It can be confusing playing a game like Don’t Starve which has a variety of weapons, all of which provide different abilities and deal varying damage. Unlike games like FFXIV, players will not always want to wield the highest damage dealing weapons as some weapons are extra effective for some characters and less suitable for others.
Different characters also have access to unique weapons and Structures that can be used to damage enemies, making some characters more appealing than others. At the end of the day, players will be able to kill all Mobs simply by kiting them and avoiding damage, although some weapons will take less time to kill enemies.
New players might also be pleased to know that there are a series of Traps players can place to help protect themselves and their friends from the monsters that roam The Constant. The following are all of the Weapons players can craft or find in Don’t Starve including the DLCs Reign of Giants, Hamlet, Shipwrecked as well as Don’t Starve Together.
CHARACTERS WITH DAMAGE MODIFIERS
As mentioned there are some characters who have unique weapons or Structures they can build to help protect themselves, but there are also characters in all forms of Don’t Starve that either receive an increase of base damage or a decrease in base damage.
The two characters who receive a 25% damage debuff are Wes and Wendy, the latter of which you won’t really notice a big difference. Wes, unfortunately, does not get any passive abilities that help balance out his damage debuff, but due to the fact that Wendy receives the passive of having her sister Abigail, Wendy does a moderate amount of damage.
Wendy players will have to keep an eye out on Abigail as Abigail is not invincible and most commonly dies when players are up against Seasonal Giants or other big bosses.
It’s important to understand that damage modifiers are not applied on all weapons, so characters like Wes and Wendy can still rely on using Blow Darts as Blowdarts don’t deal less damage in Wendy’s and Wes’s hands.
Wigfrid, who I recommend for newer players, deals 25% more damage than the default damage and also regains health for every enemy killed in single-player Don’t Starve (DS, RoG, HAM & SW) and per hit in Don’t Starve Together. Not only will Wigfrid be helpful in helping you out as you learn to kite by healing you, but she will also help you kill enemies a bit faster than the average character.
I especially find Wigfrid useful in Don’t Starve Together as she can tank plenty of hits and if paired up with a Wortox player, Wigfrid can pretty much tank any hits she takes by mistake with Wortox healing her.
Wolfgang, on the other hand, has the largest range of damage modifiers ranging from as low as -50% to 100% more damage than the default damage. There’s a bit too much to explain with Wolfgang’s damage modifiers, so I recommend checking out this guide for some insight.
Note that Winona also comes with a series of new contraptions that deal damage to players when playing Don’t Starve Together. Since Winona’s passive has a lot to it I won’t be talking about her Structures. You can, however, read more about Winona and her Structures here.
MELEE WEAPONS
The most useful Weapons while playing any version of Don’t Starve are Melee Weapons. Players must learn how to attack enemy Mobs, kiting their attacks in between their attack phases.
The following list is in order of damage dealt by weapons:
DARK SWORD
The Dark Sword is a mid-to-late-game Magical Melee Weapon that deals 68 damage. Dark Swords have 100 uses.
The Sword requires a Shadow Manipulator to prototype using the Magic Tab. Players will then need 5 Nightmare Fuel and 1 Living Log to craft.
The pros of the Dark Sword are that it deals high damage and has a decent durability. Although new players may be a bit afraid of the methods of farming Living Logs and Nightmare Fuel, players will probably have stacks of these by mid-game, especially as they become more comfortable with Treeguards and Shadow Creatures.
The only con about the Dark Sword is that it drains 20 Sanity per minute. Sanity drain isn’t the worst thing to deal with when playing a character like Maxwell, but players can also pair the Dark Sword up with some Sanity clothes to counter its effects.
The best use for the Dark Sword is farming Shadow Creatures, which requires players to remain at a low Sanity. I find Wigfrid to be the most helpful character to farm Shadow Creatures with, then again, any character with high health, like WX-78 also fairs well. Wigfrid players shouldn’t be affected by the Dark Sword’s Sanity drain as she receives Sanity for being in fights.
At the end of the day, the Dark Sword is going to be the weapon you most commonly use. The cons of this weapon are so minimal, especially in late-game play.
CUTLASS SUPREME (SHIPWRECKED & HAMLET)
The Cutlass Supreme is, in my opinion, the most powerful weapon in the Don’t Starve world. The Cutlass Supreme deals 68 Damage but has a total of 150 uses. The major benefit to using the Supreme is the fact that it does 102 Damage against Sealnado, which is the boss who spawns during Hurricane Season in the Shipwrecked (SW) DLC.
The Cutlass Supreme requires an Alchemy Engine to prototype using the Fight Tab. Players will then need 2 Gold Nuggets, 1 Dead Swordfish, and 1 Twig to craft the Cutlass Supreme. Otherwise, players will have to receive the Cutlass Supreme from a Blue or White Whale Carcass. Players can alternatively purchase a Cutlass Supreme from The Boar’s Tusk Weapon Shop in Hamlet (HAM) for 50 Oinc.
GLASS CUTTER (DON’T STARVE TOGETHER)
The Glass Cutter is an interesting option when playing Don’t Starve Together (DST) as it deals the same amount of damage as a Dark Sword, though it does not provide any of the Sanity penalties. In short, players can enjoy 68 Damage per hit when battling any mobs without any downfalls.
