Shi-an

"If I'm outside during a blizzard and start freezing, I take off all my clothes so that they don't deteriorate."

Day 155 After killing a Stag, I contemplate how much food this actually provides me. Since one kg of deer meat = 1000 calories (at cooking lvl 5), this deer only gives me about 15 meals of 750 calories! This makes me concerned about how long my arrows will last in providing food. For now, I am going to limit myself to 600 calories per day (which covers my needs for 8 hours of sleep)and see how that goes. Day 162 Following on from my calorie concerns, I’ve also been keeping tabs on my other source of food--rabbits. There is a little clearing to the north-east of Angler’s Den, where deer and rabbits spawn. I have set up a bunch of snares there. After not checking for only 2 days, I come back to 4 snared rabbits (two were at under 5% condition). I’m starting to feel less worried about food--a snared rabbit might barely have enough meat to feed me for one night, but considering I got 4 in 2 days from snares, they will be a very good supplement to the food I get from killing other animals.

Day 111 My Wool Ear Wrap is in bad condition, but I’m going to repair it just this once. Once I harvest it, that’s 1 degree of warmth that I will never get back, because I don’t have any animal-based clothing to replace that slot. I figured that 1 cloth is worth keeping that extra warmth for just a little longer. Day 128 Archery level 4! I really want level 5 because being able to crouch and get close to animals will make shooting them so much easier. Day 137 - Deerskin Pants 2 I finish crafting my second pair of Deerskin Pants in the early hours of the morning. Unless I decide to make a 2nd Wolfskin coat to replace my Moose coat, these Deerskin Pants are the final piece of clothing that I will ever make in this run. Now that I have the two Pants, I also think I will only hunt Stags (they provide more meat than does, while still only requiring one arrow to kill).

Day 100 I’ve reached the triple digits in my day count, and my base is looking nice and stable with plenty of food, water and clothing/repairing materials. My current stockpile is as below, and I will be taking records every 100 days. Note that the cloth count has increased, because I’ve harvested some of the clothing that I brought with me. 3 Cooking Pots 57 Arrow Shafts 16 Arrows 6 Maple Saplings 3 Bows 53 Matches 41 Hooks 22 Old Man’s Beard Lichen 0.5L Antiseptic Quality Tools 82% 2 Scrap Metal 7 Sewing Kits 5 Whetstones 12 Antibiotics 61 Cat Tail Stalk 67 Cloth Firestriker 76% 3 Flares Hacksaw 49% Improvised Knife 92% Magnifying Lens 82% 4 Marine Flares 18 Painkillers 4 Herbal Tea 7 Coffee 11 Reishi Mushroom 12 Rose Hips 3500 Calories of extra food

I had this exact issue pop up when entering Angler's Den, but only sporadically. I ended up reporting it, starting a new save, and as you mentioned making backups. I don't remember if I had a rock cache next to Angler's Den in that save. Funnily enough I have 4 rock caches near Angler's in my current run and no error.

Day 60 I finally have a Wolfskin Coat! I still have two Ski Jackets, but once those are ruined I will be using this and the Moose Cloak I made on day 35. Depending on how things go I may keep the Moose Cloak, or eventually replace it with another Wolfskin coat. Day 85 Deerskin Pants! I forgot to take a screenshot, but I had already crafted the Deerskin Boots on Day 38. I also use up my first cloth since coming to Ash Canyon, to repair my Thin Wool Sweater. Day 94 Killed my second Moose! Not without some trouble though, had to do a lot of running around the small cliff because he took about 7 shots to down (2 missed). Day 96 With my Harvesting level up to 5, the only thing left that I need level 5 of is Archery (I’m not even sure if I’ll ever get to level 5 Sewing, seeing as how thrifty I’m trying to be with repairing).

