How to deal with cannibals the easy way! [Guide] on how to kill cannibals and exploit bugs to make this game easymode)

[Septumplastik]

+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Hey everybody!
It's nice to see that my guide from 2014 is still getting read and bumped. However, I have not played the game in years and I never updated the guide nor intend to do so in the near future.

So I'm guessing a lot of the exploits don't work anymore and the guide in general is probably very outdated by now. So just keep that in mind while reading!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I've seen a lot of threads popping up with people asking how to deal with the cannibals, asking for peace-mode or just generally complaining about cannibals being strong. So here is how to deal with them:

1. Kill it with fire!
Apparently cannibals like to bath in oil, since they light up like a christmas tree and die as soon as they so much as even touch a fire. Here are the best fire-delivery-devices currently available in the game, ranked from best to worst:

- Flaregun (or Flairgun, if you're the classy type):
The flaregun has a huge range, kills every cannibal with 1 hit and can fire as fast as you can click - so make sure you got enough ammo. Here's the trick: dropping the flaregun and picking it up again will reload it and add to your ammo count. Afaik it has 6 shots, so drop it once, pick it up again and you have 12, and so on. You can find the flaregun in the cave you wake up in after being knocked out (with this guide you wont ever be knocked out again) and underneath the sailboat at the beach. In the cave, turn right and follow the wall, you will walk right into the gun. To get the sailboat gun, try to swim into the boat - this will make you dive low enough to grab the gun.

- Molotov Cocktail
Make this by combining booze with cloth. You can find both in almost every suitcase (suitcases are scattered around the plane and along the beaches). Here's the trick: once you have gathered 6 cloth and 8 booze, you can make an infinite amount of molotovs, because the items dont get used up. However, you can only carry like 9 mollys at a time (you will notice them stacking up in your inventory) so try to hit your target. Like the flaregun, you can throw the cocktails pretty much as fast as you can click.
Be careful tho: if you have a molotov in your hand and equip something else, you will drop it on your feet and set yourself on fire. To avoid this, either throw all the molotovs away, jump backwards as soon as you equipped something else, or equip a weapon capable of blocking and just block the fire damage - it works.

- Fire
Cannibals die from stepping into the fires you built. Stock up on leaves, sticks and stones and plant fires in strategic positions around your camp. If you are under attack, try to lure the Cans into the fire and watch them burn.


2. Melee!
Given most peoples experience with cannibals, going into melee seems counterintuitive. But this guide is not about killing them, but dealing with them - even tho most of the dealing is, in fact, killing. Here is how you win in melee!

- Block!
Sticks, spears, the rusty axe, arms and legs can block by clicking/holding RMB (right mouse button). I have yet to find the modern axe so idk if it can block. Anyway, blocking protects you from any damage source you can imagine. Walked into your own fire like an idiot? Just block! Falling from that cliff? Blocking will take care of it. Creepy naked people attacking you in the night? Yea, just block.
Here comes the dealing instead of killing part: if you just keep up that block, the cannibals will eventually retreat. And by retreat I mean run away in fear.
Protip#1: walk into your fire while blocking - you wont get damaged, but they will burn!
Protip#2: you can keep up the block indefinetely and while sprinting, jumping and eating berries. If you equip a weapon and quickly pick up a log while the weapon-equip animation is still running, you will carry the log with the weapon equipped. So now you can block and attack while carrying logs.

- Strafe & Whack!
Most people will know this by now, but I will include it anyway. Strafing means running sideways. Whacking means hitting something as fast as you can. Combine this and you can take down any cannibal 1vs1, but be carefull, the rest of the patrol will try to help their friend by hitting you in the back. Bunch of cowards..
Here is how you do it: Approach the cannibal you want to kill. Hold down A or D while clicking as fast as you can. If done right, you should be running circles around your target while whacking so fast he is stuck in his '♥♥♥♥♥♥ I got hit' animation.
This works 99% of the time, but be prepared to block in case they manage to break free or get backup.