The trade-off? The Glass Cutter only has 75 uses when against any mobs that are not shadows. If players are against Shadow Creatures, Shadow Pieces, the Ancient Fuelweaver or are simply trying to destroy one of Maxwell’s Shadow Puppets, players will only use half of the Glass Cutter’s durability. Essentially, only using the Glass Cutter against shadow being will cause the Glass Cutter to survive 150 Uses.
The Glass Cutter requires a Celestial Alter or Celestial Orb to craft. Players will need 6 Moon Shards and 1 Board to build the Glass Cutter, making it a bit of a pricy weapon.
I would personally use the Glass Cutter only against the Shadow Pieces as the battle tends to be fairly long. Players will want to avoid using the Dark Sword when against Shadow Pieces as it will probably lead to extra Shadow Creatures spawning, making the battle even harder.
THULECITE CLUB (DON’T STARVE, REIGN OF GIANTS, SHIPWRECKED AND DON’T STARVE TOGETHER)
Depending on what version of the game you’re playing, the Thulecite Club might become your favourite weapon to use.
Thulecite Clubs deal 59.5 Damage and have 150 uses and have a 20% chance to spawn a Shadow Tentacle which lasts for 9 seconds, dealing extra damage to nearby Mobs.
Players will have to be nearby an Ancient Pseudoscience Station to craft a Thulecite Club and must use 4 Nightmare Fuel, 4 Thulecite and 3 Living Logs to craft.
The Thulecite Club is noticeably more expensive to craft than a Dark Sword, however, given the extra damage it can provide from summoning Shadow Tentacles and the higher Durability, the Thulecite Club may be your staple weapon of choice.
While Thulecite Clubs do not cause the player to lose Sanity while holding it, players will lose 40 Sanity per minute if they are too close to their Shadow Tentacles. The Sanity loss received from Shadow Tentacles is extremely similar to the Sanity Loss from regular Tentacles.
As a bonus perk, the Thulecite Club will cause players to receive 10% Movement Speed, making it useful for travel, but not as effective as the Walking Cane.
Thulecite is not considered a renewable resource in the base game of Don’t Starve, however, players can farm Thulecite in Don’t Starve Together and Reign of Giants.
If players would like a Thulecite Club in Shipwrecked they will have to play the Slot Machine.
HAM BAT
Although my partner would never agree with me, my favourite early-game weapon is the Ham Bat.
The Ham Bat deals between 29.75 to 59.5 Damage depending on how fresh it is. Unlike many other weapons that can be built in The Constant, the Ham Bat does not take durability loss when it is used in battle. Instead, the Ham Bat will deal about 0.37 less damage per minute until it fully rots in 10 days.
To prototype a Ham Bat players will need an Alchemy Engine. Players will also need 2 Meat, 2 Twigs and 1 Pig Skin.
Players will want to avoid making Ham Bats too long before they need them or may want to simply leave the ingredients to craft them in their inventory at all times. To avoid Meat from rotting, players can use Bundling Wraps or can travel around with Snow Chester to help prevent their resources from rotting.
Since the Ham Bat is a weapon who’s damage depends on its freshness, players may want to keep an Ice Box or Snow Chester near since both will cause the Ham Bat to lose freshness slower. Similarly, the Ham Bat will stay fresh for longer in Winter by 25%. Placing a Ham Bat in Snow Chester between uses is the most ideal way to keep the Ham Bat dealing the highest damage it can deal. Alternatively, players can also use an Insulated Pack, Sea Sack or Warly’s Chef Pouch.
Ham Bats can easily be farmed by feeding pigs 4 Monster Meat, turning them into Werepigs. Upon death, a Werepig will always drop 2 Meat and 1 Pig Skin, meaning that a player will only need 2 Twigs to complete the Ham Bat.
The biggest issue with the Ham Bat is that it deals less damage than a Tentacle Spike after 3 days, making it easily outclassed if players are not vigilant in keeping track of their Ham Bat’s freshness. Due to the Ham Bat’s cheap cost, players don’t need to worry too much about wasting the resources on this weapon.
Ham Bats are most useful for bosses that take a number of hits to kill or Structures like Spider Nests that would alternatively waste durability on a more powerful weapon.
OBSIDIAN SPEAR (SHIPWRECKED)
The Obsidian Spear is one of my favourite weapons players can obtain when playing Shipwrecked (SW).
Players can deal a minimum of 51 Damage when using the Obsidian Spear, though once changed it can deal up to 102 Damage per hit. It will take about 30 hits before the Obsidian Spear is fully charged, but that is pretty balanced with the fact that the Obsidian Spear has 375 uses.
Players will need to use an Obsidian Workbench to craft using the Volcanic Tab. Players will also need 3 Obsidian, 1 Dragoon Heart and 1 Spear. Players will also need to receive the Obsidian Spear’s Blueprint from an “X Marks the Spot” treasure chests.
Not only does the Obsidian Spear’s charge cause it to do more damage, but the Obsidian Spear will also emit a glow that will keep players safe from Charlie. The only issue with using an Obsidian Spear is the fact that it can cause Overheating.
Players should also be cautious when using an Obsidian Spear since it can ignite enemy Mobs when it is not Hurricane Season. If players choose to use the Obsidian Spear on enemies with low health, the enemy and all of its loot may be burnt to crisps.
