The "I've got this" Challenge

[Vince 49]

Stalker I've got this challenge

When you start a new game, your first priorities are not freezing to death, not being killed by the wildlife, and not starving or dying of thirst.  As you progress in the game, you find or craft warmer cloths, so freezing to death becomes less likely.  Once you get a rifle or bow and began to gain skill, your odds of being killed by wildlife decrease.  You also build up a reservoir of food and water to sustain yourself.  These trends continue until you can finally say to yourself "I've got this now".  You've got about the best clothes, in terms of warmth and protection, available in the game.  You've gained enough skill with your weapon of choice that you sometimes go out looking for wolves to kill, just to improve your skill further--or just because they are so spiteful.  And you have all the tools available.  At this point you're done with the goals that were essential in the beginning.  Now you either quite and start a new game or come up with a new goal--like finding all the cairns (if you find that sort of thing rewarding).

So, the challenge is how long does it take to get to the I've got this point?

Rules:
1> You must play Standard Stalker mode (you may use up to three feats).
2> You must be at 'Skilled" (level 3) or higher in at least three skills, one of which must be in your weapon of choice (rifle or bow).
3> Your weapon of choice must have a condition of 70% or higher.
4> You must have either 30 or more cartridges or 6 or more arrows.  If arrows, they must all have a condition of 70% or higher.
5> You must have at least 7500 units of food available and five liters of water.  (For reference: one cat tail stalk is 150 food units).
6> You must have clothes with a total bonus (warmth + wind) of 38 or greater.  They must have a total protection bonus of at least 36.  All clothes must have a condition of 70% or greater.
7> You must have at least six bandages, six antibiotics, ten painkillers, one emergency stim, and either 0.4 liters of antiseptic or 4 old man's beard dressings.
8> You must have at least 40 matches or a fire striker with a condition of 80% or greater.  You must have a magnifying glass.  Lastly, you must have fuel for at least eight hours of fire (wood or coal).
9> You must have all "tools" in the game, except the can opener, flare gun, and simple tools which are optional.  All the tools must have a condition of 70% or greater.  These include: a bedroll (standard or bear skin), flare, hacksaw, hatchet, heavy hammer, knife, prybar, quality tools, sewing kit, storm lantern (with at least 0.7 liters of fuel, in the lantern or available), and a whetstone.

Typically, as you near the I've got this point, you will substantially exceed most of these criteria.  However, you may still be missing one thing.  I recently played a game (with this challenge in mind) where I had clothes with a combined warmth + wind bonus of 42 and a protection of 50%.  I had reached level 5 with a bow, etc., etc. etc..  However, I had not found a magnifying glass.  As I had already checked all the places I knew often had one, there was no guarantee I would ever find one.  So I quit and started a new game.  So one facet of this challenge is you must have become completely ready for the world of the Long Dark.

 

Edited April 19, 2020 by Vince 49

[piddy3825]

We've had some great community inspired "challenges" over the years, so this could be fun.  Would this challenge just be an individual thing or are you thinking of running a contest?

 

[Vince 49]

@piddy3825, I was hoping that some would try and post their results.  I used to think that the I've got this point would take most of 100 days.  Now I think I can do it in less than 50.  There are some very skilled player here, so maybe some could do it even sooner.  I think it's fun to try and I would like to see how others do.  I'm trying now, but had some bad luck: four all day blizzards in five days!  I'll continue and see how it goes.

 

I hope you'll try it.  'Blow my doors off, maybe.

[Bean]

Got most of the tools and clothing in three days by starting on TWM and summiting in my undies.  Day 25, got the crafted clothing and magnifying glass, have a crapload of food and wood and stuff, revolver and gun and a few arrows. Not skilled enough with any of the weapons tho.  Could maybe finish revolver in another five days.  The 38C clothing requirement... ive never seen that high.  Is it possible?  I can sport 32-33 no sweat, maybe 35 with the bear coat.  Maybe two bear coats for the 38? You’d barely be able to move though.  Seems excessive.  

