How can I get good at the long dark and how can I get motivated to play it detail explanation below please

[Choppy]

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[Leeanda]

The best way I think is just play it and learn what works and what doesn't for you.. there are so many variations that getting what you want is pretty easy.

Experience really helps and learning the maps on pilgrim is a good way to start.theres no major threats and you can take it at an easy pace.. while learning the basics..  of course story mode teaches you some things but others you'll find along your way.. there's also plenty of helpful videos out there from players like @Zaknafein..    and the forum is full of hints and tips .if you get stuck someone will always be here to help😊

 

[Choppy]

Thanks I really do want get interested in this game. It’s just that I feel so clueless when I’m playing. Maybe if I put hours in might improve.

[Leeanda]

9 minutes ago, Choppy said:

Thanks I really do want get interested in this game. It’s just that I feel so clueless when I’m playing. Maybe if I put hours in might improve.

I think a  lot of us struggle at first, I know I did..  I know the worry of permadeath makes it different to story but even dying has it's uses. it teaches us what to do and not do ,in some cases anyway.. dont be afraid to die though..

  I'm sure you'll get the hang of it ,just keep at it and soon you'll start to feel more at ease.. 

Is there anything in particular you're struggling with?

Edited November 10, 2023 by Leeanda

[xanna]

Learning the maps makes everything easier. You can do this by playing in an 'easier' mode and moving around a lot until you're familiar with them. There are excellent detailed fan maps for every region. Most are available on the fan wiki. Of course, once you've learned the maps you can't unlearn them and there is something special about starting a new game and not knowing where you are and where to get resources.For me, I miss the feeling of discovery of not knowing where I am.

Related to that, keep moving. Don't stay in one region for too long. This will give you a lot of loot and food to keep you going so you don't have to worry about resources while you're figuring out other aspects like dealing with wolves and weather.

Watching experienced people play online is a good way to learn skills fast. Like with the maps, I'd say that it's not as rewarding as figuring things out for yourself, but if your goal is to get good fast, that's the way to do it.

Our own @Zaknafein does videos of playing with a commentary that explains what they're doing as they go and includes lot of information and guidance for new players. They also do a few shorter instructional videos about different aspects of TLD gameplay, eg Beginner's Guide for The Long Dark or Survival Tips from The Long Dark Veteran Players. Definitely check them out.

There are lots of excellent players of TLD on Twitch, and the community over there is very friendly and helpful.

As for keeping motivation, figure out what it is that you enjoy about TLD and don't be afraid to customise your game to maximise the activities you enjoy and minimise the things that bore or frustrate you. Play on the mode that you enjoy most, don't worry about 'progressing' to Interloper. All game modes are valid! e.g. for me, I enjoy the scarcity of resources and the challenge of making do, but I am not very interested in fighting animals, so I use a custom game that reflects that, and it keeps my interest up. It took a few runs to tweak my settings to be just what I want, but it's an interesting evolution.

Another thing I do to keep me interested is to play different kinds of run to suit my mood. Sometimes I don't want the calm grind of a longer, 'easier' run, I want an exciting and more chaotic run, like an Interloper or Deadman run, knowing that I won't survive long - I call these games The Short Dark as I usually don't survive beyond a week!

Good luck, Survivor! I hope you find a play style that works for you.

[UpUpAway95]

@Xanna has put together a wonderful list.  There isn't much I can add really.

There is one caution:  Achievements may be earned on any difficulty (even custom ones), but Feats can only currently be progressed by playing in a "standard" difficulty.  However, progress made in multiple starts in any standard difficulty will stack.  So, for example, you don't have to light 1,000 fires in a single run to earn your Fire Master feat.  It can earned over several runs as long as those runs are in standard difficulties.

Finally, don't be too afraid to die.  Every death will teach you something.  Just stay chill and have fun!!!

[xanna]

4 minutes ago, UpUpAway95 said:

@Xanna has put together a wonderful list.

Aw, thanks @UpUpAway95 ☺️

 

5 minutes ago, UpUpAway95 said:

Achievements may be earned on any difficulty (even custom ones), but Feats can only currently be progressed by playing in a "standard" difficulty.

This is a good point. I'm a big fan of customising the game settings, but this is the downside - no Feats progression.

 

6 minutes ago, UpUpAway95 said:

Finally, don't be too afraid to die.  Every death will teach you something.  Just stay chill and have fun!!!

Very good advice. Death isn't the end, even permadeath, it's an excuse to try again and do something differently!

[ManicManiac]

I'd recommend checking out @Hadrian's Long Dark content on YouTube:
Hadrian - YouTube
Survival School is an older series, but those fundamental "survival tasks" and strategies are (for the most part) still good.
Against All Odds is the current (and longest running of his) series relative to TLD.

Edited November 11, 2023 by ManicManiac

[xanna]

A warning about watching or reading guides and maps online: the game underwent a big change in December 2022 so any guides from before then may be out of date about certain things. in particular the loot spawns all changed, and I don't think we yet have updated fan maps with the new loot spawns for most regions. Soemthing to be aware of.

[RossBondReturns]

I spent my first 100 hours on Pilgrim mastering landmark based navigation which is how Hinterland directs us around regions and how to navigate the menus and other things to survive like how to boil water.

I spent my next 160 hours playing Voyageur (Normal) exclusively. To get used to wildlife, hunting, meat smell, fire management and other things like finding safe routes to avoid wildlife. I also learned how to hunt.

Eventually Voyageur became too easy for me...and so I moved up to Stalker, which plenty consider to be more difficult than Interloper because of the approximately 17 Quintillion wolves that straight away eat your face. Because of learning safe travel routes free of predators...I found these wolves easy to avoid. Within a couple of hundred hours of Stalker I hade it down to an art form (that I often still enjoy).

