10 Ways to Maximize Survival in Don't Starve: Pocket Edition

While we do appreciate amazing visuals and hardcore gameplay when it comes to horror survival games, sometimes, all we need is a brilliant concept and a unique art style to convey all the horror and eerie elements. These are exactly what you can expect from Klei Entertainment’s Don’t Starve. Initially launched for Windows and macOS, the survival game eventually ventured to other gaming ports including consoles like PlayStation and Xbox One. Two years after its successful run, the game was soon optimized for mobile devices. The Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition was released on iOS in 2015 and on Android in 2016. A multiplayer edition was later released for Windows users.

As the title clearly suggests, Don’t Starve has one core objective and that is to survive. Generally, the game follows the story of a scientist named Wilson who, unknowingly, made a pact with a dark and mysterious force. This provided him with enough knowledge to build a portal. Little did he know, he will be trapped in a place known as the “Constant”. Now, the goal is to keep Wilson alive by constantly feeding him, keeping him away from enemies, and keeping him mentally stable.

What really makes this game stand out is the unique art style that will quickly remind you of the works of Tim Burton. This is also accompanied by a well-fitting set of music that adds up to the exciting gaming experience. The game managed to capture the eeriness and enigmatic elements that most of Burton’s works. In addition to its unique visuals, the game is also known for its high level of difficulty. So today, we are listing down ten tips and tricks to maximize your chances of survival in Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition.

Always be Mindful of Your Character’s Attributes

Like any other survival game, the character in Don’t Starve: Pocket Edition is provided with attributes that you should always observe. There are three major attributes in this game; Hunger, Health, and Sanity. All of which are affected by different circumstances and you must all keep them in good shape to maximize your chances of surviving. Otherwise, this might lead to your character’s death which gives players no other option but to start again back from the very beginning. It is important to always keep an eye on your attributes.

To combat hunger, the character must be fed on time from various resources. It is also ideal to cook the food instead of eating them raw to boost your hunger meter more effectively. Sanity, on the other hand, affects your character’s mental health. Depending on the character you use and the level of sanity your character has, it will affect the game’s progress in different ways. When the sanity level is below 15%, creatures like Shadows will start to appear and attack your character. To keep his sanity intact, the player must not be in close proximity to monsters, sleep on time, and be near the friendly Pigs. Health must be observed all the time because if the character sustained too much damage, it might result in its permanent death and you have to start the entire game back from scratch. Tip: Crock Pot Foods and Jerky can restore your attributes relatively faster.

Gather Sufficient Resources

Resources like Food, Twigs, Grass, Rock, and Flint are very crucial in this game. You must gather resources in order to craft items and survive hunger. Similar to the concept of Minecraft, Don’t Starve comes with a Day-and-Night cycle and scouting for items comes in varying levels of difficulty. For instance, collecting resources at night comes at a greater risk because of monsters that are more hostile and active during that time. In addition to that, players must refrain from being in complete darkness to avoid Charlie’s attack or sometimes refer to as the Darkness.

Don’t Starve also features a crafting system that plays a huge role in your survival. This also requires the player to gather the right number of resources. A Campfire, for instance, is a key element when building a base. This is important to survive the night and to prevent the darkness and other monsters from approaching. Similar to games like Terraria, building crafting stations is a must to produce other valuable items. A torch, on the other hand, is an important item that you can effectively use for exploration. Gathering a sufficient amount of these resources will definitely help you survive longer. Tip: Build a campfire next to big trees so you can safely spend the night chopping trees and gather enough logs for the next day.

Watch Out for these Enemies!

Monsters are one of the main challenges in Don’t Starve. Some of them should be avoided while others must be defeated to collect special resources. In addition to that, you must also avoid being in close proximity to some of the monsters to keep your character’s sanity in good shape. As you explore the map, you will encounter a large variety of monsters and they all have different behaviors and attack patterns that you should carefully watch out for.

Take note that monsters can either be hostile, neutral, or passive and it is important to learn their behavior to survive your environment. The behaviors of these monsters will also depend on the character you are using. You will also encounter different animals along the way and each of them must be treated differently. Creatures like Pigs, Bees, and tall birds will stay neutral unless provoked (this could also result in a herd attack). Beefalos, for instance, is an important source of Manure and they stay neutral except when mating season. In the entire course of the game, the player will encounter various bosses that they must defeat to progress in the story. Tip: Killing too many passive creatures may also increase your level of Naughtiness. Reaching the threshold may summon Krampus who can steal items from your inventory.

Learn About Different Set Pieces

As you explore the map, you will encounter the so-called set pieces. These are structures or items that are randomly generated across the Constant world. The tricky part about set pieces is that they can either help or harm you in the process because some of them function as traps. Most of these also play a huge part in the main story campaign. Interestingly, most set pieces are surrounded by skeletons and most of which contain valuable loots. Whether you unknowingly or purposely enter traps, you will be forced to either bear the risk or disable them if possible.

Some set pieces can be an abundant source of important and rare resources such as marbles and gears. Tip: Some set pieces can be found easily when exploring specific biomes. For instance, the Summer Ice Box trap can only be found in the Desert biome.

