📖 Don't Starve Gears: Your Clockwork Survival Kit Unlocked
Gearing Up in Don't Starve
The Complete Guide to Finding Gears Across All Game Versions
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When you absolutely need that Ice Box or Flingomatic, here's how to get Gears fast in Don't Starve (Vanilla, RoG, DST). We'll cover every method – from hunting clockwork monsters to farming tumbleweeds and even spawning Gear-dropping bosses. Quick answer: kill Chess biome Clockworks or dig graves early, chase tumbleweeds in Reign of Giants, and exploit DST's renewable gear sources like the Twins of Terror boss. Below is a gamer-to-gamer breakdown, complete with pro tips and recent patch tricks.
What Are Gears Used For?
- Crafting Ice Box (food preservation)
- Building Ice Flingomatics (for summer)
- Creating Lightning Rods (storm protection)
- WX-78 can eat them for health, hunger & sanity
Why Gears Are Important
Gears are among the rarest and most useful resources in Don't Starve. In vanilla, they're non-renewable, making each gear precious. In DST and expansions, they become renewable through various means we'll explore.
Gear Availability by Game Version
| Game Version | Primary Sources | Renewable? | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | Clockworks, Graves | No (only via world hop) | Hard |
| Reign of Giants | Clockworks, Graves, Tumbleweeds | Yes (Tumbleweeds) | Medium |
| Shipwrecked | Floaty Boaty Knights | Yes | Medium-Hard |
| Hamlet | Shop Purchase, Iron Hulk | Yes (shops) | Easy (with Oincs) |
| Don't Starve Together | Clockworks, Graves, Twins of Terror, Ancient Guardian, Marble Sculptures, Moon Quay, Junk Yard | Yes (multiple methods) | Easy-Medium |
Quick Start: TL;DR for Getting Gears
Vanilla (Base Game)
Head out and find a Clockwork set piece (look for a Marble biome or ring of Evil Flowers). Kill the Clockwork Knight/Bishop/Rook there – each drops 2× Gears.
If combat is tough, dig up Graves in a Graveyard biome (3% chance of a Gear) – bring a sanity restore!
Reign of Giants (RoG)
In addition to vanilla methods, roam the Desert biome for Tumbleweeds. Every tumbleweed has a 1% chance to drop a Gear.
RoG worlds spawn more Clockwork biomes (even Gears lying on the ground in some set pieces), so explore thoroughly.
Don't Starve Together (DST)
All RoG methods work, plus: fight the Twins of Terror (Terrarium boss) – each battle yields 6–10 Gears. Mine Marble Sculptures on a new moon for 6 Gears total.
Check the Ruins, Moon Quay island, and Junk Yard for additional sources.
Early-Game Survival: Securing That First Gear
Early on, Gears are scarce. You spawn in spring or autumn, needing an Ice Box before food spoils or a Lightning Rod before storms – but you have zero Gears. Players often scramble for that first Gear, critical for survival.
The pain is real: in vanilla Don't Starve, Gears do not regenerate naturally. If you don't find that set piece or grave drop, winter's coming with no fridge!
Why It's Tough
Clockwork enemies guarding Gears hit hard, and there may be only 1–2 set pieces on the map. It's possible to go 15+ days without seeing a single Gear, especially if you don't know where to look.
Clockwork Monsters
Each clockwork monster drops 2 Gears when defeated
| Monster | Health |
|---|---|
| Knight | 300 |
| Bishop | 300 |
| Rook | 300 |
Explore Aggressively for Set Pieces
The number one method to get Gears early is still killing Clockworks. These mechanical mobs (Knights, Bishops, Rooks) drop 2 Gears each in DST (1–2 in single-player). The key is finding them ASAP:
Scan Chess Biomes
These are marble tile areas often containing Maxwell's Door or the Wooden Thing. Listen for the telltale clanking sound of Clockworks as you explore – you can sometimes hear them before they come on screen.
Prioritize Roads and Mosaic Biome
Clockwork set pieces often connect to or reside near the Mosaic biome (rocky, mixed turf) or along roads. If you find a patch of marble statues or evil flowers, get ready – Clockworks are usually nearby.
Check the Wooden Thing
In Sandbox mode, the Wooden Thing (four-part teleportato) is always guarded by Clockworks. If you find crank, box, etc., you've hit a Gear jackpot.
Pro Tip
Don't wait till day 10 to explore. Do it Day 1–2 before settling a base. Craft a Torch or two and cover ground at night. Knowing where Clockworks are lets you plan your attack (or decide to avoid them until ready).
