Things NOT to do

[Glflegolas]

Most threads here are about what to do. This thread is for sharing tips about what not to do (generally) in Survival Mode. I'll start this off:

Don't try to climb Timberwolf Mountain or explore the Hushed River Valley without a bedroll. While a bedroll isn't essential in most regions, especially those that are more settled and/or have plenty of beds in caves, it's essential for climbing Timberwolf Mountain. You can't make it from the Mountaineer's Hut to the Summit without sleeping at least once -- and there's no naturally spawned beds along the way! The same applies even more strongly to the Hushed River Valley. There isn't a single naturally spawning bed anywhere in that region, and it's impossible to explore all of it via day trips from the trailer in Mountain Town.

Don't go to Bleak Inlet without a weapon. Bleak Inlet is full of Timberwolves, and they are very aggressive and territorial, spawning in packs of 3. They have pack morale, and won't stop attacking until the morale is fully depleted, either by throwing flares at them or shooting/killing pack members. Unlike normal wolves, they don't howl randomly, making tracking them in poor weather challenging. A revolver is the recommended weapon for shooting at a pack of aggressive Timberwolves, but the bow can also be used, if you're a good shot with it.

Don't sprint up to a climbing rope. You'll need stamina to climb ropes, and if you start climbing a rope with a near-empty stamina bar, you won't get far without slipping.

Don't sprint up to the top of a hill. You don't know what's beyond the crest. Maybe nothing, but what if there's a cliff? a predator? If you and a wolf/bear get to the summit of a hill at the same time from opposite directions, you can be charged instantly. When you get near the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.

Don't carry masses of water. Water is extremely heavy, and carrying more than about a day or two's supply is likely to encumber your character. It's generally a better idea to carry a cooking pot and matches. Near the end of the day, pickup sticks and firewood close to where you'll settle down for the night, and start a fire near camp. With the pot, you can make 2 liters of water at once, which will take two hours of fire time.

[Ahatch]

Carry cooked meat when moving regions. Save cat tails, canned food and other food that don't add scent. Even one chunk of cooked deer might get you in trouble with a keen sniffing wolf. Fill up on meat before leaving though. 

When the weather looks like it's going to be a blizzard on the way. This is not the time to go across the swamp on Forlorn Muskeg. 

Fall asleep on your bedroll out in the open in bear country.  Got mauled by a bear in TM when I took a short nap on a rock face on the creek north of the Mountaineers Hut.

Leave your bedroll in the building while you go out exploring. You never know when bad weather will force you to go to a cave or shelter with no bed.

Eat cooked bear or wolf meat without level 5 cooking in interloper. It's not worth getting intestinal parasites. 

[Bean]

On 1/28/2021 at 2:36 PM, Glflegolas said:

You can't make it from the Mountaineer's Hut to the Summit without sleeping at least once -- and there's no naturally spawned beds along the way!

Well, you can.  Coffee will get you up the first two ropes, and then you’ll be pretty tired.  
The third rope requires a stim, but one stim will get you to the summit.     There’s actually a bed in the cave up there.  So this is possible!  

[Glflegolas]

4 hours ago, Bean said:

Well, you can.  Coffee will get you up the first two ropes, and then you’ll be pretty tired.  
The third rope requires a stim, but one stim will get you to the summit.     There’s actually a bed in the cave up there.  So this is possible!  

Sounds like something that's possible, but probably not recommended. Given the amount of walking that's also required (especially if you go via Deer Clearing), it's a pretty heavy use of coffee.

I think the bedroll in the summit cave is a guaranteed spawn on any difficulty other than Interloper.

[Glflegolas]

On 1/28/2021 at 6:36 PM, Glflegolas said:

Don't try to climb Timberwolf Mountain or explore the Hushed River Valley without a bedroll. While a bedroll isn't essential in most regions, especially those that are more settled and/or have plenty of beds in caves, it's essential for climbing Timberwolf Mountain. You can't make it from the Mountaineer's Hut to the Summit without sleeping at least once -- and there's no naturally spawned beds along the way! The same applies even more strongly to the Hushed River Valley. There isn't a single naturally spawning bed anywhere in that region,* and it's impossible to explore all of it via day trips from the trailer in Mountain Town.

*Small caveat here. This isn't entirely correct, for bedrolls can spawn in the Hushed River Valley, most often in caves. Their exact locations, however, are kind of random.

[Bean]

14 minutes ago, Glflegolas said:

think the bedroll in the summit cave is a guaranteed spawn on any difficulty other than Interloper.

