Welcome, wanderers! If you’re looking to get started in The Wandering Village or refine your strategy, this guide covers 15 key tips that will help you survive and thrive on the back of your giant companion, Onbu. Let’s dive into the fundamentals of choosing difficulty, research priorities, resource management, and building trust with Onbu.

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1. Choosing Your Difficulty

The game offers three difficulty settings:

• Novice: A guided introduction that teaches the basics.
• Normal: A safer starting biome, allowing gradual progress before facing harsher climates.
• Veteran: Starts in a harsh climate immediately, challenging from the start.

Additionally, you can enable options where villagers and Onbu cannot die, making survival significantly easier.

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2. First Buildings to Construct

At the start, prioritize these buildings over tents:

• Research Building – Unlocks new techs.
• Worker Post – Boosts worker efficiency.
• Air Wells – Essential for water collection.
• Farm and Berry Gatherers – Secure food early.

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3. Early Research Path

Use Shift to queue multiple research tasks. Suggested order:

1. Kitchen – Converts raw food into better meals.
2. Scavenger Hut – Essential for gathering rare resources and settlers.
3. Hut – Improves villager housing.
4. Horn Blower – Needed to issue commands to Onbu.
5. Onbu Kitchen – Allows food production for Onbu.
6. Cactus Plantation – Crucial for surviving arid biomes.

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4. Berry Gatherer Placement

Locate a dense berry cluster and place the gatherer as tightly as possible to maximize efficiency. Be mindful not to remove too many berry bushes.

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5. Expanding Research

Building a second Research Center increases efficiency to 140%, significantly speeding up unlocks.

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6. Efficient Harvesting

• Use harvest filters to prioritize full-grown trees and rocks.
• Avoid cutting down mother trees, as they regenerate forests.
• Harvest Onbu’s back rocks cautiously to avoid reducing trust.

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7. Carpenter & Stone Cutter

Construct a Carpenter and Stone Cutter early to process wood and stone into advanced materials.

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8. Farming & Water Management

• Beets grow well in most biomes but require two water per crop.
• Temperature affects growth speed: Green = fast, Yellow = slow, Red = won’t grow.
• Different crops excel in different biomes – swap based on conditions.

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9. Scavenger Huts: Maximizing Efficiency

• Build at least two Scavenger Huts to gather rare resources faster.
• Prioritize rock and settlement sites for stone and new villagers.
• Plan ahead – scavenge distant locations before Onbu moves away.

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10. Managing Workers Efficiently

• Use Worker Posts to maintain a pool of general workers.
• Assign workers strategically to prevent bottlenecks in hauling and building.
• Increase Carpenter and Stone Cutter staff when expanding.

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11. Building Housing Wisely

• Build Huts instead of Tents as soon as possible.
• Space them efficiently to optimize building space.

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12. Feeding Onbu & Gaining Trust

• Build an Onbu Kitchen and Food Trebuchet to feed Onbu.
• Avoid mining Onbu’s spines as it reduces trust.
• Don’t overuse the Horn Blower early, as it can make Onbu ignore commands.
• Petting Onbu increases trust and makes commands more effective.

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13. Biome Management & Adaptation

• Deserts: Prioritize Cactus Farming to generate water.
• Cold Zones: Some crops won’t grow; plan accordingly.
• Toxic Jungles: Require medical preparation and Decontaminators.

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14. Dealing with Poison & Contamination

• Build Herbalists early to grow medicine.
• Construct a Village Doctor before facing toxic zones.
• Decontaminators are crucial in toxic jungles – keep fuel stockpiled.
• Use Onbu’s run command to move quickly through hazardous areas.

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15. Late-Game Considerations

• Knowledge Points are needed for advanced research – prioritize Shrines.
• Upgrade water storage as population grows.
• Keep a steady flow of new villagers from scavenging to sustain jobs.
• Avoid harming Onbu with Blood Extractors, as it reduces trust.

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Final Thoughts

Following these tips will help you build a thriving settlement while maintaining a good relationship with Onbu. Adapt to biome changes, plan research carefully, and keep an eye on food and water levels.

By implementing these strategies, your village will stand the test of time as it roams across the ever-changing landscapes of The Wandering Village. Happy wandering!