Although it may take some time to happen upon the Blueprint for the Obsidian Spear, I would strongly recommend using it as your main weapon. I would also recommend taking the Obsidian Spear into a RoG world since it can help keep you warm in Winter.
CORK BAT (HAMLET)
Although I wouldn’t recommend using the Cork Bat as your standard weapon, it is one of the easier weapons players can build in Hamlet (HAM).
The Cork Bat requires a Science Machine to prototype and players will also have to use 3 Corks and 1 Board to craft it.
The Cork Bat deals 51 Damage, but only has 20 uses making it one of the least durable weapons in all of Don’t Starve. The Cork Bat also has a delay on its attacks, making it harder to kite enemies.
Although easy to craft, I would avoid the Cork Bat if you have the choice. Not worth it in my opinion.
TENTACLE SPIKE
A weapon you’re never going to have enough of is the Tentacle Spike. Tentacle Spikes deal 51 Damage and have 100 uses, though they are not craftable.
Tentacle Spikes have a 50% chance to drop from Tentacles, Tentapillars or a 5% chance to drop from Quacken Tentacles in Shipwrecked (SW).
There’s no real reason to go farming for Tentacle Spikes, but if you’re Wickerbottom, chances are you’re going to have dozens of these bad boys lying around your base.
If you’re someone who doesn’t like fighting Tentacles, I recommend training some Pigs, Merms, or even placing a Spider Den near them to easily farm Tentacle Spikes.
My motto is: use Tentacle Spikes for everything if you have them on hand and use Dark Swords, or Dark Sword alternatives, for all other fights that require more damage. Although Tentacles are a finite resource, unless you’re teamed up with a Wickerbottom, chances are you’re never really going to run out of them.
HALBERD (HAMLET)
Quite frankly, the only “tool” I ever want to see you fighting with is the Halberd. The Halberd is actually classified as a Melee Weapon, though players can also use it as an Axe.
The Halberd deals 44.2 Damage and has 100 Uses, so really it would be a shame if you used it as an Axe.
Halberds can be constructed using the Fight Tab with 2 Twigs and 1 Alloy. They are also dropped by Royal Guards and can be bought from The Boar’s Tusk Weapon Shop for 5 Oincs.
For 44.2 Damage, the Halberd is a fairly inexpensive Melee Weapon that players can use on a whim.
MORNING STAR (REIGN OF GIANTS & DST)
A really fun weapon to use while playing Don’t Starve (RoG & DST) is the Morning Star. The Morning Star technically deals the most damage in RoG & DST, but only in the rain.
The Morning Star deals 72.25 Damage when enemies are wet and 43.35 Damage to dry enemies. The Morning Star has 6 minutes of durability and does not lose durability based on hits, but instead when it is in the player’s hand.
The Morning Star will always deal more damage to Depths Worms, Tentacles and Merms as they are always considered “Wet.”
Players will need an Alchemy Engine to prototype the Morning Star and will need 2 Electrical Doodads, 2 Nitre and 1 Volt Goat Horn.
The Morning Star should always be used during Spring, in Caves and Ruins. The Morning Star is extra useful for the light it gives, protecting you from Charlie and helping you explore without a Lantern or Torch.
The Morning Star can also be used against Volt Goats in order to receive Electric Milk.
BAT BAT
In my opinion, the most wasteful weapon in all of Don’t Starve is the Bat Bat.
The Bat Bat deals 42.5 Damage and has 75 Uses, but it also gives players 6.8 Health per hit for the cost of 3.4 Sanity. While yes it’s nice to have life steal on a weapon, the Bat Bat is far too expensive to make it worth it in my opinion.
The Bat Bat requires a Shadow Manipulator to prototype and then requires 5 Batilisk Wings, 2 Living Logs and 1 Purple Gem. Bat Bats can also be found in Ornate Chests in the Ruins.
Bat Bats are helpful for characters like Wigfrid, who already have a “life steal” on their kits and just want an extra boost. It’s also recommended that players use the Bat Bat on low damage dealing Mobs, such as Spiders and Hounds.
BATTLE SPEAR (WIGFRID EXCLUSIVE)
One of the many reasons I love Wigfrid is her 1.25x Damage Modifier, but I also love that she comes with her very own Battle Spear which deals 42.5 Damage or in her case 53.125 Damage. The Battle Spear gets plenty of use, coming in hot at 200 uses, meaning that players can go long periods before having to craft another.
The Battle Spear can only be crafted by Wigfrid using the Fight Tab with 2 Twigs, 2 Flint and 1 Gold Nugget. The crafting recipe is always available and in Don’t Starve Together Wigfrid players should craft a few Battle Spears for their teammates, especially to start off with. Battle Spears can quickly be traded up for Tentacle Spikes when players are ready.
SPEAR
The Spear is the most basic Melee Weapon players will want to prototype using the Science Machine. Wickerbottom players will have an easy time battling straight out the gate as Wickerbottom has access to all Science Machine recipes upon spawning into The Constant.
The Spear costs 2 Twigs, 1 Rope and 1 Flint to craft and only deals 34 Damage. Although the damage Spears deal isn’t much, they do have a decent amount of 150 uses.
