Set up a learning run
The tutorial teaches movement and a sliver of crafting, but the real game starts when you pick a run and descend. For your first few attempts, use the Paradise preset with the longest time limit — it slows metabolism, eases bleeding, gives more loot, and removes forced sleep so you can experiment without the clock punishing every mistake.
Your long-term goal on a standard descent is to reach depth layer 5 (Overgrown depths) and loop back up. The world is procedurally generated — there is no static map — so learning the systems matters more than memorizing a route.
After the tutorial — do this first
- Open the in-game tutorial text on this site if you skipped or forgot the first aid and crafting courses — they unlock deeper in a run, but reading them early saves lives.
- Gather scrap and foliage near the surface, then work through the craft ladder below before carrying much loot.
- Boil groundwater: craft a campfire, a canteen, fill it, and boil the contents into clean water.
- Put open drink containers inside a bag — not in your hand slots. Open vessels in hand slots can pick up environmental liquid and contaminate your supply. Sealed containers (pill bottles, syringes, hip pouches) are safe anywhere.
- Before descending past layer 1, carry antiseptic supplies and know how to stop bleeding. Check the status effects and vitals pages when something new appears on your survivor.
- Explore each layer in an S-pattern — sweep left and right on a floor before committing to the next descent — so you find scrap, water, and exits without burning stamina.
First craft priorities
Craft in roughly this order. Each step links to the item and recipe on this site. The full INT crafting ladder lists every recognition gate — haggling with traders also grants INT experience.
- 1.Canteen
Collect groundwater and boil it into clean water.
- 2.Canvas
Two canvases plus rope are the core of early bags.
- 3.Rope
Needed for foliage bags and many later crafts.
Your first real carry capacity — craft two if you can.
Break scrap piles and harvest materials faster.
Dedicated slot for loose crafting scrap.
Head protection before you push past layer 2.
When a recipe calls for “any item with __ quality,” open the matching crafting quality page — or check the ingredient list on the recipe itself — to see which tools satisfy the slot.
Medical basics (keep these in mind)
Full symptom → treatment rows with item links are on the first aid triage page.
- Bleeding — apply a tourniquet on limbs that will not stop bleeding, then dress wounds with antiseptic. Check liquids for antiseptic fluids.
- Fractures — plastic bandages stabilize broken limbs; splints help before you have better kits.
- Internal bleeding — procoagulant injections help; watch blood volume on vitals.
- Hemothorax — blood in the chest cavity needs a chest drain on the torso, not just a bandage.
- Infection & contamination — dirty wounds and non-sterile liquids stack quickly. Shift-hover drinks and injections before consuming.
- Mood — low mood triggers Last Stand and worse; Geofruit and Naptails can stabilize mood early. See status effects for thresholds.
Controls worth learning early
More detail on each tip is on the hidden mechanics page.
- Shift — hover for full item and liquid descriptions (including fake barrels labeled as clean water).
- F — favorite recipes and items in the crafting menu.
- Drag items onto each other in inventory to combine scrap, stack bandages, and merge compatible materials.
Layer-by-layer prep (first five layers)
- Layer 1 — Gravel lands
- Bring: Foliage bags, antiseptic, canteen, digging tool
- Watch for: Basic traps, scrap piles, groundwater
- Layer 2 — Deeper gravel lands
- Bring: Tourniquets, splints, extra clean water
- Watch for: Falls, fractures, faster bleeding
- Layer 3 — Dried desert
- Bring: Bruise kits, helmet, stamina food
- Watch for: Turrets, heat, dehydration
- Layer 4 — Wasteland
- Bring: Antiradiation supplies, sound protection, mood stabilizers
- Watch for: Sound cannons, radiation, mood crashes
- Layer 5 — Overgrown depths
- Bring: Weapons, armor, chest drain, procoagulant
- Watch for: Aggressive wildlife, internal injuries
Full biome names and random layer modifiers are on the depth biomes page.
Keep these pages handy
- First aid — symptom triage matrix
- Crafting ladder — INT progression
- Trading — haggling & buy/sell
- Hidden mechanics — controls reference
- Recipes — full craft tree
- Items — stats, effects, recognition gates
- Status effects — what each moodle means
- Liquids — drink and injection effects
- Crafting qualities — which tools count
- Enemies & hazards — traps and hostiles
Press / anywhere on the site to search items, recipes, and status effects by name.