Like all survival-oriented games, those who don't pay attention to what they are doing will get themselves killed very quickly in Stranded Deep. This game is brutally difficult and players will not only have to face the harsh elements but also scrounge for every drop of water and scrap of food they can find. The first few hours of Stranded Deep can be an absolute nightmare for those who aren't completely prepared.

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Those who know what they are doing though can actually begin to thrive in the hostile environment. Finding food, drinkable water, and other such important resources are integral to survival, but players also need to understand how to build certain objects in the world and create their own island home. This guide shows players some tips for surviving throughout Stranded Deep.

Stranded Deep - First Priorities

Stranded Deep Crab

There are several things that players will want to take care of first before trying to do anything else in the game. The hierarchy of needs dictates that two of the most important things for human beings to have are food and water. Obviously, these are the things that players will want to take care of first to ensure their survival.

Water - This is the most important and precious resource in the entire game. Players will notice that they are able to drink coconut water or eat fruit to replenish their hydration points, but this is ultimately a bad idea since it causes diarrhea. This will in turn make the player dehydrated and cause more problems in the long run. In order to have a constant source of water in the game players will instead need to build water stills using some nearby resources. After building a still will be able to stick palm fronds and fibrous leaves underneath the still to produce clean drinking water. Stills will also collect rainwater, which are a very efficient source of water as well.

Food - The main way of getting food in Stranded Deep is by hunting, but there are many tools and things that make the process of acquiring food much easier. For players who want to do the physical work of hunting animals, a fishing spear is ridiculously easy to use and makes for a very reliable method of getting food. Players can also create a snare for birds and a trap to catch fish, which takes all the work out of catching food. One of the best things for the player to invest in as well is a smoker. Using the smoker any meat can be smoked, which then makes it unable to spoil.

Stranded Deep: Avoid Dangerous Creatures

Stranded Deep Great White

There are many different dangerous animals out in the world that players will want to either avoid or have the proper gear in order to kill them. While not all animals want to kill the player, almost all of the creatures will have some way to deal damage. Some will attack directly, whereas others will use things like poison to injure players. Here are some things to keep an eye out for:

Non-hostile Creatures - There are several creatures in the game that aren't necessarily hostile towards players, but can either injure or put players in bad positions. Crabs are one such creature that are nothing more than just a minor inconvenience, but things like wild pigs can cause a little bit more damage to the player. It is a good idea to keep an eye out for a wild pig's charge, especially when low on health or poisoned. One of the biggest things to keep an eye out for though are whales. These animals don't damage the player but are capable of capsizing their rafts and stranding them out at sea. This puts the player directly in the path of more nefarious sea creatures.

Poisonous Creatures - Without a doubt, one of the most infuriating features in Stranded Deep is any time that the player gets poisoned. It feels like every other animal is capable of dishing out poisoning damage, so players will need to look out for them. These consist of snakes, poisonous eels, lionfish, sea urchins, and the crown of thorns starfish. Most of these animals won't deal any damage to the player at all, but being poisoned can be a nightmare to deal with. Health will slowly begin to drain and players will not be able to recover it without getting rid of the status effect first. The only way to fix this is to track down two Pipi plants and combine them with a canteen to create an antidote, or stay hydrated, sleep, and wait three days. If the player makes it to the third day without dying then it will wear off.

Sharks - These animals are the absolute worst creatures unimaginable during the course of this game because they are able to kill the player extremely quickly, but they can also deal lacerating damage to them as well and cause them to bleed out. Bleeding is a pretty awful status effect that is similar to poisoning. Until a bandage is used to fix the problem health will continue to drain. A shark's bite is capable of dealing a few hundred points of damage at a time, and it can also capsize a player's raft.

Stranded Deep - Finding a Form of Transport

A completed raft in Stranded Deep loaded up with crates

Once players have their food and water figured out and know what to expect from all the local fauna, they will want to ensure that they know how to explore the world around them. In order to do this, they will want to build a pretty sturdy raft that is capable of not only floating around but also able to avoid capsizing when attacked by sea animals. Players start out with an inflatable raft, but players are likely to have this capsize pretty quickly. The best idea is to craft one as soon as possible.

Foundations & Floor - One of the most important parts of your raft is the foundation and floor. The foundation is what material makes the raft float whereas the floor is what the player will be standing on. There are many different materials that players can use for these, but the most useful are barrels for the foundation and steel for the floor. Barrels can be found on shipwrecks whereas steel can usually be found washed up on the shore of islands.

Propulsion - Once players have built the raft itself they will then need to make it move. The basic way of doing so is by using a standard sail built out of sticks, cloth, and lashings. Once this has been done players are able to pilot their ship around just by using wind energy. Players can also craft themselves a motor using different parts found inside shipwrecks. This works much better than the sail but requires that players use gasoline to power it.

Other Pieces - There are other parts of raft building that are pretty necessary to the overall process. For one, players will absolutely need a rudder in order to navigate their raft. Having propulsion doesn't mean much if there isn't a way to control the direction it moves in. Another very important thing to have on the boat though is an anchor. This will stop the boat from floating away when the player isn't paying attention.

These are just a few things that players will want to keep in mind on their journey to survive in Stranded Deep. As the game progresses players will continue to encounter deadly creatures and unique dangers that must be met head-on. The two biggest tips that should always be remembered are:

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Stranded Deep can be played on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.