Bases Are Overrated! - Nomad Gameplay

I've had a very fun time playing DST and this is my most successful playstyle. A lot of players have asked me "How is it you live for so long without a base?!" Well, I'll reveal all of my secrets here and, hopefully, the community can write down some of their own tips in the comments as well! Have fun reading this and I hope it helps!

Pros and Cons

If you're reading this guide it means you've taken interest in playing without a base. I personally love this playstyle, but it might be tough for the casual player that follows the same routine of base building, so I'm going to list what a player should expect while playing as a homeless wanderer.

The Pros:

• You don't have to worry about griefers and trolls destroying your base or taking your resources.
  
• You have all you need. Nothing will catch you offguard since all your gear is at hand's reach.
  
• You will usually be the first to find something interesting such as the Eye-Bone, the Pig King or beefalo herds.
  
• Giants won't be a disturbance.
  
• You will never starve (if you follow this guide).

The Cons:

• A nomad is better off alone. Any companion might slow you down. This is ironic since the idea of Don't Starve Together is to play, well, together.
  
• Dead players will drain your sanity and you'll be able to do nothing about it, since you're never close to them.
  
• Magic items will be hard to come across, since these require rare resources and you'll only be able to carry a limited amount of items.

Recommended Characters

There are 11 official characters in Don't Starve Together. Each character has their perks and downsides and, when it comes to being a nomad, these perks can be very valuable or lost completely. Thankfully, I've tried every character in Don't Starve Together and I have an idea on what to expect from every character, so I'll add this in the guide for the sake of guideness.

Wilson
Everyone says Wilson is decent for anything in the game. While this might be true, there are other characters that are definately better on being a nomad. Do pay attention on what season you're joining in. Wilson's beard helps him in the winter, so choosing him at least 15 days before winter would be best.

Willow
I wouldn't recommend Willow since her starting items are nearly useless and take valuable inventory space. Bernie won't be of much use since you'll never have low sanity. The lighter is like a longer-lasting torch with the bonus of being able to cook food with it, which I have to admit is the best perk she has. She's got a low sanity pool, meaning you'll have to gather sanity-restoring items frequently. She's good for players starting in winter.

Wolfgang
Ah, Wolfgang, the mightiest of them all. His damage and health perk sounds amazing since nomads will fight everyday, and his hunger isn't an issue since you'll always have food. Sanity shouldn't be much of a problem since sanity-restoring items are commonly found in the world. There's just one problem: You'll need to fight for your food most of the time, so if you messed up and let Wolfgang go hungry without food to spare, it's not going to be as easy to recover. I recommend this character to experienced players.

Wendy
My personal favorite. Wendy doesn't need to care much about sanity and Abigail does most of the fighting for her, so the 0,75x damage won't be a problem. The duo is outstanding against spiders and hounds, your common enemies. Cornering koalefants is not a problem, killer bees can be considered free honey and tallbirds would rather hit a ghost than the girl with their eggs. Cave exploration is also breeze with this character. The only downside to Wendy is when she doesn't have Abigail to back her up, so be careful and heal Abigail often if you'd like to survive.

WX-78
This little robot is like a Wilson without a beard, with no noticable downsides and a nice perk. Upgrading might be tough unless you know how to fight properly against clockworks or feel confident enough to find the ruins for those gears. This character is recommended since nomads will always have food on them and, with WX-78's tolerance to spoiling food, it will be easy to keep his belly full without worrying about what you'll have for dinner until next week. Rain shouldn't be a problem as you'll most likely have an umbrella by day 3 if you really need one. Oh, and it might be a bad idea to join in spring with this tin can.

Wickerbottom
She don't need no education. With advanced knowledge, she has a sweet headstart on the first days, needing only to craft a science machine to unlock every important recipe. Her insomnia isn't a problem since nomads never sleep, but her picky taste might make it difficult to stock up on food reserves, so don't get greedy while hunting because most of it will probably go to waste. The best book to use would be Sleepytime Stories or On Tentacles if you're having hound problems, but use them wisely because they can end your sanity if you're not careful.

