Jump to content

Help for beginners?


Recommended Posts

I and my friend started to play DST and we have a few problem.

First off this is how our base mostly is:

  • science machine (sometimes alchemy engine)
  • fire pit
  • few plants
  • 2 chests

with this setup we reached day 20 once, just to get fu**ed by winter (too cold)

Our death included:

  • Treeguard (multiple times)
  • accidentally burned down base
  • hunger
  • cold
  • hounds (we can protect us from hounds now)

we don't know how to get better, especially with the treeguards. I also think that our base is bad. So I would like a few tips for beginners.

Also, I don't really know which characters we should pick.

We tried :

  • Williow and Wilson
  • Wickerbottom and WX
  • Wickerbottom and Winona
  • Maxwell and WX
  • WX and Webber

My friend really likes Webber now but I don't have a character that stuck with me really well (I played the characters that I listed first). Maybe a description of us could help. I really like exploring, crafting and combat and my friend likes to gather the materials.

Also, I think we do stuff a bit inefficient.  We put up a camp directly at our spawn point and I don't think that is very good.

Do you suggest any mods for us?

So thanks for the help I get.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can understand your issue with treeguards. I got so fed up with them when I first started DS that I used to have them turned off. Best way to avoid certain death by them is to learn their attack pattern and kite them. Worst case scenario, planting pinecones with the treeguard nearby will pacify them to go back into hiding. (Keep in mind that they are still there, just sleeping, and will go back to attacking if you start chopping a tree again.) This trick is nice if you need to quickly deal with something else, like an incoming hound attack.

Also, welcome to the forums :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Until you learn how to kite them, you can also just lead a treeguard to pigs, who will automatically attack it and draw its aggro away from you. Of course, they also auto-attack Webber, so he’ll have difficulty with this or anything else to do with pigs. 

the thing you really need, though, is a crockpot so that you can make better meals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Run far away from treeguards, wait for them to become neutral. Other option, befriend a pig, let him attack the treeguard, don't attack the treeguard again, and the treeguard will become neutral. Plant pinecone near the treeguard, the treeguard have a chance to become neutral.

When you'll be more confident, you can try to fight a treeguard with a spear and armor. Hit twice, retreat a little, avoid the treeguard attack, repeat.

 

There are many options for bases. My favorites are usually close to a point of interest but not too close so i'm quiet. For example : near a swamp (source of food because merm, spider and tentacle fight each others), near a pig village (useful for cutting tree), near beefalo (manure), a sinkhole not too far (but far enough so bats don't come in your camp).

Again, you shouldn't be TOO close of theses because they could be hostile to you.

 

There are others options of course, and i'm not the best player, so some could be better, especially depending your playstyle. I know some people like the desert, for example.

 

You can try to play wolfgang (good for fighting, but will require food), or Winona (pretty neutral, but she could be great the time you learn exactly how to play and how to manage things so downsides of others characters are easier to manage).

 

If a day you manage to make a beebox, don't put it too close to your camp, bee will become agressive in spring.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello, welcome to the forums, there's no need to feel bad about your base or your gameplay, you'll get better with experience. Let me give you sime tips and data:

If you want to get better: no mods.

I reccomend playing with a balanced player as Wilson or Winona to learn the basics of the game and get experience.

You should spent the first days exploring the map to learn where is everything you will need and to gather important resources (gold, wood, gears, flint, rocks), you can find plenty of food this way and from many sources: harvesting berry bushes and hunting (moles, catcoons, globbers). Also, this is really useful to choose where to settle down your base, I preffer in the center of the map, near everything; near beefalos for protection from hounds and fertilizer or near pigs for protection, fertilizer and gold from pig king.

When building base these should be your priorities:

Firepit, crockpots, fridge, alchemy machine. These arent very important but you may make them to improvise: sleeping tent, a 20 grass farm, a 20 twigs farm, 20 berries farm (you can shovel plants, replant and fertilize them) and improvised food farms, 4 is good.

 

You can defeat treeguards easily by kiting (hit 2-3 times, run and repeat) since they are really slow, using a spear and some cheap armor helps.

 

For winter you are good with a winter hat and a heat stone which slows freezing, also you can avoid freezing while exploring by burning stuff with a torch and staying close for a moment near the fire. If you run out of food you can mine icebergs and make recipes from it (1  vegetable + 3 ice = rattatouile, 1 meat + 3 ice = meatballs).

