Where is your YouTube tutorial?

Since I have no videos, all you will need is in this guide. I have no videos, and that means no broken links or inability to load content in your region.

Why do you spend so much time playing Wayward?



I have played Wayward since it was a free alpha in-browser. It has captivated and enthralled me, and has its own unique charm. I have spent long enough in the game to know my way around most situations, and I'm happy to be making this guide to help out all players.

Hey, I recognize you from the Discord!

Yes, I am generally active on the official Wayward Discord page. There you can find me nit-picking and detailing out various other things related to the game, as well as swearing off playing for a full ten minutes once I get swarmed by pirate ghosts.

You should check it out, we have some really nice folks there. Shoutout to Anketam, and check out his guide on Mastercrafting in Wayward.

Also a big thanks to ditto for helping me to break some terrible gaming habits that eventually affected the way I wrote out this guide. They're the reason all the other tools and the Bow Drill are in here.

Why haven't you made this guide before? I needed this ___ months ago!

I am unfortunately not very keen on putting work out there, but I am doing my best to change things so that I can provide more helpful resources like this to players of Wayward and other games in the future. Keep in mind that I do not spend every waking hour playing games anymore, so there is that.

Can I add you on Steam? Can I comment on your guide?

Comments are fine. Please do not randomly send me a friend invite however, as Steam is generally only for folks I actually play games with. I do not add everyone that asks me.

Will you make another guide for more advanced things in Wayward?

I intend to make more Wayward guides in the future. I cannot guarantee expediency, but I will eventually make more.

Step One: Turn off Weightless and start playing with weighted items.

You need to take into account item weights for everything to do with crafting. Believe me when I say it is not trivial to keep track of all this in the end. I should know. For about the first 50 hours of play I used many techniques to basically nullify item weights and it hurt my performance overall. Do yourself a favor and take it from someone who really hates weighted items that it is a necessity here.



Step Two: Have you died recently? Then you've learned.

Milestones are a thing. These Achievements ARE there for a reason! 8D



Whenever you complete specific milestones or even just make progress to them in Hardcore mode, it unlocks a Milestone. You can toggle these on and off individually on World Creation.

Some milestones have both positive and negative effects, while others are purely beneficial. You die, you learn!

Alright, now you're on a deserted Island.



You may have started with some decent things. Or you may not have. What matters most is collecting your first few sharp rocks and logs. That should be your immediate first priority on Spawn.

The knife is your hatchet, it is life.



The knife is your lifeline. It can be used in most situations.
It is required for crafting nearly everything in the game.
You can effectively replace your axe/pickaxe temporarily with the Stone Knife, if either of them breaks. This is not recommended for longer times, but it can last for that in the interim.

It is imperative that you keep your tools in good working order. A tool breaking at the wrong time can lead to a lot of frustration.

You may have noticed some stuff on the screen, maybe in the top left or bottom center. What are those numbered boxes? Enter Quickslots.

Quickslots, as seen here, are your keyboard shortcuts for either item uses, or actions. Dragging an item to a quickslot will cause it to be used whenever that button on the keyboard is pressed.

You should probably setup your Quickslots however you feel is best, but don't ignore them as they significantly speed up gameplay.

You can also slot any Action onto a Quickslot independently of its item, which will use the tool with the most durability, sorted by tier and quality. In later versions of Wayward, it will sort by tier/quality of the item first.

You want to keep as many tools nearby as you can; if they aren't accessible, you can't use them.

You should have started out with at least one container, as well as one or more tools for starting your run.

Your initial goal should be to collect your first four tools: a knive, axe, pickaxe, and hammer.

Now, I did mention that the Knife can be used to Mine stone and Chop wood, but it is not as effective as the proper tool for the job. For a very long time, i was adamant about replacing all tools with the knife, but it turned out to be a bad habit. So take my advice and diversify your toolings.

An axe is going to have the best tier Chop action. Pickaxes have the highest Mine action. And generally, Knives have the highest Butcher action.

Higher item qualities are usually at least one tier higher than the normal non-quality item.
Here, take a look for yourself. I'm going to make several Stone Knives, so you can watch their Action tiers raise up with each Quality increase.







Notice how Butcher, Harvest, and Chop Action tiers went up by 1 each for each quality increase? That means that every time those Actions are used by each of these tools, it has a better-- well, actually, let me just show you with Inspect.



As you can see for yourself, basically every single thing that could be changed by having a higher Action tier is affected by the increase. Better drops, less Stamina cost, you name it, is all affected by the increase in Action tier.

That knife of yours is too valuable to use for a weapon. Try to avoid combat until you at least have a place to retreat to for safety.

Every craft requires string, how do I get it?

String is abundant in unexpected places. Two "cordage" items create one piece of string.

Your knife can cut tree bark into two "Stripped Bark" items, and they count as cordage. So one bark = one string.



Badderlocks are found along the shoreline as you explore. Each of them also counts as a cordage for string.

