[early game spearmaster spoilers]Surviving with the Pearl

[Big Mistake]

So, I know this thing's important. This was no big deal as hunter, could just swallow the pearl and call it good.

Spearmaster has no mouth, though. Having to hold it in hand creates some problems that I'm not finding a reliable way to deal with. Things like accidentally throwing the pearl in a direction I can't afford to go back towards or down a pit, not having a vulture mask to set up easy shots with, forgetting to go back for it after putting it down.

So if you've had some success, what's been working? Only moving on long cycles where you can afford to clear an area out and go back for the pearl? Rushing to the next shelter, dropping it, and then feeding? Giving it to a scav to hold and asking them nicely not to run off with it?

[RCMidas]

Cheese way: Visit the Sky Islands first, rest at the nearest shelter to the Communications Array. Go to Moon second for the Mark of Communication, rest at her nearest shelter. Go to Pebbles, get thrown out. Passage back to Moon. Passage to Sky Islands.

Lactose intolerant way: Really really really focus on what you're doing. This is basically the same as Hunter on your way to Moon with the neuron fly in hand and pearl in stomach. You will mess up. You will get angry. You will get better. And hey - all the spears you want at any time without having to go look for them, which also autofill your hunger pips. That is better than Hunter can manage. You can also take all the time you need to get it right, unlike poor Hunter again.

[Big Mistake]

Originally posted by RCMidas:

Cheese way: Visit the Sky Islands first, rest at the nearest shelter to the Communications Array. Go to Moon second for the Mark of Communication, rest at her nearest shelter. Go to Pebbles, get thrown out. Passage back to Moon. Passage to Sky Islands.

Lactose intolerant way: Really really really focus on what you're doing. This is basically the same as Hunter on your way to Moon with the neuron fly in hand and pearl in stomach. You will mess up. You will get angry. You will get better. And hey - all the spears you want at any time without having to go look for them, which also autofill your hunger pips. That is better than Hunter can manage. You can also take all the time you need to get it right, unlike poor Hunter again.

This is a great help, thank you.

[Nen☆niN]

Originally posted by RCMidas:

-snip-

I still think the ~6 pips hunter can get from the average lizard is better than spearmasters ~3. The main benefit of spearmaster is, as you said, infinite spears, as well as condensing feeding and fighting to one action. That's time save potential, but hunter has the option to kill one lizard and eat it, while running past another to probably save more time than Spearmaster fighting both for the same amount of food.

[Krag]

I just carried it the entire time, threw and lost it many times, it doesn't help that the spearmaster's gimmick is pulling spears out of its ass requiring you to hold the same key as the one to grab things. As much as it would trivialize the whole ordeal, having a way to safely carry the pearl without the risk of throwing it by mistake because of overlapping controls or general confusion when grabbing stuff from the ground would make it a lot less painful from a purely gameplay perspective.
I had a king vulture mask for the first half but dropped it eventually, it's too annoying to carry both items and spearmaster has to carry spear eventually to feed itself.