Spears are fairly useful to have lying around as they build into Ice Staffs, Fire Staffs, Poison Spears, and Obsidian Spears. The truth is, you’re going to want to get rid of your Spear as quickly as you can because loads of better weapons aren’t that far off.
POISON SPEAR (SHIPWRECKED)
The Poison Spear works exactly like the regular Spear, though it will also poison the enemy that is attacked.
Poisoned enemies will move slower, will not attack as often and will deal less damage than regular mobs. The only issue is, poisoned Mobs drop foods that are only 50% fresh, making resources like the Birdcage absolutely necessary.
Poison will cause a maximum of 26 Damage bringing up the total Poison Spear damage to 60 Damage. The Poison Spear will also have 150 uses, even if it is constructed from a used Spear.
The best Mobs to use a Poison Spear on are the Tiger Shark, Dragonfly and Prime Apes. Players will not want to use a Poison Spear on Sealnado as it is not affected by Poison.
PEG LEG (SHIPWRECKED)
Since the Peg Leg cannot be crafted and requires players to find it is in the X Marks the Spot chests I will not dwell too long on it. Peg Legs deal 34 Damage and only have 50 uses but should not be sought out.
TRIDENT (SHIPWRECKED)
The weapon players should be on the lookout for is the Trident which can be found using the Trawl Net in the Deep or Medium Ocean during Hurricane or Dry Season.
When players are on land, Tridents will only deal 34 Damage, however, if players are on a boat the Trident will deal 102 Damage.
The Trident is considered the best Melee Weapon to use when playing Shipwrecked (SW), especially when players are sailing on the Ocean. The Trident can only be used 150 times before it must be found again.
TAIL O’ THREE CATS
I’m really not a fan of the Tail o’ Three Cats, though it can be fun to play around with if players need a bit more range than usual.
Tail O’ Three Cats deal 27.2 Damage and have a whopping 175 uses. Tail O’ Three Cats have a chance to pacify nearby Mobs. It is believed that Animals get pacified 25% of the time, Monsters 20% and Bosses 5%.
Due to the Tail o’ Three Cats’ crafting recipe 3 Cat Tails and 3 Tentacle Spikes, I feel like it’s too expensive for what it provides. Tentacle Spots should instead be saved for Rain Coats or in better cases, Wickerbottom’s book, On Tentacles.
OBJECTS THAT CLASSIFY AS WEAPONS, BUT ARREN’T WORTH USING
Gross weapons you should never use to defend yourself, but still do damage are the Cactus Spike, Walking Cane, Willow’s Lighter, Torch (which will also set Mobs on fire), and Telebrella. All stated weapons will deal 17 Damage.
Never use a Bug Net or Fishing Rod to attack an enemy Mob as they only deal 4.25 Damage and can only be used between 3-4 times.
RANGED WEAPONS
While Ranged Weapons are loads of fun to use and can be helpful, especially when dealing with enemies that have a plethora of health. Truthfully, using Ranged Weapons is going to be a personal preference, though, many players will alternate between both, either starting off with Melee Weapons or switching out to Melee Weapons near the end of Battle.
The following list will be a little bit over the place but will break down all of the uses of the various Ranged Weapons and when or if players should actually use them.
BOOMERANG
The first Ranged Weapon players will probably have access to is the Boomerang. The Boomerang deals 27.2 Damage and only has 10 uses.
Although the Boomerang is not the most expensive, requiring 1 Board, 1 Silk and 1 Charcoal, the Boomerang requires an Alchemy Engine to prototype and is not suitable for the majority of fights.
The Boomerang should be ideally used to kill Birds or Rabbits as they can be killed in 1 shot by all characters except Wes and Wendy, who will require two throws instead. Using a Boomerang for Birds and Rabbits tends to be more cost and time effective than placing Traps and Bird Traps. Using a Boomerang will also help ensure that you get Morsels and Feathers as you need them, versus by chance when happening upon Traps.
The one major downfall to using a Boomerang is the fact that players must catch it each time it returns from being thrown. If a player does not catch a Boomerang upon its return it will damage the player as well as take 2 durability instead of one.
The Boomerang can be caught by the player by hitting Spacebar or using the key that is attributed to an action.
At the very end of the day, Boomerangs are useful but are never necessary while playing any version of Don’t Starve. Due to their low damage and extremely low durability, Boomerangs are not suitable for high-health bosses, seasonal giants or generally… any other situations.
ICE STAFF
The Ice Staff is one of the first Magic Weapons players will be able to use as it requires 1 Spear and 1 Blue Gem to craft. Players can receive a Blue Gem during Winter by killing Hounds.
Players can also receive Ice Staffs from Ornate Chests, Ancient Pseudoscience Stations, Slot Machines (SW), Trawl Nets (SW) and can be purchased at The Flying Pig Arcane Shop (HAM).
Ice Staffs do not deal damage to enemies, however, they will temporarily freeze a Mob within 1-4 blasts. The Ice Staff will cost 1 Sanity per use and has a total of 20 uses.
Players will require a Prestihatitator to prototype an Ice Staff in the Magic Tab.