Woodie
At first, this character might sound like a good idea. The infinite (talking) axe and easy sanity regen are two things to not worry about, the facial hair is a nice addition to winter and his hulk form is devastating, but I don't recommend this character as a nomad. Nomads must always be on the run, and full moons are good opportunities to explore at night too, but the werebeaver just says "nope" and lets go of everything you have to go on a tree-killing spree, making you waste every full moon since day 11, not to mention the sanity lost, which will be difficult to recover if you're not ready. Choose this character on your own risk, eh?

Wes
I'm not touching this guy. If you feel like you're ready to survive with this mute, go ahead and good luck. His best perks are his sweet moves when you type in chat.

Maxwell
The lord of shadows doesn't need to worry about sanity ever, but his minions are very useless when playing as a nomad. The shadow slaves are good for base building, since they work on every tree, stump and boulder, but what's the use on having stacks of rocks and wood on the go? They just take inventory space! The body guards aren't that good either. Yes, they hit hard, but once every 5 seconds because the Pig King trained them well on the kiting arts. You're better off hiring an army of pig men and dropping the codex for good. Maxwell is very fragile so combat isn't his favorite hobby. I don't recommend this character, but if you feel like you can manage his fragility, go ahead!

Wigfrid
She is a badass. Recovering HP and Sanity WHILE in combat with monsters? Sign me up! Not to mention she starts with her godlike, renewable arsenal. She has a slightly lower hunger pool, so this might be a problem, especially in the early days when there's no meat around to chew on. Rushing a crock pot might be the best idea for her the first few days, but that can slow you down on your travels. My recommendation is to cook the meat right away, look for 4 monster meat and 8 morsels to make your 4 meaty stews on your first crockpot. Recommended for people new to this playstyle.

Webber
This character is good for players that want to settle down while having spiders around to protect them. Unfortunately, nomads are the contrairy. He has a slightly larger hunger and health pool, but half the sanity. His ability to eat monster meat isn't as great as it sounds, since they don't fill as much as regular meat. The silk beard has a minor insulation factor for winter and the extra silk is always useful, but there's something about this character that just doesn't get to me. Feel free to try him out, but always be on the lookout for sanity-restoring items (a Top Hat should be easy to acquire as Webber).

Days 1-3: Getting started

So you're ready to start your life as a nomad! It's a harsh world out there, and greedy players will take everything they see and leave nothing for the rest, making the start a pain for others. You don't want to be like that, you're a good sport. As a nomad you're only going to be taking what you need so, on day 1, I recommend choosing a direction and running away without picking anything up to leave some behind for the newcomers. They'll thank you for that. Once you're around 2 screens away from the portal, look for 2 grass and 2 twigs and make a torch with them. I know it's broad daylight, but it's always better to be prepared for night with a light ready to use. I've seen too many deaths by darkness because players craft a pickaxe or a trap instead of a campfire or a torch. That's rule number one: ALWAYS have a torch.

The first few days are usually just like the days of base building, but you're going light so don't take everything you see! Be sure to rotate your view often. You might find good stuff in the corner of the screen or behind a tree!

Main Goal:
Gather the materials needed to build a science machine.

Day 1
Your main objective on day 1 is to craft a torch, gather a bit of food (total of 10 berries or carrots is enough) and have extra twigs and grass. It doesn't matter if you don't find flint yet, but if you do, gather at least 2. Take snacks on day 1, eat butterflies and seeds on sight. Carrots and berries are better when cooked. When night falls, use your torch to burn a couple of trees and put it away as soon as you do. Be sure not to start a forest fire and leave some resources for the others!

Day 2
The trees should stop burning after a bit. Chop some down and gather 6 charcoal. Use the rest to gather ashes because you'll need them soon, but this is optional because you can gather ashes anytime anywhere. You should have at least 2 flint by now. Come on, I know it's tough to find flint in DST, but it's not THAT rare! Use the flint to craft a pickaxe and find gold deposits. Be sure to gather more twigs and grass on the way! Try not to fall under 20 of each. Once you've found gold, use up your pickaxe on every boulder around, gather at least 15 stones and use your extra flint to make an axe. Chop down enough trees to have at least 6 logs on you. Once you do, create a science machine and a fireplace, but don't place them down. Instead, have them premade in your crafting tab. This will "reserve" your resources into those structures instead of having them sitting in your inventory. It's a very useful tactic when playing as a nomad so do it whenever you can. Place the fireplace when night falls, cook your berries and carrots and have a well-deserved dinner, because it's gonna get better.

