Don't Starve Hamlet is so much fun. [+550 days world]

[ElRichMC]

Hello everybody!

I'm new here. I've been reading a lot of discussions over the net about if Hamlet is a good or a bad experience. I would like to contribute to the discussions sharing my experience on the DLC after finally stopping my first aporkalypsis.

I've played Don't Starve Hamlet many times, but only three times I survived the lush season and reached the aporkalypsis. Surviving Hamlet was a harder task than beating any raid-boss on Don't Starve Together. It was so challenging in many crazy ways... On one of my last runs, just as I finished my nettle farm and was thinking about placing a lightning rod, I got "thunderstruck". This was just one of the many situations the game managed to beat me... but third time is the charm!

(Outside my base. There's a labyrinth made of block hedges below.)

This is where I am now. I've finished my world on day 568, with over 120 gunpowder on my base. I'm dealing 200dmg per hit. Who uses dark swords or supreme cutlass when you can just SHOT your enemies and deal a ton of damage? Thanks to this year's QoL update, farming nitre in Hamlet is way easier than before. I've been using a couple of living artifacts to farm meaty stews and clearing the jungles; the living artifact is so much fun. I also have farmed 40 coins of every type. It was a self-imposed goal, and now I have more than 4444 oincs. I'm kind of Rich in this run! I've built many farms around my base, and I've got a living mandrake pet. Ah! I also killed every boss blind. It was pretty hard not knowing what was going on in the fight against queen womant. I ran after having 3 scorpions, 2 nightmare creatures and some warrior termites attacking me. I'm so glad armor stacking is a thing in solo DS... Then, I checked the wiki, and..., of course, rabbit earmuffs—the most useless item—was suddenly useful.
 

(Inside my base. Getting 160 gold + 16 scales was pretty expensive: 1990 oincs.)

I'm confident to say that the ruins and slanty shanty building base are the most interesting parts. It's a weird mix between a dungeon crawler and a base builder but it works so well. Every time I heard this eerie theme, I was intrigued. What else was I going to find in the next rooms? I understand there could have been more features, and that some mechanics could have been more polished. For example, I don't quite understand some of the loot tables, and I think there should be some way to reset the ruins and the pots. I didn't manage to get a thulecite from a pot but I got every single coloured gem. There should've been a guaranteed ancient station somewhere deep in a dungeon. Luckily, I got my lazy explorer in a secret room. I hope Don't Starve solo gets more updates in the future or even a new DLC, there's still a lot of potential, but the Hamlet experience has been truly amazing for me.
 

(Day 260, I was so lucky to find that item on the secret room!)

If anyone reads this, share with me your Hamlet experience! Have you survived an aporkalypse too?

 P.S: This is a solo-Hamlet Wilson run. I've not travelled to Shipwrecked or Reign of Giants. I'm playing with these rules because it makes me discover and enjoy more features of Hamlet. I really recommend this gameplay choice.

(Clap clap clap )

[Nevotron]

The way i see it, Hamlet is an awesome experience due to having such a variety of original content, like biomes, mobs, items, ect. Not only that, but its vastly different from what there was in previous DLCs, especially when taking seasons into consideration. Of course the effects that they cause on a player are one thing but the fact that the lightbugs will turn from a uteral mobs into a deadl crowd of kiler beetles is something unique, becaues they make jungles even more dangerous. Speaking of which, the biomes in this DLC are quite unique. All of them are packed with lots of different creatures and fauna, which i find very world building. Then there's Aporkalypse and tbh i don't know how to feel about it. On one hand i find it intriguing, the whole concep of "world ending disaster" is cool but most of the time it felt like a pain in the ass, especially while having to go back to the clock ruins. I don't dislike it much but the Herald isn't really helping and don't gt me wrong, i like that boss. The fact that he just suddenly appears near you start going for the kill is scary but later all he can do, is startling me when he appears in the middle of my base. I know what he's supposed to be, i know what he's trying to do and i get his design. He's really cool but i feel as if he's not really at his full potential. I guess i would like him to be like a raid boss but then again this wouldn't fit to the theme. Either way, Aporkalypse doesn't take anything from the experience.

 

P.S.: Your base is cool. Also how did that mandrake get there?