Day 50 - The Long Cold With my Interloper run on Day 50, the world is now at its coldest, and it’s 25 degrees celcius colder than it was on Day 1. I believe I made good use of the first 50 days, and my Base is nice and cozy! Below are the resources I still have: 3 Cooking Pots 63 Arrow Shafts 13 Arrows 3 Arrowheads 6 Maple Saplings 3 Bows 54 Matches 41 Hooks 22 Old Man’s Beard Lichen 0.5L Antiseptic Quality Tools 82% 2 Scrap Metal 7 Sewing Kits 5 Whetstones 12 Antibiotics 61 Cat Tail Stalk 64 Cloth Firestriker 76% 3 Flares Hacksaw 59% Improvised Knife 97% Magnifying Lens 82% 4 Marine Flares 18 Painkillers 6 Maple Saplings 4 Herbal Tea 7 Coffee 11 Reishi Mushroom 12 Rose Hips 3500 Calories of extra food

Day 36 I decide to go out to Bitter Marsh again and check the Fishing Hut. There I find some Ketchup Chips and a Storm Lantern. The lantern is actually a really good find! Not for the light, but because it’s an extra piece of scrap metal. I have already used up 2 of my 7 metal in repairing my Hacksaw, and I’m starting to think maybe I should’ve brought one or two extra metal instead of food/tea/saplings. Day 37 - Rock Cache I’ve found enough stones to create my first Rock Cache! I will be placing these near my fire pit to hold my sticks, because, you know... I’d rather not have to pick up 30 sticks from the ground in the freezing cold... Day 47 - Snow Shelter I’ve been holding off on making a Snow Shelter, as I’ve been spending enough time outside to stave off Cabin Fever. But at Day 47 it’s too cold to be outside without a fire, so it’s time to build the Shelter. This lets me pass time outside while getting a warmth bonus. Now the Shelter is going to cost at least 1 stick per day to repair, which is very costly over thousands of days. However, having a shelter right next to my base is very important for staving off Cabin Fever. Technically there is a Cave not too far from Angler’s Den, which keeps me warm enough that I could use it to reduce Cabin Fever Risk. However, it does still take a while to get there, and it’s really inconvenient to have to travel that far once or twice every 6 days, especially through potential cold weather or blizzards. Ultimately, if I make sure to repair the Shelter while it is above about 85% condition, it only costs 1-2 sticks, and I will never need to use any cloth. I believe that the convenience of having the Shelter right next to my base is better than the cost of 1-2 sticks per day.

Day 28 Firestarter Level 5! With this my fires last 50% longer instead of 25% longer. This is a huge deal, as from previous runs it appeared that the wood needed for fires might be the thing I run out of first in this challenge. Day 31 I want to make a Wolf-Skin Coat ASAP (I can’t make a Bear Coat, as the only Bear in Ash Canyon Spawns near Miner’s Folly, which I’m not allowed to go to). So as soon as the wolves respawn, I kill them again. While harvesting them, I get to Level 4 Carcass Harvesting. Day 31 is also the day where I harvest my first excess piece of clothing (Sports Socks). In the end the only clothing I will have will be Animal clothing, a Wool Toque, and a Thin Wool Sweater. But in the meantime, I will use the rest of the clothing that I brought with me until they are ruined. I have 12 extra clothing items, which will net me an extra 12 cloth. Day 35 My Moose Hide Cloak is ready! The world is slowly getting colder, so the extra 3.5 degrees Celsius that this cloak provides will be helpful. On Interloper, the world stops getting colder on Day 50, but until then it’s best to do as much as possible outside, to take advantage of the “warm” weather while I can, so every day I go out and harvest Fir/Cedar limbs.

Day 21 - More Hunting I kill the two wolves guarding the small ravine towards Bitter Marsh, so that I can check there for the Moose and bring back its meat without fear of getting attacked. The kills bring my Archery skill up to level 3. I was going to harvest the wolves, but decide I might as well check out Bitter Marsh first, and as luck would have it the Moose is there! I build a fire at the small outcrop overlooking the Moose spawn, and take my first shot at it (and miss). I take another which hits, and then run back to the outcrop. My plan is to shoot at the Moose as it charges around the outcrop, and then jump off the edge if it gets too close. Luckily my last shot is a critical hit, and the Moose goes down right beside the fire. I quarter the moose and take it back home, ensuring I have a torch at all times to fend off the wolves from the Marsh. It’s already well into the night by the time I bring all the Moose Meat back. Day 22 The next day I remember I have a dead wolf that I want to harvest (at the very least I need the skin). The sky clears towards evening, so I build a fire next to it and rip off its coat. Since the weather holds I take its meat as well, and get to level 5 Cooking! I can now eat the wolf meat and rotten (but cooked) meat with no penalties. I also still have some Quartered Moose left to harvest, and while doing so with my hands get to Carcass Harvesting Level 3.