3. Outplay them!
Cannibals seem to have some intelligence to them, and they are certainly very vicious. But they are predatory pack hunters, while you evolved to have a huge brain - use it!

- Buildings
Obviously, you should use buildings to your advantage. But think outside the box - literally. For example, simply jumping on top of your hunting shelter will put you out of the cannibals melee range. This also works with the platform (you can stack those to make huge towers no cannibal could ever dream of climbing, while you just jump up), walls, the log cabin and even the cannibal huds you find in the forest. In fact, you can simply jump on those things and walk to the top. Stupid cannibals, building safe zones for their own food..

- Traps
There are 3 traps in the game right now, and all of them work. These days, most of them even reset after loading the game! They take about the same amount of resources as walls, but instead of obstructing your view and standing in your way, traps actually kill your enemies - or hang them upside down. I suggest you just try them out and find your favorite. Build as many as you want and lure those naked guys into them! Remember to block if you're not confident in your maneuvering abilities.

(At this point I want to make a suggestion to the devs: traps are awesome and a lot of fun, but it would make sense to attach them to trees. The noose trap for example is basically a huge gallow with a counterweight - the same thing could be achieved by simply putting the rope/weight mechanism over the branch of any tree. I dont mind building huge gallows everywhere, but for realism and immersions sake I'd prefer to use the trees in a more efficient manner. Thank you!)

- Maneuver
Dont be a dummy - move! When engaging in cannibal shenanigans, you should always be on the move. Strafing, sprinting, jumping (bunnyhopping) - what works in multiplayer games almost always works vs AI. Stand still, you die. Move and kill them!

- Awareness
This is, in my opinion, the top qualitiy that makes or breaks a gamer, or any person irl for that matter. Always be aware of your surroundings. Whacking a tree? Strafe it or look around so nobody can sneak up on you. Keep an ear open - when a cannibal spots you or is nearby, you should hear a short piano cue. Be alert and you will be safe.
Keep an eye open - cannibal patrols are usually made up out of 3 different cannibals: the leader, the standard male and the standard female. Cannibals can walk around on their own, but if you see one, chances are there's 2 more lurking close by.
Every member of the patrol looks different and has a different role:
The Leader:
This is the guy carrying various skull-accessoires and weapons. He likes to put a flashlight or candles into his skulls, so you can easily spot him from afar. This guy calls the shots - upon his command the 2 others attack you or retreat. He also calls for backup and keeps his distance most of the time, only attacking you in self-defense or in a full on assault.
Standard Male:
Can be armed or unarmed, can have various accessoires but no skulls (except on his weapon). This guy is the spearhead - his job is to get your attention and provoke a reaction. He does this by charging at you, stopping, screaming and then retreating. If you do not move, he will be insecure and retreat, but if you run away or towards him he will attack you. If the leader gives the command, the male will attack you regardless of your actions.
Standard Female:
Unarmed, undressed and no accessoires, only varying bodypaint. The female might appear as the least dangerous, but dont be fooled by her exposed boobs - this chick is dangerous! While the male charges you and gets your attention, she will try and sneak behind you for a flanking maneuver. She can do a powerfull jumping attack and I believe she has the fastest attack speed of all the cannibals. Females in a patrol listen to their leader, but lone females are agressive and will almost always attack! If you attack a female, other cannibals will rush you and try to defend her.
Torch-Guy
This guy is not part of any patrol. He wanders the forest alone and is extremely aggressive. Because of his torch you can spot and avoid him easily, if you encounter him at all.
(My personal theory is that this guy might try to burn down your buildings in the finished game.)
Keep in mind that you can block all of their attacks by simply holding RMB with any weapon capable of blocking. All of them should retreat after a while, except torchguy. He will hit you relentlessly until you run away from him or kill him.


TL;DR
- kill them with the flaregun
- block to prevent all damage
- run around and jump on things



Thats pretty much it. If you apply these tipps, cannibals should not be a problem to you at all, as you can kill them on sight or survive everything they throw at you. Be aware that most of these tricks are exploits of bugs of an early alpha version of an allready amazing game.
If you dont want to exploit bugs, simply dont do it. As the game gets updated, most of these exploits will likely stop working, but the general gist of things should stay the same. Be aware! :)
I hope I didnt mess up the formatting, since I've never written something like this before.