[Vince 49]

@Bean, remember the 38 is the sum of the warmth and wind bonuses.  It isn't that hard, although if others respond as you did, maybe I could lower it to 36.  See the attached image showing the sum of the bonuses at 43.

[Valuable Hunting Knife]

I like it!  Never really got on with stalker, this sounds as good an excuse as any.  will give this a crack next time I fire up a new run.  doubt I'll be troubling the scorers though!

[Jimmy]

Interesting challenge, I'm gonna give this a go!

Seems like the main trick is to hit Level 3 Archery or Rifle Firearm fast as you can. Am I interpreting your challenge rules correctly that you need to end the challenge with all the items in your inventory? Seems fairly simple to just stash your loot along the way if not. I mean, I've probably got ten times the challenge calorie target in various foods I've left behind to save weight.

So far I'm at Day 2, and I've got a magnifying lens, two hacksaws, two hunting knives, two hatchets, two rifles, two full lanterns, a survival bow and ten arrows of various quality, plus far more matches, miscellaneous tools and first aid supplies than I'll ever use. Food and water are fine too, since I've stashed everything except a single can of dog food I opened to get a second recycled can.

My strategy was to start in Pleasant Valley, and I ended up spawning near Contemplation Bridge. I looted the Barn, then the Farmhouse, then shot over to Draft Dodger's Cabin, grabbed the four rabbits there and a bunch of reishis, rested for six hours, cooked the rabbits and brewed tea. After that it was a short hike up to Burned Ridge Cave the grab the loot from the crash site, then I dumped the extra clothes in the cave and hauled the rest to Prepper's Abandoned Cache. I dumped everything but the essentials, did a quick trip down to Misty Falls Picnic Area for a rabbit dinner plus the cave loot, then rested ten hours at the cache and ascended the next morning.

Right now I've reached the Mountaineer's Hut by Day 2, and plan on hitting the Summit by Day 3. I'll grab the coffee from the Engine cargo containers in Echo Ravine and that should give me enough supplies to make it without resting. Honestly, I'm really surprised how smoothly this is going. I usually do this trip on Interloper, and having so much loot along the way is shocking. Plus, it's sunny almost all the time! I barely fall to zero temp values before reaching the next stop, and my health bar is constantly full without even trying.

[Jimmy]

Got the Summit!

I skipped the wing and made straight for Echo Ravine from the Mountaineer's Hut, playing fetch with a pair of puppies looking for belly-rubs down at the Engine. Both of them caught my arrows before they took a nap. The Interloper in me cringed at leaving so many calories, but I honestly had far more than I needed and it wasn't worth stopping to collect the meat or hides.

I grabbed some coal in the cave near the Engine, then went up and had a nap at the three-way cave. Up to Deer Clearing, then a shimmy around to Secluded Shelf, and I finally burned my first match this run! I needed a torch to navigate the cave, since I didn't bother with the extra weight hauling a lantern up, and the weather wasn't sunny for once.

Exiting the cave with a ton of coal, I made a meal of a deer carcass and a rabbit, then took a nap. Then, the big climb! I looted the summit for two expedition parkas, two fisherman's sweaters, a pair of snow pants and insulated boots, plus a single pair of wool longjohns. I also grabbed the flare gun and hammer here, so I'm just short a prybar for my tool collection. Plus, I've got a pack full of MREs, salty crackers, peanut butter, and ammo, as well as a few saplings I collected on the climb up.

Once I sorted out what I was taking and what I was leaving, I took the fast way down from the summit. One sprained wrist and ankle, and a close call with a bear up north on the shelf above Crystal Lake, before I'm back at the Mountaineer's Hut by the start of Day 4.

