way too easy to die in this game

[bearsboi]

i keep getting killed by everything, no weapons do enough damage to kill any hostile bugs before they kill me, i even have acorn armor and an ant club and they still 3 shot me. idk how to progress

[Mrrshan68]

turn the difficulty down to mild, no shame in it. the game is poorly balanced for solo play. Its clearly intended to be co-op so you can revive each other or tank for each other.
If playing solo just avoid the strong bugs at first no need to fight big orb weavers or wolf spiders at all early on.
Get a weevil shield and a larva blade. The ant club is only good if your parry game is on point.
Block early and often and backpedal from the bugs this will force them to use their 1 hit charge attack rather than their multihit combos. Block the charge get in afew hits then backpedal again.

[bearsboi]

Originally posted by Mrrshan68:

turn the difficulty down to mild, no shame in it. the game is poorly balanced for solo play. Its clearly intended to be co-op so you can revive each other or tank for each other.
If playing solo just avoid the strong bugs at first no need to fight big orb weavers or wolf spiders at all early on.
Get a weevil shield and a larva blade. The ant club is only good if your parry game is on point.
Block early and often and backpedal from the bugs this will force them to use their 1 hit charge attack rather than their multihit combos. Block the charge get in afew hits then backpedal again.

no need to fight spiders u say lol as if they dont just randomly show up and one hit kill me. but for some reason i didnt know there was a difficulty option so ill try putting it down and see how it is that way. how do i get the larva blade recipe?

[Jaggid Edje]

You get the recipe for it by analyzing either a larva spike or acid gland (from killing a larva) or , optionally, you can find the "Rotten Larva Blade" down by the fallen log. Analyzing the Rotten Larva blade also gives you the recipe to make a regular one.
The fallen log is just a bit south of the game starting spot, where mites hang out. The rotten larva blade found near it is like a "sword in the stone" type thing on the opposite side of the stump from the starting location.

[Mrrshan68]

i believe you need to analyze a larva spike, plenty of those in the corner of the hedge near the start of the ascent (near the paperclip). Its a fast 1h sword that also applies poison (spiders are immune to poison sadly).
When i say you dont need to fight them i mean just run away, orb weavers wont 1 shot and wolf spider poison is survivable if you bolt away/jump up high and bandage or scarf down a roast.

[PixelHoarder4Life]

Lowering the difficulty will for sure help, you may also want to consider ditching the acorn armor and pick something else. The acorn armor increases bugs aggression towards you, meaning a bug that would normally not notice you will likely instead come straight for you. If you prefer to stick with heavy armor types I suggest going for the tier 2 ladybug armor. Ladybugs can be a bit difficult at first but the armor set is worth it. An upgraded ladybug armor set will carry you through a good chunk of content.

[Jaggid Edje]

You sure about that @PixelHoarder4Life? I thought the Acorn armour just increased threat, which is only applicable in multiplayer (i.e. threat being the term for how mobs decide which player to attack).
Totally agree with you regarding the ladybug armor as a good upgrade. I used Acorn armor for a while before getting it though, and did not notice any increase in bug aggression radius, nor did I notice a decrease when I stopped using it.

[bearsboi]

Originally posted by Jaggid Edje:

You get the recipe for it by analyzing either a larva spike or acid gland (from killing a larva) or , optionally, you can find the "Rotten Larva Blade" down by the fallen log. Analyzing the Rotten Larva blade also gives you the recipe to make a regular one.
The fallen log is just a bit south of the game starting spot, where mites hang out. The rotten larva blade found near it is like a "sword in the stone" type thing on the opposite side of the stump from the starting location.

thanks i found some larva and just unlocked it

[MRV1N]

Originally posted by bearsboi:

i keep getting killed by everything, no weapons do enough damage to kill any hostile bugs before they kill me, i even have acorn armor and an ant club and they still 3 shot me. idk how to progress

shield my friend,shield.

