How to deal with blizzards

[GarlicPops]

I have pretty much avoided all blizzards in my previous runs by save scumming. Recently I started a new sandbox where I decided to abolish save scumming and play the game like a man for once. I'm living in the clothing bunker in Pleasant Valley and I constantly get terrified by the idea of getting lost in a blizzard, do you guys have any tips on how to deal with blizzards without having to resort to a snow shelter?

[Schrodingers Box]

it’s simple. Know the map. Period. once you do you will actually appreciate blizzards because you can travel without worrying about wildlife- especially advantageous early game. 
  also on any of the easy levels just carry some fuel. But on interloper always carry some coal since you need the high temperature value  to stay warm. not a concern on the easy levels.  but on loper you can need up to 7 hours of warm fuel if you need to last out a blizzard. but if you know the map it simply isn’t an issue as you always know where shelter is. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Schrodingers Box

[peteloud]

Dealing with blizzards - simple - don't go out in them.  If you must go out in them walk with the wind, i.e. with the wind on your back.

 

[gotmilkanot]

You can sort of predict when a blizzard is going to happen when you're travelling. They almost always start with the "normal" heavy snow and strong winds - that's when you should start looking for a shelter OR know where's the nearest shelter to hunker down in case of a blizzard. And when it starts to turn foggy while still snowing heavily, that's when you won't have much time before it turns into a full-blown blizzard.

IMO, map knowledge (know where nearest shelters are wrt your current position) and the ability to read early signs of blizzard is key to surviving a blizzard. If you can do both, you'll pretty much never be lost during a blizzard because you'll either be already in a shelter before the blizzard starts, or you're already capable of travelling to the nearest shelter even with a blizzard going on.

Edited December 27, 2020 by gotmilkanot

[Smoke3723]

If the snow falls for several hours without stopping and the wind starts picking up, a blizzard is typically arriving.  They are dangerous because:

1. They damage your clothing even before you're saturated and freezing
2. You get very wet very quickly, meaning you'll lose your clothing's protection far faster than in a mere heavy snowfall
3. Extreme cold & windchill means you'll start freezing, even on lower difficulties with the finest clothing
4. Zero visibility and not able to use charcoal to check your position makes it easy to get lost, even in familiar terrain

One of the safest places for a blizzard is indoors or in a cave.  This gets you out of the saturating precipitation and dangerous winds, and even if you cross a load barrier you can still hear the distinctive roaring winds of the blizzard.  Dry areas also mean you'll recover from the snow quicker and it's easy to start a fire.  Cars are also an option, but remember they provide no protection against temperature and it will still get cold.

Of course, indoors may not be an option due to Cabin Fever or maps like Pleasant Valley.  One option is crafting a Snow Shelter, but these take time and the blizzard will usually be on you by the time you find the right terrain and set it up.  This means you may still be wet when you go in, and Snow Shelters provide +18ºC at best, so you may still have to light a fire (which will be easy enough).

This brings us to the final option: finding an area of terrain sheltered from the winds.  Simple rises in the terrain are not enough: during the blizzard the wind direction will change repeatedly and unless you've found a particularly well-sheltered spot, you'll suffer the blizzard's effects.  You also MUST start a fire in order to keep warm enough to survive the storm, and unless your fire is wind-shielded it will last 9min at best.

If you're stuck in a blizzard in a partially-sheltered terrain, pass time for 4 hours at a stretch and watch the current temperature: if it starts to plummet the wind has changed and you're in the blizzard again.  Cancel your time-passing and relocate outside of the wind, which will probably require lighting a new fire.

A good way to practise is to head to Pleasant Valley on Pilgrim: the blizzards will come on nice and frequently but you won't have the storm's full effects.  Also a good way to get the Blizzard Walker feat!