Learn Which Biomes are Safe or Not

Biomes in Don’t Starve, similar to Minecraft, are special environments that you can find within the game world. Each biome is often made with a specific type of terrain and they are also inhabited by specific types of monsters. Take note that biomes are randomly generated in the game so better take advantage of these places as soon as you discover them. While most of these biomes can be an abundant source of items, they also come with notable dangers. Swamps, for instance, are a harsh environment that features active and hostile mobs like Tentacles that can attack players even without provocation. This biome also features equally-dangerous mobs like Merms, Spiders, and more. On contrary, the Savanna biome is an excellent place to explore due to its friendly environment and abundant source of food and basic resources.

Tip: Ideally, you must equip yourself with protective armors when exploring Marsh or Swamp biomes. It is also important to note that your character should not stay idle to prevent sudden attacks from Tentacles.

Establish an Effective Combat Strategy

Even though your character is capable of fighting monsters, sometimes, it is practical to not engage in any unnecessary fights. For example, attacking a Beefalo near its herd will provoke the other Beefalos to attack you and they might inflict massive damage. The same thing goes with mobs like bees, tall birds, and spiders. When engaging in combat, it is ideal to establish effective tactics or strategies to maximize your chances of survival. All monsters, including bosses, come with their own attack patterns that you must be fully aware of. This allows you to come up with your own strategic combat pattern to defeat them.

For instance, Bearger comes with two attack patterns; one melee and one splash attack. Each can be avoided effectively once you have learned their respective patterns. In addition to that, you can also put them to sleep by feeding them with Honey. Tip: The best way to defeat mobs is through a kiting method. This is where you keep your distance from the enemy while attacking them in a covered radius.

Prepare for Seasonal Challenges

Aside from its Day and Night cycle, Don’t Starve also features environmental changes via Seasons. Seasonal changes will have a huge effect on the entire gameplay. Players must prepare themselves for all the upcoming changes that each season has to offer. There are four main seasons in the game; Summer, Winter, Autumn, and Spring. Each season comes with its own distinct challenge including seasonal giants, environmental changes, and character adaptation. Players must be fully prepared for all these changes to survive.

Summer and Winter are considerably the harshest seasons due to their massive effects on the character’s health. Summer often causes your character to overheat and might also cause items and other structures to burn randomly. Winter, on the other hand, might freeze your character to death. It can also limit your resources. The Spring season brings constant rain and lightning and it forces players to consume more fuel during the harsh rainy weather. Autumn, on the other hand, is relatively more peaceful than the rest. Tip: Since players are allowed to set the starting season, it is always advisable to start the game with Autumn. This allows you to gather enough resources and items in preparation for the next season which is Winter and it gives you more time to prepare for Summer which is notably harsher.

Prepare for Occasional Hounds Attack

Hounds are among the most dominant mobs in the world and are also considered a constant threat to the players, especially beginners. Occasionally, the hounds will attack the player in a pack which is also referred to as a “hounds’ attack”. The first attack often occurs within the 6th or the 13th day. During this time, the attack is merely manageable. However, the level of difficulty will drastically increase as you progress. They will soon spawn more frequently and also in a great number which adds more challenge to the player. To top it all, stronger Blue Hounds and Red Hounds will start to appear during Winter and Summer seasons respectively.

To prepare for the attack, players can equip the character with armor and weapons as soon as the attack warning begins. You can also set tooth traps on nearby grounds to inflict damage to any incoming hounds. Players can also take advantage of other mobs like beefalos and use them as decoys during the attack. Tip: When dealing with Red Hounds, it is ideal to lure them away from your base to avoid structures from setting them in flame (red hounds tend to explore when killed and burn nearby flammable objects).

Choose Wisely on Where to Set up your Base

Setting up a base is one of the key features of the game. This allows you to establish a safe zone and you have the ability to build multiple bases as you explore the map. In setting up a base, it is important to explore the perimeter of your current surrounding. Take advantage of the terrain and build a base near a peaceful biome where you can get abundant resources without putting your character in danger. It is also advisable to pick a location that makes different biomes easily accessible.

Take note that the locations can only be revealed on the navigation map once you have explored them. This also forces players to explore the perimeters to make navigation and exploration much easier. Tip: Savanna is the safest biome to set up your base due to its natural peaceful environment and a good source of basic necessities to survive.

Prevent Permanent Death

Don’t Starve features a permanent death which means that when the character is killed, the player will lose the entire progress and will have to start from scratch. This is also the only way to access or unlock new characters. However, there are also numerous ways to prevent permanent death and resurrect your character from where you left off. Crafting a Life-Giving Amulet can be done during the game and equipping this will effectively resurrect your character after death. Meat Effigy is another craftable item that gives you the ability to resurrect your character. Another way is to activate the Touch Stone, a naturally occurring structure in the game. Take note that you can only use these items once. Failing to survive the next attempt will result in permanent death.

Tip: You should be mindful that once you get killed, all the items you carry will be dropped at the area where you died. Ideally, you can leave a chest near a touch stone that contains basic resources to help you survive the following night while you attempt to recover your lost items.