Surviving in Don’t Starve Together starts with mastering the first season: Autumn. This 20-day period is the best time to explore, gather resources, and establish a base before the more dangerous seasons arrive. In this guide, we’ll cover essential exploration strategies, resource management, combat tips, and how to prepare for Winter.

---

Exploration & Mapping

For at least the first 10 days, you should stay on the move, mapping as much of the world as possible while foraging and gathering essential resources.

Key Biomes to Locate:

• Swamp: Contains reeds (needed for birdcages) but is dangerous due to tentacles, spiders, and merms.
  • Tip: Always wear armor while traversing the swamp.
  • Look out for bubbles and rumbling sounds to avoid tentacle attacks.
• Rocky/Mosaic Biome: Home to Tallbirds (large meat) and Stone Boulders.
• Desert: Look for Tumbleweeds (random resource drops) and Volt Goats (meat source).
• Deciduous Forest: Contains Glommer’s Statue, Pig King, and Mandrakes.
• Wormholes: Mark which wormholes connect for faster navigation.

Important Early-Game Finds:

• Eyebone (for Chester) – Usually found on the brick road.
• Clockworks (Gears for Iceboxes) – Found near marble statues.
  • Tip: Knights attack in patterns—wait for their headbutt, then land 2-3 hits before dodging.
• Pan Flute (Deciduous Forest) – Can put bosses to sleep.
• Mandrakes (Deciduous Forest) – Non-renewable (except through Klaus), avoid picking them at night or dusk.

---

Early Combat & First Hound Wave

By Day 7 or 8, expect your first hound wave.

• Tank Strategy: Wear armor and take the hits (good for small waves).
• Kite Strategy:Dodge their first bite, then attack twice before dodging again.
  • With a fresh Ham Bat, you can attack three times before dodging.

Other Early-Game Enemies:

• Tallbirds: Strong meat source, attack between pecks.
• Shadow Creatures (Insanity Mobs):
  • Terrorbeaks are faster and more dangerous than Crawling Horrors.
  • Kill Terrorbeaks first if both spawn.
• Spider Dens (Tier 2 & 3): If spiders are inside, attacking will spawn warrior spiders (leaping attack).

---

Base Pre-Planning & Prebuilding

While traveling, prebuild essential structures to save resources and inventory space.

Key Structures to Prebuild:

• Birdcage: Converts Monster Meat into Eggs.
• Crockpot: Essential for cooking efficient meals.
• Alchemy Engine:
  • Prebuild Tip: Make one cut stone, one doodad, two boards, then right-click to store the prebuilt structure.
• Healing Salves: Crafted from Spider Glands, Ash, and Rocks.

---

Choosing a Base Location

By Day 10-12, start looking for a base location.

Best Base Biome Choices:

• Oasis Desert: Safe from wildfires, home to Volt Goats (meat) & Cactus (food/sanity boost).
• Triple MacTusk (Winter Walrus Camps): Close access for Winter hunting.
• Near Pig King: Trade trinkets and excess meat for gold.
• Cave Entrance: Easy Summer escape.

Avoid Basing Near:

• Swamps – Tentacles & merms make it dangerous.
• Clockwork Areas – Can be cleared out first, but risky if left unchecked.
• Wormholes – Can be useful but risk frequent enemy surprises.

---

Setting Up Your Base

Once settled, start laying the foundation for survival:

1. Basic Base Setup:

• Alchemy Engine – Primary crafting station.
• Lightning Rod – Protects structures from storms.
• Crockpot + Icebox – Essential for food management.
• Fire Pit – Provides heat, light, and emergency cooking.
• Farm Plots – Prototype a Garden Rigamajig to start farming early.

2. Kitchen Organization:

• Place Icebox near Crockpots for efficient cooking.
• Plan for multiple Crockpots (more efficient meal production).

3. Farm Setup:

• Use Gold Tools (golden shovel & hoe) to extend durability.
• Dig up Detritus from farm plots to maximize crop growth potential.
• Start seed collection early (birds stop dropping them in Winter).
• Best Crops:
  • Pumpkin, Potato, Tomato, Eggplant (Autumn) → Good hunger & healing.
  • Carrots & Garlic (Winter) → Staple food supply.
  • Dragonfruit (Summer) → Used for Dragon Pies (great stats).

---

Preparing for Winter (Day 21)

Winter survival begins in Autumn. Key priorities:

1. Gathering Winter Essentials:

• Thermal Stone – Keep one in Ice Chester for endless cooling.
• Winter Clothing – Don’t waste resources on Puffy Vests! Thermal Stone + Fire is enough.
• Ice & Food Reserves: Ice works as crockpot filler, so mine glaciers before Winter.

2. Winter Hunting Prep:

• Walrus Hunting (Tam o’ Shanter & Walking Cane) – Find Walrus Camps before Winter starts.
• Beefalo Wool – Optional insulation for beefalo hats.
• Weapons: Ham Bat or Spear (Ham Bat recommended for infinite durability).

---

Final Steps Before Winter

As you approach Day 20, your priorities should be: ✔ Stockpile food (Berries, Monster Meat, Ice, Vegetables). ✔ Gather resources (Logs, Stone, Gold). ✔ Prepare Warmth Items (Thermal Stones, Fire Pits). ✔ Upgrade Chester (Shadow Chester or Snow Chester). ✔ Scout for Walrus Camps (Winter Hunting Ground).