If all goes well your inventory should look like this by the end of day 2:

Note how I have a campfire and a science machine premade in the crafting tab here:


Day 3
If day 2 went according to plan, go ahead and explore. Once it's dusk, place down that science machine and prototype a backpack and a spear. You also have the resources to make a Crock Pot, so go ahead and craft it, but don't place it unless you'll cook something tasty. Meatballs and meaty stews will be on our menu. You might be getting hungry and berries might not be enough, so consider looking for beefalo and try luring one out of its herd, or find koalefant tracks and start the hunt.

Day 3 is usually my "filler" day. I use this day to gather resources I lack and explore more of the map. Whatever you didn't do on Day 2, do it on Day 3. Remember, not everything is always by the book. Once I spent my first 5 days just looking for boulders to be able to craft the science machine while living on butterfly wings. True story.

Days 4-10: Upgrading

Remember you have a torch! Don't make campfires unless you're spending the night cooking but, if you're not cooking, don't stop moving. Day, dusk, night, it's all time. If you stay in one spot, you're wasting time. You got the torch for that. Also, you're gonna want to go out of your way if you see a suspicious pile of dirt. Hunting koalefants will keep your belly full for FOUR days! That's four meaty stews you'll cook once you get your crockpot down!

Goal:
Craft a piggyback and a lantern.

Day 4-7:
It's time we get upgrading. You should still have at least 3 rocks with you, so I need you to make a hammer and look for some pig houses. Pig houses are commonly found in pine forests and decidious forests, so get in there and call yourself the big bad wolf, because you're about to huff, and puff, and blow their houses down! Hammer two pig houses down and gather everything they drop. The planks and cut stone will be enough to make the alchemy engine along with your gold, while the pig skin will be needed very soon. Place your second science machine and do what you gotta do to prototype the alchemy engine. It's the only one you'll create so don't worry about other pig houses, but be wise and place it somewhere accessible.

Use the homeless pigs to fight nearby spiders if you're in a pine forest or find some spiders yourself. Be sure to avoid swarms, as they will surely give you arachnophobia. You need to keep fighting until you have 6 silk. Go to your alchemy engine and craft your base: The Piggyback backpack. Once you have that then you're good to go! Use the extra glands to craft healing salves.

Friendly reminder: Make sure to always have at least half a stack of every basic resource: Twigs, grass, wood, flint and stone.

Day 7-10:
Look for a cave. If caves aren't active on the server then skip this step and be sure to have TWO torches now. Inside the cave is a good chance to pick mushrooms. Mushrooms are your main sanity items IF YOU COOK THEM FIRST. Don't eat raw shrooms unless you wanna go crazy (and not the good type of crazy). The green ones are my favorite, since they fill up your sanity and barely hurt. Blue ones are ok, but not as good as green. They can also be used to patch yourself up and as a snack when raw, but take some sanity away. Avoid the red ones. Your main objective in the cave is to gather a bit of lightbulbs. No need to go over 8 bulbs. Go back to the surface to your alchemy engine and prototype the lantern. This will be your new light source, but save the torch in case of emergency.

Amazing! You now have your core items: A Piggyback and a Lantern. Keep these safe (along with your torch and basic resources) and the rest will be a breeze.

Season Specific Tips

The last 5 days of each season should be spent looking for items to help you survive through the next one.

Winter items:

• Thermal Stone
  
• Winter Hat or Cat Cap or Beefalo Hat, whichever you acquire first.

Winter Tips:

• Have your torch at the ready. Burn a log if you start to freeze, build campfires frequently and light some trees on fire every now and then for maximum body temperature.
  
• Take your hat off when you're near a fire source. This way it'll last the entire season.
  
• The thermal stone will lose durability every time it reaches its normal state. If you're careless you might need to craft another one so keep rocks and flint handy.

Spring Items:

• Straw Hat
  
• Umbrella

Spring Tips:

• Don't use wet clothing. This will heavily drain your sanity.
  
• Wearing the items and standing under a tree will completely negate wetness even in the heaviest downpours.
  
• The Piggyback is waterproof. Keep all items you need dry in it.
  
• Rain extinguishes torches at a dramatically higher rate. Be weary of this.