Thank you for reading, and thanks to the devs for making this game wich, in my opinion, is allready amazing.

PS: gib co-op pls ;)
PPS: English is not my first language, so I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes.

Edit: Added a description of different cannibals and their behaviour on patrol as well as on their own.

[Saucy Senpai]

Good guide, Never knew blocking stops fire and fall damage. Also your english is perfectly fine, didn't come across any mistakes.

[Septumplastik]

Originally posted by Froggin Bullfish:

Good guild, Never knew blocking stops fire and fall damage. Also your english is perfectly fine, didn't come across any mistakes.

Thank you!
I discovered the blocking 'features' while messing around with the cannibals. After not taking any damage, not even from behind, I set out to find out what else I could block. Turns out its everything except the exploding bodies (because you cant block quick enough).

[o_O]

Finally someone with brains that isnt crying about nerfing cannibals

[Saucy Senpai]

An easy way I've found to kill them is to throw molotovs into the water from above them, since they run on the ground. If I'm spotted I just swim into the water where they can't reach me. They just run around below me and I throw a molotov straight down which usually kills them all.

[GutsNoMore]

Great guide, but these seem to mostly be exploits. I wish these cannibals would just die like you'd expect any living thing to when hit repeatedly with an axe. :o

[Septumplastik]

Originally posted by InvisiMan2008:

Great guide, but these seem to mostly be exploits. I wish these cannibals would just die like you'd expect any living thing to when hit repeatedly with an axe. :o

Thank you! The tactics in general, like shooting them with flaregun or outmaneuvering them, are not exploits. However, I went on to explain the exploits so that everyone can play as they see fit, without frustration about getting killed all the time.

If people develope awareness and learn the game, I'm sure most exploits will be left untouched anyway (or fixed). In the meantime, I hope this helps people survive a bit longer! :)

[The Rococo Bang]

10/10 would Cannibal Shenanigans again.

[Stoowox]

Block ! Understood :)

[Septumplastik]

Bumping this before I go to sleep. I might add more tomorrow when I've learned more about the traps.

[Hakke]

yes very good guide ! 10/10 :) lol i know about the blocking but for some dumb reason i always forget to use it :D

[ShadowHunter]

Awesome guide, I hope I can get further than day 3 after reading this!

[TemplarGFX]

Originally posted by Neben:

- Flaregun (or Flairgun, if you're the classy type):
The flaregun has a huge range, kills every cannibal with 1 hit and can fire as fast as you can click - so make sure you got enough ammo. Here's the trick: dropping the flaregun and picking it up again will reload it and add to your ammo count. Afaik it has 6 shots, so drop it once, pick it up again and you have 12, and so on. You can find the flaregun in the cave you wake up in after being knocked out (with this guide you wont ever be knocked out again) and underneath the sailboat at the beach. In the cave, turn right and follow the wall, you will walk right into the gun. To get the sailboat gun, try to swim into the boat - this will make you dive low enough to grab the gun.

Doing this alone makes it about as difficult as peaceful mode would be. I think using this exploit is a bit over the top. Its a machine-gun fire thrower with unlimited ammo! I now purposefully play without ever getting the flare gun so I am not tempted

Alot of good tips all round. nice post

[Kerrigor]

Nice guide, agreed with most of the points. i made camp at beach and surround my camp with fire pit, basically once they get close you could just strafe and wack them to fire. trying to surround my camp with large effigies lolol.

[uafomega]

Originally posted by Kerrigor:

Nice guide, agreed with most of the points. i made camp at beach and surround my camp with fire pit, basically once they get close you could just strafe and wack them to fire. trying to surround my camp with large effigies lolol.

I made a corridor filled with fires placed all throughout, seems like placing fires is a decent defense vs walling up an entire area.

[SwordFish]

Nice guide :D