For now, I think my next strategy will be collecting bear hides for a coat. Those will take up a fair amount of time to cure. I've got my Well Fed buff now, but I'm pushing a full 35kg load. Might just dump the saplings to collect the hide from the bear who nearly invited me to dinner, and see if the second bear I saw is still down near the wing. Once I've got my two bear hides, I'll run down to Pleasant Valley again and stop at the farm to turn the curtains into clothing repairs. My trip up to the Summit netted me 26 rifle rounds, plus I have 20 more loaded in the two rifles I got beforehand. That's enough to hit Level 3 even if I miss almost half my shots. Carcass Harvesting and Cooking should follow quickly, well before the bear hides have cured. There's probably even enough time to run out to Hushed River Valley and grab the Signal Fire loot if I'm quick, especially since I don't need to stop for calories for awhile.

[Vince 49]

OFFICIAL CHANGE TO RULES -

Rule 6 was "You must have clothes with a total bonus (warmth + wind) of 38 or greater.  They must have a total protection bonus of at least 36.  All clothes must have a condition of 70% or greater".

Rule 6 is now "You must have clothes with a total bonus (warmth + wind) of 38 36 or greater.  They must have a total protection bonus of at least 36 34.  All clothes must have a condition of 70% or greater".

This is in line with the more modest requirements expressed in the other rules for this challenge.

[Vince 49]

@Jimmy, looking at your first post, that's impressive.  So you have ten arrows by day two!  I assume "Misty Falls Picnic Area" is the same as the one listed as "Mystic River Picnic Area" on the Whitsberry map.  Assuming you got 2 arrows at the cave there, possibly as many as 4 at the target near the PV barn, and 1 or 2 at the Mountaineers Hut in TM, where did you get the rest?  Since two days isn't enough time to cure birch saplings, I assume some of the arrows are broken?  Also, did you find the magnifying glass under the bed in the Mountaineers Hut?

Relative to your question about in the inventory, the answer is "yes".  If this turns out to be a contest (and that would be fun), screen shots would be used to show that you meet the I got this requirements for success.  Items need to be in your inventory so you can show screen shots of your clothes, tools, etc.

[Vince 49]

I'm at day 17 of my second try at this and making progress, but not nearly what Jimmy stated.  My clothes meet the warmth + wind bonus criterion at 39, but do not come close to the protection requirement of 34.  I need a moose-hide cloak for that plus, possibly, gauntlets or combat pants.  I have all the tools, a bow, and seven arrows, but no magnifying glass.

I can see that there is some luck in this due to not only the random nature of the loot, but also that of the weather.  There were all day blizzards three of my first four days in PV.  My first try satisfied all the I've got this requirements, except none of the usual places has a magnifying glass.  Of course, that's the nature of the game.  In my second try, I've checked all three haunts for a moose in PV, but found none.  'Will try ML next which also includes at least three places where a magnifying glass may be found.

[Jimmy]

12 hours ago, Vince 49 said:

@Jimmy, looking at your first post, that's impressive.  So you have ten arrows by day two!  I assume "Misty Falls Picnic Area" is the same as the one listed as "Mystic River Picnic Area" on the Whitsberry map.  Assuming you got 2 arrows at the cave there, possibly as many as 4 at the target near the PV barn, and 1 or 2 at the Mountaineers Hut in TM, where did you get the rest?  Since two days isn't enough time to cure birch saplings, I assume some of the arrows are broken?  Also, did you find the magnifying glass under the bed in the Mountaineers Hut?

Relative to your question about in the inventory, the answer is "yes".  If this turns out to be a contest (and that would be fun), screen shots would be used to show that you meet the I got this requirements for success.  Items need to be in your inventory so you can show screen shots of your clothes, tools, etc.

Cheers @Vince 49! I got my first four arrows from the barn archery target (one in a broken state), then a couple at the hunter's blind going up to Prepper's Abandoned Cache. Two more along with a 54% condition survival bow from Misty Falls cave (thanks for the fix, hazard of writing from memory), and the final few from Mountaineer's Hut. So far I've broken one more arrow clearing the puppies from the Engine section, but that's still way more ammo than I usually carry. I'm used to carrying three arrows and three spare shafts, so having over double this amount is pure luxury.