[UpUpAway95]

You can lay trails of tinder plugs  or cat tail heads along paths you use.  For example, I lay a path from whatever fishing hut I want to use in Coastal Highway to the shore and/or my base because that's where I'm most likely to get caught out in a blizzard and I don't want to get turned around and wind up walking out to sea.  I place the plugs close enough together that I can still follow them even in the worst whiteout.  If I have enough fire materials though, it is best to wait it out inside the fishing hut... so that's the first strategy - continually stock the fishing hut with sticks and such whenever I'm nearby.

Now, you can also accomplish the same with spray paint if you find enough.

Also, you can turn them off in custom mode instead of save scumming to avoid them.  With Blizzard Frequency set to "None," you'll get snowstorms, but not the high winds associated with true blizzards.  That way, you can learn the maps and basic signs that the weather is changing while enjoying your playthroughs instead of feeling guilty about the save scumming.

Edited December 27, 2020 by UpUpAway95

[Serenity]

I don't like being out in blizzards because it shreds clothing. I just did some looting in Milton and was only for a very short time and it took the outer layers down 1-2%

[UpUpAway95]

11 hours ago, peteloud said:

Dealing with blizzards - simple - don't go out in them.  If you must go out in them walk with the wind, i.e. with the wind on your back.

 

or with the wind at your side and walking closer to any objects along the way that provide a wind break... e.g. if walking in a valley, stay closer to the side of the valley where the wind it coming from.

[Adamo]

Only been caught out in two so far and something I noticed to help me was the sensation of player movement is distorted of course by the swirling movement of the snow blowing . If you know where you are supposed to be then you have to really try to focus on the odd tree you might catch a glimpse of and see your actual ground speed - usually barely moving! And once you have a handle on that it helps you to figure out where you’ve got to in your desperate blind stumbling. A short distance can seem enormous in a blizzard and you have to know your pace

[odium]

obviously avoid if possible, know the maps, carry snow shelter supplies, carry a few coal minimum and a way to start them.  if you are already completely lost, walk straight in one direction, its hard to do but you absolutely will get turned around if you start curving and looking around.  walk dead straight until you know where you are, then navigate from there

[Kranium]

Came here to say that you can leave a trail of dropped things (empty cans, tinder plugs, whatever you don't need much of) to follow in a whiteout. Or arranged as indicators at certain "pinch points" (if you don't have spray paint) for when you're caught out.

[reginaphalange]

On 12/26/2020 at 10:06 PM, GarlicPops said:

do you guys have any tips on how to deal with blizzards without having to resort to a snow shelter?

in terms of preparing for a blizzard or dense fog, in reality, you'd craft blizzard lines around your base. Take the Camp Office  and Mystery Lake for example. the railroad and its power line that extends to the Camp Office act like a blizzard line. You'd be able to create similar blizzard lines anywhere you can hammer in a stake/pole and run rope/cable. in lieu of that actual mechanic, I've laid out a breadcrumb trail for myself of charcoal/tinder plugs/etc. Now, you also have the option of spray painting arrows. So since my base is Camp Office, I've set up guides for myself in case I get lost on or around the lake.

in terms of the sudden onset of fog/blizzard, with no trail set up, I just walk in a straight line hoping I find what I'm looking for (hoping I don't get turned around), then find any kind of shelter to duck behind where I can craft a fire and just wait it out. places like Pleasant Valley, the space between the house and the farm, is my worst enemy in terms of getting lost in fog.

my introduction to heavy fog was the final interaction with The Bear in story mode....... 😬

Edited January 1, 2021 by reginaphalange

[odizzido]

My suggestions are in places that you know it's easy to get lost like the ice where it all looks the same you can leave trails of things like cat tail heads. Also once you notice a blizzard starting you should be looking for shelter. You can aim for a location that is useful. Shelter is optimal, or alternatively something like some power lines, a road, railroad, river, etc, which you can follow to shelter. And once you aim, don't turn at all. Even if you're the best person in the world at it eventually you would fail which could result in death. Unless of course not turning would result in death.