Day 14-17 I’ve discovered something incredibly beneficial about giving myself only 15 days to get to Angler’s Den, instead of 20. On Interloper the world gets colder by 0.5 degrees celcius every day (up to Day 50). By coming to Ash Canyon from Day 14 instead of 20, the world is still warm enough that I can go out and take no cold damage when cutting a up Cedar/Fir Limb. So, while I’m waiting for the guts to cure so I can make a bow, I spend my days cutting up wood, warming up inside Angler’s Den, then going back out to cut more wood. Day 18 - Survival Bow! My first Bow is complete! I can now begin hunting Deer and Wolves to make warmer clothing (not to mention obtain more food). Day 19 Killed my first Deer. Hurrah!

Part 2 of the Challenge Now that I have gathered all the resources I can, got the Technical Backpack and am back at Angler’s Den, it’s time to start Part 2 of the challenge! This involves seeing how long I can survive without leaving Ash Canyon’s lower areas. Specifically, I can still travel the area around Angler’s Den, Bitter Marsh, and through the ravines connecting these two. Here is a map showing where I can go: I am allowed to go anywhere in the Green Area. I can also travel to the Purple Areas, but I’ve decided not to for now. I want to see how long I can last using just what I gathered during the first 15 days. As part of this, I also won’t be gathering any of the Reishi Mushrooms, Rose Hips or Saplings in the Green Area. This should help to test how long you can last if you rely only on 35kg worth of items and not use anything from the Region. Obviously I have looted a few things in the cave to Ash Canyon, and on my way to get the Technical Backpack. I am just looking for a ballpark indication of how long Ican last, so it’s a fairly approximate test. And these are my stats as of Day 14. The world explored may increase to 29% or even 30% because I am yet to go to Bitter Marsh or the Purple Areas, however the days spent in any other region should not go above what they are here. Finally, here are my resources as of Day 14: 3 Cooking Pots 54 Matches 41 Hooks 22 Old Man’s Beard Lichen 0.5L Antiseptic Quality Tools 100% 7 Scrap Metal 8 Sewing Kits 6 Whetstones 12 Antibiotics 66 Cat Tail Stalk 66 Cloth Firestriker 76% 3 Flares Hacksaw 80% Improvised Knife 96% Magnifying Lens 82% 4 Marine Flares 18 Painkillers 16 Arrowheads 23 Birch Saplings 8 Maple Saplings 5 Herbal Tea 7 Coffee 10 Reishi Mushroom 13 Rose Hips 4600 Calories of extra food

Day 13 - Technical Backpack! After sleeping, I stone some rabbits and harvest them (I will need the guts to make a Bow). Then I head towards the Gold Mine to get the Technical Backpack. Halfway up the canyon and I’ve already found the following loot: · Wood Matches · Marine Flare · Whetstone · One Birch Sapling, 2 Maple. Here's the Gold Mine and the Technical Backpack inside! Honestly I don’t need it that much in this challenge (as I won’t be moving loot around very much), but you can’t say no to an extra 5kg of carrying capacity! On the way down, there is a Moose! In my last run, I was actually stomped by this Moose. I thought about giving up, then I thought, “hey, why don’t we turn this into the reason why I can’t leave Ash Canyon? Maybe I could role-play that my broken ribs stop me from climbing, and a blizzard cut off all other escape routes? This is how I came up with the title “No Way Out”, which I have continued to use. However after 70 days of playing with Broken Ribs, I decided that the penalty to sprinting was too annoying. Plus I started having saving issues, where sometimes the game would spout an error and go back to the main menu when trying to save. So I reported this to Hinterland, and began preparing for my new run... Anyway, this time I made sure to throw some stones to make sure the Moose was in an avoidable position (I had learned my lesson from last time), and got around it without being stomped! I make it home just before the calendar ticks over to Day 14. This means I had an extra 48 hours spare (as the rule is that I am unable to leave Angler’s Den and its surrounds from Day 16 onwards. I could have spent the extra two days doing things outside of Ash Canyon, but as all previous runs had a 20-Day limit, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it in just 15. In the end, I am fairly happy with what I accomplished in only 13 days. Plus, 48 hours is a good bit of leeway to have in case of bad weather, even if I ended up not needing it.