If you need more tips you can watch some guides at youtube and visit the Dont Starve Together wiki for good information, but I dont reccomend this since it slays the fun of learning and discovering yourself new stuff.

Have a nice day and don't starve.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What I usually do in the early game is:
-Don't build a base until middle or end of the first season and instead map out the map to know where everything is and live off the land. (Berries, carrots, seeds (Never underestimate seeds... unless you are Wigfrid), etc.).
-Build a base wherever you like to have one. Doesn't matter too much. Personally I like to base close-ish to pig king.
-Tree guards are slow. If you can't fight them, just outrun them. (They are ez to fight though compared to other enemies, just take your time and try to learn it.)
-ALWAYS wear armor while fighting. Armor like log suits or football helmets make you survive 5 times as many hits as without. (That's a LOT.)
-It doesn't matter much which character you chose. Just take one you think you like. If you can survive with one character you can survive with all of them.
-Make sure you have a small base and either clothing or a thermal stone by the beginning of winter. (Day 21)
-Be prepared to hunt Deerclops by day 30 by having a few weapons,  some armor and food items ready to go, and be ready to run when you hear him. (To prevent him from spawning near your base.)
-Always have fun playing :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 minutes ago, Daniel86268 said:

What I usually do in the early game is:
-Don't build a base until middle or end of the first season and instead map out the map to know where everything is and live off the land. (Berries, carrots, seeds (Never underestimate seeds... unless you are Wigfrid), etc.).
-Build a base wherever you like to have one. Doesn't matter too much. Personally I like to base close-ish to pig king.
-Tree guards are slow. If you can't fight them, just outrun them. (They are ez to fight though compared to other enemies, just take your time and try to learn it.)
-ALWAYS wear armor while fighting. Armor like log suits or football helmets make you survive 5 times as many hits as without. (That's a LOT.)
-It doesn't matter much which character you chose. Just take one you think you like. If you can survive with one character you can survive with all of them.
-Make sure you have a small base and either clothing or a thermal stone by the beginning of winter. (Day 21)
-Be prepared to hunt Deerclops by day 30 by having a few weapons,  some armor and food items ready to go, and be ready to run when you hear him. (To prevent him from spawning near your base.)
-Always have fun playing :D

Omg did u just spoil him about the Deerclops?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Webber can get rid of treeguards without fighting as well, just keep any kind of meat with you and whenever you spawn treeguards, go to your nests area and befriend some of the spiders, now let the treeguards follow you wherever you want to ditch them, and then attack the treeguard once and run away. The treeguard's attention will focus on spiders, and forget about you.
The other option as it was mentioned in previous posts is to kill them kiting, it may seem daunting at first but once you get to know their patterns, they are incredibly slow and easy to defeat, just remember that before every fight with any enemy you should always have at least one piece of armor.

-The solution to hunger is to have crock pots, and learn a few recipes. I went from surviving 25 days to 100+ when I learned how to use crock pots foods. You could get a mod that tells you the recipes until you learn them. Once you have a science machine try to aim to make at least one crock pot, and start making cooked foods.
-The solution to winter is to have insulation (at least a winter hat) and some wood for campfires. Try to shave beefalos as soon as possible, it will not only provide you with a decent hat in winter, but it's also a good fuel to feed your campfires during winter.

Webber is a great starting character, I learned to play as him: once you learn to make spider wars, you can't really die of hunger again.
A decent and easier alternative to this is Wendy, just learn how to summon Abigail, and go kill spiders with Abigail once a day. You can turn monster meat into meatballs easily. Abigail will help you defend from the early hound waves as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Bananasplit said:

I and my friend started to play DST and we have a few problem.

First off this is how our base mostly is:

  • science machine (sometimes alchemy engine)
  • fire pit
  • few plants
  • 2 chests

with this setup we reached day 20 once, just to get fu**ed by winter (too cold)

Our death included:

  • Treeguard (multiple times)
  • accidentally burned down base
  • hunger
  • cold
  • hounds (we can protect us from hounds now)

we don't know how to get better, especially with the treeguards. I also think that our base is bad. So I would like a few tips for beginners.

Also, I don't really know which characters we should pick.

We tried :

  • Williow and Wilson
  • Wickerbottom and WX
  • Wickerbottom and Winona
  • Maxwell and WX
  • WX and Webber

My friend really likes Webber now but I don't have a character that stuck with me really well (I played the characters that I listed first). Maybe a description of us could help. I really like exploring, crafting and combat and my friend likes to gather the materials.

