Don't Starve Together Beginner's Guide: Your First Night, Sanity, Seasons and Becoming a Ghost

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1. Start a world on Survival or Relaxed When creating a world you choose a playstyle. According to the wiki, in Relaxed you can't die from starvation, freezing, overheating or darkness, which makes it a good way to learn. Survival is the standard experience; in Wilderness you respawn somewhere random from scratch after dying. Relaxed or Endless is a good choice for your first world.
2. Day one: grass, twigs, flint Right away, pick up Flint from the ground, Twigs from saplings and Cut Grass from grass tufts. Grab carrots and berries if you see them. The map reveals itself as you move, so you'll know where to come back to; don't stay in one spot on day one, explore as you gather.
3. Craft an axe and a pickaxe According to the official wiki, an Axe takes 1 twig and 1 flint, and a Pickaxe takes 2 twigs and 2 flint. The axe gets you Logs; the pickaxe gets Rocks, Flint and, from some boulders, Gold Nuggets. Tools wear out with use, so carry a spare.
4. Prepare light at dusk Darkness is the number one killer of new players: stay in complete darkness and an unseen being called Charlie will hit you. According to the wiki, a Campfire takes 2 logs and 3 cut grass and a Torch takes 2 cut grass and 2 twigs. Light a fire as the screen starts to dim or keep a torch ready; a torch burns out quickly and won't last a long night.
5. Build a Science Machine A Science Machine takes 1 gold nugget, 4 logs and 4 rocks. Standing next to it lets you prototype new recipes, and according to the wiki prototyping an item for the first time gives 15 sanity. Wherever you build it becomes the start of your base, so pick a spot near water, grass, saplings and trees.
6. Make a permanent base fire A Campfire can't be relit once it burns out. According to the wiki, a Fire Pit made from 2 logs and 12 rocks is permanent, burns as long as you add fuel and is far less likely to spread fire. Put one at the center of your base.
7. Cook your food, then move to a Crock Pot Raw and spoiled food lowers sanity, so cook meat and vegetables on the fire. The next step is a Crock Pot: it cooks when all four slots are filled, and most dishes restore sanity too. Combinations that don't match a recipe become Wet Goop, so start with simple recipes.
8. Prepare for winter during autumn Autumn is the safest season; use it to prepare. Freezing in winter drains your health fast, so you need warm clothing, plenty of logs, stored food and a permanent fire. According to the wiki, winter's giant is Deerclops, and it can come all the way to your base.

• Examine everythingHover over something with Alt and examine it, and your character makes a short comment. That comment often tells you whether an unfamiliar plant, creature or structure is dangerous.
• Picking flowers restores sanityAccording to the wiki, picking flowers gives a small sanity boost, while cooked food, especially Crock Pot dishes, gives more. Sleeping in a tent restores 60 sanity per minute. Act before your sanity falls below half.
• Don't light fires next to treesAdding too much fuel to a campfire can set nearby trees, grass and saplings alight and turn into a large forest fire. Build your base fire as a stone Fire Pit in an open area.
• Stay cool in summer, dry in springAccording to the wiki, summer's main dangers are overheating and flammable objects igniting on their own, and food spoils 25% faster. Spring rain gets you wet, wetness lowers sanity, and lightning strikes. Craft protective gear such as an umbrella before the season arrives.
• Know the seasonal giantsEach season has a giant creature: Deerclops in winter, Bearger in autumn, Moose/Goose in spring and Antlion in summer. Meeting one unprepared usually ends in death; avoiding them in your first year is a valid strategy.
• Revive fallen friends quicklyA player who dies becomes a ghost that can fly and haunt objects. According to the wiki, in Survival each ghost lowers living players' sanity by 3.3 per minute. Reviving ghosts helps everyone.
• Everyone should carry a Telltale HeartA Telltale Heart is made from 3 cut grass and 1 Spider Gland, and crafting it costs 40 health. Give it to a ghost with left click and they're revived, while you gain 80 sanity. The revived player returns with a 25% maximum health penalty, which a Booster Shot removes.
• Split the workIf one player handles logs and rocks, one handles food and one explores and maps, you'll go into your first winter much better prepared. Everyone picking the same bushes is the most common waste of time.
• Be careful with Monster MeatMonster Meat lowers sanity and can damage your health. Don't eat it on its own; using it in a Crock Pot with other ingredients is safer.
• Don't provoke neutral creaturesAuto-attack with F only targets enemies; Ctrl lets you hit neutral creatures too. Accidentally hitting neutral animals such as a beefalo herd or pigs can bring all of them after you.

• Not preparing light for the first night: a character left in complete darkness takes damage from an unseen being and dies quickly.
• Getting by on raw or spoiled food: sanity drops bit by bit, and once shadow creatures show up it's hard to recover.
• Using a campfire among trees as your base fire: too much fuel sets the surroundings alight and all your preparation can burn.
• Spending autumn exploring and entering winter unprepared: freezing drains health fast and winter's giant may visit your base.
• Carrying only one of each tool: when an axe or pickaxe breaks halfway, walking back wastes precious daylight.
• Leaving a ghost teammate as a ghost for long: every ghost keeps draining the sanity of everyone alive.

This guide was written for version: This guide reflects the live version as of September 2026. Keys are PC defaults; season lengths and numbers follow default world settings and can be changed when creating a world.

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