@@lucisnoandadre2334ah, some day you’ll be an expert like me, 3 days so far in the difficulty above pilgrim and the other guy wihh 10 days in pilgrim, maybe some day. jkjk
They actually sounds like life advices to me. Keep moving as in not give up, learning map as in learning the skills and figure out how to survive in this world.
Damn okay I wasn’t the only who felt this way, I’m spiritual and during my spiritual awakening I received similar advice to this especially the one about dying and starting over and taking what u learn for the next run, since I believe in reincarnation this made perfect sense to me. I’m gonna have a lot of fun in this game playing with that perspective.
I’m on my second life, Day 88! Very close to death because I left my bedroll at my last fire and drank all my coffee and is tired asl stuck on a ledge with just %20 percent health I can’t climb up because I’ll fall and die and I can’t climb down because I’ll fall in die. I have to stay here and eat what I can until the fatigue kills me. Sad ending to a very fun 88 days.
1100 days of interlooper with out fading into the long dark. My number one tip that was not mentioned 10 t0 15 feet from the top of any hill in the game stop wait for your gear to stop rattling and just listen. 2 seconds has saved me from so many wolves bears and moose.
To anyone wondering what my own tip would be: I am working on a separate video with some rules I recommend. But I agree with the tips from these amazing streamers. You should check out the TLD Twitch community. It is super friendly!
I’ve recently rediscovered this game and one thing I didn’t know many years ago was how amazing the community would become. (Or maybe it was there all along and I didn’t know how to find it) In my personal experience there’s nothing like this community for any other game. I think it might have something to do with personality types and maturity level required to be successful but not sure. It’s very interesting to me that for a game about surviving alone it sure is good at bringing people together in such a friendly spirit.
One tip I REALLY needed was the first few, to stop freaking out about making mistakes or dying, cause after being on story mode and being able to essentially save scum, now I was wanting to restart or stop what I was doing whenever I took damage or even just sprained an ankle.
One tip I REALLY needed was the first few, to stop freaking out about making mistakes or dying, cause after being on story mode and being able to essentially save scum, now I was wanting to restart or stop what I was doing whenever I took damage or even just sprained an ankle.
Great idea Zak! I think the advice from Tomasina at 10:20 deserves special mention. There is so much advice out there and a kind of "meta" around common strategies like starvation, microharvesting, the drop torch/aim trick, early forging, etc. that it's important to remember to experiment and figure out what strategies work for you.
The one advice that hit me here was ' don't be afraid to die' - My interloper run is just at 100, I have a "interloper with guns" run at 400 days, a stalker run at 200 days, my Voyageur run is at 350. I have not died once in the Survival part of the game. I think that has held me back as a player. I play like my own life was on the line, take as little risk as possible. Had I been more risk happy, I'd probably have played more on higher difficulties, died more, but been a better player. There is probably some food here for someone with a degree in psychology!
Learning the trick to scare off wolves was something your channel taught me that radically changed my gameplay. Learning the maps is clearly number 1 though. I don't know most of the maps because I only played the first 3 episodes of the story then jumped into interloper. My current run I came to TWM from Ash Canyon and I had looked at a map online (I couldn't be bothered learning the maps on an easy setting), so I went left hugging the wall, but went too far. Thought oh just go back a bit then left, got hopelessly lost. But I will say, finally finding the bear near the hut as he roared at me in the night, fighting my way to the hut swaying with my vision blurring as I approached, finally getting in when about to die and eating then sleeping moments from death, well it was a "great" experience haha. Anyway, lots of love for your channel; it is relaxing to watch you play and you teach me a lot.
Absolutely - I've always said story mode was the best way to learn the game and the core maps. Having the ability to save and reload at will encourages trying things you wouldn't try in survival mode, and lets you learn the results and correct your actions to get the desired result without triggering permadeath.
I made the mistake of later on, checking maps online. I robbed myself of the opportunity of the experience of learning territories like in real life, establishing a sort of outpost in a new area and trying to explore the surroundings from there, trying to memorize landmarks in that area, while making obvious markers in key areas while exploring. Yes, you will die over and over again while exploring completely unfamiliar territory in Interloper. But I guess my challenge for the upcoming new maps will be to NEVER look at any of the new upcoming maps and trying to learn them in a realistic way. I am SO EXCITED just imagining the amount of "fun stress" and pure sense of adventure I will be having come next year!!! So giddy with anticipation!!
As a solo camping enthusiast i have more of an insight than an advice. This perspective will keep you going in the game just as it keeps us going in real life: a victor is made out of many small victories and a loser is made out of many small losses. So never leave things half way and remember why are you doing this. Always outline an objective or multiple objectives with gradation of importancy in order not to lose interest and keep caring about resources. If in life we have goals like keeping your job, feeding those who depend on you, keeping certain body weight and generally not being a disapointment, in-game you will only progress if you have that sparkle of purpose going for you. You only care when you have something to lose. So point out objectives like 1) mapping out entire world map 2) set stockpiled bases in each region, provide light sources for each cave system 3) max out your skill tree 4) craft each single craftable item 5) uncover all mysteries of The Great Bear(like Signal Void/Buried Echos/Rüdiger's story/Bury Chief's remains) 6) challenge yourself if the game gets too easy: go to Foreman's Retreat with only 3 matches, empty can, knife and a bow and don't come back without a bear skin. Each time you set an objective and fail to accomplish it whether it's due to how hard and time consuming it turned out to be or simply because you found something better to do and just forgot about your initial goal - a part of your inner Survivor dies with it. Do not leave things half way and never give up. And certainly *BE* afraid of in-game death. Not having any stakes is silly and will lead to boredom real fast. Treat this game as you would treat an IRL adventure and see how it becomes much more exciting. Good luck and always remember - if you feel like giving up, do not ruin your save, just leave your game for now. You might come back to it a year later with new found enthusiasm and be grateful to your past self.
I have 700 hours in the game. Main 3 tips I can give is 1) make a regional base in every map and stock that base with your surplus of food(highest quality ones) and water, then when traveling between maps, go to those bases first. And 2) if you hunted a deer or something bigger like a moose, try to harvest as soon as is save and store those pieces of meat in the snow outside your base, they will spoil less quickly (cooked one's even less quickly). And 3) try to avoid wolf and bear meat until you are cooking level 5, when you get the no more parasites from cooked carnivor meat ability, because nothing will fuck you up more then the parasite debuff.
Nice video Zak - good idea and compilation. I think Kimi said it best...map knowledge is the most helpful thing in order to do well, but he recommended exploring them on your own (a few others said similarly). Of course, each person has to find how the game is the most fun for themselves, but the sentiment I most often see is that the game is the most fun in the time without the map knowledge. So, you play with the best with it, but have the most fun without it. That said, after x hours, it can get frustrating without good map knowledge, you're sort of done with blind exploring and just looking to sustain yourself - kind of phase two of the game. But I hate to see anyone lose that magical phase one part of TLD. It's not a competition game as designed - it's really achievement based for yourself, so no reason to compromise that element. Thanks for another good one Zak.
I think both are important to enjoying the game. There’s no better feeling then having a bad run in an area you don’t know then stumbling into a region you know well
When you asked the question, my immediate response was: Inventory management! Judging by what I've seen on YT over the years, this is a key skill that many players disregard, and on easy difficulties (and even on Interloper) it can mean trudging around with craptons of worthless gear. Upon reflection I decided to share some other important rubrics, these are primarily based on Interloper but obviously will help the other modes as well. 1. Patience is a key virtue. Wait for better weather. Especially on Interloper the difference between morning and afternoon travel can be the difference between Hypothermia risk showing up in under an hour, and positive Feels Like temps where you can go for hours without taking a lick of damage. (1a. Try to adjust your sleep schedule so you're waking later and so won't be tempted to venture out in less than ideal conditions.) 2. Get ahead of the game, don't let it push you around. By this I mean ensure you have enough food/water for several to many days of survival. Especially on Interloper eating enough food to maintain the well fed bonus is probably unwise as it will definitely increase your food insecurity. Pick up the copious Cattails and use starvation. 3. Strategically you are in a great hurry, tactically you have all the time in the world. This is primarily for Interlopers, who may be on more of a timetable than other mode, but it means that while you want to keep pressing toward the forge, you only have to do so when it's as safe as possible.
