How to survive the winter?
Winter lasts 16 days, with the first day beginning on the 21st and ending on the 36th. During this season, there's an increased chance of temperature drops, leading to freezing, and eventually death from the cold. A freezing character rapidly loses health at an increasing rate (the greater the rate, the faster). To avoid this, the player must constantly return to a source of warmth. The best and most accessible way to survive the cold is to craft a Thermal Stone in the "Survival" tab and carry it with you, warming it up over a fire first. Insulated clothing is also very helpful, increasing the time spent in the cold (for example, a winter hat and Thermal Stone combo). Wilson and Webber's beard, if fully grown, works better than a winter hat and requires no expense.
Building a thermometer is also helpful; it allows you to predict when winter will arrive and directly monitor the temperature drop. Evenings and nights are colder than days, and they are also longer in winter.
Typically, keeping an eye on three key stats keeps you alive during the game: Hunger, Sanity, and Health. In winter, however, warmth plays a crucial role. Fire provides warmth, but stepping away from it will lower your body temperature. If it drops to 5 degrees, you'll begin to freeze (an animation will appear), and at zero, your health will be damaged. Freezing without a fire often means death for the inexperienced. Probably half of the players didn't survive their first winter. The strategy here is to put on warm clothes on the last day of autumn and not be caught off guard.
Several new creatures appear in winter, some friendly, some not so friendly. There's a chance you'll see them before the seasons change and the snow falls. Some monsters change color—for example, red birds turn blue, and hares go from beige to white with a bluish tint—and both remain constant sources of food. When attacked by Hounds, red dogs change to Blue. While hunting the Koaloslephant, you'll discover it's now replaced by a Winter Koaloslephant, which drops items for crafting an insulated hoodie.
Among the aggressive monsters, note the group of seals near the Yurt. McMurphy, with his younger brothers and a blue Hound, can spoil the mood, as the leader attacks the player with darts, the younger brothers run up and use a hit-and-run tactic, and the dogs simply eat you. However, defeating the undead will net you some good loot: a tusk for crafting a cane, a blue stone with a Hound, explosive darts, and a cap. This group's hangouts are also marked on the map in summer, as stone structures, so don't camp there. A Cyclops-deer will also appear, smashing the player's structures, and neutral Pingulls will drop their eggs. Many creatures will hibernate in winter: bees, frogs, butterflies, mosquitoes, bats.
Instead of rain, snow will fall on structures and trees (it will melt in the spring). Gardens won't produce fruit, bushes won't produce new berries, grass won't regenerate, nor will branches, spruce trees will stop generating, and birch trees will shed their leaves along with their fruit. A good prospect, right?
Evenings and nights are shorter, and days are longer, which affects sanity. Flower picking (+5 for each) is very helpful, as well as a large number of meat dryers (10-20), since rabbits and birds will be the main food source in winter. Add ice gathering to all this, and you get 3 ice + 1 meat = Meatballs. It's also worth mentioning that in winter, food spoils 25% slower than in other seasons, so a refrigerator isn't a priority if you don't have one. But with one, food will last up to 10 days.
What and how warms?
Heat source Temperature Duration
- Willow's Lighter 5 10 min
- Torch 5 75 sec (depending on rain)
- Bonfire 50-70 6-10 seconds
- Burning Spruce 220 15 seconds.
- Fire pit 70-220 (varies depending on the rain)
- Thermal stone -20 to 60 (various, 5 heating stages and 5 colors, from gray to bright orange)
Item Protection from the cold Slot
- Headphones 60 Head
- Comfortable vest 60 Body
- Sweatshirt 60 Body
- Winter hat 120 Head
- Tam o' Shanter 120 Head
- Beefalo hat 240 Head
- Insulated sweatshirt 240 Body
- Wilson and Webber's beard 0 / 15 / 45 / 135 Face
The biggest challenge of winter survival is being tied to your base. You can't travel far without protection from the cold. The solution is to have everything you need near your camp: plenty of berry bushes, cauldrons, meat drying racks, branches, grass, and trees. Staying close to hare burrows (and set traps) will alleviate the meat problem. Many food-producing plants (bushes, vegetable gardens, etc.) don't work in winter, so it's best to stock up on supplies in the fall. A set of winter survival measures:
- Craft a Bird Cage and a Bird Trap
- Create a cauldron
- Kill spiders for Monster Meat, Glands, and Webs.
- Give the caged bird monster meat in exchange for 3 eggs.
- Combine 3 eggs with one monster meat to get Meatballs (+65 satiety).
Thanks to this, and a few forays to food sources, it's entirely possible to survive the winter. But remember, killing too many innocent creatures (rabbits, birds, etc.) can trigger the arrival of Krampus. Did you manage to survive your first winter? Share your experiences, and don't go hungry!
Source: steamcommunity.com