You want to make a Pickaxe, and a Wooden Shield as well.
Pickaxe = 1 string, 1 pole, and 2 sharp rocks. Easy enough.
A wooden shield needs only a Log and three string.

Skip the bark shield, and go straight for Wooden Shield.

Slap that Stone Pickaxe in a quickslot and equip the Wooden Shield with your spare hand.

Congratulations, you did more than I could on my first day playing this game.

Your first requirement is to get armor, real armor. Your clothes do not protect you.

Instead, use that knife and chop chop away at dead trees for logs.
Dismantle the logs (Right-click, DIsmantle) for 2 bark and 5 poles each.

You'll need the poles for initial tools and other crafting, and the bark will make your first armor set.
You will need ten Bark and two Strings to make both pieces.




Now, disassemble (right click, disassemble) your old clothes. They will disassemble down into one Woven Fabric each. Use those two pieces of fabric to create two bandages. If you run into trouble early on, having two bandages is a life-saver.




You may or may not be lucky enough to find fresh water on your island. If you do, do not immediately scoop it up yet, you will want to wait to dig it.

I will come back to water later. For now, you should have a full bark set with Wooden Shield, a Stone Knife and Stone Pickaxe, and probably a much better feeling than you had when you started.

Your main goal is to be exploring the immediate area. Sometimes you can find crafting materials or even full items just laying around on the ground on your island. Woah! Check THAT out!



I got a free log just for existing, and I didn't even need to use my beloved knife!

There's plenty of stuff just laying around. Make use of it - this is YOUR island.

Sharp rocks are necessary to make all those tools early on. Just look for a rock wall, and use your pickaxe.

I have all these large rocks but no sharp rocks! What do I do?

You can craft sharp rocks from large rocks.



See this recipe? It looks like all you need is one large rock. This is a little confusing, because you actually need two of them. "Requires" are used in item creation, and "Consumes" permanently removes that item.

So, what this actually says is that you can use two Large Rocks to make one Sharp Rock, but one will be destroyed (because it turns into the Sharp Rock).

Now, I will cover Dismantling.



You may have noticed this option when right-clicking your items, that sometimes "Dismantle" appears as an option.

This is actually a hidden crafting function.

Remember when I had you "Dismantled" the logs to get sticks and bark?

You can do the same thing for loads of items. That Stone Knife is your friend here.

Dismantling Bark creates two Stripped Bark.
Dismantling Sharp and Large Rocks creates Stones, for stone flooring.
Dismantling Wooden Poles creates Wooden Dowels, used for making chests, gates, and doors.
And so much more...

Sometimes the tool required to dismantle an item won't be the Knife, so pay attention.

For the last part of this section, I want to go in-depth on the crafting menu. First, let's take a look at my inventory from the first few minutes of play. (The boat, book, and bandage are from Milestones.)



I have a decent variety of resources. Let's see what I can craft with it.



You'll notice immediately the crafting menu has two tabs: "Crafting" and "Dismantle". This will give you easy access in case you need to mass-dismantle stuff like bark and logs.

Making your first Still.

That's right folks, here it is. You're ready to start making water. If you don't have a container, I can't help, you should have spawned with one. Did you dump your fresh waterskin into the ocean? Don't be that guy.

Right-click on your empty container (Glass Bottle, Clay Jug, Waterskin, or other) when you're facing the sea to collect seawater.



The Still is a chamber with a fire lit under it, that boils water. Boiling the seawater evaporates it into regular, "Desalinated" water. It is a very easy craft, and requires minimal resources.

Skip the campfire, light the Still instead.

That's right, don't waste your early rocks on a campfire.

Right-click your container of seawater while facing the Still and select "Pour".
You will need to do this each time you want to desalinate water.

Now, right-click your empty container, while still facing the Still, and select "Attach Container".
It should look something like this when completed.



Now, it just needs to be lit with a fire-making tool.


I can't make a fire no matter how hard I try!

There are three different tools for fire-starting that a new player should have immediate access to. The first is the Hand Drill, which you will need to craft anyway. The issue is probably that you are using the Hand Drill to make a fire, and it only has Start Fire I.



There is also a Fire Plough, which is one Action tier higher than the Hand Drill, at Start Fire II. The major issue with the Fire Plough, however, is that it is one of the heaviest tools in the game.



As you can see, it's a very heavy item. What you want to do is get some String and Poles, enough to craft one Hand Drill and one Bow, for the Bow Drill, which is at Start Fire III.



The Bow Drill is much lighter than a Fire Plough and much more efficient than anything you can make right this moment. Put that onto your quickslot so making fire is just one key away.





What's kindling and tinder and why do I need them?

Fire-starting materials are grouped into two categories: Kindling and Tinder.
You require one of each to make the fire.

A very useful tip: You can Dismantle Wooden Poles into Wooden Dowels (Kindling), and those can be Dismantled into Wooden Shavings (Tinder). So one wooden pole can make one fire.

