Tips and tricks?

[RobTheFurious342]

Hi I am new and I was wondering if there’s any tips and tricks they should know before starting a play through

[atomic]

There's a helpful thread pinned to this part of the forum:

 

[vta4ever]

Please dear god stay away from the maps made by white berry and such. they are very well done but ruin the exploration part of the game. also learn how to manage your inventory and figure out what is and isn't worth taking on excursions.

[Stone]

Welcome @RobTheFurious342 my tip is play interloper. It's almost a different game but so rewarding. Maybe get familiar with a few maps on the easier difficulties first.

Gameplay wise. The tips that served me best were: Pick up every stick; chain torches to travel with fire and 5 cattails are food enough for a decent night's sleep. Good luck to you!

[Glflegolas]

On 5/20/2020 at 11:31 AM, vta4ever said:

Please dear god stay away from the maps made by white berry and such. they are very well done but ruin the exploration part of the game. also learn how to manage your inventory and figure out what is and isn't worth taking on excursions.

I personally really like playing with the maps, and have done so since day 1. When I visit a region, I like to go to every landmark, and do a quick sketch. This is the playstyle I like to call "casual survival". It may not be for you,  but it's what I enjoy, being that I enjoy hiking in real life, too.

Even with the maps, though, I warn you not to get complacent: a blizzard can quickly turn an otherwise easy, comfortable hiking tour into a fight for survival. A meal of not-top-quality pork and beans can give you food poisoning. Or a bear can pop up from behind a rock. Or it gets dark sooner than you thought, forcing you to camp outside. But hey -- it's these curveballs that make the game fun. At least I think so.

[Glflegolas]

20 minutes ago, Dum_Gen said:

I agree so much. There is not shame in using maps. Not all people are planning to spend several hundred or even several thousand hours in the game. Some people have a couple of hours a day to play and I believe it can spoil you experience if you wasted an evening on going to the wrong direction.

Couple hours a day to play? I might have that much time on weekends. On weekdays when I'm working I'm lucky to get an hour a day to play anything, especially in the summer when I have so many things I like to do outside as well. To summarise: I've had the game since March 2019 and have played a total of 209 hours.

My opinion on Whiteberry's maps: They're great if you're somebody who only has a limited amount of time to play per day, and you prioritise exploring over punishing survival. I would also recommend using them if you are someone who is prone to getting lost. As someone with significant spacial perception challenges, playing this game if it weren't for the maps would be extremely frustrating and very little fun.

One major tip I would have for any new player: Try to explore as much of Great Bear Island on an easier difficulty before you try Stalker or Interloper. Survival in any region is much easier if you have been there before.

[ajb1978]

If you play long enough, there will come a time you don't even want to use maps anymore, because it takes too long.  Eventually you'll be wired up to build your own 3D map of the region in your head, and relying on that is faster than switching back and forth between windows trying to figure out if you're looking at the right pile of rocks.  I remember having trouble navigating Mystery Lake way back when there were only 3 regions, and now I can navigate Forlorn Muskeg in the dark of night during a blizzard.

[Dan_]

On 5/20/2020 at 8:58 AM, RobTheFurious342 said:

Hi I am new and I was wondering if there’s any tips and tricks they should know before starting a play through

I'm not sure if this is useful by now, but the only advice I give you is to carry a supply of first aid provisions.

Two bandages, two old-mans-beard dressing and one antibiotics or reishi tea. This way you can go out there, explore and even patch up after dancing with the wolves for a bit. It's no fun dying of dysentheria, getting an infection or even bleeding to death. It's a lot better to wrestle  the wolves and go down in a blaze of glory. 

Agree on not using maps for the sheer exploration experience, nothing wrong if you prefer to use them though. Game is awesome both ways.

Enjoy! 

[acada]

On 5/20/2020 at 4:31 PM, vta4ever said:

Please dear god stay away from the maps made by white berry and such. they are very well done but ruin the exploration part of the game. also learn how to manage your inventory and figure out what is and isn't worth taking on excursions.

And if you use them, please be adviced the Pleasant Valley is 90°rotated. It confused my play greatly. So I rotated it right way and saved on my HDD this way.

But I agree with not using maps from the start. It is like using GPS in car all the time. When you do, you are not paying attention to surroundings. I think one should learn regions first and then use maps if needed.

[piddy3825]

On 5/20/2020 at 4:58 AM, RobTheFurious342 said:

Hi I am new and I was wondering if there’s any tips and tricks they should know before starting a play through

lots of good advice here.  just know your gonna end up dying sooner or later, so don't let that get in your way of having fun playing the game!  Good luck and Godspeed to you!