Loot items
First of all, you need to say the obvious thing - the larger the building, the more loot will be in it. However, there is a lot of loot to be found in small towns with their many buildings, for example, in a coastal town.
Before heading out for the loot, keep in mind that you need to take as little supplies as possible. This means that you should only bring 1-2 canned food, 1-2 bottles of water, light clothing (which will be later in the manual), and some tools.
Always make sure to open vehicles completely, including inspecting the rear seat and trunk. You can also find a lot of goodies in tires, such as ammo, tools, and high quality clothing.
When looting buildings, check under the beds (which may be obvious), because there is a good chance that there will be canned food underneath.
When examining canned food or goods, pay attention to its quality. The quality of the canned food can be seen on the right. Low-quality foods won't do you much good.
This does not apply to soda. Soda will always give you the same metrics, no matter the quality.
When looting buildings, always rip up the curtains with your hands. They will give you 1-2 fabrics that can be used for various things like bandages and clothing repairs.
Inside buildings, note that toilets and pools are excellent sources of water. Stock up on water here so you don't waste fire melting the snow and boiling it.
Always collect lanterns! They are extremely helpful! Even if the quality of the flashlight is only 20%, it can last about an hour of playing time until it breaks.
Coffee and tea are some of your best friends. They perfectly relieve fatigue and quench thirst at the same time. Hot drinks will also increase your body temperature. Tea can be used medically.
Try not to get lost! If it's foggy outside, follow your own footsteps. If it snows and you are completely lost, try to pay attention to where you are and get to the nearest shelter.
Lake and sea fishing
It is a great source of food, but it will take time to be successful. Metal scraps can be used to make hooks, and animal intestines can be turned into fishing line.
Keep in mind that homemade fishing tackle has little durability, so get a larger one just in case, especially if you're planning a long fishing trip.
You can fish in almost all fishing huts found on the ice. When you go inside, you will need a tool to break the ice. Do not use a hunting knife. Use a crowbar if possible.
Keep in mind that sometimes fishing huts will have fishing gear, so you don't have to waste your resources a lot.
Weather
Weather forecasting plays a big role and can be a matter of life or death depending on your difficulty level.
If the sky is clear with no wind, it should be an easy day for exploration or daily activities.
If it's windy, be careful, as light snowfalls and real blizzards can overtake you.
If it snows light / heavy, just be careful with the wind. If the wind gradually rises, a blizzard is approaching.
Snowstorms
If you find yourself far from a shelter during a blizzard, calm down first, get your storm lantern for extra light and warmth, pay attention to your location and get to the nearest shelter.
If you find yourself in the middle of a snowstorm at night, do the same, except that your vision will be even more limited.
Maps
In the latest update, your character has the ability to create his own cards.
To create a map, stand in an open area, open the quick menu and scan the area using charcoal. Charcoal is most commonly found on the ground or in barrels.
However, if the process is too long for you, there are free online maps of the entire world and every region.
Craft
Crafting can give you a lot of useful materials. For example, the fishing tackle mentioned above, safer clothing, first aid kits, tools, and more.
Keep in mind that when the crafting menu says "cure", it means that the item must be kept inside the shelter until the scale reaches 100%. It is used for branches, hides and guts.
Hideout setup
You need a lot of water to get started. So start by getting / crafting 80+ water bottles and storing them at your base. It will last for 50-80 days, depending on your diet.
After that, classify your items on different shelves in the same way as your inventory classifies them. For example, fire supplies, food, water, miscellaneous, clothing, etc.
Apparel
When choosing clothes, you must balance your running / walking speed with the amount of heat it will give you. It is worth adding here that you do not need to wear heavy clothes during all your travels. Wear something lighter instead, as this will add mobility to you.
Keep in mind that wearing the right clothes is also associated with weight management, which will be discussed below.
Lighting a fire
Fire can be obtained using fireplaces, barrels, and bonfires. Note that large branches must first be chopped into smaller pieces of wood.
There are many different sticks on the street, and you must collect as many of them as possible, because although they quickly burn out, if you throw 20 sticks into the fire at once, it will not go out soon.
You must start a fire if there is a risk of hypothermia or your character could freeze to death. You will also need fire for cooking, or to melt snow and get water.
Remember that a fire cannot be made in a strong wind, so be sure to consider the weather mentioned above.
Weight management
When gathering resources, it is very important to control your weight. When leaving the base, always make sure there is enough room in your inventory if you find a lot of loot or meat. Otherwise, you will not be able to carry it away and generally budge.
Hibernation
Hibernation is used to quickly rewind days when you have a large amount of resources, or just to quickly scroll through the day or night.
Canned food hibernation
Make sure you have everything you need in your inventory, including water, and get to the bed. Be sure to watch your hunger and thirst while sleeping.
Also watch your health to your left. Once it's about halfway down, eat something first and then drink it.
Hibernation with meat
Leave all your meat outside before hibernating, as this will spoil much more slowly than in your inventory. Otherwise, the process is the same.
Hunting
This is one of the foundations of your survival. Use small stones to kill rabbits. If you are looking for easy prey, look for crows circling in the air, as this indicates a dead carcass.
It is also important to know the footprints of all animals and be able to track them down. Beware of the bear, as it can appear suddenly and immediately kill you.
More guides for The Long Dark:
The best places to build a home or shelter
Where to find all the keys to Milton's safes
Weapons: Flare pistol, bow and hunting rifle
Episode XNUMX: Hidden Caches in Milton