Similar to most other Magic Items, the Ice Staff cannot be used on the following Mobs as they are immune to Freezing:
Baby Beefalo
Blue Hounds
Chester / Packim Baggins / Hutch
Depths Worms
Eyeplants
Ghosts
Lure Plants
Rock Lobsters
Shadow Creatures
Tiger Sharks
Also similar to other objects that provide status effects, the Ice Wand may provide diminishing returns on larger enemies, such as bosses. The following are the amounts of blasts it takes to freeze all enemy Mobs:
1 Blast from Ice Wand:
Bee
Birchnutter
Birds
Butterfly
Catcoon
Crabbit
Doydoy
Flup
Frog
Grass Gekko
Moleworm
Mosquito
No-Eyed Deer
Poison Mosquito
Rabbits
Smallbird
Wobster
2 Blasts from Ice Wand:
Ancient Guardian
Batilisk
Beefalo
Beehive
Blue Gem Deer
Bottlenosed Ballphin
Bunnyman / Beardlord
Buzzard
Dogfish
Fishermerm
Floaty Boaty Knight
Glommer
Gobbler
Grumble Bee
Hound
Jellyfish
MacTusk / Mactusk N’ Son
Merm
Monkey
Pigs
Prime Ape
Sea Hound
Slurper
Slurtle / Snurtle
Smallish Tallbird
Snakes
Spiders
Spider Den (Tier 1)
Splumonkey
Stink Ray
Swordfish
Volt Goat
Wildbore
3 Blasts from Ice Wand:
Beefalo
Houndius Shootius
Koalefant
Larvae
Spider Den (Tier 2)
Spider Queen
Tallbird
Tentacles
Warg
Water Beefalo
Whales (Blue & White)
4 Blasts from Ice Wand:
Antlion (diminishing returns)
Bee Queen (diminishing returns)
Deerclops (6 in RoG and DST)
Klaus (diminishing returns)
Red Hound
Spider Den (Tier 3)
Toadstool (diminishing returns)
5 Blasts from Ice Wand:
Pengull
8 Blasts from Ice Wand:
Dragonfly (diminishing returns)
12 Blasts from Ice Wand:
Enraged Dragonfly (diminishing returns)
At the end of the day, I personally use an Ice Staff to stop Smouldering or fires in Summer. Otherwise, the Ice Staff isn’t the most useful.
FIRE STAFF
Fire Staffs need more resources than Ice Staffs, however, they are more useful. Players will have to wait until Spring or Summer to craft a Fire Staff and will also require a Shadow Manipulator to prototype.
Fire Staffs deal 48-56 Damage at the cost of 1 Sanity and require 2 Nightmare Fuel, 1 Spear and 1 Red Gem to craft. Similar to the Ice Staff, Fire Staffs have 20 Uses and can set any objects on fire.
Players can also find the Fire Staff in Ornate Chests, as a drop from the Ancient Pseudoscience Station, from the Slot Machine (SW), Trawl Net (SW) or for 50 Oincs from The Flying Pig Arcane Shop (HAM).
While the Fire Staff can be useful for dealing fire damage to enemies, it does risk an enemy’s death which may lead to their loot being turned into Ashes. I personally mostly use the Fire Staff for Night Lights as it is less costly than using Nightmare Fuel.
BLOW DART
My favourite Ranged Weapon to use is the Blow Dart. Blow Darts are in the top tier of damage dealers, though they can get a bit pricy to craft.
Blow Darts only require a Science Machine to prototype and each Blow Dart will need 2 Cut Reeds, 1 Hound’s Tooth and 1 Azure Feather. Although the recipe is quite hefty for a Blow Dart, players will deal 100 Damage to distant Mobs, making it especially helpful against seasonal giants.
Since Azure Feathers require Snowbirds to drop, Blow Darts should be the main priority to craft in Winter.
I wouldn’t rely on Blow Darts as your main source of damage, but I would definitely use them to help bring high-health Mobs down to half health or less. If you’re playing Don’t Starve Together, I recommend giving your supply of Blow Darts to your worst player(s) as they require less skill to effectively use than a Melee Weapon.
Blow Darts can be dropped by MacTusk, the Slot Machine (SW), Striking Carvings or Statues or can be bought for 10 Oincs in The Boar’s Tusk Weapon Shop while playing Hamlet (HAM).
FIRE DART
Although Fire Darts can seem like a better and easier Ranged Weapon to craft, I’m personally not a huge fan.
Fire Darts deal no direct damage in Don’t Starve (DS, RoG & DST), however, deal 5 Damage in SW & HAM. The reality is that Fire Darts do 120 Damage overtime and if Mobs drop food they will drop the cooked version of that food and the other loot will be turned into Ashes.
Fire Darts require a Science Machine to prototype and will need 2 Cut Reeds, 1 Charcoal and 1 Crimson Feather.
Fire Darts can be dropped by Whale Carcasses or the Slot Machine.
Fire Darts should only be used on Mobs that have extremely high health, however, it’s important to note that there are a number of Mobs that are not affected by Fire or take reduced effect from Fire Darts. Those include:
Abigail
Ancient Herald (HAM)
Ancient Spirits (HAM)
Baby Tentacles
Big Tentacles
Crawling Horrors
Depths Worms
Dragonfly (DST & RoG)
Dragoons (SW)
Elephant Cacti (SW)
Frogs (unless in a HAM compatible word)
Ghosts
Gnat Swarms (HAM)
Hanging Vines (HAM)
Houndius Shootius
Large Iron Hulk (HAM)
Pugalisk (HAM)
Queen Womant (HAM)
Red Hounds
Tentacles
Terrorbeaks
Tiger Shark (SW)
As you can tell, the list of enemies that do not take damage from Fire or fire damage is pretty long, making their use a lot more limited. As mentioned, I would stick to Blow Darts, even though Fire Darts are much easier to make.