Lots of great advice here :) The only thing I'd add is go watch some streamers.. there is an amazing LD community and everyone is happy to help out new players.
Great vid, Zak, thank you! So cool to see this amazing community “gathered” together. If I may, I’d add another tip. Watch the streamers! 😅 First of all because they’re great people and that’s the way to support them, and secondly, you’ll learn A LOT from them.
Great job putting this together, Zak. Hard to describe how amazing the TLD Twitch community. Not sure if there is gaming community quite like it. You have a great way of bringing us together and I always look forward to your videos. AV's tip at the end (Keep Moving) really resonated with me and reminded me of my very first Interloper attempt. I remember having the thought... oh, I'm gonna die here unless I leave. Of course I died shortly after, but at least it wasn't at the Community Center watching my resources dwindle away. I always say, to be like Dory and Just Keep Swimming!
Watching this in 2024, I've been playing this game since practically it was in beta (a few thousand hours invested at this point with all challenges completed ) , I've also had a couple of live streams on twitch and one thing that I love about this game is how the community is so friendly with eachother, I've interacted with almost all of these people at least a couple of times in my runs or just by chilling in their channels. I took a break from the game around the time the DLC got announced and honestly I was a little upset because I was hoping that Hinterland would focus on finishing wintermute first before adding DLC items but recently, say past couple of weeks I got your channel recommended by YT bingewatching (currently watching the Stalker mastering all skills) and I've gotten back that "itch" to replay this game again & for that I thank you.
Just wanted to share 2 tips from my 1800+ hours. 1) Don't become an extreme miser/hoarder. A 568 day Interloper run was ended because I didn't want to "waste" the flare I always carried. I had become so conservative of my resources that I died with every flare unused. 2) the "3" is your best friend, learn it, love it, hit it. Leaving the fire, hit 3, exiting a building, hit 3, entering a building, hit 3. just hit 3 it will save your life. Also, Zak. Are you going to continue your Endless dark run? After watching you play it I decided to try it and am having a blast.
Zak thank you so much for taking precious time to make these videos, you have helped so many become better players of this wonderful game, I am so honored you wanted to include me, this is truly a special moment for me, big screen hype so to speak lol, thank you again and good luck and best wishes to you my friend.
First: Your videos are great. I love them to watch, because you are always speaking about the game, how it works and teach... My english is not really good and I can understand everything you say - this is one of the best points. And you are doing this in a kind that is so polite, and friendly :) I have learned a huge amount of things the last time. But what I really wanted to say: Videos like this, your summary of glitches from other Streamers also, represents how much love those players have for this game and how much love hinterland put in this game. To watch those streamers and you makes this game become a family to me, where I can find rest for myself when I play it and even to watch you all. This is a great companion! And Zak - you would be the best "Community Manager" on Hinterland I could wish for. I really hope you took a chance for this? I think you really would fit in this role ;) Thanks for so much my friend. Hope you will go on. My respects.
I’m on my 3rd attempt on voyager (my first ended on day 1 by wolf attack leading to infection and my 2nd on day 18 by getting lost in a blizzard). On both of those attempts I never left mystery lake. This current run is at day 68 and I’m feeling unstoppable (so my cockiness should kill me soon lol. The difference with this run is I’ve kept moving. I feel like I’ve fully explored Coastal Highway, Mystery Lake, pleasant Valley and Mountain Town. I have well stocked bases in each region, have a bow with 18 arrows, a rifle, revolver, decent clothing both crafted and looted. I think I’m heading on to TWM mountains next to check that space out. I’d say the best part about moving a lot is you really train your eyes and ears to be alert to the wildlife, and you learn how to get around them safely. If half of your wolf interactions end on a hand to hand conflict you’re not gonna last long OR have a good time.
soo...on VOY, you can run into a bear 2-3 times? While on Stalker, two consecutive wolf attacks can be your demise? On Loper, basically any first encounter can possibly kill you? Just let me finish FC and a few other things...then I´ll try loper for sure...I know most maps by heart by now (not the newer ones however, and certainly not HRV), but I wouldn´t say using a map in a pinch is a no-no...I usually use them to plan my routes, nothing more, nothing less...many paths will lead to Rome^^ What I really don´t get, is that starvation strategy...sure, you can save on some calories but you will forfeit "well fed", which frankly is one of the biggest no-no´s for me...I think keeping it, will also keep me moving if food is rare.
Well Fed is excellent, but you survive longer with starvation if low on food. Regarding animals, it depends on the animal. The bear does a % damage, so even on interloper you can survive 2 bear attacks. Three if you have enough protection. For wolves, it is determined by difficulty and protection. You can probably survive 2-3 wolf attacks on Voyager. On interloper, a single wolf attack can kill you, but if you have high enough protection and full health, you should survive a wolf attack even on loper.
The new players are quite lucky if they even survive one or two days. It brings back memories, I grew up with this game, started it in 2014, when only 3 maps existed. And of course mystery lake seemed hell of a complicated map to me in the early days of the game. And 9 years later I say this is one of the best survival games ever and it only gets better with each update. They really care for their creation at hinterland. My advice for the new players is to embrace the nature of the game and its world. Become one with it, not to fight against it. If you manage to survive 5 days, 10 days, the more you achieve the more you understand of it. You should have a good headset too. It's pretty easy to run into a bear, if you don't listen to the sounds. Cat tails are your lifesavers early game, treat them like small pieces of gold.
Again awesome video, these are the best tips , and play for almost 2 years and sometimes I don't follow them! Nicely done Zak! Get Ready for Tales Tutorials. 😉
I’m a big expert on the game and I got some tips even for people who’ve played for some time. Have multiple bases. Or at least 1 main one in every map for when you are travelling around. On stalker and interloper bullets aren’t so common and neither are flares. Get torches from campfires and extinguish them and then later on throw multiple on wolves as with good aim they’ll get scared. Get your cooking skill to level 5. With stalker and higher you can get parasites and I think most annoying thing in the game. With level 5 no food poisoning or parasites. Always remember to have at least 1 tin can around. I’m a pro and I gotta tell you how many times even I forgot about that. You never know when a sudden blizzard turns on you with no vision or anything like that. Always remember to have 1 coal with you. Soemtging that really helped me for those sudden blizzards and harsh ones. As long as you get a campfire in a place where it won’t burn out coal can save your life honestly. It’ll make the temperature go much higher. Always remember at the start of the game to get every SINGLE cat tail stalk you can find. Late game those things can really help you traverse around regions like ash canyon or even when you have no meat later on those things can reallly help preserve that good diet +5KG. Find af least 1 map you are familiar with and isn’t too hard. For me it’s mystery lake. When going into mountain town Remmeber to have packs of torches as there are common wolf spawns around there. Remmeber that best clothing like bear coat may not be the best for running climbing and KG. As you start getting familiar with things I suggest you start trying to get achievements. A lot of the time in the game I was bored had nothing to do or didn’t know what to do. Doing those achievements can really make the game still be fun after all regions explored and all done. Or even challenges. The bear challenge is honestly my favourite as you learn a lot and learn to not be stupid all the time!
I really like this game. But it’s lonely. And that makes it hard for me to keep coming back to it. Watching your videos makes it seem less lonely. Also your videos are great and relaxing so thanks!
I jumped into stalker and survived a few days, but at the end of the day, playing on voyager and learning the maps is good advise. I think the best advice is to play the story mode and do all the missions first.