I actually lucked into the magnifying lens from the Pleasant Valley Farmstead. I was originally hoping for a hacksaw, since there's a 75% chance of one being either here or in the Barn on the Interloper loot tables, but the magnifying lens instead was a pleasant surprise. Mountaineer's Hut gave me my second hacksaw, second hatchet, and a ski jacket, but no magnifying lens.

Still, with over a hundred matches as well as three 70% firestrikers from the summit, the magnifying lens is a bit redundant now. Still, the miserly scrooge that I am, I plan to use it whenever possible to save my resources. After all, who knows when I might need to start two hundred fires on short notice during a cloudy day?

Anyhow, time to dump a bunch of my crap from the summit, and skin some grizz!

[Vince 49]

Hi @Jimmy, I'm glad to hear you are making progress.  Relative to the arrows, I got mine in the same places you did, just not so many.

In your first post on this topic, you mentioned that the real challenge may be getting to level 3 for your weapon of choice and two others.  I've can affirm that that's true.  By the 29th day, I had everything: the clothes (see screen shot), tools, fire wood, magnifying glass, food--except the skills at level 3.  I have fire starting at level 3, bow close to level 3 (about 2.8), but mending is still about 2.5.  Just the same, skills are an important part of being prepared and avoiding the Long Dark.  I'll see how long it takes me to get the skills.

I'm assuming you don't have three skills at level 3 yet either?

 

[Jimmy]

So far I'm up to day 6, with Cooking at 3 and Fire Starting at 2. Hunted and killed one bear up on Timberwolf Mountain, then cooked him. With five birch saplings at 60%, I figure I'll hunt down my second bear in Pleasant Valley and finish up my Archery while the saplings cure. I've got two maple saplings, so more bows shouldn't be difficult to achieve.

Honestly, I reckon I will probably just finish the challenge in Pleasant Valley using Archery. Once I've got a bearskin coat, the bonuses should hit the target and I'll retire the game.

[Jimmy]

I've reached day 12, and I've got Cooking 3 and Carcass Harvesting 3 ticked off my list. That's mostly thanks to the bear at Pleasant Valley Farmstead visiting when I returned from Timberwolf Mountain. He invited his wolf friends, so we all had a party! Thanks to that, I've got Archery 2 and am halfway to 3.

Mostly just killing time now until the bear hides cure. I'll push out the last few kills for Archery 3 with rabbits or deer, since I've denuded the local predator population here. I've mostly just settled down at the Farmstead, ticking off jobs and working on skill ranks until the bear hides cure. Actually have a spare, since the bear below Signal Hill decided to come over while I was practicing archery on bunnies around the barn. I've got something like 60 kg of bear meat at the farm now.

I've remade my broken arrows and still have over 20 arrow shafts carved and ready afterwards, so the ammo requirements are in the bag.  My old bow is getting a bit worn out at 20%, but I've got two cured maple saplings and I'm ready to craft backup bows. Wish I'd found an archery skill book, but overall I can't complain too badly with this run.

[Jimmy]

Done!

Got everything finished by Day 21.

The skills weren't too hard to level. With a fist full of saplings after Timberwolf Mountain, I could go on a rampage against predators for training. Many wolf carcasses littered the Pleasant Valley snow when I was finished.

By far the slowest part of this run was waiting for the bear hide to finish curing. Got it in the end, though.

On reflection, I believe there's a far more efficient way to finish this challenge.

Instead of a bearskin coat, crafting a wolfskin coat would cut several days off the completion time. This would require more deer hides though. With a pair of deerskin boots, a wolfskin coat could be used in this outfit and still meet the same protection value.

If I was to retry this challenge, I'd probably still start in Pleasant Valley, but hunt and skin four wolves and a pair of deer around the farmhouse before going up Timberwolf Mountain. That would let me have partially cured hides when I return with the various tools and supplies required. I'd estimate getting the challenge finished by Day 14 using this method.

Thanks for a fun challenge @Vince 49!