SLEEP DART
Similar to the Fire Dart, the Sleep Dart deals 0 Damage upon hit, however, it will make enemies fall asleep. Sleep Darts also only have one use and players should be careful what Mob they use Sleep Darts on as there are also some creatures immune to said Darts.
Sleep Darts require a Science Machine to prototype and will use 2 Cut Reeds,1 Stinger and 1 Jet Feather to craft.
The list of Immune Mobs includes:
Butterflies
Depths Worms
Ghosts
Mandrake
Shadow Creatures
Tentacles
Some Mobs need more than 1 Sleep Dart to be put to sleep. The maximum Sleep Darts a Mob will need to be put to sleep is 5, though there are also some Mobs that develop a tolerance, resistance or Immunity to Sleep Darts.
The following are the amount of Sleep Darts each Mob needs:
1 Sleep Dart Sot:
Baby Beefalo
Bee / Killer Bee
Birds
Bottlenosed Ballphin (SW)
Catcoon (RoG)
Crabbit (SW)
Dogfish (SW)
Doydoy (SW)
Fishermerm (SW)
Flup (SW)
Gobbler
Jellyfish (SW)
MacTusk / Wee MacTusk
Merm
Moleworm (RoG)
Moose/Goose (RoG & DST)
Mosling (RoG & DST)
Mosquito
Poison Mosquito (SW)
Prime Ape (SW)
Rabbit / Beardling
Sharkitten (SW)
Snake / Poison Snake (SW)
Splumonkey
Swordfish (SW)
Varg (RoG & DST)
Wobster (SW)
2 Sleep Dart Shots:
Bunnyman
Cave Spider
Pig
Spider
Spider Warrior
Spitter
Stink Ray (SW)
Toddler / Teen Beefalo
Wildbore (SW)
3 Sleep Dart Shots:
Ancient Guardian
Batilisk
Beefalo
Blue Whale
Catcoon
Chester / Hutch / Packim Baggims
Extra-Adorable Lavae
Floaty Boaty Knight (SW)
Glommer
Grass Gekko
Guardian Pig / Werepig
Hounds
Koalefant
Palm Treeguard
Pengull
Rock Lobster
Sea Hound
Tallbirds
Treeguards
Water Beefalo
4 Sleep Dart Shots:
Antlion (diminishing returns)
Bearger
Bee Queen (diminishing returns)
Buzzard
Dragonfly (diminishing returns)
Grumble Bee (diminishing returns)
Klaus (diminishing returns)
Mosling
No-Eyed Deer (diminishing returns only on gem-equipped)
Spider Queen
Tiger Shark
Toadstool (diminishing returns)
Tree Guard
Volt Goat
5 Sleep Dart Shots:
White Whale
Sleep Darts, in my opinion, are not really worth it unless players are trying to avoid taking a good deal of damage from a Mob. Otherwise, Mobs will wake up as soon as they are attacked, making Sleep Darts a bit useless.
POISON DART (SHIPWRECKED)
Using Poison Darts is an interesting choice when playing SW as they deal 26 Damage over a 2 minute period.
Players will need a Science Machine to prototype Poison Darts and will need to trade in 2 Cut Reeds, 1 Venom Gland and 1 Jet Feather.
Poison Darts are best used against big baddies who have lots of health, especially because it does 2 Damage every 10 seconds (to a maximum of 26 damage.) The reality is that Poison Darts do not deal a whole lot of damage, but can help assist with just a little more than you would have done otherwise.
ELECTRIC DART (DON’T STARVE TOGETHER)
The only darts I like using other than the Blow Dart is the Electric Dart. The main reason for my love of the Electric Dart? It deals some sexy damage while in Rain.
Electric Darts deal a hefty 90 Damage to dry Mobs, but if Mobs are wet they will take 150 Damage. Similar to other darts, the Electric Dart only has one use, but can come in extraordinarily useful for battles against the Moose/Goose in Spring.
Players will need a Science Machine to craft an Electric Dart as well as 2 Cut Reeds, 1 Gold Nuggets and 1 Saffron Feather. Saffron Feathers are going to be the most difficult out of all these ingredients to farm as they are only dropped by the Canaries.
The Canaries can only spawn near Friendly Scarecrows (3 Boards, 3 Cut Grass and 1 Pumpkin) and only have a 5% chance to drop Saffron Feathers upon death. Players can only farm Saffron Feathers consistently by taking the Canary into the Caves while the Toadstool is alive in hopes of poisoning it (within 6-12 minutes) so it will drop 5-6 Saffron Feathers upon death in the overworld or 1-2 Saffron Feathers if it explodes in the Caves.
It might take a while for you to farm these buddies, but they are well worth the wait.
HARPOON (SHIPWRECKED)
I would be extremely concerned if Shipwrecked didn’t have a Harpoon hidden somewhere as a weapon because that would be such a wasted opportunity.
