Woodie Guide - How To Use - Tips

[Toros]

21 minutes ago, Tosh said:

Okay so a morsel is worth 12.5 hunger points, and therefore half a day's worth of loyalty. Does Woodie's perk add 50% of that value, some other percentage, or a fixed value regardless?

 

Also, where is the "polite" perk stored? 

 

Edit: reread what you wrote. Sorry I missed what you said about maximum follow time. Damn tired college brain. I'd still like to know where the polite perk is stored though.

Polite is a tag applied to Woodie in his prefab and in the pig/bunnyman/rock lobster prefabs it checks if the person giving them meat/carrot/mineral has the polite tag to give the bonus.

[JohnnyTwoShirts]

Hi All, 

I am glad to see that this guide has been helpful. The purpose of this is a sort of quick stop guide for beginners looking to understand Woodie so that they can go into the game with some confidence and begin experimenting on their own play styles. I wanted to keep this easy to read so even a newcomer could digest it without any confusion. I did not want to add any sort of variables that could create perhaps an overload of information. But I am happy to see the community developing this Topic further by adding these numeric values to discussion; in doing so creating a more advanced guide in which I can learn from as well.

As to the comment of Woodie having the fastest chop of any character, I did consider Maxwell and was going to add in details referring to this scenario as an exception but I felt that that could make things more confusing if someone is not familiar with that character. I felt keeping the guide focused on Woodie would be the most productive. But to clear up confusion for anyone in the future or readers that may be wondering about the Maxwell discussion -- Woodie does in fact have the fastest chopping speed of any character; however, Maxwell can create Shadow Clones that could potentially create for a scenario of 4 characters (3 clones and self) chopping trees and in the combined effort that I believe would harvest faster than Woodie. Maxwell however has to summon these using an Axe and 2 Nightmare Fuel. -- Werebeaver Form does not automatically make you dig out stumps when taking down trees, but if you do gnaw on the stump after the tree is down it will dig it out. It does however dig up roots when you gnaw on say Grass or Saplings...ect where he acts as a shovel tool.

I don't want to make this post about Maxwell but it is fair to aknowledge that he does have some of the same benefits as Woodie such as great gathering capabilities as well as a method of keeping his sanity up.

[JohnnyTwoShirts]

UPDATE - After reading some comments I saw a lot of useful information and I want to highlight an interesting tip posted as well as share another of my own. There were some really great posts but I want to focus on Basic Mechanics, for the more advanced ones I recommend reading through the comments 

15 hours ago, xxVERSUSxy said:

Good guide, congrats mate!

PS: one lil thing to add about beaver transformation - you can skip obligatory beaver-form during full moon by going into caves. Also you can munch on twigs, grass and reeds (I think, may be wrong; haven't played Woodie for some time now) to keep LM in check.

-- While eating twigs, grass, and reeds can bring up your log meter, they affect it a very insignificant amount. Logs are most recommended since they come in high supply for Woodie and they affect the meter pretty well - other resources can of course be useful in a crunch. But I was not aware of the caves being a Full Moon escape. This sounds like it can be very useful. Keep an eye on those Mushrooms while in the cave. The colors only sprout during certain times of the day while the other two hide ( Red - Morning, Green - Dusk, Blue - Night ). When you see those Red Mushrooms up and ready for the picking this will tell you night has passed and its now day; you are safe to leave the caves. 

Never Lose Lucy - One thing that can be annoying is when you are hacking away at those trees to induce your Werebeaver form and suddenly you transform, dropping Lucy and your Gear (except backpack -- as explained earlier). You do your business, Transform back, then have to retrace back to Lucy. If you don't want to have to retrace your steps after you turn back to Human Form, craft an Axe and take off the gear you would drop. Woodie looses his log meter when chopping at trees, whether using Lucy or a regular ole' axe. When your meter is low switch to the generic axe, and make sure all droppable gear is in your inventory and the only thing equipped is your generic axe and perhaps your backpack. Now continue chopping to induce transformation and when you do the only thing dropped is the generic Axe. Continue your journey as Werebeaver, transform back to Human, and Lucy as well as your Gear you would have dropped will be in your inventory ready to be re-equiped. No need to retrace your steps back, instead continue on to your destination with the only thing lost being an Axe...or look at it as 1 Twig and 1 Flint. 

[absimiliard]

Or, chop your way down to 27 log-meter, put Lucy into your pack, and just wait for the transformation.