Gear up to Fight Clockworks
Weapons & Armor
Don't use just a flimsy spear. Aim for a Tentacle Spike (damage 51) or Ham Bat. For armor, a Log Suit and Football Helmet stack for ~'100% protection'. Kite the Knight, dodge the Rook's charge, and circle the Bishop.
Use Allies & Terrain
Hire Pigmen by giving them meat, then lead them into the fight. Alternatively, lure Clockworks into a Tentacle-infested swamp or near Beefalo. Let them fight each other, then clean up.
Healing on Hand
Have a few Butterfly Wings or Cooked Cacti for minor heals, or craft some Honey Poultices. A stray Bishop shot can hurt; you want to top up HP between kills.
Gamer Tip
Soloing a Clockwork Knight on Day 2 is possible. Kite its strike (it'll lunge), get 1–2 hits in, back off, repeat. For Bishops, you generally can't dodge their laser easily; either tank with armor or line-of-sight them around trees. Rooks – just don't stand in front of their charge! Let them smash into a rock or tree, then whack 'em while they recover.
The Graveyard Gamble
If fights aren't your thing on day 1, you have a quieter (if spookier) option: grave digging. Grave mounds scattered in Graveyard biomes can drop trinkets, gems, or Gears. The chance is low (~3% per grave), but if there are many graves, odds improve.
I've had runs where the first grave yielded a Gear (lucky!), and others where 10 graves gave none – so RNG plays a role.
How to do it safely:
- Make a Shovel: easy enough (2 twigs, 2 flint). Each grave lowers your sanity by 10 when dug, so a dozen graves will tank sanity into dangerous territory.
- Manage Ghosts: Sometimes digging a grave spawns a Ghost (around 50 HP, slow). They're easy to kite or outrun; a few hits will dissipate them.
- Loot Highlights: Besides Gears, graves can give Red/Blue Gems, Frazzled Wires, toys, etc. If you get gnomes or lying robots (trinkets), hold onto them for gold trading later.
Grave Statistics
| Item | Drop Chance |
|---|---|
| Gear | 3% |
| Ghost Spawn | ~20% |
| Sanity Loss | -10 per grave |
Tumbleweed Tech – RoG and DST
Tumbleweeds have a 1% chance to drop Gears
Welcome to Reign of Giants and DST, where the Desert biome is a newbie's best friend. Why? Tumbleweeds! These rolling bundles of sticks spawn endlessly around desert biomes and can contain all sorts of loot when opened – including Gears.
In RoG/DST, each tumbleweed has about a 1% chance to drop a Gear. That sounds rare, but consider that you can chase down dozens of tumbleweeds in a single day. Many players have gotten their first Gear this way without a single fight.
Tumbleweed farming tips:
Catch 'em Efficiently
Tumbleweeds roll randomly, often following the wind. They tend to gather against obstructions. In DST, build a fence trap: a few strategically placed fence segments can corral tumbleweeds into a corner for easy plucking.
Loot Table Perks
Even when you don't get a Gear, tumbleweeds drop useful stuff: lots of Twigs and Grass, sometimes Seeds, rarely gems or blueprint pages. It's never a waste of time.
Watch for Dangers
In Dragonfly Desert, you might anger a Dragonfly boss while chasing weeds. Also, Hound Mounds in the desert can spawn hounds; stay ready to fend them off while on your expedition.
Fun Fact
In RoG, world gen increases Chess biomes and even spawns free Gears on the ground sometimes. So RoG gives you both more set pieces and the tumbleweed mechanic. It's almost like the devs knew how starved we were for Gears in vanilla and decided to be (a little) kinder.
Early-Game Recap
- Fight or Forage: Most guaranteed early Gears come from killing Clockworks. If you can fight, do it; each kill = 2 Gears. If not, dig some graves and cross your fingers.
- Explore Every Biome: Don't settle base until you locate key set pieces. Knowing where that Knight and Bishop are lurking will inform your gameplan.
- Use RoG Advantages: Tumbleweeds are a low-risk, infinite try source of Gears – take advantage if playing with RoG or DST.
- Prepare for Combat: A little armor and a decent weapon dramatically improve your odds against clockworks.
- One Gear is Enough (For Now): Really, a single Gear solves immediate needs (Ice Box or Fridge = food sorted; flingomatic can wait).