Well I believe it’s a makeshift bed not a bedroll, although that can be there too.  But actually even if you are completely drained you could still stumble down the mountain with the slope behind the tail section and make it back to the mountaineers hut.  You wouldn’t be in great shape and it would be slow going, but it’s possible!  

speaking of impossible things I’ve been trying to get all the best non crafted gear including moose satchel, crampons, and technical backpack by day 10 on a new survivor.  So far, I have everything but a moose bag, and I’m at the trailer near HRV in Milton.  But it’s day nine.  
At this point I’m just making up challenges for myself.  

[Bean]

And I finished my challenge today!  9.5 days in and I had all the best gear minus cowichan sweater and mukluks (using better C° insulated boots) including technical backpack, moose hide bag, and crampons.  That includes magnifying glass (2), fire starters, and all tools including flashlight, all weapons including bow and a few arrows, 120 rounds of revolver and 47 rounds of rifle shells. 
basically the survivor is set! 
 

only problem is now I’m bored with him.  
Oh well...

[Catlover]

I have a few

 

Don't ignore the weather If it is windy and starting to snow, like @Ahatchstated in a previous post, you probably shouldn't head over to the muskeg. Likewise, if it's a clear, decent day, don't just hide away in your base unless you need to. 

 

Don't head out without medical preparations At least go out with 2 bandages and one antiseptic/old mans beard, maybe more depending on the difficulty. Wolf bites can go infected fast, and if you don't have enough bandages as well, then death is likely if you're a fair distance away from shelter. Always take precautions and take too much instead of too little! The same applies to food

 

Don't throw rocks at a sleeping bear Just don't. 

 

Don't start fires willy-nilly This probably applies more to the two more advanced difficulties. It's a pretty simple tip, but until you get a fire-striker or something, conserve those matches as best as possible. Always ask yourself 'Do I really need to start a fire, or is shelter near'. Also, when you do start fires, make sure you're in a at least mostly windproof area. If the wind blows out a fire during a blizzard, things get ugly. Fast. 

I'll write more when I think of them

[piddy3825]

On 1/28/2021 at 2:36 PM, Glflegolas said:

Most threads here are about what to do. This thread is for sharing tips about what not to do (generally) in Survival Mode. I'll start this off:

Don't try to climb Timberwolf Mountain or explore the Hushed River Valley without a bedroll. While a bedroll isn't essential in most regions, especially those that are more settled and/or have plenty of beds in caves, it's essential for climbing Timberwolf Mountain. You can't make it from the Mountaineer's Hut to the Summit without sleeping at least once -- and there's no naturally spawned beds along the way! The same applies even more strongly to the Hushed River Valley. There isn't a single naturally spawning bed anywhere in that region, and it's impossible to explore all of it via day trips from the trailer in Mountain Town.

Don't go to Bleak Inlet without a weapon. Bleak Inlet is full of Timberwolves, and they are very aggressive and territorial, spawning in packs of 3. They have pack morale, and won't stop attacking until the morale is fully depleted, either by throwing flares at them or shooting/killing pack members. Unlike normal wolves, they don't howl randomly, making tracking them in poor weather challenging. A revolver is the recommended weapon for shooting at a pack of aggressive Timberwolves, but the bow can also be used, if you're a good shot with it.

Don't sprint up to a climbing rope. You'll need stamina to climb ropes, and if you start climbing a rope with a near-empty stamina bar, you won't get far without slipping.

Don't sprint up to the top of a hill. You don't know what's beyond the crest. Maybe nothing, but what if there's a cliff? a predator? If you and a wolf/bear get to the summit of a hill at the same time from opposite directions, you can be charged instantly. When you get near the top of a hill, slow down and stay alert.

Don't carry masses of water. Water is extremely heavy, and carrying more than about a day or two's supply is likely to encumber your character. It's generally a better idea to carry a cooking pot and matches. Near the end of the day, pickup sticks and firewood close to where you'll settle down for the night, and start a fire near camp. With the pot, you can make 2 liters of water at once, which will take two hours of fire time.

good advice overall, but in regards to summiting TWM, it can be done without a sleeping bad and can be done without having to sleep at all.  It just depends on whether or not you've located and looted the shipping container that has the coffee tins in it.  I was able to successfully do so by staying amp up on coffee for the entire attempt.  Walking just before dawn fully rested and carrying around 25 cups of coffee, I never let the fatigue meter dip as I drank a cold cup everytime the benefit expired.  Also keep me extremely well hydrated and my hunger was also well negated, allowing for less carry weight for water and food.  After reaching the summit in near record time, I recovered more coffee and ended up staying awake for almost 6 days in a row before finally having to sleep, by which point I was back to the mountaineers hut with most of the loot!