 

I'll grant 1 twig + 1 flint isn't much for most points in the game, but in a low-flint late-game start you might not have that flint initially.  If you just chop down to 27 and wait you can keep Lucy AND transform.  (I know you transform at 25, but the number of times I've come close and said "one more chop" and been wrong and found Lucy on the ground and me a beaver is ..... well .... "enough".  Now I just chop "close" to 25, I like 27 but if you land at 26 that's good -- just get Lucy in your pack quick.)

[Tosh]

10 hours ago, Toros said:

The wiki is not accurate.  Pigs are befriended for 1 day per 25 hunger, and bunnymen and rock lobsters are befriended for a fixed period of time (a few minutes) and woodie gets a bonus for pig maximum time, and a bonus per carrot or mineral in time.  For anyone it would take multiple carrots to reach the maximum and quite a few minerals.

I just double checked and you're completely right. This is a rather underwhelming perk tbh.

[Toros]

5 hours ago, absimiliard said:

Or, chop your way down to 27 log-meter, put Lucy into your pack, and just wait for the transformation.

 

I'll grant 1 twig + 1 flint isn't much for most points in the game, but in a low-flint late-game start you might not have that flint initially.  If you just chop down to 27 and wait you can keep Lucy AND transform.  (I know you transform at 25, but the number of times I've come close and said "one more chop" and been wrong and found Lucy on the ground and me a beaver is ..... well .... "enough".  Now I just chop "close" to 25, I like 27 but if you land at 26 that's good -- just get Lucy in your pack quick.)

That's because meters round up their display number (99.01 shows up as 100) and woodie chopping removes 1.5 from the meter per chop.  It'll say 27 but you might be barely above 26, and drop under 25 with one more chop.

 

@Tosh, yup.  The wiki oversells it.

[RadiantRoma]

Woodie actually gains 5 log-points when eating 1 twig, making 2 twigs = 1 log. I like eating twigs because they are easier to get than logs, you don't lose any log points when harvesting them. If you do carry 40 twigs, it is the same amount of log points as 20 logs. 

[Astroknot]

13 hours ago, JohnnyTwoShirts said:

Never Lose Lucy - One thing that can be annoying is when you are hacking away at those trees to induce your Werebeaver form and suddenly you transform, dropping Lucy and your Gear (except backpack -- as explained earlier). You do your business, Transform back, then have to retrace back to Lucy. If you don't want to have to retrace your steps after you turn back to Human Form, craft an Axe and take off the gear you would drop. Woodie looses his log meter when chopping at trees, whether using Lucy or a regular ole' axe. When your meter is low switch to the generic axe, and make sure all droppable gear is in your inventory and the only thing equipped is your generic axe and perhaps your backpack. Now continue chopping to induce transformation and when you do the only thing dropped is the generic Axe. Continue your journey as Werebeaver, transform back to Human, and Lucy as well as your Gear you would have dropped will be in your inventory ready to be re-equiped. No need to retrace your steps back, instead continue on to your destination with the only thing lost being an Axe...or look at it as 1 Twig and 1 Flint. 

Wouldn't it be easier to just keep the spare axe in your inventory, allow Lucy to be dropped after going beaver, and then when you transform back far away from her, chop with the new axe which will then transform into Lucy? This seems easier to me, but I guess there both pretty much the same strategy.

[LuxuryHeart]

On 4/24/2017 at 1:57 AM, JohnnyTwoShirts said:

 

So you want to play Woodie but you aren’t quite sure what to expect of him. When I started it was difficult to find some tips on how to get the most out of this character. Since I couldn’t find what I was looking for I just did my own trial runs to study his abilities. Finally I am at a place where I feel I understand the character I thought I would put a quick guide together to get right to the point.

 

Pros:

-  Begins with an axe that has unlimited use and allows him to chop at a faster speed than any other character.

-  Has a beard that gives him a little extra insulation during those cold days

-  Can control his Sanity by planting Pinecones and Birchnuts

-  Receives longer loyalty period to certain followers

 

As you can see Woodie is a great character; he can gather resources very quickly as well as having great control over his sanity. However, I am sure you are reading this to learn more about this Werebeaver Form. This so called curse can intimidate someone from using the character at all. At first it may seem daunting but with understanding of how it works you can make the most out of this, so lets get into it.

 

WHEN DOES HE TURN?

 

Log Meter - When your log meter reaches 25 you will be forced into Werebeaver form. This meter goes down by chopping wood - this is easy to see right from the get go, but be aware that the meter goes down a bit overtime regardless of your actions. A new player may find themselves transforming randomly while not chopping any trees, but maybe mining or just walking around, this is most likely the reason. You can control this meter by eating logs to raise it; also, when you return to human form from Werebeaver, the log meter goes back to 100

**Tip -  Keep an eye on your log meter and have a log supply on you that you can eat to help keep yourself above 25

 

Full Moon - During a full moon Woodie is forced into Werebeaver form. During this time if you are not prepared you can be very vulnerable. His Sanity will go down at an escalated rate as it always does BUT during the full moon his log meter also constantly runs down. Be aware that if that meter reaches zero you will go into starvation mode and your health will lower. A combination of this and shadows creatures attacking you from inevitable insanity can result in a fast death.