I play on any level from Pilgrim through Interloper to unlock achievements.

But for the most part, since I have unlocked all the achievements I care about I now play CUSTOM. I have two codes One Set between Stalker and Interloper (that I used to train to play on Interloper difficulty. And the other between Interloper and Codes like Deadman and NOGOA (No One Gets Out Alive).

My biggest advice to you, with near 6,000 hours played...is to continue trying, ask questions like this, and learn from all of your sandbox deaths. That is how each of us learned.

[conanjaguar]

There’s a few threads on here packed with juicy tips and tricks, but other than that, here are some pointers of my own .

• Play Wintermute! It’ll help you familiarize yourself with the maps (or some of them, anyway) and game mechanics with the helpful safety cushion of being able to reload to your last save game if you die.
   
• Stay out of advanced regions unless you know what you’re doing. I don’t mean to sound rude, but they’re called “advanced” regions for a reason. Going into them before you are skilled and equipped enough is just asking to die over and over again and become disillusioned.
   
• Keep trying! Each death is an opportunity for you to see how you screwed up and how you can stop screwing up in the future. Bled to death in your sleep? Check your condition. Wind blew out your fire? Learn to be more careful. Killed by a wolf? Learn to avoid or deter them.

[Leeanda]

Also I actually think being over cautious is a good thing, after a while you can get too complacent and /or pick up bad habits,like I have😁.  It's ok on easy difficulties but when you want to try harder ones it can cause a lot of problems ..  

[James Hickok]

On 11/11/2023 at 12:26 AM, xanna said:

Learning the maps makes everything easier. You can do this by playing in an 'easier' mode and moving around a lot until you're familiar with them. There are excellent detailed fan maps for every region. Most are available on the fan wiki. Of course, once you've learned the maps you can't unlearn them and there is something special about starting a new game and not knowing where you are and where to get resources.For me, I miss the feeling of discovery of not knowing where I am.

Related to that, keep moving. Don't stay in one region for too long. This will give you a lot of loot and food to keep you going so you don't have to worry about resources while you're figuring out other aspects like dealing with wolves and weather.

Watching experienced people play online is a good way to learn skills fast. Like with the maps, I'd say that it's not as rewarding as figuring things out for yourself, but if your goal is to get good fast, that's the way to do it.

Our own @Zaknafein does videos of playing with a commentary that explains what they're doing as they go and includes lot of information and guidance for new players. They also do a few shorter instructional videos about different aspects of TLD gameplay, eg Beginner's Guide for The Long Dark or Survival Tips from The Long Dark Veteran Players. Definitely check them out.

There are lots of excellent players of TLD on Twitch, and the community over there is very friendly and helpful.

As for keeping motivation, figure out what it is that you enjoy about TLD and don't be afraid to customise your game to maximise the activities you enjoy and minimise the things that bore or frustrate you. Play on the mode that you enjoy most, don't worry about 'progressing' to Interloper. All game modes are valid! e.g. for me, I enjoy the scarcity of resources and the challenge of making do, but I am not very interested in fighting animals, so I use a custom game that reflects that, and it keeps my interest up. It took a few runs to tweak my settings to be just what I want, but it's an interesting evolution.

Another thing I do to keep me interested is to play different kinds of run to suit my mood. Sometimes I don't want the calm grind of a longer, 'easier' run, I want an exciting and more chaotic run, like an Interloper or Deadman run, knowing that I won't survive long - I call these games The Short Dark as I usually don't survive beyond a week!

Good luck, Survivor! I hope you find a play style that works for you.

Great commentary. Not really anyting else to say better. 100% Agree. 

I know i went from regular to pro with help of @Zaknafein videos. 

I would Pay money for memory erase just to play TLD again as a(sorry fot that) noob. 

[xanna]

16 minutes ago, James Hickok said:

I would Pay money for memory erase just to play TLD again as a(sorry fot that) noob. 

So much money! That's why I get so excited by the new features, especially new maps. Langston Mine HYPE!!

[Enigmaecho]

playing wintermute is a good way to learn the mechanics without the punishment of the save wipe every death while you are getting your footing it will also allow you to explore and learn the lay of the land of several regions this is immensely helpful when starting survival *flashbacks of so many deaths before story came out learning everything the hard way* once youve beaten wintermute youll either love the game or be done because the surviving day to day in a near lifeless frozen wasteland is the bread and butter. for me in survival i begin every run with the same intentions, find all tools craft bow arrows, craft all animal clothes minus bear coat and wolf coat get moose satchel from hrv and expo pack  and crampons from ash canyon, begin mapping every inch of the island, begin collecting all collectibles and variants, go until i die

[UpUpAway95]

8 hours ago, Enigmaecho said:

playing wintermute is a good way to learn the mechanics without the punishment of the save wipe every death while you are getting your footing it will also allow you to explore and learn the lay of the land of several regions this is immensely helpful when starting survival *flashbacks of so many deaths before story came out learning everything the hard way* once youve beaten wintermute youll either love the game or be done because the surviving day to day in a near lifeless frozen wasteland is the bread and butter. for me in survival i begin every run with the same intentions, find all tools craft bow arrows, craft all animal clothes minus bear coat and wolf coat get moose satchel from hrv and expo pack  and crampons from ash canyon, begin mapping every inch of the island, begin collecting all collectibles and variants, go until i die

That's good advice.  However, we should keep in mind that not every new player will have bought Wintermute since it's now possible to purchase survival and Wintermute separately.

[hozz1235]

This is a good place to start: