Starting a new game.

[PrincessAutumn]

When it comes to starting a new game in The Long Dark, regardless of what level you are on. What region do you start in and what is the first thing you do when you start?

For myself, I always start in Mystery Lake as that region was the first region I started in when I first started playing. As for the first thing that I do, I head towards the camp office picking up sticks along the way and harvest all the stacks of paper that I can find into tinder plugs so I'm not doing it later. I also look for the hunting rifle and ammunition as soon as possible so I have means of defending myself against hostile wildlife.

 

[odizzido]

I start in a random location. What I do depends on what I feel my needs are. Typically clothing is my first concern but it's always changing.

[Gracia_WolfSlayer]

I usually go random. One of my favorite things is the moment the screen clears and you don't know exactly where you are for a moment ( or longer, before you hadn't play a billion hours and know every map like the back of your hand.) First thing I do is find shelter. No matter the time of day, I want to know where I'll be weathering out the night. If there is still daylight I'll start foraging and looting, or if an open cave is the best shelter I could get to I start collecting sticks to warm the darkness to come.

[haft2doit]

random for me.  If I am close to TM i go for the summit asap.  If not I try to spend no more than 5 days in each region to completely loot the world.  This doesn't always happen but it's the goal weather dependent. 

After many runs you really get a hold of what you really need to survive and what can be done as needed.  Early game is all about movement not settling down so I just eat what I find and move on until I have loot piles all over the world, then consolidate into at least one (usually 2 or more) base(s) in each region.

It's all a cumulative process.  Each run's lessons influence the next, as goals shift so does the strategy.  I started barely moving between trappers homestead and camp office, to eventually looting the world in the time it took to do ML.  I'm sure my next run will be different again