Foraging

Foraging for tool making materials, foods, and other resources is important in the early stages of the game. Most gathering does not require any specialized tools, or can be accomplished using stone tools included in the starter guide: axe, knife and spear. The uses for items provided in this guide are not "all encompassing" but are targeted towards "early game" necessities and can be used in conjunction with the Starter Guide.

As a new player, you may be tempted to gather everything you find in your toolbar, but this usually isn't a good strategy as you have only 10 storage slots to start out. Here's a list of the items that are best to have in the beginning of the game, especially when away from your base:

If you find Obsidian or granite instead of flint, you can throw the stones as a ranged weapon as well. As you gather more reeds, you can use ten of them to make a hand basket, giving you more inventory storage. Once you have more inventory, it's a good idea to keep a second knife, some firewood, and more food in it. Clay, metals nuggets, and saplings should be left where you find them but noted in your map so you can get them later. (Plant the saplings to get them out of your inventory)

Tool making

Loose stones

Loose stones are used to knap stone tools. For instructions on creating stone and flint tools, see the knapping page. Look around on the ground for loose stones of a type that can be used when knapping. Break it or pick up it to collect.

• Types of stones that are useful for tool making include: Andesite, Basalt, Chert, Flint, Granite, Obsidian and Peridotite.

Sticks

Sticks are used to create torches and tools by adding handles to stone tool heads. Players can find sticks on the ground, break it or pick up it to collect. If there are no sticks on the ground, look around for "leaves". There are two type of leaves in the game, regular and branchy. Regular leaves have an extremely low chance of dropping sticks and saplings. Branchy leaves can be broken without tools and are guaranteed to yield sticks.

Essential crafting materials

Wood

To collect logs, fell a tree using an axe, chop the base log. Logs can be converted to firewood and used for other early crafting needs including a pan used in panning and the primitive weapon, club. A few sticks might be dropped, but not many. Firewood is an important resource to make a firepit for cooking foraged foods, and creating torches.

Grass

Use a knife to harvest tall grass. Dry grass is used with firewood to make the firepit but also to make the Hay bed.

Reeds/Cattails

Use a knife to harvest cattail tops from Cooper's Reed (Cattail). breaking the block with an empty hand allows players to collect the cattail tops, but the destroys the plant. Reeds are used to craft the simplest portable containers, the handbasket to expand the player's inventory.

Gathering foraged food

Different plants are generated in different climatic regions including wild crops, berry bushes, cactus, and mushrooms. Anything that can be eaten raw is useful for maintaining the player's satiety early game.

Crops

Wild crops can be harvested using an empty hand for both the seeds used in farming and edibles including beans, grains and root vegetables. A crop that is not mature won't provide as many edibles, but any of these foods can be eaten raw.

Berry bushes

Berry bushes grow in temperate and colder climates. Ripe berry bushes can be harvested with bare hands to collect berries. Break the bush to collect it. Berries can also be eaten raw.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms are naturally generated in colder, wetter climatic regions. breaking the block with an empty hand allows players to collect the mushrooms, but the tops will not regrow. Mushrooms can be selectively harvested using a knife to collect only the tops. Over time, the tops will regenerate. (Don't eat the red ones)

Saguaro

Saguaro or cactus fruit are naturally generated in arid or desert climatic regions. Breaking the cactus block using an empty hand allows players to collect the fruits, but the tops will not regrow. Fruits can be selectively harvested with a knife. Over time, the fruit will regenerate.

Hunting wild animals

Any animal can be killed and butchered for meat using a knife. Use a knife in the active hand to harvest animal products. When the butchering process is complete, a small window will open that contains all the animal products for collection. Hunting wild animals in the winter can be a useful way to maintain satiety when food storage is otherwise low.

Meat

There are three types of meat: Red meat from Sheep, Pigs and Hares; poultry from chickens; and Bush Meat, from Wolves, Hyenas and Foxes. All meat must be cooked before eating, but can be roasted using a firepit.

Fat

Lumps of fat can be used as fuel in a firepit, eaten raw as a source of protein, or used with a raw hide to create a pelt.

Hides

Raw Hides can be oiled with fat to create pelts and with reeds, to create a hunter's backpack and expand the player's inventory.

Tutorial Video: How to make basic tools and fell trees

Thanks to SmileOnSpeedDial for creating and sharing with the VS community