Aurora Night is the best night

[jhickie]

Spent all of Day 1 looting CH and PV, then spent Day 2 looting ML. So much ammo to go around, so the wolves weren't much of a problem. Found my 2 caches here and proceeded to stock my base at The Lookout in preparation for Day 4. I found 2 in CH, only 1 in PV, 2 in ML and 2 in MT. I've never gotten them all before, but I'm close.

I love Day 3. Day 2 is dicey because the weather is more variable than on Day 1 and the wolves are hard to see. No blizzards on Day 1, but plenty of inclement weather on Day 2. I just picked my spots with the weather and looted/hunted when it was clear and starry. But Day 3 is so bright! It's the closest thing to daytime in this event. I got to MT right when Day 3 started, and it was so much easier to spot those wolves with the aurora out. Usually, on Loper, I keep inside during the aurora because if I miss my arrow shot, battling those guys hand-to-hand is pretty dangerous. But on 4DON? I've got the OP rifle and also the flare gun, with plenty of rounds. And if they want to wrestle I have a hatchet for them, and not the improvised variety. It's been a free wheelin', gun totin' massacre!   

I'm thinking about using the rest of Day 3 to head back to PV and search for those 2 final caches. I covered that map pretty good, but there's a few nooks and crannies I can check. Just have to make sure I make it back to base before 11PM PST!  

[Swales]

I agree. The wolves may be more aggressive, but with bright lights in the sky and glowing fur, they're easier to see and avoid than Day 2. Plus a nonstop aurora is a screenshot DREAM! Really looking forward to playing this night once I get off work.

[Luca Loquax]

I got my badge despite constantly freezing to death and getting wolf murdered. w00t!

[Guest kristaok]

6 minutes ago, Luca Loquax said:

I got my badge despite constantly freezing to death and getting wolf murdered. w00t!

congrats!

[DarkTreader]

I'm noticing something a bit strange on my end.

Camping out in Quonset, everything is going well. Have been hunting the variety of Meals that are walking around nearby... and they seem to be behaving differently than the usual aurora wolves.

I point my rifle at them, and they often won't charge. I point my bow at them, and same thing.

The only thing that I could think of was that it was something to do with where I was standing (right outside the back door to Quonset) - there is a rarely flickering security light there... so I moved off to stand in the open patch closer to to one of the abandoned houses, and saw the same thing happen. I mean, it's useful, since they seem to not want to bother me too much (and I think the moose hide cloak is scaring a number of them away!), but... it's definitely strange behavior.

 

Do these aurora wolves have a tweaked AI? I'm not used to dealing with them even in standard games, since I tend to make use of auroras to craft or read, not hunt extra-aggressive Meals.

[Enigma]

I agree, the first two days were kind of slow, acquiring resources and all, but day 3 comes along and its time to bust out the Pocket Aurora (patent pending) Had to perform some really incredible goat climbs to get out of problematic situations. 

[ajb1978]

Yup I'm heading back to PV to try and find that bunker I missed the first time around.  I'm packing two supercharged flashlights, so I can use one while the other recharges if need be.  The infinite wolf repelling light plus bright and clear landscape make for the best bunker-hunting conditions you could ask for at night!

Got TLD, and a fresh bottle of mead.  It's a good day.

Edit: Figured I'd share my "flashlight pro tip" that works best when you're carrying two or more.  Press 1 so your primary flashlight comes up.  Open up your inventory and manually select "Use" on the other secondary one.  Now just keep that secondary one up and ready at all times.  If that battery ever dies, tap H to instantly shut it off and put it away, then press 1 bring up your primary (fully charged) flashlight.  You can swap them out in just a few seconds like this, which can save your bacon if your flashlight runs out of juice at an inopportune time.

Edited October 30, 2019 by ajb1978

[jhickie]

Thanks for the reminder, @ajb1978! I completely forgot about the flashlight. I went back to my base to grab it before heading out to PV. Sadly, I don't have two, but that's a great tip on the switching.

I spent a little time taking out wolves near my base, perched up on a rock above the railcar and sniping them from above, took out a bunch on the lake, and then headed out to PV via Ravine. I figure I have all this ammo, it would be a shame to waste it. I completely forgot about the bunkers as well, I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for those too.

[ajb1978]

1 hour ago, jhickie said:

I completely forgot about the bunkers as well, I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for those too.

It's entirely possible the bunkers are placed during 4DON, and aren't random.  The spoiler tag below contains the locations where I found the bunkers.

In Mystery Lake, it was the tool bunker up the ridge line that separates Mystery Lake proper with the valley that contains the hunter's blind and Alan's Cave.

In Pleasant Valley, it was the food bunker up by Skeeter's Ridge, that apparently has been slightly moved due to the Ep 3 update.  It's in the walled-in area by the crumbling houses, nestled between a tree and a cliff face.  This is why I missed it initially.  Flashlight + clear Aurora night saved the day.

[vidholf]

Only having 2-3 hours after work each night to play, I didn't think I'd even make one badge. Now, I might get both. 🙂

Night 1, hit most of the obvious spots in CH, but not everywhere. Managed to get a good set of clothes, repair them; plus plenty of flares, lamp oil, and a few lamps. Also, 2 candy bars. I had to stop at one of the trailers up near the exit to ML, but found my one and only cache on the way; with another candy bar, a flash light, and rabbit mittens!

Night 2, I'm sure I'm dead meat, but then see someone post about cat tails being a thing in 4DON, so off I go down the river on the left side of the CH map, creeping and collecting the whole time. No sign of wolves at all. Back up to the exit for ML and on into the Ravine. At which point, I remember there are no wolves in the Ravine. Ever. 🙂 So, now I'm thinking: "I have XX cat tails, 1 candy bar left, a ton of herbal tea, reishi mushrooms, and rose hips... Only 2 hours of real time each night? I ought to be able to do that..." And then I spend the rest of night 2 collecting wood.

Night 3, all aurora all the time and no wolves! I finish collecting wood, including going down into the ravine for the flare gun. Aaaaaaand... I have 90 minutes of real time to kill. ... Ye know, I might be able to make it around the edge of the water in CH to check a few places I didn't... Just finished doing that: 3 more candy bars collected, no caches found, 3 close calls with a wolf (thank you, flashlight!), and survived one wolf attack (thank you, flare gun!). I'm now back in my wolf-free area, with tons of wood, what ought to be enough food - and two books to read! 😉

[ajb1978]

Also, flashlights can be a great source of ambient lighting.  Light one, drop it while it's lit, then RMB to position it somewhere and you have a custom floodlight for as long as the battery lasts.

[Swales]

After playing Aurora Night, I have decided that Supercharged Flashlight is my new best friend. I actively pursued the sparklewolves just for the fun of blasting them with the blinding power of god 🔦