All these tips are great, but I think the most important tips was not mentionned, and is about how to deal with wolves. I was scared of these things a lot, even a howling in the mist was putting me on edge, but I saw one of your video where you did the torch trick and suddenly, I could go around a lot more confidently, which then relates to the tip about moving constantly. I still avoid Bleak Inlet because of timberwolves, but otherwise I move around and set bases in each zones because fo your trick.
"Pick up every freakin' stick you find!" Yeah...me, wondering why my weight limit has tanked, only to find I'm carrying 35-40 sticks. I regret nothing, especially when I need torches, an emergency shelter, or a fire during a blizzard and I can find a handy place (sort of) out of the wind.
Nice one, great for new players. Having owned the game for a few weeks I'd managed to pick all that up beforehand, but only via your older videos and streamers like these, so thanks for your work :) If I may add another tip despite only having 50 hours playtime (All on Stalker) ...... Fishing is underrated! When I was studying tips as a brand new player, basically all videos , thread posts etc. said that fishing was pretty inefficient and wasn't great for self sustaining or really worth bothering with. I'm aware it varies by location ( not sure about difficulty variation?) but at least as far as one particular region (ML wink wink) I disagree that its not worth the time/effort. Everyone's posts almost put me off bothering with fishing, but I found/experimentally crafted about 7 fishing tackles (Around day 30 ish) so decided I'd have a go. On my first few fishing runs, each trip caught me roughly 16-22 fish; many of these fish when cooked provided around 1,100 calories (This was at fishing level 1 and cooking level 3 I believe) and only cost me maybe 2/3 fishing tackles. Translation is that 1 overnight stay/fishing expedition gave me 5-7 days worth of risk free food with high calorie count, at this stage of survival that was an absolute blessing and helped me out a tonne while learning the game. Added bonus for advancing newcomers, staying overnight in a fishing hut to gather food is also a great safe way to avoid cabin fever and gain free/infinite lamp fuel....everyone's a winner! (Just take a few litres of drinking water and plenty of firewood in case a blizzard roles in)
Thank you for your tip. I can perhaps elaborate on why people dont fish: it has to do with weight. You can get tonnes of fish when you go fishing. This is moderated by difficulty, but even on interloper you can get a lot. So much that people cannot cook it all. So it is great for base food, as you say. But it is inefficient for travelling - the fish weighs a lot and give little calories for its calorie:weight ratio. For staying put, fish is great, but for travelling it is too heavy. Glad you like the game :)
When I was really intoTLD Loper and harder custom settings...when dead I would immediately start a new 🏃 Just play through to my first normal save and pick it up next time.
Once again great video Zak. And yess,. Maps maps maps.. Knowledge Its crucial in this game. Knowing regions eliminate probably 60% of deaths in the game. Knowing where to go after being attacked by bear, when blizzard hits or just for quicker travelling from region to region its essential. Im follow zak advice and try spend at least 30-40 days in every regions to learn. Currently on HRV and still have Blackrock before expansion comes. Even I know all the tips its cool to watch your videos zak. Thanks
Excellent video as always Zak, thank you! Can't go wrong with any of these tips! Although you will still die... Come join us on Twitch guys... The TLD community is the very best
So ive been playing since early unfinished game and ive had many short and long runs over the years i agree with all of these tips map knowledge and how to transition to the next zones are massive!! and taking risks learns your boundries so you can not make that same mistake leading you to a longer run...my runs usually spawn at ash canyon or twm as i have goals to get (set up) so i go for the tech backpack from ac gold mine and the moose hide satchel first by killing a moose with a rifle ive found at ac or twm...i grab crampons too although they can be crafted now and also spawn at twm summit then i think of clothing so tail section for me to see if i can grab the exp parkas and ear wraps i like to hit pv for the cowichans or ch or dp for the fishermans sweaters ...snow pants are random but ive found some in trailers in milton/plane crash. In twm..also a good tip is if you know where the safes are go hit them in a (mini challenge) and you wont be disapointed with that run either as that will keep you moving... current run is started in transfer pass hit the new mine in zoc first, grabbed the gas mask and loot then went to the air field to grab the transponder and started signal void quest oh rabbit pie is the cheapest buff in the game with 3 hrs of extra carry weight with no negative effects...so with moose satchel tech bergen and rabbit pie 48 kg carry weight!! and now the travois (although being flimsy and degrades just by looking at it) can hold 75 kg full load.. so now potentially you can move 123kg,s inc the clothes your wearing!!
While I'm not a veteran hardcore player or super good, I'd recommend keeping 2 liters of water on you, keep cooking water if you're staying around, snow is infinite. Look at the maps, you'll memorize them naturally. But most importantly, do whats fun for you.
Not knowing the maps well enough is what has done me in on Interloper. Finally spawned on Timberwolf mountain in an area I knew and got into Pleasant Valley. Unfortunately I got surprised by a bear and that was the end of my longest run. Ash Canyon and Blackrock are areas I don't know well enough...should do a Pilgrim or Voyageur run in those areas.
These are all good tips. I have watched Tomasina before and I can tell how bad I am after watching some professional like her playing 😭 However, I don't fully agree with that you should not be afraid of death. Of course mistakes teach you better than if you only survive without any problems but I'm playing it very carefully so I would not die. I really need to learn maps better because I'm worried of getting lost in region and eventually dying there. That's why I'm staying days after days in my comfort zone areas like ML and MT. Now I have over 200 days account there which of ~ 170 days have been in those 2 regions but I'm looking forward to explore new areas. Pleasant Valley will be my next main area because it's mostly new to me and leads to many new areas for me as well(as for example Mountain Wolf and Blackrock). I also want to learn better at using weapons to survive and get food. I haven't yet faced that problem that I would not have enough food when I have been fishing hundreds of kg's of fish (playing lower difficulties) but I know that at some point I will need to get food by hunting. And most importantly, I want to feel safe and not fear that moose or wolf comes to kill me and I won't get it killed 😅
Ah.... So cool I can count some of this gamers as friends.... And their advices sounds maybe to easy.... But it's the truth. And nonetheless there is still more then enough room to find your one styles to play this game. But Zak.... Tomasina in a tea cup? Strange way to say she is a "Hottie"😋🤗💓
In my opinion the most important thing in this game is fire right that is why you should always light a fire with a torch instead of matches and when you can use your magnyfiying glass or firesteel
If you are afraid of the game and can't explore freely, just create a backup of your save, and then you'll be confident about going ahead. If something goes wrong, you can restore the save. However, you shouldn't play recklessly. Implement this strategy so you can have more confidence in your decisions. Just make a backup every hour. Keep in mind that if you die, you will be penalized by a one-hour setback. After a while, you won't need a backup anymore.
Honestly, I wished I could somehow avoid learning the maps or the maps were procedurally generated. Knowing the maps completely foils the whole idea of this game. So don't look up the maps in the internet if you don't want to spoil this game for you!
These are awesome, and saw them JUST AFTER surviving my first 15 days on interloper, my first bow, and first deer kill. I spent like 4 days waiting for a gut to cure, next to no food, wanding around mystery lake looking for cattails, dead deer, and rabbits, and staving off near death to a shock wolf attack all just to sustain me until that darned last gut. I feel so accomplished just getting this far.
My first play through I only made it one day because I tried to make friends with a wolf, but my second play through (still on it) I made it to the dam with lots of loot and found even more. Went out the back of the dam and quickly realized I couldn’t back in, and had lost some of my stores loot including a rifle. Had no map knowledge and assumed because the northern lights provided light at night I was safe so I made my way down the cliff path (with a 1/3 scent because I didn’t know what that meant) and am just now realizing I’ve put myself in a completely separate map area. I wanted to explore the “beginner” area but idek how to get back so I get when I play tomorrow I’ll just be trekking through a less friendly area. FML lol
You can get back in by going across the dam. To the left when you came out there is a ledge. Follow it and on the other side is a small area with a broken window.