Mid-Game Strategy: More Gears, More Uses
So you survived the early game and maybe snagged 1–2 Gears. Great! You built an Ice Box, maybe a second one, and perhaps gave WX-78 a snack. But now mid-game hits and you realize gears aren't just a luxury – they're a necessity.
You want an Ice Flingomatic for summer (2 Gears), a couple of Lightning Rods (each 1 Gear) to protect your sprawling base, perhaps a second Ice Box for crock pot overflow, maybe even a Divining Rod if you're adventure-bound. Suddenly, your single spare Gear feels woefully inadequate.
In Don't Starve Together, this is amplified with more players: everyone wants an ice box and flingomatic, and WX-78's in your group might be eyeing gears for healing. The pain point here is the finite supply in a given world – unless we tap into renewable methods.
Common Gear Uses
| Item | Gears Required |
|---|---|
| Ice Box | 1 |
| Lightning Rod | 1 |
| Ice Flingomatic | 2 |
| WX-78 Consumption | 1 per use |
Renewable Gears: Caves, Ruins and Beyond
Klei (the devs) heard our cries – in DST, they explicitly made Gears renewable. In single-player DS, if you have the Ruins (caves) enabled, you also have some renewable-ish options, albeit limited. Let's break down the reliable renewable sources of Gears mid-game:
Ruins Clockworks
Deep in the caves, in the Ruins biome, you'll encounter "Damaged" Clockworks. In DST, these drop Gears at a 60% rate (one gear each). They also respawn when the Ruins reset.
The Ruins also house the Ancient Guardian – a boss rhino whose loot chest has a high chance (77%) to contain 3–6 Gears. That's a huge payoff for a one-time fight.
Tumbleweeds (RoG/DST)
Tumbleweeds are infinite. As long as you're willing to put in the time, you can get endless gears from them.
Mid-game, you can build a little tumbleweed farm: some players plant Spiky Bushes or other obstacles in a corral formation to snag tumbleweeds automatically.
Floaty Boaty Knights (Shipwrecked)
If you're playing Shipwrecked DLC (not in DST), the oceans contain Clockwork Knights riding sharks. Each Floaty Boaty Knight drops 1–3 Gears and they do respawn in the world.
This made SW the first single-player iteration where Gears were truly farmable.
DST-exclusive renewable methods mid-game:
Marble Sculptures (Shadow Pieces trick)
If you find sketch pieces to repair marble statues into completed statues and mine them during a new moon, you skip the fight and the statues simply drop their loot – which includes 1–2 Gears each.
There are three such chess statues, so that's up to 6 Gears without a fight, one-time.
Twins of Terror Boss
This is a DST boss accessible after the "An Eye for an Eye" update. You find a Terrarium and activate it at night to summon the Eye of Terror or Twins of Terror.
The Twins drop 3–5 Gears each. So killing both nets between 6 and 10 Gears, and you can repeat this fight every 15 days.
Moon Quay Island – Broken Machinery
DST's Curse of Moon Quay update (2022) added a pirate monkey island. Besides pesky primates, the central island has Broken Machinery structures that you can hammer for Gears.
It's a one-time per world deal (once you hammer them, they're gone), but it can give you several Gears with zero combat.
Note About Hamlet
In Hamlet (single-player DLC), you can buy Gears for Oincs (the city currency). 10 Oincs for a Gear in the Oddities shop – expensive but infinitely available if you're good at trading.
Efficient Gear Use & "Duplication" Tricks
Given how valuable Gears are, part of "getting" Gears is also not wasting them. Let's talk efficiency and a bit of pseudo-duplication magic:
Relocating Structures
If you crafted an Ice Flingomatic (2 Gears) or an Ice Box (1 Gear) and later want to move base, hammer those structures down! You'll get your Gears back.
A destroyed Ice Box returns a Gear, and a destroyed Flingo returns two. It sounds obvious, but I've seen folks leave an old fridge behind – essentially forgetting a Gear in the wilderness.
Construction Amulet + Deconstruction Staff = Profit
In DST, the Construction Amulet reduces building costs by 50%. The Deconstruction Staff breaks a crafted item and gives back its ingredients.
Using them in tandem can duplicate resources. For Gears: wear the amulet to build a Flingomatic using 1 Gear (instead of 2), then deconstruct it with the staff to get 2 Gears back. You just duplicated a Gear!
Prioritize Gear Usage
If you have limited Gears, think about what's most important. Ice Box is usually top priority (food spoilage is a constant threat).
