Sand Worms :(

[Runo]

As a new player the first encounter with a sand worm so early on set me back .. but I did deal with it ... however .. now I am plagued by two of them .... is there a way to deal with them that I have not thought of ? I have a bow and one foundation platform and an oasis .

[Rokmit]

One hit with one of the traps. U can craft it with hammer.

[Runo]

Thank you

[Narsh]

I suggest using spears because they deal more damage and are easier to pick up, but it can be done with a bow as well.
If you are in a oasis throw spears/shoot arrows at it and when it gets near step into the water... it stops for a moment and looks at you before dissapearing into the sand. When it looks at you throw a spear/shoot arrow at it.
Walk away a bit from where it dug down, then wait for it to come out then repeat the prosess.
What's really handy is taming a camel, it runs faster so you can keep a distance and attack it continuesly.
Good luck, the longer you survive the more worms will come

[Alexoferith]

Just to remind you that you CANNOT outrun the sandworms on foot but you CAN outrun them while sprinting on camel. I should say galloping.
After killing the worm, you can go back and retrieve either arrows or spears that you have used. But remember, the dead bodies of worms will despawn within a minute or two (I am not sure but they will disappear for sure). And when the body disappears, any arrows or spears that are on the body will disappear together as well. So be quick to retrieve them. That brings the problem of retrieving arrows and/or spears if you are facing more than two worms. You have to be really really quick and sacrifice being hit once or twice. So, do carry or rather make some healing potions beforehand.
You can use axes to fight them but the damage is very low compared to arrows and spears. Spears give the most damage. If I remember correctly, arrow to the head takes about 5 to 7. Spears take about 4 to 5 to the head. It will take a lot more if hitting the body of the worm.
One of the most popular way to fight worm is to ride camel backpaddling and then either use arrow or spear. So, it is highly recommended to upgrade your sack as soon as possible, oh and your camel saddle as well. Otherwise, you will run out of arrow or spear and then you won't be able to fight them apart from running away on camel back. If you haven't tamed a camel or more, and run out of arrows or spear, you may as well start a new game as you won't have a chance if the worm or worms caught up with you. Of course, you can hide in water if you are in an oasis but if you are moving about, away from any oasis, no camel, no arrows and no spear, just restart a new game.

[Runo]

Thank you all very much

[GankHammer]

With practice, and the metal spears (2 spears per kill) I can now easily handle 4 worms. Just keep walking backwards as you attack, and concentrate your spears on the same target until they are each taken down. If you miss too many times you can sprint back along the line of spears sticking up and grab enough to finish the job. I wear clothes and no armor and only lose about 1/3 of my health using this method. (after some practice)

Tip: always save using a tent as soon as the ground rumble happens. Makes it much easier to practice and adjust tactics.

[ApricotMigraine]

I'm playing on Inferno, or whatever is the hardest setting.
Spears beat the bow in my opinion. 5 thrown spears kill a bug. Throw them until you have armour, after you can just stand there and punch them in their ugly faces. Craft more spears as needed. Time your activities so you're always near water when they do, usually after earthquakes. There are also "dun dun" musical cues. It will be much easier once you have a full set of armour and metal spears. After you've killed a few bugs, they become a mundane part of your day.
By the time 2 or more bugs show up you need to have tamed a camel. You just feed one twice and voila, Dina is your best friend. It's not convenient, it is necessary. Feed once in the morning and once in the evening as a rule, otherwise they will leave.
Bugs can't bite you if you're just walking on your camel, by the time their rearing animation plays out the camel is just out of reach. But you can't hit them either, cause they're also out of your view. You could do a Cantabrian circle around them and kiting with your bow, but I found it tedious. Much easier to Rambo their assess around an oasis, using water as cover.
Move from Oasis to an Oasis, using turrets and markets. Oasis are far apart from each other, you don't want to get lost. There are maps on the Internets, but it's much more rewarding to discover things by yourself in the game.
Best time to move is early morning and evening, when the Sun is lower on the horizon. Mid-day is the time to collect what you need to collect, kill bugs, eat and drink, hiding from the sun in the shade or the drink. Avoid cutting down fruit bearing trees, only cut down "palms" for your construction needs.

[trak49]

Returning player after a long time. I remember early versions of the game had an option to turn off the sand worms. Is this still possible????

[fuzzybunnyslippers]

Originally posted by trak49:

Returning player after a long time. I remember early versions of the game had an option to turn off the sand worms. Is this still possible????

Yes

[Tal]

Once you have armor, things get easier, of course. As far as fighting the worms (scolomorphs) is concerned, traps are the easiest method of all as they one-shot the scolomorphs (same for crocs) but you have to be playing for a while before you'll have the traps recipe. Once I had it, I placed a line of traps at each of the locations that I visit regularly. Keep in mind that running away from them on your camel will not stop them from reaching you. It is only a delay tactic. Whatever worms were chasing you when you mounted your camel will eventually catch up to you when you stop but it can be a good tactic for outrunning them to a safer location where you have more resources, such as your base. How do you use traps against the worms? Easy: stand near the traps and use yourself as bait to lure the worms into them. Run around your traps in circles, lol!

[Tal]

Originally posted by fuzzybunnyslippers12:

Originally posted by trak49:

Returning player after a long time. I remember early versions of the game had an option to turn off the sandworms. Is this still possible????

Yes

Yes, but there are certain items that will not be available to you on the easier mode, such as the fancier furniture.

[Gab]

Originally posted by fuzzybunnyslippers12:

Originally posted by trak49:

Returning player after a long time. I remember early versions of the game had an option to turn off the sand worms. Is this still possible????

Yes

How do you turn off without going start new game ? o.o I didnt know this T__T. I was playing in relax mode ( no monster) but when the new update comes up about level of mode somehow mine have monsters. I was attack by 7-8 monsters few mins I login.I thought was just glitch and maybe will get fix next update but nope . I login today and I got attack again by worms so I lost that relax mode and I am not excited to start new game since I already settle down, have beautiful house etc .

[Testamorta]

Originally posted by Gab:

Originally posted by fuzzybunnyslippers12:

Yes

How do you turn off without going start new game ? o.o I didnt know this T__T. I was playing in relax mode ( no monster) but when the new update comes up about level of mode somehow mine have monsters. I was attack by 7-8 monsters few mins I login.I thought was just glitch and maybe will get fix next update but nope . I login today and I got attack again by worms so I lost that relax mode and I am not excited to start new game since I already settle down, have beautiful house etc .

Hello, sorry about that, we didn't think this could happen. If you send me your save folder we'll try to at least fix your game as soon as possible. The folder (the one named with a bunch of numbers) is here: C:\Users\ <your_username> \AppData\LocalLow\Tunnel Vision Studio\Starsand\