Words of wisdom indeed. I wouldn't consider myself a great player of TLD. Something like 80 is my best.. wolf killed me🙄. I will admit, I'm a bit of a masochist. Lol I first came across TLD on TH-cam, as did many. A loper run. So I started the game out in loper. While there is much.. much.. much frustration involved in doing this, I think it was secretly fun for me because of the immersion. The first time you're caught in a pitch black snow storm, an inch from death, no idea where you are, desperately trying to find shelter with a torch.. then you hear a growl. You desperately search around for it, then you see the eyes. That created real world feelings for me. That's why I love this game so much! I have about 1k hours in now. Took a break for a while. Because I got it in my head that I needed to be faster, more efficient. The goal being to get the backpack, right away then summit TWM, then make my way to ML. Only recently did I have the thought. Wtf am I doing? This is not how the game is meant to be played. You're setting extreamly hard goals for yourself, in an extreamly hard game. Only the other day did I get back to just playing the game. Not caring where I spawned, what stupid little mistakes I made, not risking death for greed, because there is still one more fishing hut to search and I may need what's in there.
I definitely did not follow the final and most important tip when starting Interloper and as soon as I spawned in Hushed River Valley or Ash Canyon I knew I was fucked because I had no clue where to go. I'm still learning those two regions as I go along, but it's definitely the single most important tip I'd give to anyone in this game starting out. Still sad I lost my almost 400+ day run on Stalker to a game update before Cabin Fever was added. *You have to know those maps or you WILL die. Don't be like me.*
I started the game recently , jumped straight into stalker. I've made a few mistakes , (forgetting my bed roll , going out during a blizzard and getting lost) , but alot of my deaths is just lack of map knowledge. I end up wasting alot of time just wandering in the wilderness cause I don't know where things are.
I have some weird problems with surviving in TLD: Pilgrim - survived for 63 days, died because lost save files Secons difficulty - survived for about 10 days. Stalker - survived for
Well of course Learning The Maps is the most fundamental tip someone can give you a new player because this game will kill you on higher difficulties if you can't navigate it properly. For example you play on Interloper.... how do you craft a bow or forge arrow tips if you have no idea where is a Forge and what are possible spawn locations of the Hammer? You can't survive.... you will die quickly. This is why learning the maps is crucial in The Long Dark. And maybe is difficult to learn them properly but at least entry points and most important buildings are a plus. This is what I have learned since I started to play the game and I can navigate whole locations pretty easily. I still get lost sometimes or I am not able to find what I need but at least I know where to look.
Don't confuse knowing loot locations with map knowledge - map knowledge means the terrain and topography, not where the next building is near to your route. Try traversing Mystery Lake from the dam to the woodcut to unnamed pond to camp office in the dark, through a blizzard, with mid level clothing and no flares. If you can recognise each rock outcrop by its distance from the last one as well as its shape, you've learned the map. Another good route test in the dark in a blizzard (wolves don't spawn during blizzards) is from PV farmhouse to signal station to cave exit to Winding River - there are natural landmarks, but can you recognise them at night in a blizzard or in fog? Navigating tree to rock to tree when visibility is 20 feet or less is a real skill in TLD. Atheenon and Kimiota are masters at it, and I'm pretty good on the older maps too (haven't learned the latest three maps well enough yet).
I'd say jump into Interloper quickly if you want to. I think I'd be more bored spending 100 days in Voyager blindly exploring maps with low risk than using external maps with Interloper. Day 3 Voyager I already have like 2 days worth of food, a revolver with 15 bullets, and I've only explored half of Mystery Lake. I'd rather learn with high stakes than feel like a god too quickly in other modes.
It’s hard to learn the maps though! Even on Pilgrim, the snowstorms can be brutal and cause you to get lost! Also, you can’t see in a blizzard, so you can’t get a mental map of the area if you cannot see!
If you that reads this is addicted to savescumming my tip is have a savefile you savescum and then try recreate the base you made and while you do a savescum also experiment and repeat same encounter lets say you dashboard reload game bcs of a bear mauling then you redo that multiple times until you got hang of the ai behaviour now after that i could confidently redo a bear encounter 3x time in a row to see if i could point blank instakill a bear with a flaregun bcs my goal is how long can i survive whe doing everything perfe tly as frugal as possible i learnt to use snowstorms to my advantage to save matches and save flares so my goal is to first see how much is there in the game so i then can comfortably use stuff without worrrying books are upur best friend and learn where bears walk all you need is a book and some sticks to be as frugal as possible so far i learnt if you hate wasting matches so when you havexto make a fire yo scare wildlife boil water at sametime and at higher levels skin the animal leave rnough fuel to cook and if you do it on your main routes you come bck to somecooked meat left on a campfire thats better than leaving it to rot dont worry about waiting gor it to cook you eat it next time you walk that road when your hauling loot and enough times you never have to carry food and water
I think Im gunna come back To comment my first 3 survival ... What ive learn to do first are mostly those great recommendation ... Especially learn the maps xD which is the cause of my first death (40 days, easy)
I bought the game recently and avoided all wikis, tips, guides and it's been quite fun. I started on stalker directly, still my first run and coming up on 30 days survived. I suppose I did the complete opposite of what people would suggest
WOW! Hold up. Zak...you don't *sound* like you have a magnificent beard. Where have you been hiding that beauty!? But we have to talk about the great tragedy of this video: Learning the maps. Metagame. The deciding factor in success in this game isn't game mechanics, or intellect, or any kind of skill...it's whether you have magical knowledge of where the matches spawn. This game is an easy A+, but it can never be S-tier as long as meta-game knowledge is the most critical element of success.
![ปฏิเสธไม่ไหว (Crush on you) - LIPTA feat. No One Else [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NBw1jF342vw/mqdefault.jpg)
As a man who surived 10 days on Pilgram im somewhat expert myself.
I sadly cant say the same, i only have 300 days in the looper 😔
@@lucisnoandadre2334 Don't worry you get there 😁
I just moved up to Voyager and I'm dying like crazy lol
@@stacypeterson3685 yea this game Is hard but i know you can do it.
@@lucisnoandadre2334ah, some day you’ll be an expert like me, 3 days so far in the difficulty above pilgrim and the other guy wihh 10 days in pilgrim, maybe some day.
jkjk
They actually sounds like life advices to me. Keep moving as in not give up, learning map as in learning the skills and figure out how to survive in this world.
Damn okay I wasn’t the only who felt this way, I’m spiritual and during my spiritual awakening I received similar advice to this especially the one about dying and starting over and taking what u learn for the next run, since I believe in reincarnation this made perfect sense to me. I’m gonna have a lot of fun in this game playing with that perspective.
I’m on my second life, Day 88! Very close to death because I left my bedroll at my last fire and drank all my coffee and is tired asl stuck on a ledge with just %20 percent health I can’t climb up because I’ll fall and die and I can’t climb down because I’ll fall in die. I have to stay here and eat what I can until the fatigue kills me. Sad ending to a very fun 88 days.
1100 days of interlooper with out fading into the long dark. My number one tip that was not mentioned 10 t0 15 feet from the top of any hill in the game stop wait for your gear to stop rattling and just listen. 2 seconds has saved me from so many wolves bears and moose.
underrated advice
You missed the most important long run tip, not going crazy. I ended up doing stuff like throwing myself a birthday every long dark year lol
To anyone wondering what my own tip would be: I am working on a separate video with some rules I recommend. But I agree with the tips from these amazing streamers. You should check out the TLD Twitch community. It is super friendly!
I’ve recently rediscovered this game and one thing I didn’t know many years ago was how amazing the community would become. (Or maybe it was there all along and I didn’t know how to find it) In my personal experience there’s nothing like this community for any other game. I think it might have something to do with personality types and maturity level required to be successful but not sure. It’s very interesting to me that for a game about surviving alone it sure is good at bringing people together in such a friendly spirit.
One tip I REALLY needed was the first few, to stop freaking out about making mistakes or dying, cause after being on story mode and being able to essentially save scum, now I was wanting to restart or stop what I was doing whenever I took damage or even just sprained an ankle.
