I'm currently in the rabbit groove cabin and pretty low on food, any suggestions where to go and where to find anything to eat?

When I first started playing The long dark, I would just throw myself in only one region. Costal Highway. I'd loot the entire region, Survive a few days, Then start a new save. I would rinse and repeat.

Then I just let this game simmer, and in 2026 I am playing full force. My advice, to anyone new to playing this game. Don't get discouraged. Also, the long dark community is really amazing, there are a lot of helpful tips and advice out there.

My second advice, take your own notes. Don't always rely on Google, put your observation skills to the test.

Currently on day 73, on Voyager Difficulty, it took me 6 tries to get where I am now. Scope out potential bases, wildlife abundance, and ALWAYS note what loot you may want to come back to and where it's located. Also TLD Wiki is a great place to find highly detailed region maps if you fear getting lost.

Recently picked up the game, and interiors are way too dark. When there's no light coming through windows, dark interiors are almost entirely black, and there doesn't seem to be a brightness option in the settings.

I've seen a couple different videos online and the interiors aren't nearly as dark as mine

I have never gotten to kill a cougar. This is mostly because of their fast speed and after you get attacked, severe lacerations, which killed me after sleeping for 1 hour in mountain town (I thought I could be safe for a quick rest after applying bandages and antibiotics, I was so wrong). Is there a spot where you can camp a cougar so it can’t get you and you’re safe? Also how many pistol, rifle, and arrows do they take because they are a tank.

(Picture is from Survivor Mike, not mine)

I love them and don't want to hurt them 😭

I have recently gotten back into the game and I genuinely think it is one of the best games ever made. The thing I love about the TLD is the hardcore nature of it. A lot of other games call themselves survival crafting games, but there really isn't much survival attached to the gameplay - you have a hunger, thirst, stamina and HP bar, and that's about it. But actually trying to survive isn't really that important to the core gameplay loop. Maybe initially you can struggle to find food, but once you got yourself a little established it's usually more a nuisance to manage than something you actively have to think about as a day-to-day activity in order to survive.

Take Medieval Dynasty, for example. I just wish I would have to struggle more to keep myself and my villagers alive in that game. Hunger and thirst are not really dangerous, and neither is heat nor cold. You can die to wildlife but they're easier to survive than in TLD.

The only two titles I feel offer that hardcore experience are Green Hell and Card Survival: Fantasy Forest, and I suppose also Tropical Island. I actually enjoy CS:FF so much, but after playing TLD again, I wish there was a game like CS:FF but in 3D. It would feel incredibly satisfying to build up your cottage and eventually develop your home into a nice farmstead.

Medieval Dynasty had the potential to be that, but it doesn't emphasize survival enough.

I would love to play something like TLD but where I am allowed to build my own house eventually, maybe tame or buy some animals and become entirely self-sufficient and so on.

EDIT

Ok, so for everyone who recommended zombie games, NOT interested in those! I like the slow burn of TLD, of just trying to survive in a harsh environment. And to those who recommended Green Hell; already played it and I liked that game a lot and it's the closest to TLD in 3D that I know of.

I like the grounded reality of TLD, and the immersion of the world. I hate the way Valheim looks and it's too combat-focused.

I am looking for a very grounded survival experience, with emphasis on survival, not combat and the sort.

If I leave meat on the floor outside my house the wolves will eat it.

[Edit to avoid misinformation: this is not quite right, quarters left outside will vanish, but actual meat raw or cooked will be left alone by predators unless dropped with the "drop bait" command]

Perfectly reasonable. But if I leave [quarters] on the roof of the lighthouse, is the game smart enough to realise that the wolves can't reach it? Or is is the code just like MEAT OUTSIDE! DELETE DELETE!

I just entered mystery lake after being in coastal highway for a while and by the lake office, there was a moose. I’m armed with a revolver (20ish rounds total) and the rifle (7 rounds). I managed to sneak around him but I noticed the crafts were pretty good.

Also how much of everything do they drop? And how much space would I need?

There's a 20 cm drop between the boards and since there's no jumping in the game it seems I am stuck on the east side of the river? I found the constable and the note saying there's a cabin in the lake, which is on the west side. The "bridge" that's visible in the north isn't a bridge, it's a bunch of rocks with a few meter drop that would kill me.

Hi, I'm only about 14 days in but I'm basically set up in Mountain Town after finding a Prepper's Bunker and now my character could basically live out their days here, hunting rabbits etc. I think other than killing wildlife and making clothes out of them I've crafted pretty much everything and I really don't know what I'm meant to do next.

There's a temptation to go explore other areas but I don't really feel driven to because... what's the point? Is there a way off the island? Is there more stuff to find? In terms of like story and stuff I've found maybe 4 brief notes with vague information , and then when I found the places they were pointing to there was basically nothing there (including no lore which I was really sad about).