[Bean]

Ok I’ll do one: 

Don’t make a nighttime trek across Bleak Inlet during an aurora.  Them timberwolves are fierce!  I lost a 200+ day survivor like that...

[Stinky socks]

Here's mine: never underestimate The Great Bear(island). There have been many instances when I thought something would be a quick trip, which turned into days of treacherous journey.

@piddy3825 that was funny!

[piddy3825]

@Stinky socks
absolutely brilliant!

 

[wilsonaka]

Never go beachcombing or walk near the coast and run to get something without taking off your clothes first. You could fall in and it can lead to a pretty bad situation. Clothes stay dry if they're not on your body.

[Krait]

Beachcombing, I still get the shivers.. maybe I'll give it another go with my shiny new crampons.. And yes, take my clothes off.. and have a fire nearby!

[TheKnightIsDark]

Dont needlessly carry a hatchet around if you have a knife. Take it only when you're exploring for saplings. You will almost never be in a dire situation where you need to chop outdoor wood for fuel.

Dont try to mountain goat down the ravine or there is a 95% chance you will instantly fade into the long dark due to a glitch and lose your precious world.

Dont tell me you're too... blind to see. Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

[manolitode]

Don't explore new areas until you're decently clothed. But if you have to, bring coal to stay warm. 

Don't forget to crouch when you exit a building in a wolf-infested/bear area. 

Don't expect to survive.

[Krait]

Don't walk with a smiley face into blizzards to get the 'Blizzard Walker' feat.. there are more sensible ways...

[The Ravages of Time]

Don’t eat raw meat, even with Cooking 5. You will still get food poisoning. Might seem obvious, but the description for Cooking 5 says you no longer get food poisoning, and even though you don’t with ruined food, you still do with raw meat. 

Don’t sleep with frozen clothes. You may get frostbite which is a permanent affliction. Good to get into the habit of checking your clothes if you have been out while it was snowing.

Edited February 18, 2021 by The Ravages of Time

[TheKnightIsDark]

Dont carry around:

a lantern if you've developed the habit of never using it, or arent going caving

lots of fuel from one region to another. Unless you're taking coal to a forge. But at most 1-3 coals and a few sticks and you'll always be able to find more fuel anywhere

antiseptic bottles. They are <0.5 KG and best kept in bases. Infection risk takes under a day to develop. More than enough time return and use the bottle. Have wound dressings on you instead. Personally, I carry around 6 beard lichen because of their very low weight. Even lower than wound dressing. If you ever get attacked, you'll get a maximum of two infection risks for which 6 lichens, crafted into 2 dressings, will do the job

Edited February 18, 2021 by TheKnightIsDark

[TheKnightIsDark]

Dont spam the sprint key prematurely. Stamina regenerates a couple of seconds after you stop running. So it's best to let the stamina bar replenish as much as possible before running again. This will make you cover more distance in the same amount of time. Listen to when the character stops panting. or if you stand still and hit the sprint key, you can check the status without disrupting the regeneration

[peteloud]

Don't

* use a mod to edit your save file and give yourself anything and everything you want.

* use fandom to shortcut learning how to survive.

If you do use them don't,

* give us a load of bullsh** about your epic achievements.

The game is meant to be challenging, not a walk in the park for softies.

Edited February 19, 2021 by peteloud

[TheKnightIsDark]

Dont eat other stuff in your base if you have meat available to eat. Save cattails, canned and processed foods as travel rations, or warming up. Traveling with meat attracts predators + is the heaviest food in the game. Eat meat in the base, leave other foods for emergency travel food. This will be not only safer for trips but fatigue and hunger efficient too.

[Stinky socks]

5 hours ago, peteloud said:

* use fandom to shortcut learning how to survive

Why not? I used it to learn so much useful information! It saved me a lot of frustration.

[Looper]

Don't put to much into what you read in forums.🙃

Good thread though.

[TheKnightIsDark]

2 hours ago, The Orange Birb said:

Don't waste your sewing kits.

Nice tip about making full use of fishing hooks' durability. I figure once you have a few fishing hooks at a low enough % to use for fishing. It would be fine to use a sewing kit?