One tip I REALLY needed was the first few, to stop freaking out about making mistakes or dying, cause after being on story mode and being able to essentially save scum, now I was wanting to restart or stop what I was doing whenever I took damage or even just sprained an ankle.
i think this video is something every new player should see and maybe in a few years they will be the ones giving these tips.
Great idea Zak! I think the advice from Tomasina at 10:20 deserves special mention. There is so much advice out there and a kind of "meta" around common strategies like starvation, microharvesting, the drop torch/aim trick, early forging, etc. that it's important to remember to experiment and figure out what strategies work for you.
It's kind of interesting actually that there is such thing as a meta around a singleplayer game, but it really is like that.
The one advice that hit me here was ' don't be afraid to die' - My interloper run is just at 100, I have a "interloper with guns" run at 400 days, a stalker run at 200 days, my Voyageur run is at 350. I have not died once in the Survival part of the game. I think that has held me back as a player. I play like my own life was on the line, take as little risk as possible. Had I been more risk happy, I'd probably have played more on higher difficulties, died more, but been a better player. There is probably some food here for someone with a degree in psychology!
Hehe, it is called loss aversion ;) But if you havent died, you are doing fine. It is about enjoying the game, not necessarily being a better player.
Learning the trick to scare off wolves was something your channel taught me that radically changed my gameplay. Learning the maps is clearly number 1 though. I don't know most of the maps because I only played the first 3 episodes of the story then jumped into interloper. My current run I came to TWM from Ash Canyon and I had looked at a map online (I couldn't be bothered learning the maps on an easy setting), so I went left hugging the wall, but went too far. Thought oh just go back a bit then left, got hopelessly lost. But I will say, finally finding the bear near the hut as he roared at me in the night, fighting my way to the hut swaying with my vision blurring as I approached, finally getting in when about to die and eating then sleeping moments from death, well it was a "great" experience haha. Anyway, lots of love for your channel; it is relaxing to watch you play and you teach me a lot.
The easiest way to learn regions is simply by playing The Wintermute
Absolutely - I've always said story mode was the best way to learn the game and the core maps. Having the ability to save and reload at will encourages trying things you wouldn't try in survival mode, and lets you learn the results and correct your actions to get the desired result without triggering permadeath.
I made the mistake of later on, checking maps online. I robbed myself of the opportunity of the experience of learning territories like in real life, establishing a sort of outpost in a new area and trying to explore the surroundings from there, trying to memorize landmarks in that area, while making obvious markers in key areas while exploring.
Yes, you will die over and over again while exploring completely unfamiliar territory in Interloper. But I guess my challenge for the upcoming new maps will be to NEVER look at any of the new upcoming maps and trying to learn them in a realistic way. I am SO EXCITED just imagining the amount of "fun stress" and pure sense of adventure I will be having come next year!!! So giddy with anticipation!!
As a solo camping enthusiast i have more of an insight than an advice. This perspective will keep you going in the game just as it keeps us going in real life: a victor is made out of many small victories and a loser is made out of many small losses. So never leave things half way and remember why are you doing this.
Always outline an objective or multiple objectives with gradation of importancy in order not to lose interest and keep caring about resources. If in life we have goals like keeping your job, feeding those who depend on you, keeping certain body weight and generally not being a disapointment, in-game you will only progress if you have that sparkle of purpose going for you. You only care when you have something to lose. So point out objectives like
1) mapping out entire world map
2) set stockpiled bases in each region, provide light sources for each cave system
3) max out your skill tree
4) craft each single craftable item
5) uncover all mysteries of The Great Bear(like Signal Void/Buried Echos/Rüdiger's story/Bury Chief's remains)
6) challenge yourself if the game gets too easy: go to Foreman's Retreat with only 3 matches, empty can, knife and a bow and don't come back without a bear skin.
Each time you set an objective and fail to accomplish it whether it's due to how hard and time consuming it turned out to be or simply because you found something better to do and just forgot about your initial goal - a part of your inner Survivor dies with it. Do not leave things half way and never give up.
And certainly *BE* afraid of in-game death. Not having any stakes is silly and will lead to boredom real fast. Treat this game as you would treat an IRL adventure and see how it becomes much more exciting.
Good luck and always remember - if you feel like giving up, do not ruin your save, just leave your game for now. You might come back to it a year later with new found enthusiasm and be grateful to your past self.
The "keep moving" for me as a beginner was essential. Finally started surviving long runs after realizing that.
I have 700 hours in the game.
Main 3 tips I can give is 1) make a regional base in every map and stock that base with your surplus of food(highest quality ones) and water, then when traveling between maps, go to those bases first.
And 2) if you hunted a deer or something bigger like a moose, try to harvest as soon as is save and store those pieces of meat in the snow outside your base, they will spoil less quickly (cooked one's even less quickly).
And 3) try to avoid wolf and bear meat until you are cooking level 5, when you get the no more parasites from cooked carnivor meat ability, because nothing will fuck you up more then the parasite debuff.
I like to follow my dad's advice on most things, even playing this game. "You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't."
Nice video Zak - good idea and compilation. I think Kimi said it best...map knowledge is the most helpful thing in order to do well, but he recommended exploring them on your own (a few others said similarly). Of course, each person has to find how the game is the most fun for themselves, but the sentiment I most often see is that the game is the most fun in the time without the map knowledge. So, you play with the best with it, but have the most fun without it. That said, after x hours, it can get frustrating without good map knowledge, you're sort of done with blind exploring and just looking to sustain yourself - kind of phase two of the game. But I hate to see anyone lose that magical phase one part of TLD. It's not a competition game as designed - it's really achievement based for yourself, so no reason to compromise that element. Thanks for another good one Zak.
I think both are important to enjoying the game. There’s no better feeling then having a bad run in an area you don’t know then stumbling into a region you know well
I played this years ago now im coming back to it😊
When you asked the question, my immediate response was: Inventory management! Judging by what I've seen on YT over the years, this is a key skill that many players disregard, and on easy difficulties (and even on Interloper) it can mean trudging around with craptons of worthless gear. Upon reflection I decided to share some other important rubrics, these are primarily based on Interloper but obviously will help the other modes as well.
1. Patience is a key virtue. Wait for better weather. Especially on Interloper the difference between morning and afternoon travel can be the difference between Hypothermia risk showing up in under an hour, and positive Feels Like temps where you can go for hours without taking a lick of damage.
(1a. Try to adjust your sleep schedule so you're waking later and so won't be tempted to venture out in less than ideal conditions.)
2. Get ahead of the game, don't let it push you around. By this I mean ensure you have enough food/water for several to many days of survival. Especially on Interloper eating enough food to maintain the well fed bonus is probably unwise as it will definitely increase your food insecurity. Pick up the copious Cattails and use starvation.
3. Strategically you are in a great hurry, tactically you have all the time in the world. This is primarily for Interlopers, who may be on more of a timetable than other mode, but it means that while you want to keep pressing toward the forge, you only have to do so when it's as safe as possible.
Lots of great advice here :) The only thing I'd add is go watch some streamers.. there is an amazing LD community and everyone is happy to help out new players.
Great vid, Zak, thank you! So cool to see this amazing community “gathered” together. If I may, I’d add another tip. Watch the streamers! 😅 First of all because they’re great people and that’s the way to support them, and secondly, you’ll learn A LOT from them.
Great job putting this together, Zak. Hard to describe how amazing the TLD Twitch community. Not sure if there is gaming community quite like it. You have a great way of bringing us together and I always look forward to your videos.
AV's tip at the end (Keep Moving) really resonated with me and reminded me of my very first Interloper attempt. I remember having the thought... oh, I'm gonna die here unless I leave. Of course I died shortly after, but at least it wasn't at the Community Center watching my resources dwindle away. I always say, to be like Dory and Just Keep Swimming!
"Take your little victories."
Every victory in this game is little. And they all feel HUGE!
Watching this in 2024, I've been playing this game since practically it was in beta (a few thousand hours invested at this point with all challenges completed ) , I've also had a couple of live streams on twitch and one thing that I love about this game is how the community is so friendly with eachother, I've interacted with almost all of these people at least a couple of times in my runs or just by chilling in their channels.
I took a break from the game around the time the DLC got announced and honestly I was a little upset because I was hoping that Hinterland would focus on finishing wintermute first before adding DLC items but recently, say past couple of weeks I got your channel recommended by YT bingewatching (currently watching the Stalker mastering all skills) and I've gotten back that "itch" to replay this game again & for that I thank you.
Just wanted to share 2 tips from my 1800+ hours. 1) Don't become an extreme miser/hoarder. A 568 day Interloper run was ended because I didn't want to "waste" the flare I always carried. I had become so conservative of my resources that I died with every flare unused. 2) the "3" is your best friend, learn it, love it, hit it. Leaving the fire, hit 3, exiting a building, hit 3, entering a building, hit 3. just hit 3 it will save your life.
Also, Zak. Are you going to continue your Endless dark run? After watching you play it I decided to try it and am having a blast.
I would like to, but have to see with regards to the DLC and old saves
@@oscargoldman4867 it drops meat and guts
@@oscargoldman4867 Sorry for the late reply. Hitting 3 on PC drops meat or guts so you don't have stink on you to pull predators to you.
Awesome as always
Zak thank you so much for taking precious time to make these videos, you have helped so many become better players of this wonderful game, I am so honored you wanted to include me, this is truly a special moment for me, big screen hype so to speak lol, thank you again and good luck and best wishes to you my friend.
As soon as I saw the title of this video, I whispered “map knowledge” lol. Glad to see the pros say the same
You are a pro! A pro at getting moose-stomped 😜
First: Your videos are great. I love them to watch, because you are always speaking about the game, how it works and teach... My english is not really good and I can understand everything you say - this is one of the best points. And you are doing this in a kind that is so polite, and friendly :) I have learned a huge amount of things the last time.
But what I really wanted to say: Videos like this, your summary of glitches from other Streamers also, represents how much love those players have for this game and how much love hinterland put in this game. To watch those streamers and you makes this game become a family to me, where I can find rest for myself when I play it and even to watch you all. This is a great companion!
And Zak - you would be the best "Community Manager" on Hinterland I could wish for. I really hope you took a chance for this? I think you really would fit in this role ;)
Thanks for so much my friend. Hope you will go on. My respects.
Thank you for your kind words. I did not apply for the job as I already work full time, but thank you for thinking of me :)
I’m on my 3rd attempt on voyager (my first ended on day 1 by wolf attack leading to infection and my 2nd on day 18 by getting lost in a blizzard). On both of those attempts I never left mystery lake. This current run is at day 68 and I’m feeling unstoppable (so my cockiness should kill me soon lol. The difference with this run is I’ve kept moving. I feel like I’ve fully explored Coastal Highway, Mystery Lake, pleasant Valley and Mountain Town. I have well stocked bases in each region, have a bow with 18 arrows, a rifle, revolver, decent clothing both crafted and looted. I think I’m heading on to TWM mountains next to check that space out. I’d say the best part about moving a lot is you really train your eyes and ears to be alert to the wildlife, and you learn how to get around them safely. If half of your wolf interactions end on a hand to hand conflict you’re not gonna last long OR have a good time.
Great advice from everyone. Thanks Zak, and everyone giving advice. Always helpful!
Thanks for putting this together, Zak! Awesome job as always!
soo...on VOY, you can run into a bear 2-3 times? While on Stalker, two consecutive wolf attacks can be your demise? On Loper, basically any first encounter can possibly kill you?
Just let me finish FC and a few other things...then I´ll try loper for sure...I know most maps by heart by now (not the newer ones however, and certainly not HRV), but I wouldn´t say using a map in a pinch is a no-no...I usually use them to plan my routes, nothing more, nothing less...many paths will lead to Rome^^
What I really don´t get, is that starvation strategy...sure, you can save on some calories but you will forfeit "well fed", which frankly is one of the biggest no-no´s for me...I think keeping it, will also keep me moving if food is rare.
Well Fed is excellent, but you survive longer with starvation if low on food.
Regarding animals, it depends on the animal. The bear does a % damage, so even on interloper you can survive 2 bear attacks. Three if you have enough protection. For wolves, it is determined by difficulty and protection. You can probably survive 2-3 wolf attacks on Voyager. On interloper, a single wolf attack can kill you, but if you have high enough protection and full health, you should survive a wolf attack even on loper.
Great tips! thanks for making this video Zak, and thanks to all the streamers who shared!
the best tip I ever got was from you. light a torch, and keep wolves away with it. drop torch, aim a rock, continue. It all became so easy.
The new players are quite lucky if they even survive one or two days. It brings back memories, I grew up with this game, started it in 2014, when only 3 maps existed. And of course mystery lake seemed hell of a complicated map to me in the early days of the game. And 9 years later I say this is one of the best survival games ever and it only gets better with each update. They really care for their creation at hinterland. My advice for the new players is to embrace the nature of the game and its world. Become one with it, not to fight against it. If you manage to survive 5 days, 10 days, the more you achieve the more you understand of it. You should have a good headset too. It's pretty easy to run into a bear, if you don't listen to the sounds. Cat tails are your lifesavers early game, treat them like small pieces of gold.
first run i survived about 4 days and got mualed by a bear
That opening clip is pretty perfect for this video.
Your channel is the only reason I've gotten to the skill level I have. Thanks sm for all your help buddy
Mouse or keyboard? which is better?
Numberpad
Thank you for making this video for us Zak! Great information, exposure to other streamers, love it!
I have a couple stories of why you should never think youre safe being afk in the inventory screen either 💀💀💀
Again awesome video, these are the best tips , and play for almost 2 years and sometimes I don't follow them!
Nicely done Zak! Get Ready for Tales Tutorials. 😉
Awesome video Zak. Everyone on here was excellent. I love all you guys, and girls. Especially you Zaknafein.
I’m a big expert on the game and I got some tips even for people who’ve played for some time. Have multiple bases. Or at least 1 main one in every map for when you are travelling around. On stalker and interloper bullets aren’t so common and neither are flares. Get torches from campfires and extinguish them and then later on throw multiple on wolves as with good aim they’ll get scared. Get your cooking skill to level 5. With stalker and higher you can get parasites and I think most annoying thing in the game. With level 5 no food poisoning or parasites. Always remember to have at least 1 tin can around. I’m a pro and I gotta tell you how many times even I forgot about that. You never know when a sudden blizzard turns on you with no vision or anything like that. Always remember to have 1 coal with you. Soemtging that really helped me for those sudden blizzards and harsh ones. As long as you get a campfire in a place where it won’t burn out coal can save your life honestly. It’ll make the temperature go much higher. Always remember at the start of the game to get every SINGLE cat tail stalk you can find. Late game those things can really help you traverse around regions like ash canyon or even when you have no meat later on those things can reallly help preserve that good diet +5KG. Find af least 1 map you are familiar with and isn’t too hard. For me it’s mystery lake. When going into mountain town Remmeber to have packs of torches as there are common wolf spawns around there. Remmeber that best clothing like bear coat may not be the best for running climbing and KG. As you start getting familiar with things I suggest you start trying to get achievements. A lot of the time in the game I was bored had nothing to do or didn’t know what to do. Doing those achievements can really make the game still be fun after all regions explored and all done. Or even challenges. The bear challenge is honestly my favourite as you learn a lot and learn to not be stupid all the time!
I really like this game. But it’s lonely. And that makes it hard for me to keep coming back to it. Watching your videos makes it seem less lonely. Also your videos are great and relaxing so thanks!
Yes learning maps is number one. I would say game mechanics knowledge is number two.
I jumped into stalker and survived a few days, but at the end of the day, playing on voyager and learning the maps is good advise. I think the best advice is to play the story mode and do all the missions first.
I always say "every death is a lesson, unfortunately this game has A LOT of lessons to teach" lol
All these tips are great, but I think the most important tips was not mentionned, and is about how to deal with wolves. I was scared of these things a lot, even a howling in the mist was putting me on edge, but I saw one of your video where you did the torch trick and suddenly, I could go around a lot more confidently, which then relates to the tip about moving constantly. I still avoid Bleak Inlet because of timberwolves, but otherwise I move around and set bases in each zones because fo your trick.
Great video Zak as always! Many thanks for including me - glad I had something useful to share lol
"Pick up every freakin' stick you find!" Yeah...me, wondering why my weight limit has tanked, only to find I'm carrying 35-40 sticks. I regret nothing, especially when I need torches, an emergency shelter, or a fire during a blizzard and I can find a handy place (sort of) out of the wind.
Nice one, great for new players. Having owned the game for a few weeks I'd managed to pick all that up beforehand, but only via your older videos and streamers like these, so thanks for your work :)
If I may add another tip despite only having 50 hours playtime (All on Stalker) ...... Fishing is underrated!
When I was studying tips as a brand new player, basically all videos , thread posts etc. said that fishing was pretty inefficient and wasn't great for self sustaining or really worth bothering with. I'm aware it varies by location ( not sure about difficulty variation?) but at least as far as one particular region (ML wink wink) I disagree that its not worth the time/effort. Everyone's posts almost put me off bothering with fishing, but I found/experimentally crafted about 7 fishing tackles (Around day 30 ish) so decided I'd have a go. On my first few fishing runs, each trip caught me roughly 16-22 fish; many of these fish when cooked provided around 1,100 calories (This was at fishing level 1 and cooking level 3 I believe) and only cost me maybe 2/3 fishing tackles. Translation is that 1 overnight stay/fishing expedition gave me 5-7 days worth of risk free food with high calorie count, at this stage of survival that was an absolute blessing and helped me out a tonne while learning the game. Added bonus for advancing newcomers, staying overnight in a fishing hut to gather food is also a great safe way to avoid cabin fever and gain free/infinite lamp fuel....everyone's a winner! (Just take a few litres of drinking water and plenty of firewood in case a blizzard roles in)
Thank you for your tip. I can perhaps elaborate on why people dont fish: it has to do with weight. You can get tonnes of fish when you go fishing. This is moderated by difficulty, but even on interloper you can get a lot. So much that people cannot cook it all. So it is great for base food, as you say. But it is inefficient for travelling - the fish weighs a lot and give little calories for its calorie:weight ratio. For staying put, fish is great, but for travelling it is too heavy.
Glad you like the game :)
When I was really intoTLD Loper and harder custom settings...when dead I would immediately start a new 🏃
Just play through to my first normal save and pick it up next time.
Once again great video Zak.
And yess,. Maps maps maps.. Knowledge Its crucial in this game. Knowing regions eliminate probably 60% of deaths in the game. Knowing where to go after being attacked by bear, when blizzard hits or just for quicker travelling from region to region its essential. Im follow zak advice and try spend at least 30-40 days in every regions to learn. Currently on HRV and still have Blackrock before expansion comes.
Even I know all the tips its cool to watch your videos zak. Thanks
Great tips for new players
Excellent video as always Zak, thank you! Can't go wrong with any of these tips! Although you will still die... Come join us on Twitch guys... The TLD community is the very best
So ive been playing since early unfinished game and ive had many short and long runs over the years i agree with all of these tips map knowledge and how to transition to the next zones are massive!! and taking risks learns your boundries so you can not make that same mistake leading you to a longer run...my runs usually spawn at ash canyon or twm as i have goals to get (set up) so i go for the tech backpack from ac gold mine and the moose hide satchel first by killing a moose with a rifle ive found at ac or twm...i grab crampons too although they can be crafted now and also spawn at twm summit then i think of clothing so tail section for me to see if i can grab the exp parkas and ear wraps i like to hit pv for the cowichans or ch or dp for the fishermans sweaters ...snow pants are random but ive found some in trailers in milton/plane crash. In twm..also a good tip is if you know where the safes are go hit them in a (mini challenge) and you wont be disapointed with that run either as that will keep you moving... current run is started in transfer pass hit the new mine in zoc first, grabbed the gas mask and loot then went to the air field to grab the transponder and started signal void quest oh rabbit pie is the cheapest buff in the game with 3 hrs of extra carry weight with no negative effects...so with moose satchel tech bergen and rabbit pie 48 kg carry weight!! and now the travois (although being flimsy and degrades just by looking at it) can hold 75 kg full load.. so now potentially you can move 123kg,s inc the clothes your wearing!!
While I'm not a veteran hardcore player or super good, I'd recommend keeping 2 liters of water on you, keep cooking water if you're staying around, snow is infinite. Look at the maps, you'll memorize them naturally. But most importantly, do whats fun for you.
Not knowing the maps well enough is what has done me in on Interloper. Finally spawned on Timberwolf mountain in an area I knew and got into Pleasant Valley. Unfortunately I got surprised by a bear and that was the end of my longest run.
Ash Canyon and Blackrock are areas I don't know well enough...should do a Pilgrim or Voyageur run in those areas.
These are all good tips. I have watched Tomasina before and I can tell how bad I am after watching some professional like her playing 😭
However, I don't fully agree with that you should not be afraid of death. Of course mistakes teach you better than if you only survive without any problems but I'm playing it very carefully so I would not die. I really need to learn maps better because I'm worried of getting lost in region and eventually dying there. That's why I'm staying days after days in my comfort zone areas like ML and MT. Now I have over 200 days account there which of ~ 170 days have been in those 2 regions but I'm looking forward to explore new areas. Pleasant Valley will be my next main area because it's mostly new to me and leads to many new areas for me as well(as for example Mountain Wolf and Blackrock).
I also want to learn better at using weapons to survive and get food. I haven't yet faced that problem that I would not have enough food when I have been fishing hundreds of kg's of fish (playing lower difficulties) but I know that at some point I will need to get food by hunting. And most importantly, I want to feel safe and not fear that moose or wolf comes to kill me and I won't get it killed 😅
WOW this Is a nice topic and a way to know legends of the interlooper way. Thanks Zek!!!!!!
Ah.... So cool I can count some of this gamers as friends.... And their advices sounds maybe to easy.... But it's the truth. And nonetheless there is still more then enough room to find your one styles to play this game. But Zak.... Tomasina in a tea cup? Strange way to say she is a "Hottie"😋🤗💓
High five! "Don't get attached." Is my only tip.
In my opinion the most important thing in this game is fire right that is why you should always light a fire with a torch instead of matches and when you can use your magnyfiying glass or firesteel
One time I accidentally started a interloper save instead of a Voyager save and didn't notice for an entire day
"Youll never ever ever be sad when you got sticks laying around inside"
Loved the outro with the tea!
I keep trapping myself from fear lmao, set up in a house and become way too scared to move from the immediate area
If you are afraid of the game and can't explore freely, just create a backup of your save, and then you'll be confident about going ahead. If something goes wrong, you can restore the save. However, you shouldn't play recklessly. Implement this strategy so you can have more confidence in your decisions. Just make a backup every hour. Keep in mind that if you die, you will be penalized by a one-hour setback. After a while, you won't need a backup anymore.
Love the videos mate, i hate how i can survive on Stalker no problem but that 1 step uo to Interloper an i struggle past 15- 20 days lol
7:07 i Started with episode 1 and 2, then went into Stalker and after that Interloper. Now i play Custom Loper because i like firing the rifle xD
I think a clothing tier list or something along those lines would make a great video
I can't believe you put Tomasina in a cup
Actually that is from her stream :) she calls it Tomi's Tea Time
Honestly, I wished I could somehow avoid learning the maps or the maps were procedurally generated. Knowing the maps completely foils the whole idea of this game. So don't look up the maps in the internet if you don't want to spoil this game for you!
These are awesome, and saw them JUST AFTER surviving my first 15 days on interloper, my first bow, and first deer kill.
I spent like 4 days waiting for a gut to cure, next to no food, wanding around mystery lake looking for cattails, dead deer, and rabbits, and staving off near death to a shock wolf attack all just to sustain me until that darned last gut. I feel so accomplished just getting this far.
My first play through I only made it one day because I tried to make friends with a wolf, but my second play through (still on it) I made it to the dam with lots of loot and found even more. Went out the back of the dam and quickly realized I couldn’t back in, and had lost some of my stores loot including a rifle. Had no map knowledge and assumed because the northern lights provided light at night I was safe so I made my way down the cliff path (with a 1/3 scent because I didn’t know what that meant) and am just now realizing I’ve put myself in a completely separate map area. I wanted to explore the “beginner” area but idek how to get back so I get when I play tomorrow I’ll just be trekking through a less friendly area. FML lol
You can get back in by going across the dam. To the left when you came out there is a ledge. Follow it and on the other side is a small area with a broken window.
These tips are valid for real everyday life.
Words of wisdom indeed. I wouldn't consider myself a great player of TLD. Something like 80 is my best.. wolf killed me🙄. I will admit, I'm a bit of a masochist. Lol I first came across TLD on TH-cam, as did many. A loper run. So I started the game out in loper. While there is much.. much.. much frustration involved in doing this, I think it was secretly fun for me because of the immersion. The first time you're caught in a pitch black snow storm, an inch from death, no idea where you are, desperately trying to find shelter with a torch.. then you hear a growl. You desperately search around for it, then you see the eyes. That created real world feelings for me. That's why I love this game so much! I have about 1k hours in now. Took a break for a while. Because I got it in my head that I needed to be faster, more efficient. The goal being to get the backpack, right away then summit TWM, then make my way to ML. Only recently did I have the thought. Wtf am I doing? This is not how the game is meant to be played. You're setting extreamly hard goals for yourself, in an extreamly hard game. Only the other day did I get back to just playing the game. Not caring where I spawned, what stupid little mistakes I made, not risking death for greed, because there is still one more fishing hut to search and I may need what's in there.
Good video, nice job Zak
I definitely did not follow the final and most important tip when starting Interloper and as soon as I spawned in Hushed River Valley or Ash Canyon I knew I was fucked because I had no clue where to go. I'm still learning those two regions as I go along, but it's definitely the single most important tip I'd give to anyone in this game starting out. Still sad I lost my almost 400+ day run on Stalker to a game update before Cabin Fever was added.
*You have to know those maps or you WILL die. Don't be like me.*
I started the game recently , jumped straight into stalker. I've made a few mistakes , (forgetting my bed roll , going out during a blizzard and getting lost) , but alot of my deaths is just lack of map knowledge. I end up wasting alot of time just wandering in the wilderness cause I don't know where things are.
I have some weird problems with surviving in TLD:
Pilgrim - survived for 63 days, died because lost save files
Secons difficulty - survived for about 10 days.
Stalker - survived for
Can’t believe no one said, Have a goal. Having a goal will lead to everything else.
So happy to see a new upload ! Amazing video as always. Just wish I could spare some money for that patreon sub you absolutely deserves...
Well of course Learning The Maps is the most fundamental tip someone can give you a new player because this game will kill you on higher difficulties if you can't navigate it properly.
For example you play on Interloper.... how do you craft a bow or forge arrow tips if you have no idea where is a Forge and what are possible spawn locations of the Hammer? You can't survive.... you will die quickly.
This is why learning the maps is crucial in The Long Dark.
And maybe is difficult to learn them properly but at least entry points and most important buildings are a plus. This is what I have learned since I started to play the game and I can navigate whole locations pretty easily. I still get lost sometimes or I am not able to find what I need but at least I know where to look.
Don't confuse knowing loot locations with map knowledge - map knowledge means the terrain and topography, not where the next building is near to your route. Try traversing Mystery Lake from the dam to the woodcut to unnamed pond to camp office in the dark, through a blizzard, with mid level clothing and no flares. If you can recognise each rock outcrop by its distance from the last one as well as its shape, you've learned the map. Another good route test in the dark in a blizzard (wolves don't spawn during blizzards) is from PV farmhouse to signal station to cave exit to Winding River - there are natural landmarks, but can you recognise them at night in a blizzard or in fog? Navigating tree to rock to tree when visibility is 20 feet or less is a real skill in TLD. Atheenon and Kimiota are masters at it, and I'm pretty good on the older maps too (haven't learned the latest three maps well enough yet).
omg it's Zak and friends 0w0 love from xbarry
I'd say jump into Interloper quickly if you want to. I think I'd be more bored spending 100 days in Voyager blindly exploring maps with low risk than using external maps with Interloper. Day 3 Voyager I already have like 2 days worth of food, a revolver with 15 bullets, and I've only explored half of Mystery Lake. I'd rather learn with high stakes than feel like a god too quickly in other modes.
Excelente video! Let's beat the long dark 😎😁
My long survival tip is alt+f4 when you die lmao.
But seriously, keep moving and learn the maps are the best tips.
I just jumped in on stalker. Without any knowledge of the game. Died maybe 20 times. But now im past day 100 :)
My number one rule is: plan short routes and sleep long. Be an owl for victory. 😁🤷♂️
It’s hard to learn the maps though!
Even on Pilgrim, the snowstorms can be brutal and cause you to get lost!
Also, you can’t see in a blizzard, so you can’t get a mental map of the area if you cannot see!
Yes, but you can just wait out the blizzards :) Or do a custom run and just turn blizzards off
If you that reads this is addicted to savescumming my tip is have a savefile you savescum and then try recreate the base you made and while you do a savescum also experiment and repeat same encounter lets say you dashboard reload game bcs of a bear mauling then you redo that multiple times until you got hang of the ai behaviour now after that i could confidently redo a bear encounter 3x time in a row to see if i could point blank instakill a bear with a flaregun bcs my goal is how long can i survive whe doing everything perfe tly as frugal as possible i learnt to use snowstorms to my advantage to save matches and save flares so my goal is to first see how much is there in the game so i then can comfortably use stuff without worrrying books are upur best friend and learn where bears walk all you need is a book and some sticks to be as frugal as possible so far i learnt if you hate wasting matches so when you havexto make a fire yo scare wildlife boil water at sametime and at higher levels skin the animal leave rnough fuel to cook and if you do it on your main routes you come bck to somecooked meat left on a campfire thats better than leaving it to rot dont worry about waiting gor it to cook you eat it next time you walk that road when your hauling loot and enough times you never have to carry food and water
Use a sharpie to dot the Center of your screen ! Best advice is was guven
little bit late but great video as always zak
I just started my first run ever, I chose Stalker. Some very close calls, but im going strong on day 50
I think Im gunna come back To comment my first 3 survival ... What ive learn to do first are mostly those great recommendation ... Especially learn the maps xD which is the cause of my first death (40 days, easy)
Blizzard kied me ... 500m away was a really good loot and protection for a while .. but hey .. didnt knew any of the terrain Died cold xD
I bought the game recently and avoided all wikis, tips, guides and it's been quite fun. I started on stalker directly, still my first run and coming up on 30 days survived. I suppose I did the complete opposite of what people would suggest
learn every mechanic and trick in the game. Learn the maps. Don't get over zealous. That's it.
Love it. :)
By the way, does anybody know whether there will be any changes to the core game mechanics itself?
WOW! Hold up. Zak...you don't *sound* like you have a magnificent beard. Where have you been hiding that beauty!?
But we have to talk about the great tragedy of this video: Learning the maps.
Metagame.
The deciding factor in success in this game isn't game mechanics, or intellect, or any kind of skill...it's whether you have magical knowledge of where the matches spawn.
This game is an easy A+, but it can never be S-tier as long as meta-game knowledge is the most critical element of success.