**Tip - Be aware of the moon cycles so you know when a full moon is arriving. I like to have a Full Moon safety kit at my base that I set aside for this occasion. This consists of a stack or two of logs on the ground as well as a stack of pinecones I put in my inventory. When I turn I use some of the time to do some quick chomping of resources (make the best out of the situation) and when ready to go back to human form I return to the stack of logs and eat them until my meter gets back to 100. Pick up the stack and continue eating the logs for the rest of the night; if you aren’t careful you will return to Werebeaver form since the meter will continue falling down until the full moon is over. Remember to plant those Pinecones to bring your sanity back up and get those shadow creatures off your back. 

 

WHAT HAPPENS IN WEREBEAVER FORM?

 

In this form you will immediately drop your axe Lucy as well as Equipment being worn (not backpack) and your Sanity will drop at an escalated rate. You will not have access to your map or inventory.

 

You Will Gain 

-Night Vision (making you immune to being killed from darkness)

-Speed Increase

-Damage Deduction 

-Thermal Deduction (you can still freeze to death)

-You will have universal Tool Actions. Allowing you to Chop down trees, Shovel up resources, and Hammer down materials, and Mine minerals. 

 

Each one of these Tool Actions will raise your log meter a little and you will stay in Werebeaver form until the meter is back to 100. (Remember you can also eat logs to change yourself back faster)

 

TIPS - This is just my play style, and the use of Werebeaver can of course be used in many ways once you understand how it works. -

 

Fighting --  I don’t use Werebeaver to fight. He looks powerful but his attack isn’t great and his damage deduction does not make him a tank. Your inventory is not accessible so you cannot heal. you are better off armored and weaponized as Woodie. I would recommend if anything using the speed of Werebeaver to kite a mob to Allies or Followers. 

 

Nightmare Fuel  -- You can use this form to bring you to instant insanity and farm nightmare fuel.

 

Resurrection -- If you die in this form your ghost will also not be able to see the map, making finding resurrection point difficult, and when you do resurrect, you will still be Werebeaver. 

 

Gathering -- Use this form as a way to clear out areas very fast, when back to human gather you can gather materials. Be prepared and have a plan while inducing this form. Keep Pinecones on you and Logs on the ground so in a crunch you can turn back immediately and then plant pinecones to get rid of any shadow creatures you may have attracted while insane.

 

Sanity --  Before inducing Werebeaver form on yourself make sure your sanity is high. This form will drain it fast, and there is nothing worse than trying to hack down all the materials while being attacked by shadow creatures. Having high sanity before hand gives you more time to do your work without being interrupted.

 

Ruins -- Caves can be a great source for crockpot Veggies. Bring your Pinecones and Logs to a cave, go full Beaver and that Night Vision will allow you to explore the cave fast while chopping down countless mushroom trees. Keep an eye on that Log Meter so you don’t transform stranded; or make sure you have a light source available right away, last thing you want is to transform and be stuck in a dark cave being killed by Charlie. 

 

Emergencies -- Werebeaver can be used as for an emergency situation. Say you find yourself starving at its getting dark but you can’t make a fire (probably not a situation you would want to put yourself in in the first place, but things happen) chop trees until you turn to Werebeaver. You will be immune to your human hunger and the night will no longer affect you. Spend the time running to find a food source, wait for day and transform back, eat, then go get Lucy. It can be a good habit to mantain the log meter around 50 if you want to have this option quicly available; that way when these situations arise you can turn in a crunch

 

Treeguards  -- As Woodie you are bound to run across a Treeguard very frequently. Use that to your advantage. Since he will catch their attention so fast and you will be prepared with Pinecones anyways, they are easy to appease by planting them. Treeguards can be great for taking on enemies like Clockwork Rooks who will pummel trees down in their attacks. Soon enough there will be a battle between the Treeguard and the Rooks (Treeguard will win) and you can collect those precious gears.

 

I hope this helps anyone that may want to play Woodie. He is a fun character, great for those that hate the agony of dealing with insanity or the slow task of gathering resources. Just make sure you know how the Werebeaver form works, keep an eye on that log meter and those full moons and you will be just fine. As I continue playing I will try to update for some more tips and I encourage anyone else to add onto this. I know I still have a lot to learn about him, so lets give Woodie some love.

