Wilson is bland and unenjoyable to play

[RubLog6]

This thread has decent arguments all around.

I play Wilson A LOT. I like Wilson as is, I enjoy playing a bland character without any abilities.

I'm not against additions and improvements, but I'd be really sad if everything Wilson has going for him right now was removed for something else. What he has right now already, I like it. Love it, in fact.

Someone a while back here pitched their wilson skilltree idea and it was quite enthralling.

Just this week I was playing Wilson and I was thinking Wilson could definitely get some improvements. Such as being able to craft nitre torches so you can stay cool on the go.  Perhaps make torches refuelable (well this isnt necessary, since they're cheap) by Wilson and tossed AND held torches give heating/cooling effect in a radius. Ultimately, a Wilson player who goes out of their way to farm/collect lots of resources should be able to reap the benefits moreso than other characters. Thereby promoting a playstyle of not camping at base as a newbie.

Edited Sunday at 06:52 PM by RubLog6

[AliceShiki]

47 minutes ago, Mike23Ua said:

So TL:DR- Tents, Spears, Wooden Suits, Miner Hat, Meat Effigy, Nautopilot should all be items you’ll find when you click on Wilson’s Head Icon in the crafting tab to see what all items your survivor knows how to craft.

I actually like the idea of Spear/Tent/Log Suit being available to Wilson at the start. I wouldn't even mind if they were items Wilson started with, in fact.

Not sure I would like the rest, but I like this idea, overall.

41 minutes ago, RubLog6 said:

Such as being able to craft nitre torches so you can stay cool on the go.

I definitely agree with Endothermic Torches being a great addition!

41 minutes ago, RubLog6 said:

tossed AND held torches give heating/cooling effect in a radius.

This too. It's honestly weird that this isn't the case already.

This is the kind of thing I was kinda arguing with Cruvimaster about. I don't think there is anything wrong with Wilson gaining more power like what those suggestions are giving. I just think he should remain simple.

[Walrusst]

We've spent so long with most of the flavor being in two late game crisis and the skill trees that the intrigue heading into the game has largely revolved around these two subjects with new items in obscure and hard to reach content islands often being too difficult to integrate into a normal playthrough being the only exception since goals that require 14-30 days attending to a static goal that isn't the main story is effectively content that only eccentric trivia hoarders are going to touch (See: The larger than average tree enjoyers.)

Effectively, the base kits been orphaned for a long time and we are only starting to climb back up with the growing value of tools like the morning star getting elevated in interest, being able to advance prior to your ruins rush, moon island alter, or shadow manipulator is whats addicted people to these skill trees that allow you to quickly get your feet on the ground as any hambat alternative people can get they show positive addictions to.

Its at the point of like. How do we make prestihatitator/alchemy engine level gameplay more interesting? Are there enough orphaned items (Fencing sword/fire rod I can think of off the top of my head) that we can give life to again to fix this without bloating the game? Giving variety to this part of the game so player expression is less solely driven by insight wouldn't just benefit wilson, it would benefit everyone who wants to play another character without sticking to their cookie cutter anti-boss combat builds since there is joy to be had playing characters like walter, wormwood, and woody in builds that are somewhat nurturing and generous to their team instead of just being about contributing raw combat power to their team for the 10,000th dragonfly fight.

Raw power creep isn't the way here, just, making enough things worth experiencing that you can clearly look out and think "Yeah I can do something interesting making the trip to the swamp might be worth it!" As long as we respect the power cielings we have now at each tech level it shouldn't be too disruptive.

[MrsBoris]

I did 3 runs with skill tree wilson and the torch tree is better than the beard tree.

Edited Monday at 03:41 AM by MrsBoris

[GrapeVruit]

Tbh, I don't think the torch tree is all that bad. Having a light source that's cheap to make with a big light radius and solid duration is pretty convenient to have, especially since it saves me from having to go underground everytime I want to refuel. My only gripe with the branch is how you need to spend 7 skill points in order to get all the upgrades, which gives you less room for the more interesting alchemy or beard perks. The duration and light radius perks should be merged into 1, needing only 3 points to fully upgrade your torch.

[Wexton]

Stare into my eyes and tell me you would unironically play Wilson if his torch skill tree buffed lanterns instead of just playing WX who can get a permanent light source or Willow who gets a lighter that would still be the same + being a flamethrower.

That's right. You can't (Unless you're a very good liar).

His skill tree is basic and useless to the point it would need an entire overhaul to be remotely interesting to the people that want a "strong and unique character". Which is the main reason I play him now that every other character is so overpowered that it feels like cheating.

