Each character comes with their specific pros and cons and is unique in their own quirky way. However, some characters are much easier to start with than others in Don’t Starve Together. It’s important for players to feel out the game before pursuing anything too complicated. So, which characters are better and worse for players to start with?
Updated on April 13th, 2022 by Nikole Brinkman: Don’t Starve and Don’t Starve Together has recently come out on the Nintendo Switch, allowing more gamers to try their hand at surviving harsh elements and fighting off both the darkness and the various creatures that roam the land in the game. Veterans of the game already know what they’re doing, many probably grinding away at experience to start unlocking their favorite characters to play with, or even purchasing DLCs to test out any new characters. However, for the beginners who are unsure of where to begin on a game so harsh, these are some of the best starting characters to try out either alone or in co-op. There will be some added information to the previous entries, as well as an additional three entries to optimize players choices to find the best suitable character.
13 Wolfgang
Health: 150 to 300 Hunger: 300 Sanity: 200
While Wolfgang is terrified of the dark, this strongman is still a great character to have on a team. Wolfgang has three forms on his Mighty Meter that can be filled by lifting weights, but slowly decreases over time if not maintained. The three forms are Whimpy, which is 0-25 on the Mighty Meter, Normal at 25-75, and Mighty at 75-100. When Wolfgang is at his mightiest of forms, he will deal 2x more damage and can carry heavier items with ease. Freezing and overheating has no effect on him, and chopping trees is 150% more effective.
Wolfgang has his own crafting tab, so he can create things like Dumbbells to build his Might Meter up. The gym does decrease hunger, however, so make sure to stock up on foods for Wolfgang while he’s working out.
The biggest disadvantage is when Wolfgang is at his Whimpy stage. He deals 75% less damage to enemies, and can freeze or overheat faster than usual. As mentioned, he is more scared of the dark than most characters, meaning his Sanity drains faster, even in Caves. His Sanity also changes depending on how many friends or enemies he has around him, within 16 meters. So while this brute is scared of the dark, having him around friends can offset the disadvantages and allow him to focus on his strength (literally).
12 Winona
Health: 150 Hunger: 150 Sanity: 200
Winona is a great choice for builders at a party. Her special power is that she has a exclusive tab of crafting for her called the Engineering Tab. Not only is her crafting speed higher than most, but she has five special recipes that span from Trusty Tape that repairs cloths and or boats to Winona’s G.E.M.erator which can power up her Catapult or Spotlight for up to 6 days.
While she is a mighty crafter and is pretty strong in battle, she does get a knock of Hunger at each crafting unless they’re back to back. When her Hunger is below 50, her crafting speed is incredibly slow though, so make sure she is well-fed.
11 Woodie
Health: 150 Hunger: 150 Sanity: 200
Woodie is a great starting character due to his lovely axe, Lucy. While she does speak with Woodie , and it might seem a little strange, having an axe that doesn’t break is vital for the group to survive. If one player enjoys the calming sensation of chopping down trees to build fires, fences and homes, this is the perfect character for them. Not only is Lucy infinite, but she is fast. Lucy reduces the amount of chops to cut down trees.
Another obscure thing about Woodie is that he can transform into one of three creatures when there is a full moon, much like a werewolf. Players must eat some sort of Monster Food twice within a four-minute span when there is a full moon, and will become a Werebeaver, Weremoose or Weregoose. Pigs also gain a boost of loyalty when Woodie befriends them.
The biggest disadvantage to this lumberjack is that when players are in his Were-being stage, if his Wereness Meter reaches zero, he will transform back to a human and his Hunger will be at a zero. But players can hold of on testing out this phase of him until they can grasp more information of the game since becoming his Wereself is a choice.
10 Wendy
Health: 150 Hunger: 150 Sanity: 200
Depressed, forlorn, and close to death, Wendy is one of the spookier human characters one can choose. She is forever accompanied by the ghost of her dead sister, Abigail, which brings an ominous yet familiar vibe to the gameplay.