Edited April 22, 2020 by Jimmy

[Vince 49]

@Jimmy, Congratulations--job well done!

I won't be a threat to your time.  I'm at day 21 and although I have the warmth+wind bonus at 40, my protection is only 33, one less than the requirement.  I have a cured moose hide, but making the cloak will take a day or more.  'Hope to complete everything by about day 24.  'Will report when done.

 

[Vince 49]

Finally, I made it.  It took 25 day and 9 hours.  Besides what's shown in the screen shots below, I've got enough wood and coal to keep a fire burning for most of a day, plus five fire strikers and a magnifying glass.  I've got more than enough food and, although not relevant to the challenge, I've got another moose hide cured and ready to be crafted into a satchel, plus a half dozen birch saplings to fix my broken arrows for months.  'Livin high on the hog I am. 

[Bean]

Still messing around in PV, got archery 3 by day 39 and more meat than I can use in 50 days.  Three deer and two grizzly... clothing is at 30+8=38.  Good enough.  Cooking was maxed on day 7, thanks to the trick of harvesting small bits of deer and cooking them individually.  One deer can get you to level three, another one almost to five.  
 

[Vince 49]

@Bean, Glad to hear that you are working on it.  Also, thanks for the cooking skill tip.  I'm on day 19 and about to craft a Moose-hide cloak, however I still need to get my carcass harvesting skill to 3.  'Next time, I'll do cooking using your tip.

[Bean]

Started a new game for this challenge.  8.5 days in I’m all geared up with 39 clothing, have an entire cooked bear in stocks with a huge stash of crackers MREs and canned food, and almost level 3 in revolver... and I realize that you specified either bow or rifle.  Argh!  
oh and I need to find a magnifying glass and more cartridges.  Getting gun up is going to take a few more days.  
 

[Vince 49]

Hi @Bean, I don't see a problem if your weapon of choice is a revolver.  I would treat it the same as a rifle.  Also, I hope you didn't miss the change in the rules relative to clothing.  It was too late to edit the OP, so I added another post where the (warmth+wind) bonus requirement was reduced from 38 to 36 and the protection bonus requirement was reduced from 36 to 34.  Good luck.

I'm on a new try at day 17.  I've got everything except the things I need to craft.  I've got the necessary components. but not sure I will be able to craft them all by day 20.

[Bean]

So I started yet another new game, tried to go about it a little differently, hitting some areas of PV for weapons before making my way to TW Summit.  A funny thing happened on the way to the Summit.  My game tried to save when I slept in a cave, and instead I got a message that the storage was full and save was aborted.  Since I play mostly on the PS4 (I like the way it looks all big and pretty) I had no choice but to exit that game and delete some saved games.  When I logged back in, I found that the save had happened but it saved only the character and not the world.  In fact; the world including my drying hides and stored bow and arrows were all gone, map reset to pristine.  Oh and this included my bed roll: problem!  
 

I wound up finding another roll and summitted, got geared, and went down. But it’s basically a wipe of what I did before that.  
Still, I can see possible uses for resetting the world to pristinely untouched while keeping your character the same.  

[Vince 49]

@Bean, I'm sorry you are having troubles.  Actually, I didn't know that The Long Dark was available for the PS4.  I hope you try again and miss the glitches.

 

[Vince 49]

I finally made it!  I was able to meet the challenge in under 20 days--19 days & 17 hrs to be exact.  If someone had told me a month ago that one could get this far in under 20 days, I would have thought they were daft.  'But it is possible.  The game is much more intense and I would not want to play that way all the time.  Yet it has an appeal and requires more focus and planning.  You have to push the limits and that means doing useful things after dark and during blizzards.  I walked from the PV farmhouse to the cave to ML in a full out blizzard.  'Did the same from the farmhouse to the signal hill station and back.  I would recommend to anyone to try it once or twice.  Being stubborn and less worthy, it took me five tries to finish in under 20 days.  'See the screen shots below.

 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Vince 49