9 MORE Tips and Tricks for Surviving The Long Dark Wintermute

You have mastered the first 8 Tips and Tricks of surviving The Long Dark. With that information internalized, you are ready for round two. These little pointers will help you survive, be more efficient, and hopefully enjoy the game more.

Sleep in cars

Sleeping in a car isn’t just for frugal people on road trips, or the fashionably homeless. A car will block the wind and provide some warmth bonus. If you want the super hot (literally) tip about sleeping in a car, pay attention. You can start a fire outside the car and the heat bonus will impact you in the car. If you are a true boy scout, you will build this fire on the side of the car that is sheltered from the wind. Please note this only works in The Long Dark, do not try to start a fire outside your car thinking it will keep you warm inside.

Supply caches

Supply caches can only be found after the side quest is found. If you know where to look (cheater) you still wouldn’t be able to find the little caches around the world. You must find those enigmatic notes, scattered about that direct you to some supplies that a genius buried out in the middle of nowhere. Once you receive the cache side quest, it will then be marked on your map.

Sneaky map

The map isn’t that great. You may be thinking that with a map, only an idiot would get lost. You will not have that opinion for long. The Long Dark map is not precise. You will find yourself getting turned around, or coming across a landmark way quicker than you thought you would. That map is not always to scale, so don’t trust it too much. When you are lost, just wader till you discover a new area. It often shows up on the map and you can get your bearings.

Tick tock

Time is always ticking in The Long Dark. If you are thinking about what to keep or drop in your inventory menu, or checking your map, be aware that the clock is always ticking. The game never pauses, except when you exit to the game menu. You are getting colder, hungrier, and more tired. And the wolves are circling in. Be smart about when you check your inventory and take stock of your situation.

 

Good things come to those who . . . search

Searching drawers and cabinets can be tedious. Very tedious. Searching every single one thoroughly will lead to better equipment, more side quests, and a richer game experience. You will find little notes that add to the world you are in. You may even find vital tools, or top-notch gear. Just search it all.

Note: A place to look you may not have noticed (I think it is new in the Wintermute release) are car visors. Who knows what is lurking in there?

Toilet water

Now you and your dog have a talking point. Don’t be shy about scooping some water out of a stranger’s toilet bowl. They were impeccable house keepers and that special brew is safe to drink. This can save you a lot of time.

 

Coffee all day, tea for bed

Coffee will keep your motor running. It prevents some accumulation of fatigue, allowing you to travel farther with less sleep. You may even find a couple cups of coffee laying around. Don’t think how weird it is to drink cold abandoned coffee. Just go for it, and feel the java perk. Tea is great for bedtime. Not only do you feel like a senior citizen drinking it, but it makes your sleep a peaceful, blissfully unaware slumber of a senior citizen too. Live life to the fullest, and get your herbal tea on.

Enjoy the scenes!

Did you read the Boxcar Children books growing up? Do you wish you could live in a boxcar and enjoy adventures? Now you can. Search the map a bit, The Long Dark has some cool stuff out there.

Enjoy the glitches

You may find some funny things happening in your game. Take it in stride, some of it is rather magical. Take my Schrodinger’s deer for example. He is alive, walking in place every time I leave my house. When I see my deer friend, he dies. It must have been tough to be Schroedinger. Now I get a little sense of his loss. This game is a work in progress. Enjoy the journey. The whole game is literally about enjoying the journey. Don’t have a stick up your butt, unless you were saving that stick for kindling.

Have a killer time out there in The Long Dark, and be sure to torch some wolves.