Day 11 - To the Prepper’s Abandoned Cache With Well-Fed ready and my Fatigue bar full, I head out of the Farmstead, never to return! I was hoping to find another Thin Wool Sweater, Thermal Underwear or maybe some Combat Pants from the Plane Crash Site. Unfortunately, all I get is clothing which is worse than what I already have. At least I find another Wool Toque and 3 Maple Saplings. On the way to the Abandoned Cache, I also find some coffee and more Birch Saplings. Day 12 - Goodbye Pleasant Valley! To get to Timberwolf Mountain from Prepper’s Abandoned Cache, I need to climb a rope. This means I can only take 35kg worth of stuff. The first thing I do to reduce my weight is to harvest my Prybar and Can Opener. These only take 15 minutes per scrap metal harvested, and reduce the weight of these items considerably (this is why I only left the Farmstead with 4 Scrap Metal--So I could use these items one last time then harvest them). The plan was to drink some coffee for a momentary fatigue boost then climb the rope in the middle of the night, however I am snowed in by a blizzard. It doesn’t subside until morning, so I spend my time sleeping and preparing mushrooms/rose hips (preparing them reduces their weight slightly). This is all that I will be bringing with me to Timberwolf Mountain. I end up having to leave some cloth, saplings and wood to keep myself below 35kg. I am also a bit concerned that my clothing situation could have been better--I am missing a Thin Wool Sweater, Combat Pants, and an extra pair of Thermal Underwear. I also always had a Mackinaw Jacket in previous runs. Still, it’s not that big of a deal, and definitely not worth restarting my run over. At Mountaineer’s Hut I find: · Matches · Hacksaw (but don’t take it) · Down Vest (but don’t take it) · Cotton Toque I sleep for an hour then head off to the next rope climb to get to Ash Canyon. I know I can take the route through the ravine to Bitter Marsh instead and avoid having to climb a rope, however part of this challenge is to try and limit how much I can bring to Ash Canyon, and I believe the 2nd rope climb is a good way to enforce that. All I did was find some extra food and wood, so I drop most of this and then head up the rope. Another blizzard hits and I lose my torch, but I make a new fire in the cave. At about 6PM on Day 12 I enter Ash Canyon. As per the challenge, I am never allowed to leave this region again. In every one of my previous runs, it’s always felt really nice to get to Angler’s Den for the first time. It feels like I’ve returned home (even though it’s the first time going there that run). Angler’s Den provides me with: · Matches · Coal · Dog Food · Rifle Book · Two Arrowheads (of course) · One Cloth There isn’t any scrap metal, clothes, simple tools or a cooking pot (all of which have spawned here in my previous runs). This is what level my current skills are at, as of Day 12. Firestarting being very close to level 5 is ridiculously good, as is having Cooking already almost level 4. This means that I will be very efficient with the wood/food that I use.

Day 8 - Thomson’s Crossing In the morning it's quite windy and cold, so I spend some time gathering the resources I will be bringing with me to Timberwolf Mountain (I need 36+ hooks, at least 6 scrap metal, and lots of cloth, ideally 50+). It is pleasant enough after noon, so I head to Thomson’s Crossing. Loot found along the way includes: · Simple Tools · Prybar (I hadn’t found one yet, so missed out on some lockers at the Dam) · Flare At Thomson’s Crossing, I find some Wood Matches, another Hacksaw, a Marine Flare and a Ski Jacket. Most of the night is spent exploring and gathering cloth and metal scraps. Since I’ve picked up a lot of wood, I also light a fire in the Community Hall, and use that light+torches to loot the nearby houses and harvest whatever metal I can. At about 3AM I eat to begin preparing for Well-Fed again, then sleep for 4 hours. Day 9 - 10 My plan was to sleep for longer if the weather was bad (which often happens in Pleasant Valley), however as there’s no wind/falling snow I decide to take the opportunity to head to the Farmstead, despite being a little encumbered. Days 9 and 10 are spent gathering up all the resources I plan on taking to Timberwolf Mountain, reading my books, and repairing clothing. In the end I have 41 hooks, 4 Scrap Metal (I will get more soon) and about 58 cloth.

Haha yes it is! Thank you for remembering! I did have another run but I got stomped on a moose and then had a save game issue... So I decided I wanted to make sure this run would last before posting anything. I'm on day 230 now and have been taking screenshots and notes, so looks like this will be THE run.

Day 6 - Preparing to leave Mystery Lake forever I have a day to kill while waiting for Well Fed. Honestly I could have started going for it a day earlier, but my plan was to use this day to read books. I burn most of the books I find, however I have kept the 2 Archery books I’ve found because I think it’s worth the time to read these. I will also do the same for any sewing books. I spend the rest of the day using my leftover scrap metal to make hooks (these will be used for repairing, not for fishing), and also repair my clothes so I’m a little warmer. Day 7 - Goodbye Mystery Lake! With Well Fed ready, I gather everything and head off to the Dam, ready to leave Mystery Lake forever. I take a nap at the Dam Trailers so I can set off with my Fatigue bar full. I find a Bedroll soon after exiting the Dam. It's dead weight for this particular challenge, but here’s one of the possible spawn locations for those who are interested! I make my way through Winding River, the cave, and into Pleasant Valley. Signal Hill provides coffee and a Heavy Hammer--not that I will be bringing that 2kg of weight with me. There’s a Rabbitskin Hat at Molly’s Barn! I read this could spawn here since the TALES update, but never saw it myself. Additional loot I find at the Farmstead includes: · Running Shoes (these will be what I wear to Ash Canyon, as these are much lighter than most other shoes). · Wood Matches (my first pack this run, actually) · Wool Socks · Sports Socks I also let my Well Fed run out, as I don’t need it right now. Originally I planned on getting to Thomson’s Crossing before sleeping, but as a blizzard starts brewing I decide to head back. I end up doing some more night work and then sleep for 4 hours.

Day 4 - To the Forge! I eat as much as I can to begin the 72 hours until I get Well-Fed, and sleep for 10 hours--the first long sleep this run. In hindsight I probably didn’t need to sleep this long, however I wanted to make sure that I had high condition in case I took any cold damage on my trek to the Forge and back. But as the 10 hours of sleep meant it was already afternoon when I set out, I was quite warm and didn’t take any cold damage. Spence’s Homestead was an absolute Treasure Trove of clothing. I found: · Wool Ear Wraps · Wool Toque · Ski Jacket (at 98%!) · Wool Socks Day 5 - Finishing Forging and the Journey Home I forge 14 Arrowheads and 1 Improvised Knife. The Hatchet takes too long (including the time to gather the scrap metal), is too heavy, and uses whetstone to sharpen, which I want to save for my knife. Furthermore, the Hacksaw can do most of what the Hatchet can anyway and can be repaired with scrap metal instead. So no Hatchets for me this run. I sleep for 5 hours, and with that my first and only forging session for this run is complete. I go back to the Camp Office and also check out the Forestry Lookout, but find nothing of note.

Day 3 - Sleep Deprivation Tactic The first part of Day 3 is spent making some more fires and cooking up the rabbits that I stoned and harvested the previous night. One thing you may have realised is that in order to have all this ready, I needed to work well into the night harvesting, then only sleep about 6 hours before daybreak. This is what I call the sleep-deprivation tactic. By sleeping little and doing as much as I can at night, I get a lot more done and am incredibly efficient. Furthermore, because I use up all my sticks/books making multiple fires to level up (and now don’t even need tinder), having a lower weight capacity isn’t that big a deal. This strategy does have its risks, but if you have a clear plan of where you want to go and what you want to do, and can manage the lower weight maximum, it helps to make sure you are using your time very efficiently. I originally planned on heading straight to the Spencer’s Homestead Forge on Day 3, however a blizzard gets in my way. So instead I drink up some warm tea and head to the Fishing Hut, Lake Cabins and Lake Overlook. I also sleep a bit at the Lake Cabins to recover some fatigue, warmth and health. At the end of the day I use up all the books and twigs I found to make more fires, and get to level 4 Firestarter--not bad for Day 3!

Day 1 - The Beginning This location in Forlorn Muskeg is my chosen spawn for this challenge. I had to restart about 30 times to get it. Since I have until Day 16 to get to Ash Canyon and get the Technical Backpack, and the calendar switches to the next day at 12AM, the 7 AM start time means I have a whole 17 hours until Day 2, which is also important. I go to Poacher’s Camp, then Mystery Lake Camp Office. Here I find my trusty Mag Lens, which is probably the most important item that I will need for this challenge. After setting up a fire to warm up, I head to the Dam through the Eastern side of the map. At the Dam I find: · Wool Toque · Hacksaw · Quality Tools The day ends with my using up most of my sticks, books and 2 rabbits to get to Firestarter and Cooking level 2. As this is a challenge in efficiency, I will be using torches to light multiple fires and cooking piecemeal to level up quickly. Day 2 - Exploring Mystery Lake I sleep 6 hours and then head to the Logging Cabins. There I find a Firestriker with 84% durability. I use some more sticks and books to get level 3 Firestarting. This means I no longer need to carry tinder, which is a huge boon when I’m only about 32 in-game hours into my run. I make my way through the Abandoned Lookout, Unnamed Pond and to Trapper’s Cabin. I find: · Sweatshirt · Heavy Hammer (at Trapper’s) · Jeans · Thin Wool Sweater The Thin Wool Sweater is really important, as it is one of the best clothing items in Interloper, that goes into a slot without any animal-skin clothing. Ideally I want to have two of these, and the two sweaters + a Wool Toque will be the only cloth items I repair at Ash Canyon. All the other clothing I have to let deteriorate, and eventually harvest--it’s just not worth keeping them when I have limited cloth, and can fill my other slots with animal clothing.

Current Stats Day: 207 Current Concern: Spare clothes are almost ruined. Wood Status: At least 600 Sticks, plenty of Coal, Fir, Cedar. Water Status: Comfortable, but constantly having to be restocked. Food/Arrow Status: Comfortable Cloth Status: I’ve used 1 so far. Overview The question of how long one could theoretically survive in TLD is an oft-discussed topic in the community. The general consensus is you can live forever, thanks to the magnifying lens and beach combing. However, there are so many natural resources in the world that nobody has ever even gotten to the stage of having to rely on beach-combing, so this idea is purely theoretical. I’m not going to pretend that I have the time to deplete all the resources in the world, but I have always been curious about how long the natural resources can last in a real-game scenario. Furthermore, I’ve always been interested in region-specific challenges, but the lack of forges in most regions makes this somewhat limited. So, I decided I would create my own little rules for a challenge, where I give myself 15 days to gather what I can, then head to Ash Canyon and try to live there for as long as possible. I will also keep track of the resources I have depleted, to see how quickly I run out. Just as a disclaimer, I understand there are many variables involved and this isn’t a very scientific test. Ultimately, this is just the way I like to play the sandbox game known as The Long Dark, and I thought that keeping some recordings and doing some calculations along the way would be fun. I am open to discuss my strategies and calculations, but please don’t take it too seriously! Challenge: I have 15 days to gather what I can and get to Anglers Den in Ash Canyon. I can also go to the Gold Mine to get the Technical Backpack, but can’t go to Miner’s Folly/Foreman’s Retreat. Once the in-game journal hits Day 16, I must be in the lower area where Angler’s Den is, and am not allowed to leave Ash Canyon or do any climbing. This limits me to the area around Angler’s Den, Bitter Marsh, and the ravines connecting the two. Difficulty: Interloper Perks: Snow walker and Cold Fusion Starting Area: Forlorn Muskeg Restrictions: No Fishing (I want to see how long I can last without it), if a wolf kills something I can’t steal it from them. I will be climbing the rope from PV to TWM, and then the rope from TWM to AC, so I will be limited to 35kg on each climb. Why Ash Canyon?: I’ve actually tried this challenge in varied forms multiple times, but starting in Ash Canyon and ending up in Mystery Lake. However I realised there was way too much cloth, wood and food (especially with fishing) in Mystery Lake, and furthermore it’s such a generic place to base. With the release of TALES I decided to reverse the route that I had practised many times. Angler’s Den has a special place in my heart, because I’ve spent so much time in it in my numerous practice runs. I’ve actually done a couple of runs of this challenge since TALES was released, but they were all lost either to dying or save corruption. Furthermore, I originally gave myself 20 days to get to AC, but decided in my previous run that I should try and shave that down to 15.