Also, I think we do stuff a bit inefficient.  We put up a camp directly at our spawn point and I don't think that is very good.

Do you suggest any mods for us?

So thanks for the help I get.

Keep your pinecones.  Treeguards come if you cut too many trees without planting pinecones.  Planting about 2-4 pinecones will make him docile.  Another good thing would be if the hounds comes.  That way you can lead them to the treeguard and he'll attack them.  After that, he won't go after you at all.

Keep torches out of the base if possible.  If it's night, just put some stuff in the firepit and then replace the torch with something else or unequip.

I can give you advice.  How about using traps on spiders?  If you use 1 spider meat with berries, veggies, and ice, then you can make meatballs.  If desperate in Winter, use 1 spider/rabbit meat with 3 ice to make a meatball on the crock pot.

You have to prepare for Winter.  I would make an Alchemy Engine and then make a thermal stone (10 rocks, 3 flint, and a pickax).  After that, I would make some traps to catch spiders and hope for 8 silk.  After you get 8 silk, shave some Beefalo (torch and razor to shave at night) for 8 fur and then use the Alchemy Engine to make a Winter Hat.  The thermal stone should heat up and then you'll travel for a while.  Now it's not the best gear you can get, but it's simple and doesn't use a lot of resources.  

The best combo with Webber is Wendy.  Though Wendy is generally for gathering a lot of resources and fighting mobs.  The best at exploring and combat is Wigfrid or Wolfgang.  I recommend Wigfrid though since Wolfgang needs a lot of food.  Also, Wigfrid gets health from hitting enemies.  The only problem is her meat only diet, but you can fish (2 silk and 2 twigs for fishing rod with Science Machine), make traps for spiders and frogs, etc.  Lots of easy ways to get meat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, LuxuryHeart said:

I can give you advice.  How about using traps on spiders?

Better advice: Never do this. It's a waste of effort and resources when you could just craft a spear and fight them yourself. Spiders are one of the easiest mobs to kite in the game, so fighting them is a good way to learn the combat system. When there's a lone spider, you can simply hold F to stunlock them to death. When there are multiple, you can press F once to attack the closest spider, then back away until their attack animation is over, then go back in for another attack, and repeat until they're dead. Don't attack them on the webbing, by the way, since that will cause spider warriors to come out.

And no, it's not okay to give them advice like this because they're a beginner. You're crippling them in the long run by making them think combat is scary and you have to find ways around it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, JellyUltra said:

And no, it's not okay to give them advice like this because they're a beginner. You're crippling them in the long run by making them think combat is scary and you have to find ways around it.

Meh. I know this is chapter and verse for some longtime players, but I think it’s fine.  I played the game for quite a while before learning to kite properly and often made it to 400 days that way, and this was in DS, where revival is much less of an option. It wasn’t “crippling,” although eventually I did broaden my range of options for dealing with enemies. The fact that you can use guile instead of brute force to kill them is one of the game’s charms.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For new players I strongly recommend you follow this general pattern for early in the game.

 

Days 1-7:

Exploring the edge of the map, using torches and just foraging for food (berries, seeds, etc).  You'll want to gather basic resources (flint, sticks, logs, grass, gold, stone) and you should make a science machine once you find gold and craft:

-Shovel

-Spear

-Log suit

-Backpack

-Hammer (you don't need a science machine for this, and if you find a touch stone hammer the pigheads for 8 free pig skins before building a science machine)

If you find a lot of gold and stone you can pre-build an alchemy engine at your science machine, then hammer down the science machine to get half the resources back.

The best place for new players to base is the oasis, which is a grassy patch in the desert without the tumbleweeds.  If you need sanity you can wear a log suit and pick cactuses, which will only do 1 damage and cooked cactus flesh gives 15 sanity each.

By about day 15 at the latest you'll have found your base and should start preparing for winter

In your base you'll want at a minimum:

-Alchemy engine

-Lightning rod

-2 or more crockpots

-Firepit

-Chests

(Optional but recommended)

-Birdcage (with bird, caught with a bird trap)

-Fridge

You can learn to kite treeguards and spiders, and breaking a "level 3" (three bumps) spider nest gives you an egg sack.  You'll want at least 2 spider nests 3 screens away from your base to farm the spiders for silk and monster meat.