Oh Jesus Christ!  Could you make it any tinier?  There, I fixed it.

[FTR]

As someone who mains Woodie - exellent tips.

 

That's pretty much all you need to know to play Woodie properly, there is just few minor things I would add:

- It's very important to remember that you NEED to have stack of pine cones in your inventory at all time, because you never know what can happen and when you may need some quick sanity boost, you need to be prepared. I know JohnnyTwoShirts mentioned this, but it's just so important so I have to repeat that.

- When your log meter is getting low, it's recommended to find forest (or use forest you planted yourself) and go crazy in beaver form. You don't actually need to eat any logs ever and just go beaver whenever you need. If you find forest dense enough, you won't even lose that much sanity from doing that, but you will gain a lot of logs.

- Planting your own forests is actually really important. You will do it anyway to restore sanity, so you may as well plant them in big density and close to your camp. It's recommended to plant trees in smaller groups in summer because you know.. fire.

- If you aren't afraid of shadow monsters and know how to handle them, don't be afraid to go all-night beaver at full moon. You can gain insane amounts of logs if you do it. You can easily restore your sanity afterwards with your stack of pine cones which you, hopefully, prepared.

Even tho. it's not recommended to eat logs, it all depends of situation. So don't be shy to just skip going beaver phase by nomming logs if you have more of them that you can ever use. I should also mention you can eat living logs as well, for huge +50 logmeter boost.

[raoglu]

Very nice guide and helpful but it still proves Woodie is weaker. His chopping ability is good but mining is not, in addition Woodie isn't getting any pine cones or logs while mining and mining capability is slow. Pine cones are good for sanity but first you need to collect them :). Beaver mod is also risky if something bad happens, like hound attack or tree guard spawning. Log meter is another issue, when you don't want to chop you have to eat logs you chopped. Full moon event can be fatal if you are not prepared well on harsh seasons or before boss fight. One way chopping ability also making him to play a little boring. A comprehensive guide with any character chopping trees with pigs can be as well as Woodie's.

[FTR]

2 hours ago, raoglu said:

Very nice guide and helpful but it still proves Woodie is weaker. His chopping ability is good but mining is not, in addition Woodie isn't getting any pine cones or logs while mining and mining capability is slow. Pine cones are good for sanity but first you need to collect them :). Beaver mod is also risky if something bad happens, like hound attack or tree guard spawning. Log meter is another issue, when you don't want to chop you have to eat logs you chopped. Full moon event can be fatal if you are not prepared well on harsh seasons or before boss fight. One way chopping ability also making him to play a little boring. A comprehensive guide with any character chopping trees with pigs can be as well as Woodie's.

Weaker? Weaker than what? I don't think anyone is trying to say Woodie is better than xxx character, they just point out how to use Woodie strenghts and have some fun playing him.

And most of drawbacks you pointed out are not big issue if you are prepared and/or know how to behave.

[Doomzyler]

You forgot that his attack is stronger in beaver form 

[Toros]

On 5/8/2017 at 7:07 AM, FTR said:

Weaker? Weaker than what? I don't think anyone is trying to say Woodie is better than xxx character, they just point out how to use Woodie strenghts and have some fun playing him.

And most of drawbacks you pointed out are not big issue if you are prepared and/or know how to behave.

Woodie is definitely one of the more complex characters to play optimally and even then is not in the top half of characters in terms of power, and his werebeaver form is wonky in design.  Armor and damage makes it too poor for a combat form and really just is for mass log harvesting at the cost of sanity, which is easily gotten back up with pinecones.

 

Unfortunately, maxwell does his role better.

53 minutes ago, Doomzyler said:

You forgot that his attack is stronger in beaver form 

No, it's not.  His attack in beaver form is pitiful.

[HamBatter]

There are some cases where controlled harvesting is useful.

Seems like the only trees where he's really useful with are Birchnuts, Mushtrees, and Sporecaps.

[Fork]

Since Woodie has 0 sanity issues thanks to pine cones, there are some things you should consider when playing him.

1. Never pick flowers. You shouldn't do this as any character tbh but especially not as Woodie.

2. Don't make fancy clothes for the purpose of sanity restoration.

3. Never sleep, unless it's for the purpose of healing.

4. You can eat cooked monster meat freely at the cost of 3 hp per meat, which has helped me survive several times in a pinch when joining servers late in the game.

5. Create an army of treants. While chopping you are sure to create one or two before winter hits. Lead them to an isolated area away from your forest, and plant pinecones close to them to appease them. When Deerclops comes, have him use his AoE attack next to your army and they will fight for you.