Mastering Sleep In Don't Starve: Shipwrecked

In the survival game Don't Starve, players must navigate a hostile world filled with monsters, spiders, and bees, all while managing their health, hunger, and sanity. One key aspect of the game is the day-night cycle, which affects the behaviour of certain creatures and the player's sanity. To maintain their sanity, players must find ways to sleep through the night, which can be achieved through various means. This includes using crafted items like Straw Rolls and Fur Rolls, which allow players to skip the night at the cost of hunger. Additionally, players can cook and eat Mandrake to induce sleep. However, sleeping in dangerous areas or with low hunger can have negative consequences. Thus, players must carefully manage their resources and environment to ensure a good night's rest.

How to make a bed roll

In Don't Starve, players can craft bed rolls to sleep through the night. There are two types of bed rolls: Straw Rolls and Fur Rolls.

To craft a Straw Roll, you will need 6 Cut Grass and 1 Rope. You will also need a Science Machine to prototype it. Straw Rolls are one-time-use items that can be used to skip dusk and night. Using a Straw Roll will restore 33 sanity but will also consume 75 hunger. It will also set your temperature to 15, so it is recommended to sleep near a heat source like a Fire Pit during winter. Straw Rolls can also be used in a Fire Pit as fuel and burn longer than the sum of their components (360 seconds compared to 270 seconds).

To craft a Fur Roll, you will need 1 Straw Roll and 2 Bunny Puffs, as well as an Alchemy Engine to prototype it. Unlike Straw Rolls, Fur Rolls can be used multiple times (up to three times) and provide more benefits. Using a Fur Roll will restore 50 Sanity and 30 Health but will also consume 75 hunger. It will also set your temperature to a maximum, which is beneficial during winter.

To use a bed roll, drag and drop it onto your character at dusk or night, or right-click on it in your inventory. Your character will place it on the ground and lie down, advancing the time to the next day. Note that bed rolls cannot be used in "dangerous" situations, such as near a Spider Nest or during combat. They also cannot be used by Wickerbottom due to her insomnia.

How to find a safe place to sleep

When looking for a safe place to sleep in Don't Starve, there are several factors to consider. Firstly, it is important to find a relaxing spot that is free from potential dangers such as Spider Dens, Beefalo herds, and Frog ponds. These areas should be avoided because Spider Dens and Frog ponds tend to spawn hostile creatures, and Beefalo can become aggressive during their mating season when their rears turn red.

Additionally, it is crucial to ensure that your hunger levels are not too low before sleeping, as sleeping in "dangerous" situations or with low hunger can have negative consequences. A good campsite should provide access to resources such as trees or rocks, and it is beneficial to make a mental note of these locations during the day.

Another consideration is the type of bedding you will use. Most characters, except Wickerbottom, can craft items such as Fur Rolls, Straw Rolls, Tents, or a Siesta Lean-To (available in the Reign of Giants DLC) to sleep on. A Straw Roll is the easiest to craft, requiring 6 Cut Grass and 1 Rope, and can be made using a Science Machine. Fur Rolls and Tents, on the other hand, require an Alchemy Engine, which is the second crafting station in the game. Fur Rolls are more portable but require rarer resources, while Tents are more economical in terms of materials.

It is also worth noting that sleeping has benefits for restoring health and sanity but comes at the cost of hunger. Therefore, it is advisable to stock up on food before sleeping to avoid starvation. Cooking your food over a campfire can increase the hunger points gained from most food types.

How to raise sanity through food

In Don't Starve, sanity is a representation of a character's "mental health". As sanity decreases, the character's vision becomes shaky, bright, and oversaturated, and they begin to hear whispers. When their sanity is below 15%, shadow creatures appear and become aggressive, attacking the player.

There are several ways to increase sanity, including wearing certain clothing, sleeping, being near friendly pigs, and eating certain foods. This article will focus on the latter.

Eating Jerky and most Crock Pot food will increase sanity. Specifically, fish-based Crock Pot recipes are mentioned as being beneficial. Taffy, cooked Green Mushrooms, Brainy Matter, Banana Pops, cooked Blue Mushrooms, and Spam are also good options.

If you play as the character Walani, you can take advantage of the sanity regen of her Surfboard, which can restore infinite sanity over time.

Additionally, it is worth noting that the character Wigfrid gains sanity after killing mobs, and Warly gains more sanity from Crock Pot meals.

How to use sleep darts

Sleep Darts are a type of craftable ranged weapon in Don't Starve that can be used to put targets to sleep. They are crafted using 2 Cut Reeds, 1 Stinger, and 1 Jet Feather, and can be prototyped at a Science Machine. Each Sleep Dart has only one use, and puts the target to sleep; however, the creature will wake up immediately if attacked. Some mobs are sleep-resistant and require up to five darts to be put to sleep. Butterflies, Depths Worms, Ghosts, Mandrakes, Shadow Creatures, and Tentacles are immune to Sleep Darts.

Sleep Darts can be useful for farming Krampus or a Varg for the sack or farming Kolefants for meat, as it only takes one dart to put them down. Sleep darts can also be used to farm live bees for bee mines, which can be a good early to mid-game hound wave defense. Additionally, Sleep Darts can be used to lead away and sleep the Deerclops if you cannot fight it yet.

Sleep Darts are more affordable than the Pan Flute, which is barely renewable, and can be useful in PvP situations. However, some players may prefer to use the Ice Staff instead, as it essentially functions as 20 Sleep Darts and can be more useful in certain situations.

How to sleep as Wickerbottom

Wickerbottom, the intelligent librarian of Don't Starve, is an insomniac. This means that she cannot sleep in a Tent, Bed Roll, or Fur Roll, and crafting these items would be a waste of resources. However, there are alternative ways to restore her sanity and make her sleep.

One way to make Wickerbottom sleep is by using a sleep dart from another player in DST or knocking her out by cooking a Mandrake. Additionally, in PVP mode, the Pan Flute or Bearger's yawn can also put her to sleep.

To restore Wickerbottom's sanity, there are several food items that are easy to obtain and provide a good amount of sanity points. These include cooked green or blue mushrooms, taffy (made from honey and twigs), pumpkin cookies (made from honey, berries, and pumpkins), and jerky. Wearing certain items, such as the Tam o' Shanter, Top Hat, or Puffy Vest, can also help restore sanity.

Another way to restore Wickerbottom's sanity is by reading her magical books, which she can craft using Papyrus and other ingredients. However, reading these books comes at the cost of a lot of sanity. For example, the book "Sleepytime Stories" can be used to put nearby mobs to sleep, similar to the Pan Flute, but it drains 33 sanity per use. "Applied Horticulture" can be used to instantly grow crops, plants, and advance trees in all seasons except winter, draining 33 sanity. "The End is Nigh" summons 16 lightning strikes around Wickerbottom, dealing massive damage and draining 33 sanity.

While Wickerbottom's insomnia presents unique challenges, players can employ various strategies, such as those mentioned above, to manage her sanity and simulate sleep.

Frequently asked questions