Monster meat can be used with 3 ice in a crockpot for meatballs, or you can cook it and feed it to your bird for eggs.  Eggs are nice for befriending pigmen, trading for gold with the pigking, and can make Bacon and Eggs, which is a stong and long-lasting food dish.

A heat rock and a Winter hat is sufficent to survive winter, and you can use a sewing kit on the heat rock to repair it.

If you have accomplished all this the only real barrier for you is going to be deerclops, who is essentially fought in the same way as a treeguard.  I recommend practicing fighting them solo in fall by spawning them.  You can access the console by pressing "~" and the command to spawn deerclops is (no quotes) "c_spawn(deerclops,1)" with 1 being the quantity.  To spawn a treeguard replace "deerclops" with "leif".

That should be enough for now.  Spring and Summer have their own challenges but feel free to PM me when you beat winter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

alright I got  this

  • eat mushrooms all of them just shove them in your mouth with no regard what so ever
  • make sure to always fully stoke a campfire and leave your belongings there warms them up really useful for winter
  • torches are the best for fleeing have something following you that you don't want just whack it with a torch
    works 100 percent of the time
  • everything is a weapon
  • eat meat raw that sanity damage is good for monsters
  • red caps are the best mushroom
  • the swamp is a safe haven
  • overheating is really hard to do
  • get the SW character mod
  • play Warly
     
    Spoiler

    the best tips

    Spoiler

    eat your breakfast

    Spoiler

    get a good sleep

    Spoiler

    and don't follow any of this advice unless you want too :p

     

     

     

     

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, cezarica said:

The Oasis is the only place (above ground that is) where there's no smoldering thus stuff doesn't catch fire in Summer. The downside is that you have to equip Desert Goggles in Summer cos of desert storm.

Not sure if you were answering my question but how is this supposed to help or be a recommended place for someone who is asking about tips for the beginning of the game and surviving winter?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh sorry, guess didn't read the full sentence. Honestly I would not camp in Oasis for two reasons: no tumbleweeds and sand storms in summer, if he reaches it but then that's the last of his concerns.

Instead I would make a small settlement close to frogs ponds to catch them with traps and fish. Build a few dry racks and you will have food to last you for a while. Farms are the best way to stockpile and save food that won't go waste for winter, so wouldn't hurt if have a few of those as well. Spring is your friend as stuff in farms grow faster but Summer is farms worst enemy as they wither and catch fire if not "protected" (will leave you to learn the mechanics so won't spoil stuff).

Winter is bad too cos farms grow so slow that isn't worth relying of them for food, nor on ponds cos after like 1-2 days are solid frozen.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, cezarica said:

Oh sorry, guess didn't read the full sentence.

No problem!
I don't see how the oasis could be a good place to camp for beginner or advanced player even if I know the utility of that place in the summer, but imho an outpost is sufficient.
Of course I am open to discussion and I'm pretty sure I still have a lot to learn about the game!
I think the "best place" depends on your character choice and the way you play!

The best advice I can give to new players on public server is to not be afraid to ask questions, there are always experienced players willing to help! At least this is how I felt when I was a noob ^^ (saying that yesterday a couple of players burned their base to the ground because they did not want to share it with new players...)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wouldn’t recommend the Oasis either, mostly because it tends to be far from other resources and there usually isn’t a wormhole. You’d have to truck in all your grass, berry bushes, etc., which might be a bit much of a beginner. It’s great for a summer base if for some reason you don’t just spend summers the caves where you don’t have to worry about overheating or plants shriveling up. But I still think building a cave base is much easier than dealing with fishing and goggles and feeding/killing Antlion. Only come back to your surface base at twilight or night and you never need to worry about flingos.

A central location, especially if it’s not too far from the desert, seems like a good choice. If you don’t get around to grass and twig farms, you can always hit up the tumbleweeds. I would also strongly recommend basing near a wormhole, ideally one leading to a thick forest. When Deerclops starts groaning, you can just jump through it and he’ll be far from your base, where you can deal with him at your leisure. If there are a lot of trees on the other side you can lead him around so he knocks them down to get you wood and spawns enough treeguards to kill him. He can also kill spiders for you. Or you can just leave him there until he respawns. When I was new at the game, I’d just freak out over Deerclops and trying to get everything I needed from the base before running off to get him to spawn away from it. The wormhole really helps with that.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, JellyUltra said:

Better advice: Never do this. It's a waste of effort and resources when you could just craft a spear and fight them yourself. Spiders are one of the easiest mobs to kite in the game, so fighting them is a good way to learn the combat system. When there's a lone spider, you can simply hold F to stunlock them to death. When there are multiple, you can press F once to attack the closest spider, then back away until their attack animation is over, then go back in for another attack, and repeat until they're dead. Don't attack them on the webbing, by the way, since that will cause spider warriors to come out.

