Guide:Prepare for Winter
Not only can your character starve to death, but you can die of hypothermia. Assuming you used the default settings for starting in a temperate region, you can expect around 5 months of weather too cold for farming and other things. "Make hay while the sun shines."
Food
Get a farm started as soon as you have access to seeds and medium fertility soil near water. Flax is especially useful, but it's a poor food source for people. Because a balanced diet increases your character's maximum health points, I focus on 1 other grain as a food source, and 1 vegetable. If you have access to honey, cook jam and seal it in crocks so you can have fruit out of season. If you have access to quartz and fire clay, consider making a greenhouse to extend the growing season.
Vegetables and grains last quite a long time in a properly-constructed cellar, especially in a storage vessel. A cellar is easiest to make underground.
Warmth
A Fur Coat is easy to make with pelts. All you need besides raw hide is a lump of fat. 1 lump can treat up to 4 small hides, 2 medium hides, or 1 large hide. A huge hide requires 2 lumps of fat. Then let the hides sit somewhere to cure for awhile (on the ground is fine).
Explore
Mark your map!
- clay, especially fire clay
- fruit trees
- prospecting pick's density mode
- save the data for later analysis and action
== Chores ==
Dig up more clay Mine ore you located earlier (underground isn't cold) Make charcoal (can never have too much, especially if you're aiming for steel) Smith extra tools you’ll need this year (so you won't need to interrupt work to make more)
See also
Save for wintertime
Don't do these during fair weather, when your time could be better spent preparing for winter:
- build a large, fancy base
- chisel lots of detail
- mine chests full of ore
- cook stews/porridge (unless you have beeswax)
While you can repair translocators and peek at what's on the other side, if it takes you to warmer areas then save significant exploration for when your main base is snowbound.