In Don't Starve Together, he has an exclusive idle animation in which he cradles Lucy and lovingly caresses her.
- It appears that the Werebeaver has the same hunchback model as the Pigs, Merms, and the Bunnymen.
- The Werebeaver cannot travel through wormholes.
- When struck by Lightning in the Reign of Giants DLC, unlike his human form and all other playable characters, the Werebeaver does the "hurt" animation without showing any x-ray view of his body. Its bones can be seen when electrocuted in DST, however.
- The idea for the Werebeaver came from a desire of the developers to make new characters "crazy" so that they would market better.[3]
- The Hoedown theme was intended to be a Don't Starve-themed hillbilly take on the invincibility theme music for the Super Star item in the Super Mario Bros. franchise.[3]
- In DST, Wickerbottom refers to Woodie's curse as Castorthropy[4] which is a combination of the genus name for beaver (Castor) and part of the term for the Werewolf curse, lycanthropy. She also uses the word Castorthrope for his cursed form in a similar manner to lycanthrope (Werewolf).[5]
- In DST, the Werebeaver is capable of performing only the /dance Emote, as are the Weremoose and Weregoose.
- The Werebeaver has exclusive DST animations for sleeping, grogginess, and revival via a Life Giving Amulet or a Meat Effigy.
- In winter, you can see how Weremoose breathes and releases steam from the nostrils.
- In DST, if the Werebeaver gnaws the celestial alters, it will be electrocuted.
Lore
- Kevin Forbes (the lead developer), when asked in the Klei forums if Woodie was crazy or not, said: "Other than the whole talks to his axe like it's a person thing, he's a pretty normal guy."[6]
- Woodie apparently hates Birds or thinks they're evil.
- Woodie's examination of a Clockwork Bishop suggests he either is, or was, Catholic. ("It's been a while since my last confession.")
- When Woodie examines Cut Grass, his response suggests that he has hay fever. ("I think I might be allergic to this.") This is also suggested by his response to Grass Tuft. ("It makes my eyes water.")
- Upon examining a Straw Roll, Woodie will say he has slept on worse in lumber camp, revealing he may have once lived in a lumber camp before entering the Constant. This is supported by his quote for a Palm Tree in Shipwrecked. ("Makes me pine for the lumber yards.")
- His favorite food is Honey Nuggets.
- Woodie's quotes reveal that he plays the guitar.
- He also whittles.
- In the animated short Next of Kin, a missing person poster of Woodie can be seen pinned on Winona's investigation board for Charlie's disappearance.
- Woodie's birthday is listed as September 12 in the Compendium. September 12, 2019 is the day Woodie received his Character Update in DST.
- Woodie was afflicted with his curse before his arrival to the Constant long enough to gain a reputation as a legendary creature. He was also living in a cabin in the woods somewhere in Canada. This is shown through the animated short Constant Companion and Walter's Compendium entry. The short begins with Walter's map which is marked with several handwritten notes about the Werebeaver. Walter then finds the cabin marked on the map. Walter's Compendium expands upon the events in the short: "While searching for a man who Walter believed would have answers to his questions about a mysterious creature rumored to live in the woods, he instead came upon an abandoned cabin. The owner seemed to have left hastily, leaving all their belongings behind... including an odd radio that miraculously still seemed to be working."
- Walter has a quote for the Werebeaver in DST that references his search for it in the short ("The Werebeaver! It's Real!").
- Sometimes a message like this may appear during the loading screen in DST: "Even with all the steps Woodie has taken to control his were-curse, there's little that can be done on nights when the moon is at its fullest."
- Woodie has a beard, but he is unable to shave saying "A true lumberjack never shaves."
- In response to a fan question about why Woodie can't shave, developer Kevin Forbes suggested that Woodie's beard may not be made of actual hair.[7]
Cultural References
- Woodie's character utilizes several stereotypes of Canadians in a seemingly self deprecating manner considering Klei Entertainment itself is located in Vancouver. To go along with this, Woodie excessively mentions Canada or Canada-related things in his examination quotes. Some of the stereotypes Woodie embodies include:
- Being a lumberjack, which usually includes chopping wood with an axe and wearing plaid shirts.
- Saying "hoser". Several quotes have him calling different mobs and items this. Notably, this is also how he refers to Maxwell in DST.
- Being overly polite as well as saying "sorry" frequently.
- Saying "aboot" instead of "about".
- Saying "eh?" at the end of sentences.
- Being an outdoorsy type.
- Experiencing cold/winter weather all the time. (Woodie will often comment that cold things remind him of home, such as the Ice Box and Ice Maker 3000.)
- Association with the beaver, a national symbol of Canada.
References
- ↑ Warly is Now Available in DST!. Posted on July 25, 2019
- ↑ Woodie Character Update Next Week + News!. Posted on September 6, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kevin on the forums: "I'm glad you guys are liking him so far. If I recall correctly, Corey suggested we make him a werebeaver one night when we were talking about making new characters craaaazy so that they would market well. I think he may have been joking, but I loved the idea so much I got the artists to draw it. I added Lucy after I started adding special items for the other characters. I just liked the idea of a half-crazed lumberjack being egged on by his axe. We asked our music guys for the hoedown music on Friday, as a last minute effort to put the craziness over the top. I didn't think we'd get it back in time for the update, but our music guys are really really good (and fast!). I was intended to be a hillbilly / DS take on the classic Super Mario brother's invincibility star theme.Now all I have to do is fix the bugs and write the dialog :)" Posted on June 26, 2013.
- ↑ Wickerbottom quotes: Werebeaver - "Poor dear never mentioned he was afflicted by Castorthropy."
- ↑ Wickerbottom quotes: Ghost Werebeaver - "I'll add "Castorthrope" to my endangered species list."
- ↑ Is Woodie Crazy? Klei Forums. Post by Kevin: "Woodie is pretty level-headed most of the time. He's a bit of a lunkhead, because he spends most of his time chopping down trees and not reading books. He's a bit obsessed with wood / trees / chopping, and he has an irrational hatred of birds. Like most Canadians, he apologises a lot.Other than the whole "talks to his axe like it's a person" thing, he's a pretty normal guy." Retrieved on July 7, 2014.
- ↑ Kevin Forbes' reply to thread Why can Woodie not shave?: "Maybe it's not hair." Posted on June 26, 2013.
Characters | |
Don't Starve | |
Reign of Giants | |
Shipwrecked | |
Hamlet | |
Don't Starve Together | |
Removed | |
Unimplemented | |
Other | Minor Characters |