The biggest boon to choosing Wendy is that she is not afraid of the dark, which vastly slows down the decrease of one’s Sanity meter. The blonde youth does not hit very hard in combat, however, so be sure to only select her if one wants to brood in the dark as opposed to going on hunts.
Wendy will begin with a wilted flower in her inventory, but after 3-4 days, it will bloom. This indicates that Wendy can summon Abigail and have her aid in battles. Abigail will start off with only 150 health, but will go to 300 after one day, and then 600 the next day. While summoning Abigail can be an amazing boost to a players game, Wendy will lose a great deal of Sanity if Abigail dies from battle.
9 Wickerbottom
Health: 150 Hunger: 150 Sanity: 250
Being able to craft magical books that literally allow the player to cast spells is a huge advantage in a game where magic usage is mostly unavailable for combat. Wickerbottom is a character that can craft five different books that each have five uses. They range from being able to summon a flock of birds as a shield to calling down lighting to devastating enemies.
Wickerbottom also comes with higher maximum Sanity than most characters, which offsets the fact that reading the spellbook will cost a big chunk of Sanity per reading. Furthermore, this elderly lady is a very picky eater, regaining fewer stat points from stale and spoiled food. The most challenging part of this character’s mental health, however, is the fact that she cannot sleep, and therefore cannot recover Sanity in conventional ways.
An additional note between Don’t Starve and Don’t Starve Together’s gameplay with this character is the farming book. Since the farming mechanics are different between these two games, the Applied Horticulture book in Don’t Starve is replaced with two new books, Horticuluture, Abridged and Applied Silviculture, in Don’t Starve Together.
8 Webber
Health: 175 Hunger: 175 Sanity: 100
Arachnophobic people should skip this one, as the character in question is a spider-like being. Webber, in addition to being able to grow a lovely beard made of silk, can befriend spiders and eat Monster Meat, as well as Spider Eggs and other hideous foods, with no ill effects.
However, mobs that are normally hostile to spiders will also treat poor Webber with the same aggression. On top of this, Webber has much lower maximum Sanity than most characters, so those who choose him should be wary of this trait.
His specialty for Don’t Starve Together is that he has a special crafts tab called Spider Care, where he has 12 crafting recipes. They range from decorating spider dens to make them passive to feeding spiders different foods that change them into different creatures, like Seastriders, and befriending them.
7 Wortox
Health: 200 Hunger: 175 Sanity: 150
This red imp is a character exclusive to Don’t Starve Together and has one of the most interesting playstyles. Wortox can consume Souls to regain Hunger at the cost of a little bit of Sanity. Being supernatural, this horned fellow possesses an arcane perk: when others around him die, they drop Souls, which the player can collect to become stronger.
These Souls must stay on Wortox’s person, as they cannot be stored in chests and other containers. The player also does not regain very many stat points from eating normal food, so they should always be on the lookout for dying creatures to harvest Souls from. In addition, Wortox is hated by all, and most creatures will be hostile toward him.
6 Wurt
Health: 150 or 250 Hunger: 200 or 250 Sanity: 150 or 200
Wurt, the Merm character, is an excellent choice for those seeking a pacifist playstyle. She is a vegetarian who gets along well with almost everyone, including mobs that are normally hostile. Since she is more aquatically inclined than most, she’s able to suffer far fewer repercussions when drowning and has such great affinity for marine life that keeping a live fish in her inventory will cause her to gradually gain Sanity over time.
However, being exposed to dead sea creatures will cause her to lose Sanity. Wurt also cannot eat any kind of meat-based food and, for some reason, pigs hate her; making it impossible to spend time around them or trade with the Pig King.
Wurt also has the ability to craft the Royal Tapestry, which creates the King of the Merms. This buffs the stats of all merms, even Wurt. When trading fish to the King, Wurt can recieve Kelp, Seeds, Tentical Spots, Rot, and certain Trinkets.