Here are a few tips I learned from doing some runs to practice speed and efficiency: In terms of fuel-to-weight ratios, sticks are the worst, followed by Fir, then Cedar/Reclaimed Wood, and finally Coal. So burn them in that order for the best weight efficiency. Prepared Rose Hips are only 0.5kg while 24 rose hips are 0.24kg. Prepared Reishi/Birch Bark are 0.05kg while the raw materials are 0.10kg. Birch Saplings are 0.20kg but if you carve them into arrow shafts they go down to 0.15kg. When harvesting Scrap Metal, the most efficient ratio is 15 min/1 scrap. Pails, Toasters, Broken-down lights, Can Openers and Prybars all provide this ratio, whilst shelves/benches tend to have a worse ratio. So look to harvest these smaller items first. I see people using the Starvation Tactic all the time, but not so much the Sleep Deprivation tactic. Sleeping at night is time wasted if you don't need to be that awake for what you're planning on doing the next day. E.g., I'm at the PV Farmstead, tomorrow's plan is to go to Thomson's Crossing and loot, harvest some metal/cloth/rabbits and then come back to the Farmstead the next day. If I spend until past midnight at the Farmstead doing things in the dark like preparing teas and harvesting rabbits, I can sleep for 4 hours and get to Thomson's during the day without been overburdened with weight. I again loot, harvest, and prepare well into the night (even if I'm fatigued I can do these things), sleep for 7 hours and head back to the farmstead. I've only slept 11 hours over 2 days (as opposed to 20+ if I tried to sleep through the night) and have had so much extra time to harvest/prepare because of it. Obviously the Sleep Deprivation tactic does have its risks and requires a fair bit of game experience and planning to use effectively. However, if you have Birch/Herbal teas to cover the condition loss, or even going for well-fed so you're passively gaining condition, it saves you a lot of time. Furthermore on Interloper where the day gets 0.5 degrees colder every day, being able to squash 3 days worth of activity into 2 is a huge plus.

I can confidently say Spence's no longer spawns matches (except possibly as a rare find from one of the containers), and neither does Poacher's. I am not sure of the other places like the Hunter's Blinds or the towers, but based on where the new player spawns are in FM, it's quite a trek to look anywhere else.

As someone for whom every post-DLC run started in Forlorn (but then I went straight to ML), I can safely say that this challenge is going to a be a lot more tricky than pre-DLC.

I think the idea is that it's not incredibly detrimental in itself but can cause problems when combined with other issues. So you take some cold damage, don't heal as much because of insomnia, are attacked by a wolf and that difference in condition means the attack is fatal. The main issue with changing it is that while it's easy to live with, it's difficult to counter. As far as I know you have to sleep at the Hangar (annoying if you're trying to do stuff in a different area of the map), or bring herbal tea (limited in supply). Right now the effects are minor in line with how limited the methods of preventing it are.