[piratekingflcl]

Hamlet's amazing. I like that you can combine the feel of living off the land with the feeling of civilized society.

My most succesful Hamlet run started with an idea I had for a Snaptooth bait pen; Leafy Meat is a superfood when combined with the Crock Pot, since it counts for 1 Meat and has no Monster food property. The Nectar can also be turned into stacks of Honey with the Mant Hill, so Honey Ham becomes an all in one farm.

They also can double as efficient Mob farmers and Vampire Bat defenders.

I just end up using the excess Weevole Carapace as Crock Pot filler and End's Well tribute material. Speaking of which, the Vortex Cloak! This is like the coolest Boss drop in all of Don't Starve! I love it so much.

I'm curious what you choose to do for food and Vampire Bat defense? Also what do you put in your Root Trunks?

I am excited to see someone else who likes this DLC so much. It was such a great addition to Don't Starve!

[ElRichMC]

20 hours ago, Nevotron said:

The way i see it, Hamlet is an awesome experience due to having such a variety of original content, like biomes, mobs, items, ect. Not only that, but its vastly different from what there was in previous DLCs, especially when taking seasons into consideration. Of course the effects that they cause on a player are one thing but the fact that the lightbugs will turn from a uteral mobs into a deadl crowd of kiler beetles is something unique, becaues they make jungles even more dangerous. Speaking of which, the biomes in this DLC are quite unique. All of them are packed with lots of different creatures and fauna, which i find very world building. Then there's Aporkalypse and tbh i don't know how to feel about it. On one hand i find it intriguing, the whole concep of "world ending disaster" is cool but most of the time it felt like a pain in the ass, especially while having to go back to the clock ruins. I don't dislike it much but the Herald isn't really helping and don't gt me wrong, i like that boss. The fact that he just suddenly appears near you start going for the kill is scary but later all he can do, is startling me when he appears in the middle of my base. I know what he's supposed to be, i know what he's trying to do and i get his design. He's really cool but i feel as if he's not really at his full potential. I guess i would like him to be like a raid boss but then again this wouldn't fit to the theme. Either way, Aporkalypse doesn't take anything from the experience.

 

P.S.: Your base is cool. Also how did that mandrake get there?

I agree with you, the biomes are super unique and the mechanics and features around the new seasons are very interesting. I've lost many runs due to the killer beetles, now I always craft a Bug's Bgone before the first season starts. As for the mandrake I used a telelocator focus & telelocator staff, I've farmed a lot of nightmare fuel and purple gems in the End's Well so I've been using quite a lot the teleport mechanic. I remember on day 356 I forgot it was aporkalypse day and suddenly while I was chilling on my base the event started, my heart panicked I went inside home, I grabbed the telelocator staff, and in 15 seconds I was inside the aporkalypse calendar room, I was so glad I placed those 3 purple gems.



Herald should get a rework and achieve it's true potential so it can be added to Don't Starve Together, in my opinion is a very fitting boss for the latest DST update.

16 hours ago, piratekingflcl said:

Hamlet's amazing. I like that you can combine the feel of living off the land with the feeling of civilized society.

My most succesful Hamlet run started with an idea I had for a Snaptooth bait pen; Leafy Meat is a superfood when combined with the Crock Pot, since it counts for 1 Meat and has no Monster food property. The Nectar can also be turned into stacks of Honey with the Mant Hill, so Honey Ham becomes an all in one farm.

They also can double as efficient Mob farmers and Vampire Bat defenders.

I just end up using the excess Weevole Carapace as Crock Pot filler and End's Well tribute material. Speaking of which, the Vortex Cloak! This is like the coolest Boss drop in all of Don't Starve! I love it so much.

I'm curious what you choose to do for food and Vampire Bat defense? Also what do you put in your Root Trunks?

I am excited to see someone else who likes this DLC so much. It was such a great addition to Don't Starve!

That's an amazing farm you have there! It reminds me of this crazy farm I did:

 

As for the bat waves I simply gathered some pig guards and they did the work for me almost always! 

 

I really like the vortex cloak too but I got it after my krampus sack so I couldn't enjoy it on this run. You can see my root trunk contents on the second photo of the main post!