And no, it's not okay to give them advice like this because they're a beginner. You're crippling them in the long run by making them think combat is scary and you have to find ways around it.

It's 6 grass and 2 twigs.  It's not that deep dude.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Mukawama said:

No problem!
I don't see how the oasis could be a good place to camp for beginner or advanced player even if I know the utility of that place in the summer, but imho an outpost is sufficient.
Of course I am open to discussion and I'm pretty sure I still have a lot to learn about the game!
I think the "best place" depends on your character choice and the way you play!

The best advice I can give to new players on public server is to not be afraid to ask questions, there are always experienced players willing to help! At least this is how I felt when I was a noob ^^ (saying that yesterday a couple of players burned their base to the ground because they did not want to share it with new players...)

Oasis is ideal for a new player for several reasons.  First, they struggle with sanity and cactus is both a good source and grows year round.

Second, a new player probably wants to experience summer content/get the summer blueprints and instead of having to build an outpost they can have their base right there.

Third, the lack of smouldering means you don't need total flingo coverage on your base, and rarely do new players have a surplus of gears or a compact base.

Forth, new players rarely use the caves so they'll need to deal with antlion vs ignore them.  Getting desert stones naturally incentivizes either doing a ruins trip or fighting firefly for orange gems.

4 hours ago, Rellimarual said:

I wouldn’t recommend the Oasis either, mostly because it tends to be far from other resources and there usually isn’t a wormhole. You’d have to truck in all your grass, berry bushes, etc., which might be a bit much of a beginner. It’s great for a summer base if for some reason you don’t just spend summers the caves where you don’t have to worry about overheating or plants shriveling up. But I still think building a cave base is much easier than dealing with fishing and goggles and feeding/killing Antlion. Only come back to your surface base at twilight or night and you never need to worry about flingos.

A central location, especially if it’s not too far from the desert, seems like a good choice. If you don’t get around to grass and twig farms, you can always hit up the tumbleweeds. I would also strongly recommend basing near a wormhole, ideally one leading to a thick forest. When Deerclops starts groaning, you can just jump through it and he’ll be far from your base, where you can deal with him at your leisure. If there are a lot of trees on the other side you can lead him around so he knocks them down to get you wood and spawns enough treeguards to kill him. He can also kill spiders for you. Or you can just leave him there until he respawns. When I was new at the game, I’d just freak out over Deerclops and trying to get everything I needed from the base before running off to get him to spawn away from it. The wormhole really helps with that.

 

You'll need to truck in berry bushes and grass and twigs anyway, and the primary purpose of the bushes is to provide rot for the grass.

Central location is never a bad strategy, but the only resource you can't move or get abundantly elsewhere is reeds.  Oasis bases are just a simple way to make two challenges of summer (antlion management and smouldering) much easier.  A new player who can survive winter has all spring (wetness drains sanity too) to prepare for the summer.

Basing near MacTusk is nice until everyone has a tam and a cane, at which point it's not needed ever again.  Pig king is nice but when you have three stacks of gold you won't be visiting him again for in game years.  Even reeds can be questionably necessary unless you play wicker or like night armor.

@LuxuryHeart learning to kite is essential, and wasting materials on normal spiders makes things harder for newbies.  I personally use a trap for the warrior spider that comes out when you're clearing a level 3 nest but that's so I don't need to tank anything and save some time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Toros said:

Oasis is ideal for a new player for several reasons

Just a recall that in the original post he did not mention any issue/death related to sanity or ask for advice about it so maybe we are going a little off topic but you are right that sanity is frequently a problem for "new players".
However, at least in the way I play, I dont think that the presence of cactus justify to built the base in the oasis, of course cooked cactus flesh are cheap and great but I prefer to teach beginner to use wisely the sanity boost when you craft something for the first time, sleeping, top hat... By the way I am curious how long you can rely on cactus in winter when you are 3-4 players!

About your other points I think the biggest (and maybe only) disagreement is about the definition of "new players".
Bananasplit was talking about day 20... He does not survive winter and you are advising him the oasis because you think it is the best place for the summer?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Please be aware that the content of this thread may be outdated and no longer applicable.

×
  • Create New...