[Ryamos]

Make sure you're blocking and also gathering mats for armor. and upgraded weapons. There's also no shame in moving at a snail's pace as it were - the game can be a serious challenge for people not used to survival games or survival with combat using a health bar - that's right, forgetting to heal happens to the best of us, so make those bandages.

[blackphoenixx]

You need to block. Parrying is ideal but not necessary, but you do not want to take hits from the big bugs unblocked no matter what armor you're wearing.

When the bug starts its attack animation and you're not sure of the parry timing yet put up your shield, wait until the hit and get in 2-3 strikes, then back off and block again until the bug does its next attack.

You don't need to become good at parrying to beat the game (though it certainly helps) but you do need to learn how to block if you want to progress beyond fighting ants.
That's just how combat in this game works.

[kirara209]

Combat can't always be won by going in swinging like a madman hoping to out damage the enemy. You need to block and, when possible, dodge attacks. Learning bugs' attack and movement patterns allows you to learn when to block, and, in time, learn to perfect block. Using a shield helps a lot as it will mitigate all damage minus a few status effects here and there which require perfect block to mitigate. You don't always need one as you can block with a weapon, but it doesn't mitigate all damage like a shield does, save for perfect blocks.

Second, use Peep.r (X key, then E key) to learn about the bugs. Learning about their strengths and weaknesses is key to victory as you face harder and harder enemies.

Third, the game can be played solo. The more friends present in a fight, the more HP the enemy will have.

Forth, lower the difficulty if it's still too rough. I've played exclusively on calm because I wanna have fun and not hate my experience. There seems to be a steep difficulty clime between difficulties, so try out a lower one as you start out. Once you get better, switch to something higher.

[bearsboi]

Originally posted by kirara209:

Combat can't always be won by going in swinging like a madman hoping to out damage the enemy. You need to block and, when possible, dodge attacks. Learning bugs' attack and movement patterns allows you to learn when to block, and, in time, learn to perfect block. Using a shield helps a lot as it will mitigate all damage minus a few status effects here and there which require perfect block to mitigate. You don't always need one as you can block with a weapon, but it doesn't mitigate all damage like a shield does, save for perfect blocks.

Second, use Peep.r (X key, then E key) to learn about the bugs. Learning about their strengths and weaknesses is key to victory as you face harder and harder enemies.

Third, the game can be played solo. The more friends present in a fight, the more HP the enemy will have.

Forth, lower the difficulty if it's still too rough. I've played exclusively on calm because I wanna have fun and not hate my experience. There seems to be a steep difficulty clime between difficulties, so try out a lower one as you start out. Once you get better, switch to something higher.

so basically play the game like monster hunter

[sushileafbeats]

Actually Monster Hunter is a great analogy... especially on the dodging and parrying. Perfect blocking a spiders attacks is sooooo game changing once you nail memorizing their animations. At this point I could start a new game, get the first club and solo orbweavers no problem with no armor, because of remembering their move set. It would take a minute like fighting the Tree Sentinel at the start of a game, but its doable. BUT the better comparison to Monster Hunter... is upgrading your gear. You 1000% want to be tech levelling into being able to +1 +2 etc your gear.

Souls games are also a good analogy in 'don't be afraid to die, its a learning experience' (though it sucks having to go pick up your inventory under a sleeping wolf spider lol), and if you can't take it down yet... run or go around. You'll start to really keep your eyes peels for say the tell-tale coloring or shape of a wolf spider so you catch it in the distance and adjust your pathing. MOST of the natural bugs don't need to be fought until you're ready to.

Now I haven't played 1.0 just yet, but you used to be able to make different themed smoothies. These can buff you. And you could make just a garbage smoothie (not a specific recipe), that would simply heal you a bit (and you could thus spam them like small potions). I used to carry 20 of those on me when going on a trek. Bandages are also your friend, but they work as a heal over time, so good to pop it the very first moment you get hit during a scary fight.

And there are tons of mutations (passive perks you unlock and enable) to be found around the yard, and earned through grinding as well, like how strong your clubs are, or how fast you move, or having better stamina management while blocking.

But yes, the game isn't super easy.