Summer Items:

• Straw Hat
  
• Umbrella
  
• Thermal Stone
  
• Water balloons

Summer Tips:

• Don't run out of nitre. Endothermic Fires will save your life.
  
• Fill mosquito sacks in ponds to craft water balloons!
  
• Summer has the shortest dusks. Be sure to be near Green Shrooms when you notice dusk approaching to gather them for sanity.
  
• Summer is the best season to explore the underground. While underground you will not need any of the required items to survive the season and daylight will constantly shine through the cieling.
  
• Much like rain, moving under trees slows down the heat.
  
• Heat doesn't build up at night, but you don't cool down either.

Inventory Summary

Your ideal piggyback should start looking like this:

Lets start going through the checklist:

• The Lantern and its fuel is what will be keeping you active at night. If you don't have caves activated in the server, two torches will do. The mining helmet might be ok if you manage to gather a minimum of fireflies.
  
• Your wife, the torch. I've said it on the entire guide and I'll keep saying it until it's absolutely clear that you must ALWAYS have a torch with you.
  
• A golden axe is recommended so you don't have to worry about a new one every day, but a normal axe works too if you're feeling cheap. Always have one at your disposal.
  
• 20 flint is more than enough to keep you going. An axe and a spear cost 1 flint each, a pickaxe costs 2 and a thermal stone costs 4. Those will be your only uses for flint (except if you're shaving beefalo, that's 2 more. Wow.) You can go for a full stack, sure, but remember to leave flint for the others too.
  
• A spear will be your best friend when hunting. You can use the axe while you don't have a spear, but spears will make your life easier (and longer). Upgraded weapons work too if you come across them.
  
• You'll always need at least 10 wood for a fireplace or fuel for the fireplace, so why not keep the stack?
  
• Again, keep at least 10 stone handy for healing salves or a new thermal stone. Boulders can be hard to find if you're not in the right biome.
  
• Grass and Twigs are your heart and soul. They were the first things I told you to gather, and they're included in so many recipes, you don't want to run out. Having a full stack is always recommended.
  
• Healing Salves for when the battle doesn't go your way. They're cheap to make and 10 is more than enough.
  
• Food. 4 meaty stews will keep you relaxed for days, but once you reach your last meaty stew, look for koalefants, beefalo, catcoons or werepigs to keep the count up. Be sure to always have a crockpot ready in your crafting tab!
  
• Not on the image, but be sure to gather green mushrooms to cook for sanity. You'll look like a crackhead, but it calms your nerves.

That's it for the main inventory, now I'm going to recommend some items that are not your priority, but are always good to have:

I'll tell you why they're nice:

• Life Giving Amulet: This is your second chance in life. If you didn't have a torch then this will be your ONLY forgiveness, since no other player will be nearby to revive you and touchstones will most likely be far away from your items.
  
• Eye-Bone: You'll most likely be the first to find Chester if you started with the others. He's your best friend in this and will carry any extra trash you might consider treasure.
  
• Walking Cane: The speed boost this gives means more ground to cover in less time. It's very handy, especially since the piggyback slightly slows you down.
  
• Bush Hat: You know that terrifying moment when you start hearing hounds and are caught defensless? I don't because I'm always prepared, and you should be too, but this hat will save your life if you find beefalo, pigs, frogs, spiders or tallbirds nearby. Just have them a little more than half a screen away from you and hide in your bush. The hounds will eventually target the mob and swarm them, instead of you.
  
• Football Helmet: This is your defense. It's very nice to have since Log Suits are a no-go because they'll take your backpack slot. Besides, DST's armor system makes it so only one of two protection items actually take effect, meaning Log Suit + Helmet will render one of them useless. The helmet absorbs tons of damage for you and you'll be thankful you made one, considering how easy they are to make.
  
• Pan Flute: You'll most likely be the first one to find the Gloomer statue, so you'll notice the pan flute laying there waiting to be picked up. Use it in case of emergency to run away or take down your foes one by one.
  
• Mandrake: Food that doesn't spoil? Nice! You won't have to worry about hunting for one day if you find Mandrakes or Tallbird Eggs. Just be sure to cook them in the crock pot to make the best foods!
  
• Boomerang: This will make Koalefant hunting a lot easier. Instead of cornering it somewhere to attack it, just throw this doovalacky at it to make it aggro you instantly. Just be sure to catch it again to avoid embarrassing situations.
  