The only thing that I can think of that would make him offer something to the entire player base without ruining his simple kit for me and the 3 other people that still play him would be some kind of support gimmick that works exclusively to buff other players and not himself, using all that knowledge he has learned to help other characters or something.

Frame it as the rework update he never got and make it a part of his base kit and leave the skill tree untouched.

But oh well. Most likely I'll just have to deal with the upcoming "Skill Tree update 2.0" update series in 4 years and accept Wilson getting a "torch-machine-gun-inator" fueled with beard hair because "He's supposed to do science stuff!"

[Mike23Ua]

I’m just gonna drop this here and yeah y’all can disagree or debate on it amongst yourselves but.. SEVEN Skill points for a “Torch” Skill Tree, and yet it doesn’t even feature the Tragic Torch or the Enlightened Torch.

[Walrusst]

Honestly if we were going to do something crazy with wilson something that references adventure mode, and the other things we can't get from the don't starve universe in DST is where I'd go.

That way wilson being the survivor of the first game becomes a celebration of the game that started it all instead of just being a man who through precarious mastery of facial hair managed to learn how to not burn himself to death with a torch real good. Importantly, if you do add actual items that wilson lets us reach in a unique way, make it so wilson makes things that other people can be lent and allowed to use unlike most other insight items.

After all, a lot of the justification for wilson being so weak is that he gave everything that makes him special to the other people, the machines were his inventions afaik. Anything special about him should also be special because its shared.

Hell. You could make the inverse of this logically a wilson skill. Because he is a curious man of science he can figure out how to use the items of other characters with a penalty if they are given to him so long as they could be argued to be products of science, in the same way that maxwells easily able to steal magical items from a certain notable character. Unlike maxwell, wilson isn't threatening to obsolete anyone on our current roster as he would be indisputably the worst user of most items even if he was the second person who became able to use said items (As most character items start weak and get boosted by the characters insight tree,) and items that fit the "Products of science" description are quite rare on DST's roster of characters.
(Its even thematic that the science guy and the magic guy who made the portal that started this game would, in fact, have unique cross character synergies in their respective themes and fields.)

Edited Monday at 06:44 PM by Walrusst

[Mike23Ua]

I just want affinity unlocks where lunar grants the enlightened torch, shadow grants the tragic torch, Torch Toss now not only throws a torch to a certain location, but it also provides light and heat like a Winona Spotlight, a tossed Lunar Torch will spawn Gashalts to attack mobs in an AoE Radius around the torch, (like the annoying part of Celestial Champions boss fight where he spams them out after the player) while a Tragic Torch could be more like Wickerbottoms Shadow Tentacles… just please, if it’s going to cost 7 skill points to do Torch Toss make it actually interesting.

[Bumber64]

7 hours ago, Wexton said:

Stare into my eyes and tell me you would unironically play Wilson if his torch skill tree buffed lanterns

For just lanterns, no, but adding an endothermic torch would getting somewhere.

Beard boat.

[Hungry French]

This is the most unbroken character in the game. He's the best.

[Cheggf]

On 6/20/2026 at 3:23 AM, knner14 said:

I personally just really dont like a character thats designed to be dropped by players as soon as they get a handle on the game.

This is describing Wendy, not Wilson. Wilson is popular among new players and very experienced players. It's really just the middle of the road players that don't like him.

[lowercasename]

You know what, let's just talk about the Base Wilson (as in without skill tree and not the base Wilson playstyle) kit for a bit.

His main strength is "having no downsides" and "beard" though the former's just not that big of a thing with other characters having ways to mitigate theirs nowadays or having rather negligible ones, and the latter isn't meaningful enough.

The beard takes time to grow, only really helps with insulation and nothing else, and easy access for hair for Meat Effigy isn't really a big deal in DST, and even Wendy has something similar using rocks instead though locked behind skill points.
And also there's just no real reason to shave beard outside of summer.

So alright, what does the other "no/minimum downsides" characters has on their base kit?
Wickerbottom: No sleeping isn't that big of a deal with how powerful her books are, also she has free Science Machine crafting built into her.
Winona: Crafting hunger is only relevant early game, but otherwise later on her structures and faster crafting speed are very useful.
Willow: Faster cooking, fireproof, but freezes up faster. A character that actually relies on skill tree to be good compared to the base version.
WX: Better statlines all around and ignores temperatures, and only gets even better with insight and his unique circuits, wetness is only real downside without Eyebrella/Spring.
Wolfgang: As long as he doesn't stay mighty, he don't actually lose that much more hunger, and going mighty also lets him does stuff like chopping trees or mine faster.
Woodie: Wereforms even without insight are still plenty useful.