Be a pro player and use that lit Still to cook any food you might have. Who needs campfires these days? Ain't nobody got time for that.

Just keep in mind, every time you use the fire to craft an item, it costs the fire some strength. So if you're not sure, feed the fire a bunch of spare Wooden Rods or a log. Your best option is to always keep the fire "Very Healthy", and to ONLY use it when you absolutely must for your first day.

Use a spare Log to fuel the fire with a right-click on the log facing the Still. A Log should guarantee your water boils.



Uh-oh. Looks like we've got company already.



You should be able to dispatch your spidery foes with relative ease.

Reminds me, I need to eat something.



Cooked spider meat has one thing unique to it - eating it does not increase your thirst!

You should keep these initial requirements for your initial few times playing this game.
The first is already done, and that's getting your armor and shield, and initial tools, as well as setting up an easily accessible area for fire, and making stills.

The second is much, much more important: Shelter.

If you can find a thick chunk of wall rocks, dig into them a few spaces and build your base there. All you need is a door to keep mobs out. Keep in mind that flying enemies can flap over the walls.

Trapping, Hunting, and Throwing

You'll want to craft several of these things, Deadfall traps. Snares are okay, but deadfalls do much more damage.



Set them in "Choke points" around the island - areas mobs will likely need to cross in order to pathfind to another area. Gaps in trees, along the shore, those places are good to place traps. Just don't forget where you put them and soon you'll be catching spare mobs for dinner.


You have to keep your tools and weapons separated. Don't use your Pickaxe or Knife for combat, as every attack will reduce its durability. Instead, craft one of these.



Craft one Stone Spear to carry on your person.

Craft many Wooden Spears, and use them to "Throw" at enemies.

You can quickslot a spear and right click to select the quickslot action as "Throw". Bam, easy throw at a press of a key. Just try not to throw the one you're holding.

By now, you should have probably encountered some Rabbits or Giant Rats, and slain them for their precious Animal Pelts. Disassemble an Animal Pelt into a Hide.



Next, let's talk about some really helpful tools that are just kept in your inventory, not actively used like the Pickaxe and Knife are.

The first of these items is Wooden Tongs. They help you cook better, and can also be "Use"d to pick up items accidentally dropped into the fire.



"Cooking Equipment" items increase the quality of food items crafted. Next, let's cover Hammers.



Stone Hammers are required to repair your tools when they are about to break. This reduces the item's overall maximum durability, but is much more resource-efficient than making tool after tool only to have them break.

A good tip is to carry a second Stone Hammer to repair the first when it's needed.

Now, let's cover the Mortar and Pestle. But first, craft two Smooth Rocks.



These two rocks can be used to make a Stone Mortar and Pestle. This item is required for grinding items into powders. Bark can be ground into Tannin to tan Hides. Copal can be ground and then melted to create Resin to strengthen your items and increase their maximum durability. Bones, Limestone, Talc and others can also be ground into powders.



But you'll want to keep one bone for this last item: The Needle.



Awesome I got a Superior needle on my first try! Needles are useful for crafting various other items, and can be used to pick locks later on. Just keep in mind Needles have very limited durability, so it's helpful to carry at least three of them around at once.

Know where you are.

Keep track of your surroundings. Look for landmarks in the terrain, i.e. the shape of the rocks, where trees are. Find ways to know where you are on your island at all times.

Know where the resources are.



Finding ore? Make sure you come back for it later. Know a good spot for fresh water? Keep track of that, too. You don't have to be completely meticulous, but have in mind places to return to when you need the stuff there.

It gets dark sometimes. Make a torch.


The Tallow Torch is a little more resource-intensive, but does give off more light than a regular bark torch or lit pole. But either torch is better than a lit pole, and will last much longer, too.

Keep some healing items on you.

Bandages, Sutures, and Tourniquets can be used to restore health.

To make a bandage, you'll need fabric. You can use that needle to weave eight Cordage into one Woven Fabric - any Cordage will do, from Sinew to Badderlocks or even Stripped Bark.



A couple bandages should work well to restore any major health losses. To heal the Bleeding status effect, use a Suture or a Tourniquet and save those Bandages for when they're needed.

To heal the Poisoned status effect, craft a water into Medicinal Water. Tree Roots will count as Medicinal.


To heal the Burned status effect, Pour water from a container onto yourself ("Pour on Yourself" action). Or you can just dive straight into water.

Just play how you feel would be best!

Hey, we all make mistakes. You'll probably die quite a few times - this is a roguelike after all. Just don't get too frustrated.

You can always respawn in Casual Mode if you die in Hardcore, so you can still keep your world.

Hey, if you want to, just make a Casual Mode file and see how far you can get! Build up your skills until you're confident with playing Hardcore!

Maybe you could even try a few Challenges, just for fun. Be warned, you can't save your progress in a Challenge run.

Try to build something that works and looks nice! Here's a picture of my own base under construction - it might look vaguely familiar.