How To Get Started
There are many ways to play but these strategies work really well. You'll develop your own play style eventually.
I'm going to assume you just started a new game in Voyageur mode. I would recommend reading these guides first if you haven't:
Starting Out
There are several predetermined locations in each region where you can start. Most of them are out in the cold and away from any shelters.
Look at the "Feels Like" temperature and how fast your warmth need is decreasing. This will indicate how quickly you'll need to get to shelter. If it's decreasing very quickly, don't waste any time.
You can look through your inventory via the quick menu or by pressing the [I] key on PC. You start out with very limited supplies. But I don't suggest spending a lot of time browsing through it just yet because time doesn't stop when you open game menus. The world is always moving forward, and considering you're half-naked and low on food in the middle of freezing weather, I suggest finding shelter before digging through any menus.
Note: You can pause the game by pressing [Esc].
Most Important Task: Find Shelter
Like in a real life survival situation, shelter is your top priority. The weather will sap out your life if you're unprotected for too long. It's much easier to survive outdoors with proper clothing, but you don't have that yet. If you're starting in a "beginner-friendly" region, this will be much easier. But it still might take a while. Some tips:
- Stick to roads if you find them
- Search around the edges of lakes
- Listen for noises of things blowing in the wind like window shutters and flags - make sure you have stereo speakers/headphones to locate the direction of the sound
Collect Fuel for a Fire
While you're looking for shelter, pick up sticks as you go to build a fire. They can be found underneath trees or in recently logged areas. Try to get 20 or 30 of them. Avoid larger branches or limbs that you have to "break down" because it will take time, which drains your needs meters. Wait to do the time-consuming activities until you're properly prepared for them.
You'll also need to collect tinder to start a fire. You can find various items that will work (like tree bark, newspapers, or cat tail heads). If you need to make some tinder, you can break down a stick into smaller pieces. To do this, select the stick in your inventory, choose the "Actions" button and select "Harvest".
Scavenge and Harvest
While you're looking for shelter and firewood, keep an eye out for anything you can loot:
- Metal/plastic boxes
- Aid kits
- Human corpses
- Hunter blinds
- Decrepit buildings
- Backpacks
- Loose items on the ground
Also, keep an eye out for things that you can harvest from nature:
- Old Man's Beard lichen (medical - grows in trees)
- Reishi mushrooms (medical - grow on tree stumps)
- Rose hips (medical - shrubs with red bulbs)
- Cat tails (food and fire tinder - on the edges of lakes and rivers)
Grab everything you find. Tools, food, medical supplies, cloth fragments, crow feathers, etc. Every item has value in this game. You're just starting out so you'll be able to pick up quite a bit before you get too heavy. Once you locate a shelter, you'll be able to start storing your things.
Watch Your Warmth Meter
It's not necessary to keep your needs meters full. They won't start having a negative impact on your condition until they're completely empty. Even then, your condition will decrease slowly so it's okay to let some of them stay depleted for a bit.
The only exception would be your warmth meter, which will cause your condition will drop the most quickly when depleted. Warmth is your most important need. You should wear every article of clothing you can and try to stay out of the wind while traveling.
If you find yourself traveling in very cold weather (like in a blizzard or late night/early morning) you'll need to pick up the pace. I recommend sprinting whenever you can when the "Feels Like" temperature is very low (-15 C or below). Sprinting depletes your fatigue meter more quickly, but it's worth it to find a shelter when you're at risk of freezing.
If your warmth meter is drained and your condition is getting low (less than 50%), your only choices are to keep searching for shelter, most likely causing death, or build a fire to get warm.
Building a Fire
Find a spot out of the wind, preferrably with at least two sides protected. Best scenario, you can find a cave to build it in, or a fire container like a wood stove, burn barrel, or furnace. There's no threat from the wind when you build a fire in one of these.
Pay attention to which way the wind is blowing. It's possible to start a fire in the wind, but it's basically worthless because you won't be able to add any more wood.
Hopefully by now you've collected plenty of sticks. Start the fire and stock it to burn for just over an hour (at least 8 sticks). That will be long enough to increase your warmth meter to full.
If you plan on sleeping to speed up the process or recharge your fatigue meter, see the next section.
Sleeping Outside
Most of the time, you probably won't be sleeping outside. Once you get established, most of your sleeping will typically be indoors.
You can only sleep safely outside next to a fire. Otherwise you will probably develop hypothermia while you sleep. Use your bedroll and sleep right next to the fire for only one hour, which is enough to fill your warmth meter. Make sure you always stock the fire to burn for longer than you want to sleep.
If you want more sleep in order to raise your fatigue meter, do so for only one hour at a time. You don't want to be sleeping when the wind changes direction and blows out your fire.
If you've lost condition, don't worry about increasing it at this point. It would take several hours of straight sleep which isn't really possible yet. As long as none of your needs meters are empty and you have no critical afflictions, your condition will stop dropping. Shelter is still your top priority.
Avoid Predators
Any wolves or bears you encounter should be strictly avoided, even if you've by some miracle found a weapon already. Wait until you're more prepared. Right now you probably don't have medical supplies, you have nowhere to sleep if your condition gets too low, and you can't afford your clothing to get ripped up.
Thankfully, predators are sparse or nonexistent when you first start out, but will eventually show up. If you're attacked (and survive), you'll most likely have some afflictions that need healed. This early in the game you probably won't have any medical supplies. Depending on how bad the afflictions are, this could mean death soon if you don't find or make some.
Establish a Base
Once you find a shelter, it will be your central safe location while you explore the surrounding area. You won't stay there forever, though. There will be plenty more to find and you'll be moving around a lot.
Store Your Stuff
Store everything that you don't need to carry around in any available containers in the shelter. You can even drop them on the floor and they'll stay there forever. For my advice on what you should always have in your inventory see my loadout guide.
Note: Containers are safe to store stuff in forever, but it's possible during the game's development that some containers could reset after an update and everything inside would disappear. I've never experienced it but there have been a few scattered reports.
Explore, Scavenge, Harvest
Using your shelter as a home base, explore the surrounding area and collect supplies. Take note of other shelters, landmarks, region exits, climbing ropes, and anything else of consequence.
Try to travel during the warmest times of day (mid-late daytime and early night) and get back to your base before it gets too cold or dark. The late night and early morning are the coldest times. Adjust your schedule of exploration so that you're sleeping in the shelter during these times.
Unless you're confident in your ability to survive it, DON'T EXPLORE IN A BLIZZARD. You'll know it's a blizzard because the wind is brutal, visibility is extremely low, and your warmth need meter will drop in a few minutes. If you don't know the area well then you'll most likely get lost and freeze to death.