📖 Campfire Hacks: How Not to Starve in the Dark (DST)
Campfire in Don't Starve Together: The Ultimate Guide
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Campfire is one of the most fundamental survival tools in Don't Starve Together (DST). It provides light, heat, and a means to cook food, making it essential for surviving darkness and cold. This guide compiles everything you need to know about campfires in DST – from game mechanics and crafting, to don't starve campfire fuel tables, strategies for solo and multiplayer, common mistakes to avoid, comparisons with other light sources, recent updates, community tips, and more.
Whether you're a newcomer learning the basics or a veteran looking for advanced tips, this guide has you covered.
Campfire Basics and Mechanics
Crafting Recipe
Available from day one in the Light Tab (no science station needed).
Light Radius
A campfire provides a radius of light that expands with the fire's intensity:
- Low flame: ~2 units
- Medium flame: ~3 units
- High flame: ~4 units
- Maximum fuel: ~5 units
The light keeps the darkness (Charlie) at bay.
Heat Radius & Warmth
Campfires emit heat to combat freezing in winter:
- Low flame: ~70°F temperature increase
- Maximum burn: ~220°F in the immediate vicinity
- Heat radius: roughly the same as light radius (4-5 units at max)
Characters standing near a high campfire will slowly warm up.
Burn Time
A newly placed campfire (with initial fuel) will burn for approximately 2 minutes 15 seconds (135 seconds).
Maximum burn time: 4.5 minutes (270 seconds) if fully fueled.
Campfires burn fuel twice as fast as Fire Pits, and rain increases fuel consumption by up to 250%.
One-time Use
Unlike the permanent Fire Pit, a campfire cannot be re-lit once it burns out – it's a temporary fire structure.
When the campfire burns out, it leaves behind:
- 1× Ash (normal burn)
- 1× Charcoal (if very well-fueled when extinguished)
Campfire Fuel Chart
Safety Considerations
Campfires can ignite nearby flammable objects if over-fueled! If a fire gets too large, trees, grass tufts, saplings, fences, chests, and other flammable structures within ~1 wall unit can catch fire.
For base camps, always use a Fire Pit instead, and keep flammables a safe distance away from any fire.
Pro Tip
Instead of overloading your campfire with lots of fuel at once, add fuel gradually to avoid waste. Once a campfire is "full" (max duration of ~4.5 min), any extra fuel you add is wasted.
Strategies for Using Campfires
Early Game & Solo Survival
- Always carry materials for a campfire (3 grass, 2 logs) when exploring
- Place campfires before darkness falls to avoid panic
- Use the campfire's light to continue gathering resources at night
- Cook food on the campfire for improved hunger and health benefits
- Remember: dusk is safe (dim but not dangerous), save resources for night
Cooking green mushrooms on a fire turns them into cooked blue caps that give sanity instead of taking it – a handy trick for sanity management early on.
Multiplayer Considerations
- One campfire can serve the entire group – huddle together for efficiency
- Assign someone to "fueling duty" to ensure the fire stays lit
- Each player should still carry emergency light materials
- Coordinate tasks around the campfire: one cooks, another prototypes, etc.
- If Willow is in your team, she makes an ideal firekeeper (immune to fire)
With Walter in your team, gather around the campfire at night for his storytelling ability that restores sanity to all nearby players!
Combat & Boss Fights
For night-time combat and boss encounters:
- Drop a campfire near boss arenas as night falls to maintain visibility during fights
- Bosses generally ignore campfires (not targeting them as structures)
- The Deerclops will completely ignore campfires while smashing other structures
- Place a decoy structure (like a sign) near fights so bosses target that instead
- Use campfires as rally points during extended fights for team regroups
Travel Strategies
For long winter journeys, use the "campfire chain" technique:
- Heat a Thermal Stone at your base fire before leaving
- Carry materials for multiple campfires
- When your stone cools and you start freezing, place a campfire
- Warm up and reheat your stone
- Continue to your destination, repeating as needed
Pick safe spots for campfires (away from burnable trees) and monitor your grass/wood supply carefully!
Winter and Summer Survival
Winter Survival
- Campfires are literally your lifeline against freezing
- Winter nights are longer (up to 2-3 minutes real time) - plan your fuel accordingly
- Start with 2-3 logs at night, then add one each time the fire gets low
- Heat your thermal stone at the campfire before venturing out
- Keep an ear out for the fire sputtering sound - it means you need to add fuel
Stand close to your fire as day breaks to pre-warm yourself before heading out into the cold morning.
Summer Survival
- Normal campfires become dangerous in summer - they can overheat you
- Use Endothermic Fires (cold fires) instead for summer nights
- If you must use a campfire, keep it low or moderate - never fully fuel it
- Summer has the smoldering mechanic - structures can randomly ignite
- Always have an Ice Flingomatic covering your base in summer
An overfueled campfire in summer increases the chance nearby objects will spontaneously combust due to heat!
Endothermic Fire
For summer heat management, build an Endothermic Fire (nitre + cut grass) or an Endothermic Fire Pit for a permanent solution. These special "cold fires" provide light similar to normal fires but cool you down instead of heating you up. Remember: You cannot cook food on endothermic fires!
Base Camp Usage and Design
Key Base Camp Principle: At your main base, you should almost always invest in a Fire Pit instead of repeatedly making campfires. The Fire Pit is more resource-efficient over time and, importantly, won't set your base on fire.
Base Design Tips
- Place your fire pit at the center of camp with important structures arranged around it
- Keep at least 1-2 floor tiles of space between the fire and flammable structures
- Use stone flooring or bare ground around fires to prevent wildfire spread
- Have multiple light sources in a developed base (fire pit + lanterns/pumpkin lights)
- Consider building both normal and endothermic fire pits for year-round temperature control
Outpost Strategy
When building secondary outposts (like near the Pig King or a bunny farm), a campfire can suffice for temporary visits. However, if it's a location you'll revisit often, consider building a fire pit there too. The cost in rocks is usually worth the convenience and safety of a reusable fire.