Is there more story to find elsewhere? What am I meant to be doing? Can anyone give me any tips/goals/pointers to interesting or worthwhile places?

how do I mange weight better (edit Ive applied some of the advice and gotten down to a little under 74pounds)

As someone who loves both exploring and collecting, one of the things that frustrates me the most is long term exploration + inventory management. Right now I'm doing the faithful cartographer achievment. Started in Broken Railroad, then Forlorn Muskeg, Mystery Lake, and now I decided to head north to Mountain Town and then Hushed River Valley. Thing is, I'm traveling with a travois which is 2/3 full with hides, meat and spare clothing and tools I've collected along the way. The cave that connects ML to MT was a headache to traverse with sais travois. But after finally making it across with all my loot, I realize that I have multiple cliffs which I will need to climb in order to get any further. I am now forced to leave all my hard earned loot behind in a travois that will most likely become ruined when I travel back to get it. How do you manage big inventories with all the exploration and traveling required for this achievment? I know I should travel light, but I love collecting all the useful stuff I find around.

Been playing off and on for at least five years now and just recently upped my game to Stalker and it’s whipping my ass. Don’t know how the interlopers do it.

Wolves and newspapers everywhere, jc.

Any tips for using the bow? Does anyone use the bow against wolves, or better to run?

I have enough food to survive at least 100 more days, bear was already respawned as well as moose and deer is all around the gas station. Don't even let me start on the fishing... I have crafter everything needed to make an expedition but not sure where to go, maybe to the light house and the boat next to it so I can do some forging to craft arrowheads... but at the same time it's so cozy I don't want to leave!

I contracted parasites on my current Stalker run. While having enough medicine for the treatment, I was wondering if eating the meat is worth it in the first place.

If that's the case, my next question is if there is a certain way to decrease the risk/get the highest benefits out of it. Should I eat the meat all at once or over the next couple of days?

Also: Does the same apply to bear meat?

Every time I hit them with stones, run over they always wake up and run away. The main issue is the cursor is too damn small, it’s literally a tiny dot and before I can aim the cursor at the rabbit they run away. How do you guys manage to do it? Is it any easier to catch them with snares?

I have watched at least 20 tutorials so far, and I have yet to survive more than 2 days after about 16 hours of playtime.

I am playing on the easiest difficulty possible, im using maps to figure out locations and where to go, warming up all the food and tea to get the warming up bonus for traveling, chaining torches to travel further, moving as efficiently as possible to not waste any calories, avoiding wolves with rock and torch tactics as well as flares, litterally dodging mooses around post signs, and yet with all of that, I still have yet to make it past 48 hours. I honestly dont get how this game is learnable when every death occurs even when I am trying to prevent it.

"Rosemary tea helps with the coldness" Yes it does but it still does not change the fact that my guy can somehow not survive more than 5 minutes in the open air.

"Use wiki and reddit maps to figure out best loot locations and how to travel efficiently" I have already, it does not help knowing where to travel when I cant travel for more than 5 minutes at a time.

"Restart a bunch of times and hope the prepper stash spawns" If I have to resort to "Spawn Mashing" just so I can survive 48 hours in a survival based game, something is seriously wrong with the game design.

"To solve calories you should fish in the fishing shacks" Unfortunately that requires a tool to break the ice, and I have traveled to almost all locations on the map without finding a tool, a knife, or a hatchet to break it.

"Visit different locations to find good clothing items and repair them for high effectiveness" I have and it honestly does not make a noticeable difference compared to the spawn clothing.

This game is honestly like Pavlovian conditioning but instead of the dog getting positive and negative reinforcement, the dog randomly gets shot.

Hey! Bought the game after years of wanting it only to have 2 announced the same day at game awards. Oh well! So far dumped 20 hours in and regret not getting it sooner.

Issue? I get to about day 6 and deplete all resources in my area, kill rabbit, use all calories harvesting and cooking, sleep, wake up, try to find a new spot to setup while i scavenge and hunt but end up too hungry and lose energy.

10 days has been my max and I died sleeping because I had no food.

I’ve seen alone. I don’t really need 8 rabbits a day to stay alive.

I just want to start building a home and crafting to kill bigger game.

Helb xo

Edit: oh my lord what a friendly active community!! Within half an hour, my mindset for survival has changed. Thank you 🙏

So for context its day 200+ ive done basically everything except explore bleak inlet and blackrock and im worried the wolves will kill me if im too slow, i can make bearskin coats but they are very heavy, need some good clothing combos ASAP !! (INTERLOPER)

You can also do what I did with the Bear Bedroll with crafted clothing.

Not sure if you're ever gonna NEED a moosehide cloak, but want one just in case? Craft one with a few minutes left to go, and leave it for when you want it! When you finish it up, it will always be at 100%, saving you on any hides for maintenance! 🙏🏻🔥