Don’t Starve Together: Survive Your First Winter

To survive your first winter in Don’t Starve Together, you need to prepare before day 21 by gathering food, building a thermal stone, and crafting warm clothing. This guide covers the essential prep work, what to do when winter hits, and how to avoid the most common deadly mistakes.

Understanding Winter in Don’t Starve Together

Winter begins on day 21 and lasts 15 days in a standard world (or 16 if you start in Autumn). The main threats are freezing, food scarcity, and the appearance of new enemies like MacTusk and his sons. Your character’s body temperature drops when you are outside without warmth, and if it reaches zero, you lose health rapidly. The key is to stay warm, not just by standing near a fire, but by wearing insulating clothing and carrying a thermal stone.

Pre-Winter Preparation (Days 1-20)

Your first 20 days are critical. You need to gather resources, build a base, and stockpile supplies. Here’s what to focus on:

• Food: Dry meat, crock pot dishes like meatballs or bacon and eggs, and honey ham. Aim for at least 20-40 food items stored in chests or in your inventory. Cooked food spoils, so consider drying meat on drying racks—it lasts much longer.
• Warm clothing: A Beefalo Hat (requires 8 beefalo wool and 1 beefalo horn) or a Puffy Vest (requires 8 beefalo wool and 2 silk). Rabbit Earmuffs are a cheaper alternative but provide less warmth. You can also craft a Thermal Stone, which absorbs heat from a fire and keeps you warm for a while when you carry it.
• Base location: Build your base near a reliable food source (like beefalo or rabbits) and a renewable resource (like trees or grass). Avoid being too far from a cave entrance—you can use caves to escape freezing temperatures in an emergency.
• Tools and weapons: Have a spear or hambat, a log suit, and a helmet. You’ll need to fight MacTusk to get his tusk for a walking cane, and you might encounter pengulls near the coast.

Surviving the Winter Days

Once winter hits, your routine changes. You’ll spend less time exploring and more time managing your warmth. Here’s what to do:

• Stay warm: Always carry a thermal stone. When it turns blue, warm it up at a fire. Use a campfire or fire pit, but be careful not to burn down your base. A miner hat or lantern helps you see at night without needing a fire.
• Manage food: Eat warm meals (crock pot dishes) to restore health and sanity. Cooked food gives more hunger and health than raw. Keep a few emergency foods like jerky in your inventory.
• Hunt MacTusk: MacTusk camps spawn in the winter. Kill him and his son to get a tusk and a tam o’ shanter (a hat that restores sanity). The walking cane is a huge speed boost.
• Watch for pengulls: They appear near the coast and can be aggressive if you get too close. They drop meat and eggs, which are useful, but they also steal food from your base if you leave it on the ground.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Many new players die in winter because of a few predictable errors:

• Not preparing early enough: You might think you have time, but day 21 comes fast. Start gathering beefalo wool by day 10 at the latest.
• Relying only on a campfire: A campfire keeps you warm only when you stand next to it. If you need to move around, you’ll freeze. Always have a thermal stone and decent clothing.
• Running out of food: Crops don’t grow in winter, and berries don’t respawn. Stockpile dried meat and crock pot dishes. Also, consider building a birdcage to turn cooked monster meat into eggs—eggs are a great food source.
• Ignoring sanity: Winter can drain sanity quickly, especially if you’re cold or wet. Eat cooked green mushrooms or jerky, and wear a tam o’ shanter if you get one.
• Fighting MacTusk unprepared: He has a ranged attack and hits hard. Bring a log suit and a helmet, and try to lure him away from his camp.

Comparing Winter Survival Strategies

There are two main approaches to winter: bunkering down or staying mobile. Bunkering means you have a well-stocked base with a fire pit, drying racks, and a crock pot. You only leave for short trips. Staying mobile means you have a thermal stone and warm clothing, and you travel constantly, living off the land. Both work, but bunkering is safer for beginners. A hybrid approach—having a base but also carrying a thermal stone and a few warm items—is the most forgiving.

Alternatives and Emergency Measures

If you find yourself freezing with no supplies, you have a few options:

• Dig a hole: You can dig a hole in the ground and hide in it to avoid the cold wind, but this is not a long-term solution.
• Use a fire staff: If you have one, you can light a fire anywhere, but it’s a rare item.
• Enter a cave: Caves have a constant temperature that is warmer than the surface in winter. You can survive there, but you’ll need light and food.
• Eat a thermal stone: No, you can’t eat it. But you can heat it up and carry it—it’s the most reliable emergency warmth.

Frequently Asked Questions

When exactly does winter start?

Winter starts on day 21 in a standard world. If you start in Autumn, you have 20 days to prepare. The exact day can vary slightly if you change world settings, but 21 is the default.

How do I keep my food from spoiling?

Drying meat on a drying rack makes jerky that lasts for 20 days. Cooked food spoils faster, so prioritize drying. Also, store food in chests—it spoils slower than on the ground. An ice box (requires a gear from a clockwork knight) keeps food fresh even longer.

What’s the best early winter clothing?

The Beefalo Hat is the best early option because it provides high insulation and is relatively easy to craft. You need to find beefalo and shave them (or kill them) for wool. The Puffy Vest is better but requires silk, which means defeating spiders.

Can I survive winter without a base?

Yes, but it’s hard. You need a thermal stone, warm clothing, and a constant supply of food. You’ll also need to make campfires frequently. It’s possible, but not recommended for beginners.

How do I deal with MacTusk?

Approach his camp with a log suit and a helmet. He will run away when you get close, but he shoots darts. Use a boomerang or a ranged weapon to hit him from a distance, or lure him away from his camp and kill him with a melee weapon. The tusk he drops is used for the walking cane, which is very valuable.

What happens if I freeze to death?

You die and respawn at the portal (if you have a touch stone) or at the world’s spawn point. You lose all your inventory, and your world continues without you. To avoid this, always have a thermal stone and know where your base is.

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