5 Wilson
Health: 150 Hunger: 150 Sanity: 200
One of the most basic but beneficial characters for players to start with is Wilson. He might seem like nothing special, but for beginners, he’s a given. Wilson does not require any experience to play with and is the main protagonist in the game.
Therefore, right off the bat, players can control him much easier than other characters. He does not have any extreme powers other than his trademarks. These trademarks are growing an eye-catching beard that helps against the freezing temperatures of the winter and being an average scientist. However, he is a character that players should snatch when they start playing Don’t Starve Together.
4 Willow
Health: 150 Hunger: 150 Sanity: 120
Players cannot go wrong starting with the pyro Willow. Not only is she immune to fire, but she comes equipped with her own special lighter. This lighter is similar to the item Torch which helps guide characters through the darkness.
With Willow in the group, players can count on her to lead the way without scrambling to find a Torch. Also, Willow can easily light things on fire which is beneficial when facing monsters. Players don’t have to worry about damage from Willow’s fires as she is very careful. Her lighter can even be used to cook food, so when a group is in a pinch, they can look to Willow for aid.
The main difference between the single player and co-op is the durability of her lighter. In a group, the lighter is no long an infinite use. It lasts 600 seconds, or 100 times cooking something. And the biggest pain to Willow is when she stresses out, or has low stats, she’ll light things on fire. So make sure to keep her away from anything important around camp if she’s low on Sanity.
3 WX-78
Health: 150 to 400 Hunger: 150 to 200 Sanity: 150 to 300
Robots don’t require the same necessities as humans. This is why WX-78 is beneficial for players to use when starting out. It takes a few days of survival to unlock WX-78, but it’s well worth it. WX-78 does not need much food to survive. It can eat gears and trek along just fine; it can even eat rotten food.
Furthermore, lightning can strike WX-78 and it won’t cause any damage. Lighting gives the robotic character more speed because it overloads its system. Players must be sure to keep WX-78 away from water including rain or else damage will occur. However, WX-78 is a great addition to the group, especially for starters.
2 Wormwood
Health: 150 Hunger: 150 Sanity: 200
Players should not let Wormwood scare them away. This plant-like being may look strange, but he’s a great addition for starters. First of all, he does not require any experience to play with; he just shows up ready to go.
Wormwood is the only character who has access to the Green Thumb Tab which allows him to craft exclusive items. He can also craft healing recipes and defense mechanisms that help the group across the board. On top of all this, he is a kind soul. Players should definitely take advantage of having this little plant-person in the wilderness.
In the Spring, Wormwood will start blooming, which increases both his speed and hunger drain. However, in the Winter, these stats decrease. But not only are his stats different, but the way he works with plants. At the peak of his bloom, he works with plants at a much easier speed. At full bloom, he tends to all farmlife 1 tile radius of him, making the job incredibly easy. Bees will always be attracted to his blossoms during this period too, making some of the more hostile bee creatures passive towards him.
1 Walter
Health: 130 Hunger: 110 Sanity: 200
Walter is a unique character who is only available in Don’t Starve Together. Players better take advantage of him because he is very useful. Walter carries a slingshot which is an item exclusively for him with a crafting tab specific for ammo that varies from Pebbles that deals17 damage to Cursed Rounds that deals 51 damage. This slingshot comes with specific ammo that greatly damages enemies.
In the event that he loses the slingshot, or it breaks, Walter can simply craft another one. Moreover, his sanity does not decrease like other characters when facing threats such as monsters or darkness. Plus, Walter knows how to cook and can cook fast. Altogether, starters need this free character on their side.
Due to his boyscout nature, he can also craft exclusive items like a Camper’s Tent that has a portable Fur Roll that can be used up to 10 times. But there are some disadvantages playesr should note. He is allergic to bees, so he takes 10 extra damage when they attack. He already has a pet, Woby, so he can’t adopt Critter Den. And any clothing that is used to help with Sanity has no effect on him.
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