The Harpoon is another extremely high damage weapon coming in hot at 200 Damage with only 10 Uses.
Unlike other Ranged Weapons, the Harpoon must be picked up if players want to use it again. While having to pick up the Harpoon may seem like a downfall, dealing 200 Damage usually means that the Mob will be dead, virtually guaranteeing the safety of a player.
The bigger downfall players have to deal with is the rarity of the Harpoon. Harpoons must be found from X Marks the Spot treasure chests or must be picked up when a White Whale Carcass explodes.
SPEAR GUN (SHIPWRECKED)
The Spear Gun is a Ranged Weapon that requires either a Spear, Poison Spear, Obsidian Spear or Battle Spear to use.
Players will need a Science Machine to prototype and will also need 3 Bamboo and 1 Jelly Fish. In total the Spear Gun will have 8 uses, though this will also come at the cost of 10 durability points on the Spear.
When fired the Spear Gun will deal 3x the normal damage of the equipped Spear, meaning that Charged Obsidian Spears will deal the most damage.
Spear Guns with a regular Spear deal 102 Damage
Spear Guns with a Poison Spear deal 102 Damage + 26 Poison Damage
Spear Guns with a regular Spear deal 127.5 Damage
Spear Guns with a Obsidian Spear deal 153-204 Damage
While it’s true that Spear Guns aren’t the most efficient way to use Spears, they do come in especially helpful when players need to avoid massive damage.
BLUNDERBUSS (HAMLET)
Once players get their hands on a Blunderbuss in Hamlet (HAM) they will no longer need a Ranged Weapon once they have prototyped this bad guy.
Players will need an Alchemy Engine to prototype a Blunderbuss and will need 2 Boards, 1 Tenpiece Oinc and 1 Gear to craft.
The Blunderbuss has unlimited uses but must be filled with Gunpowder to deal 200 Damage when filled. If the Blunderbuss is left unloaded it will only deal 10 Damage as a Melee Weapon. If the Blunderbuss is currently loaded it will have a small red light on it.
Blunderbusses have to be crafted, but players can either use 1 Tenpiece Oinc, 10 Oincs or 1 Centapiece Oinc. If players use a Centapiece Oinc, they will receive 9 Tenpiece in return.
WEATHER PAIN (DON’T STARVE TOGETHER & REIGN OF GIANTS)
One of my ultimate favourite weapons in DST and RoG is the Weather Pain. Weather Pains require an Alchemy Engine to prototype and will need 10 Down Feathers, 1 Volt Goat Horn and 1 Gear.
The Weather Pain, unfortunately, only has 15 uses and while I’d like to pretend it’s a great weapon, it’s mostly good for doing mundane tasks around the base.
Once used, the Weather Pain launches a whirlwind towards the targetted Mob, Structure or resource, causing the whirlwind to bounce between nearby Mobs, Structures or resources. Players are unable to control the direction of the Weather Pain and it will deal 42 Damage per second on the Mob or Structure it is targetted on.
If players choose to use the Weather Pain on Mobs they can easily deal more than 100 Damage per use, however, players must ensure that nothing is around the Mob to secure high amounts of damage.
If the Weather Pain hits a Structure, the Structure will break, dropping some of the resources required to build said Structure. While I prefer using a Deconstruction Staff for breaking down Structures, I do have a thing for farming Trees with the Weather Pain.
Other tasks and Mobs that render the Weather Pain extremely powerful include Big Tentacles, Treeguards (especially Poison Birchnut Trees), Spider Queens, and the Antlion.
Since the Weather Pain is ridiculously expensive to craft, players may want to use a Construction Amulet when building it.
The Weather Pain can be purchased for 100 Oincs in the Tinkerer’s Tower in Hamlet and can be brought into a linked Shipwrecked account.
TRAPS AND EXPLOSIVES
Some of my favourite weapons are Traps and Explosives, which are easily glossed over when playing Don’t Starve. While Traps and Explosives can be annoying to set up, especially when players are new to the game, they tend to deal some of the highest and most consistent damage in the game.
When players have enough resources, players should begin thinking about barricading their bases with Traps or setting up a kill-box for seasonal giants like the Deerclops.
The following are all the Traps and Explosives players can use while playing all versions of Don’t Starve.
TOOTH TRAP
The main Trap players will want to get comfortable with. The Tooth Trap requires an Alchemy Engine to protoype and will require 1 Log, 1 Rope and 1 Hound’s Tooth to craft.
Players can also receive a Tooth Trap in the Slot Machine (SW), in X Marks the Spots Chests (SW) or purchased at The Boar’s Tusk Weapon Shop in Hamlet (HAM) for 100 Oinc.
The Tooth Trap has 10 uses and deals 60 Damage, however, players just reset the Tooth Trap after it has been used. To reset the Tooth Trap, players will have to interact with the Trap by using spacebar or the key binded to your action key.
Tooth Traps are fireproof, but can be destroyed with a Hammer or eaten by Eyeplants. Tooth Traps cannot aggro Mobs, meaning that players must lead Mobs into said Traps if they hope to deal any damage.
Tooth Traps can be used to farm food resources like Pigs, Spiders or even Gobblers. Players will only require a single Tooth Trap to set up a farm, however, since Tooth Traps are an inexpensive resource, there’s no harm setting up rows of them to farm Mobs.