Campfire vs Other Light & Heat Sources
"Campfires are bad for light. They're expensive and can't be moved... Lanterns and miner hats are cheap… and you can move them, which is incredibly useful." — Veteran DST Player
In summary, campfires (and fire pits) are best for stationary light+heat and cooking. For mobility, lanterns or miner hats are much better. For seasonal needs, use the endothermic fires in summer. And once you can, establish permanent or more efficient light sources (scaled furnace, dwarf stars, etc.) to reduce reliance on constant refueling.
Common Mistakes and Myths
Myth: "More fuel = more safety"
Many players assume that adding lots of fuel to the fire is always good. In reality, over-fueling can cause wildfires if flammable objects are nearby. A blazing fire doesn't get infinitely brighter or warmer after a point – it caps out.
Better approach: Fuel gradually and keep the fire at a moderate size unless you truly need maximum light/heat.
Mistake: Wrong Campfire Placement
Building a campfire right next to flammable structures or under trees is asking for trouble. Many players have watched their entire base burn down from a poorly placed campfire.
Better approach: Always check what's around your fire. Clear some space or use a fire pit if in base. Be especially careful on wooden boats!
Mistake: Forgetting a Light Source
Not having any campfire or light ready when night hits is a common newbie error. Many deaths to Charlie (the night monster) happen because someone was caught without materials.
Better approach: Gather grass/twigs day one, always track dusk time, and craft that torch or campfire before pitch black.
Myth: "Two campfires = double warmth"
Some have tried building two campfires close together in winter, hoping to stay warm at a larger distance or heat up twice as fast. In reality, the benefit is marginal. Heat does not stack very effectively.
Better approach: Just fuel one fire to max or use a fire pit which has a larger radius at high heat.
Mistake: Sleeping Without Fueling
In DST, if you use a Straw Roll or Tent to sleep through the night, time passes quickly – and your fire might go out while you're asleep! Many players get a nasty surprise waking up in darkness.
Better approach: Always fuel the fire to max before sleeping, or better yet sleep at dusk and wake at night to tend the fire.
Myth: "Campfires keep away mobs"
Other than Charlie, most creatures in DST don't care if you have a fire or not. Hounds will still attack, Deerclops will still wander in, and spiders certainly aren't scared of your flame.
Better approach: Don't treat a campfire like an impregnable safe zone – have armor, weapons, and defenses ready regardless of your fire.
Community Tips and Anecdotes
I built my science machine, had a nice camp going, then I guess I over-fueled the fire… Next thing I know, half the forest and my entire base went up in flames. The lesson? Use fire pits in base and keep flammable stuff spaced out.
— Reddit user, "Base Burned Down Story"
If my friends are freezing and we have no fire, I just light a tree on fire and tell them to warm up around the burning tree, haha! Just be careful it doesn't spread to the whole forest.
— Willow main player
Night time is usually our 'campfire chat' time – while our characters warm up and cook, we players discuss our next objectives. Beyond mechanics, don't forget to enjoy those quiet campfire moments with your fellow survivors!
— DST multiplayer group leader
Nomad Challenge
On the Klei forums, some veterans propose challenges like living without campfires or fire pits at all – relying only on alternatives. One such challenge named "No Campfires Too" required surviving a year with neither campfires nor endothermic fires. Players who attempted it had to lean heavily on items like lanterns, stars, and thermal stones.
Recent Changes
Willow's Skill Tree Fixes (December 2023)
Willow got a skill tree in late 2023, including abilities that interact with fire. Two key fixes were deployed in a December 8, 2023 hotfix:
- Fixed Willow's Flame Cast skill lighting campfires/fire pits indefinitely
- Fixed an issue where campfires lit by Willow with the Controlled Burn skill wouldn't drop proper charcoal
"Burn Duration" Skill Adjustment (December 2023)
Willow had a Burn Duration skill intended to make her fires last longer, but it was mistakenly burning structures twice as fast. This was fixed so her skill no longer negatively affects campfire duration.
Treeguard Idol Usage (July 2023)
In July 2023, an update made a quality-of-life improvement: "The Treeguard Idol can now be burned at campfires, having the same effect as when burned on ground." This means you don't need a separate fire source to use the idol – your campfire itself can serve to burn it safely.
Mods and Tools
Campfire Respawn
This mod allows players to respawn by haunting a campfire, similar to how one would haunt a Florid Postern (the portal) or a Telltale Heart. Essentially, a lit campfire becomes a revival point.
Best for: Endless mode or groups that don't want to always craft life-giving amulets or hearts.
Infinite/Extended Fire Mods
Mods like "Godly Fire" or "Everlasting Fire" make campfires and fire pits burn forever or for a very long time without fuel. "Deluxe Campfires" allowed configuration of burn time multipliers (2x or even 3x longer than default).
Best for: Creative worlds or players who want to remove the micromanagement of fueling.
No-smolder or Auto-extinguish Mods
These mods either pause fuel burn when no one's nearby or when everyone's sleeping. They can be nice for casual play so you don't wake up freezing in winter because your fire pit died at 3 AM in-game.
Best for: Casual players who don't want to worry about fire management during sleep.
Custom Campfire Structures
Some mods add unique fire variants like a "Campfire Grill" (combo campfire/crockpot) or a "Portable Campfire" that you can pick up and move.
Best for: Players looking for more versatile or specialized fire options.
Note: When using mods, always check compatibility with the current DST version and with other mods. Mods can change game balance – infinite fire might remove the need to gather fuel, which alters survival aspects.