Other characters I didn't mention I feel like they have more meaningful downsides on their base kit though, especially stuff like Warly or Wes compared to even base Wilson.

Anyway looking at those stuff, why not just give Wilson: Faster cooking, resource collecting, crafting, built-in Science Machine, and more reason to shave with higher sanity modifier while beardless?

Edited Tuesday at 09:11 PM by lowercasename

[Mike23Ua]

2 hours ago, Hungry French said:

This is the most unbroken character in the game. He's the best.

If the intention of Wilson is to teach new players about functions of the game same as how picking Wes or Woodie with fast easy character kit access to Woodies Walking Cane or Wes’s Speedy Balloon will teach them the importance of movement speed items (thus they’ll seek walking canes later..) then Wilson flat out fails at his job tremendously.

Wilson maybe just slightly might teach the importance of light, and light radius but To be Honest, Willow does that already + a lot of other cool Stuff on top of that.

Literally the ONLY thing that I can think of that Wilson will teach a new player is how to conceal foods away in his man beard to hide it from Bunnymen. But that’s such a niche perk that I’m sure most newbies get attacked anyway.

Wes the *challenge Mode* character teaches a new player about Sanity, Water Floatation Vests, Lightning Protection, & Speed Boosts.

Wilson should have covered Meat Effigy, Backpacks, Tents, Weapon, Armor because these are things he has Experience in learning from Solo DS these are things the player playing as Wilson in Solo DS learn the importance of along the way when Maxwell literally spawns the set pieces in right in front of him and says “Here you Go Pal, try not to Die.”

But in DST this “Story Mode Tutorial” does not exist, yes DST has set pieces, but being a game about playing “Together” and being a sequel to Dont Starve, most people expect players to have some prior knowledge.

The thing is though, that a newbie gets to the character select screen and picks based on appearances & what looks most appealing.

When WES teaches newbies more about the game then WILSON does you know Klei messed up colossally on creating a newbie friendly starter character.

[Captain_Rage]

He already has a stranglehold of a chicken in his loadout image in DST. What more can you ask for?

[Walrusst]

It would be really funny if wilson alone could learn to wear a backback at the same time as a raincoat. Only a scholar like him knows what its like to have both storage and clothing together.

Not like, armor+backpack, but like, a vest and a backpack. Gentlemen scholars aren't known for their armor, but instead showing up to their definitely real institutions wearing clothes.

Edited Tuesday at 09:56 PM by Walrusst

[Hungry French]

2 hours ago, Mike23Ua said:

Если цель Уилсона — научить новых игроков пользоваться функциями игры, то же самое можно сказать и о выборе Уэса или Вуди с быстрым доступом к набору персонажа, который позволит им понять важность предметов, повышающих скорость передвижения (и тогда они будут искать трости для ходьбы). В таком случае Уилсон совершенно не справляется со своей задачей.

Возможно, Уилсон немного объясняет важность света и радиуса освещения, но, честно говоря, Уиллоу уже делает это, а также многое другое.

Единственное, чему, на мой взгляд, Уилсон может научить нового игрока, — это прятать еду в своей бороде, чтобы ее не нашли зайцы. Но это настолько специфический навык, что, я уверен, большинство новичков все равно будут атакованы.

Уэс, персонаж *режима испытаний*, обучает нового игрока тому, как использовать «Здравомыслие», жилеты для плавания, защиту от молний и ускорение.

Уилсону следовало бы прикрыть Мясное чучело, рюкзаки, палатки, оружие, Броню, потому что это те вещи, которым он научился у Solo DS. Игрок, играющий за Уилсона в Solo DS, понимает важность этих вещей по ходу игры, когда Максвелл буквально выкладывает заготовки прямо перед собой и говорит: “Держи, приятель, постарайся не умереть”.

Но в DST этого “Руководства по режиму истории” не существует, да, в DST есть набор элементов, но, поскольку это игра об игре “Вместе" и продолжение Dont Starve, большинство людей ожидают, что игроки должны обладать некоторыми предварительными знаниями.

Дело в том, что новичок попадает на экран выбора персонажа и выбирает его по внешнему виду и тому, что кажется наиболее привлекательным.

Когда WES рассказывает новичкам об игре больше, чем WILSON, становится ясно, что Клей колоссально облажался, создав стартового персонажа для новичков.

Wilson's goal in solo DS is to start a character with almost no special features and be first base character.
Wilson's goal in DST is this... Uh-huh...Well, like they just moved it from the DS and devalued it with the reworks of other characters and trees. 
Wilson's goal is to be a top 2 character by weakness.

Edited Tuesday at 11:17 PM by Hungry French