Although Tooth Traps are great for assisting when killing seasonal giants, such as the Deerclops, Bearger, Antlion and Moose/Goose, players will not be able to damage any of the following Mobs with Tooth Traps:
Abigail
Batilisks
Bees
Birds
Butterflies
Chester / Hutch / Packim Baggims
Dragonfly
Mosquitoes
Glommer
Lureplants (and their Eyeplants)
Mounted Beefalo
Shadow Creatures
Splumonkeys
If you are playing Don’t Starve Together and have died near a Tooth Trap, don’t lose hope. Ghost players can continue reset Traps, helping to deal extra damage to the tough baddies.
GUNPOWDER
When it comes to explosions, the only explosive you need to know about is Gunpowder. Gunpowder requires an Alchemy Engine to prototype and unlike many other weapons, it requires the Science Tab to craft.
When making Gunpowder, players will need 1 Rotten Egg, 1 Charcoal and 1 Nitre meaning that Winter and early Spring are going to be the best time to farm Gunpowder, due to Pengulls leaving their Eggs behind. Players can also build a Birdcage to help speed up the Egg production.
The greatest thing about Gunpowder is that it deals 200 Damage and multiple pieces of Gunpowder can be stacked to deal even more damage. Be wary about killing all Mobs with Gunpowder though as similar to Mobs who die by fire damage, all loot will be turned to Ashes or the cooked variant of their respective Meat.
The only loot that will not be affected by Gunpowder is loot from the Dragonfly as it is technically immune to fires, but not immune fire damage.
In Don’t Starve Together seasonal giants gain a bit of resistance to explosive damage for 10 seconds, meaning players will want to wait between explosions if they want to deal 200 Damage every time.
Gunpowder can be activated either with a Torch, Fire Staff or alternative method of setting fires, including Willow’s Lighter.
SLURTLE SLIME
Acting very similarly to Gunpowder, Slurtle Slime is dropped by Slurtles and deals 50 Damage to enemies.
Players will have to make a decision when using Slurtle Slime as they can also be used to refuel Lanterns and Miner Hats.
COCONADE (SHIPWRECKED)
The Coconade has two variations being the regular Cocnade and the Obsidian Coconade.
The Coconade requires a Science Machine and 1 Coconut, 1 Gunpowder and 1 Rope. The Coconade deals 250 Damage and reacts the same way as gunpowder, though it’s blast radius is 1.5 Pitchfork tiles.
The Obsidian Coconade requires the Obsidian Workbench or a Brain of Thought as well as 3 Coconades, 3 Obsidian and 1 Dragoon Heart. The Obsidian Coconade deals 340 Damage in a radius as large as 2.25 Pitchfork tiles.
Coconades can be retrieved from Whale Carcasses (SW), Slot Machines (SW), Streamer Trunks (SW), X Marks the Spots (SW), or can be purchased from The Boar’s Tusk Weapon Shop (HAM).
BRAMBLE TRAP (WORMWOOD EXCLUSIVE)
Acting very, very similar to the Tooth Trap, the Bramble Trap is a very comparable and cost-effective trap, especially because of Wormwood’s passive.
Bramble Traps require 1 Living Log and 1 Stinger to craft but only do 40 Damage once they are triggered. The awesome thing about Bramble Traps is that they do the damage of one Pitchfork tile, though this can also damage the player.
If players choose to use Bramble Traps instead of Tooth Traps it is recommended that they walk around using a Bramble Husk as it negates all Bramble Trap damage and does not consume the durability of either.
The Bramble Trap also has 10 uses, just like the Tooth Trap and will not activate from the following mobs:
Batilisks
Bees
Birds
Butterflies
Chester / Packim Baggins / Hutch
Dragonfly
Glommer
Gnat Swarms
Lureplants (and their Eyeplants)
Mosquitoes
Mounted Beefalo
Poison Mosquitoes
Shadow Creatures
Vampire Bats
BEE MINE
The Bee Mine is a weapon that I don’t find myself using because they seem pretty useless. Bee Mines require a Science Machine to prototype and will need 4 Bees, 1 Board and 1 Flint to craft.
Players can place the Bee Mine on the ground, arming the Bee Mine. If you’re unsure whether or not you’ve activated or armed your Bee Mine you can tell by the stingers coming out of the Mine. If your mine looks like it has holes in it, or looks smooth, it is not armed and players will have to reset them.
Bee Mines work a lot differently than Tooth Traps as they do not cause any damage, however, once a Mob triggers the Bee Mine the 4 Bees will attack the Mob. In my opinion, the only time I would even consider thinking about crafting a Bee Mine is if I have a bunch of Bee Boxes built in one area. Reason being? Once Mobs attack a single bee, all Bees in Beehives or Bee Boxes that will become killer Bees, all aggroing the Mob.
Bees will not mistakenly aggro players unless they are attacked by a player.
Bees, Batlisks, Butterflies, Mosquitoes and Shadow Creatures are unable to activate Bee Mines, so eat your heart out if you choose to place these. I’d still say, avoid it and spend your time doing something else.
You said that a tail’o three cats requires 3 cat tails and 3 tentacle spikes but you also said tentacle spots are more useful for other things?!?!?!? Before it used 3 tail and 3 spikes but now the use 3 tails and one spot