  That's it for the items! Anything else isn't worth crafting or picking up, but you still have 7 inventory slots to fill with junk.

Rules and General Tips

I know you're ready to play now, but there's also some etiquette while playing as a nomad:

• ALWAYS HAVE A TORCH!
  
• No hoarding. Take only what you need. Leave resources for the other players. Don't be that guy.
  
• Replant trees. Please.
  
• Keep at least half a stack. This goes for anything really.
  
• Always share with others you come across. It'll earn you reputation in the community and it'll make you feel better.
  
• Go after fuel if your lantern falls below 50%
  
• Use Q and E to rotate your view. Don't be afraid to do it. You'd rather find that hidden koalefant track than keep track of where north is. After all, you have a map.
  
• Don't kill a koalefant next to the ocean. You want all the loot, not 1/3 of it.
  
• Only make a campfire to cook or warm yourself, but always have one prebuilt.
  
• Use Ctrl+F to hit butterflies instead of clicking on them. Thank me later.
  
• Don't go after magic items if you don't yet have your piggyback with the essentials.
  
• Prepare for each season 5 days before they start.
  
• Don't waste full moons.
  
• Transform pigs into werepigs with 4 monster meat. They're easier to fight and drop more loot.
  
• Keep your lantern and food in your piggyback. If you die (which you shouldn't if you're prepared), these items don't drop on the ground with the others. Instead, they stay inside the backpack and keep preserved while you get yourself back in the game. Food on the ground spoils faster than in a container.
  
• Cook meat as soon as you can. Cooked meat last longer than raw meat.

I know it's not necessary, but players will thank you if you build warning signs when danger is close, such as the Dragonfly, spider-infested biomes and hound mounds.

Meaty Stews are the best food for a nomad. The best recipe for it is 1 meat + 1 monster meat + 2 morsels or drumsticks. You can also go 2 meat + 1 monster meat + 1 filler.

Gobblers can be hard to catch and kill at first, but, if you drop one berry near it, it will eventually become hypnotized with the berry and forget about you, walking carelessly towards the berry. This is your time to strike. A few axe hits will do. You can also scare it into some frogs. The frogs will attack it and it won't run away from them so take advantage of that. That's half the required recipes for the meaty stew!

Recommended Mods

I know some players might consider certain mods to be cheating, but these are very handy and shouldn't hurt the experience:

• Minimap HUD
  
• Combined Status
  
• SmartCrockPot

Special thanks to the creators!

[bigzthegreat]

i thought this was kind of dumb because you avoiding going insane but the thing you have to realize is that nightmare fuel is useless since you wont have enough inventory space to make a shadow manipulator

[The Dragon Studios]

I don't usually build a base, and just wander around grabbing what I can.

[WX-78 gaming]

I also think that wortox and wanda are good, because they have ways to heal besides food

[Aether]

Quick Question : With the character reworks/new characters added, will you update the Recommended Characters section?

[Eco-Friendly Wood Venneer]

i agree Bases are overrated and everybody uses them. just play it like a real survival game not this base building simulator.

[BoppyDoppy]

great guide!
I suggest you add a section on "semi nomadic living, basically you have a base, but most of the time you don't stay at it unless you have something important that you don't want to always keep on you or you want to stay at base to prepare for things like giants, or before you go spelunking in the caves. This is mostly better than nomadic because it allows you to have things such as honey and jerky(essential foods) and go into high tier magic items, because it is nearly imposible to get enough living logs to break down shadow manipulaters every time. It is better in summer, as you don't have to worry about flingos in summer as you will be constantly traveling and thus no fires.

[The Gentleman]

@Mango I no longer live as a nomad, but the tips in this guide helped me learn how to become a competent starver back when it first came out. I remembered this guide today, and thought I'd drop by and say thanks for the great guide

[ogbing]

Nomads are fun but a Barbarian is cooler

[Kitten]

@Mango Bah! You're not a man of culture anymore! Just kidding, I too like Wortox x3

[DukTape]

@Kitten This guide is a little outdated, but it still works! My favorite character right now is definitely Wortox. His souls carry him so far, only sanity gets kinda problematic, but nothing a Top Hat or a Tam O' Shanter can't fix!