Next, Lightning Rod if in a thunderstorm season. Ice Flingomatic is crucial before summer in RoG/DST, but you can sometimes delay its construction until late spring.
Magic Gear Duplication (step-by-step)
WX-78 Module Upgrade Alternative
Since WX's rework, they use an upgrade module system instead of stat gains from eating Gears. This means gears have become purely a consumable heal/food for WX, and not mandatory for progression. So if you're a WX player, you no longer need to hog every Gear for yourself. One Gear gives WX +75 Hunger, +60 Health, +50 Sanity which is nice, but consider that same Gear could make an Ice Box that saves dozens of food items from spoiling. Often, that's a better trade-off.
Mid-Game Gear Wrap-up
- Renewable Sources Open Up: By mid-game, aim to exploit at least one renewable gear source (Ruins clockworks, tumbleweeds, etc.) so you're not dwindling a finite supply.
- One-Time Windfalls: Knock out the Ancient Guardian in DST for a possible 6x Gear loot, and use those Marble Sculptures on new moon for a quick gear burst.
- Be Thrifty: Always reclaim gears from unwanted structures. Plan base builds to use minimal Gears for maximum coverage.
- Magic "Duping": If you get into late-game magic, remember the green amulet/staff trick as your gear printing press.
- Trade-Offs: In Hamlet, trading Oincs for Gears is fair. In DST, trading boss loot for resources can be indirect but effective.
Late Game and Multiplayer: Gear Farming & Team Tactics
When days turn to seasons and years, and especially with friends in the Constant, you might face a new problem: demand outstrips supply. Perhaps you want to build 6 flingomatics for a mega-base, or everyone wants their own fridge and endothermic fire pit (which needs gears for the pit cooler in DST). Maybe you're working on a mega project or just want a chest full of gears because why not – rich survivor problems!
In DST endless worlds, theoretically you can gather infinite Gears thanks to renewables, but the efficiency matters. Let's discuss how to farm gears in a sustainable, relatively convenient way and some character-specific advantages you can leverage.
Boss Farming Loops: Twins, Fuelweaver, Repeat
Twins of Terror drop 6-10 Gears per fight
We touched on the Twins of Terror as a renewable gear source. Here's a common late-game loop:
- Fight Twins of Terror on cooldown (every 15 days). Each victory = ~8 Gears average. Do it at least once per season.
- Reset Ruins via Ancient Fuelweaver: Killing the Fuelweaver triggers a Ruins reset in DST. This resurrects all broken clockworks and the Ancient Guardian. Each cycle could net 5–10+ Gears from broken clockworks and chest.
- Surface Cleanup: Every full moon, if you haven't mined those marble sculptures yet, you can fight Shadow Pieces. They don't drop gears but help prepare for Fuelweaver fights.
- Junk Yard runs: If rifts (From Beyond content) are active and you have a Junk Yard biome, incorporate a routine of rummaging Junk Piles. The gear chance (3.125%) is low, but you get other useful stuff too.
Between these activities, a late-game team can accumulate dozens of Gears. On my long surviving DST server, we eventually had a full stack of 40 Gears sitting in a chest, mainly thanks to Twins and Ruins farming.
Character Synergies and Roles
Some characters in DST shine especially bright when it comes to gear acquisition:
Woodie
Woodie's Moose form is excellent for early gear hunting. He can transform at will and tank Clockworks on day 1. Moose has high damage and takes reduced damage, making short work of Knights and Bishops. Later, Woodie can use Goose form to scout for gear set pieces super fast.
WX-78
WX can eat gears for massive healing – so if you're doing ruins runs and come out with 10 gears, having WX around means you effectively have 10 mega-healing salves in your pocket. WX can frontline tank Ancient Guardian or Twins, heal mid-fight by eating a gear, and continue.
Wigfrid
Wigfrid's damage boost and lifesteal let her take on Clockworks more safely. Plus, inspiration songs can buff teammates' damage or shield them, making group gear raids more efficient. If Wigfrid unlocks her skill tree, she can further amp group combat.
Wickerbottom
With her books, she can create tentacle armies that might help kill clockworks for you. More practically, Wicker can rapidly prototype items to drop sanity, then farm nightmare fuel, then help rush the Ancient Pseudoscience Station for that green amulet and staff duplication trick.
Teams in general
Use your strengths. Have your tank (Wolfgang or Woodie) start the fight, range attackers (Walter with slingshot or Wendy's Abigail) contribute safely from a distance. Use a Boat Cannon in DST: lure clockworks to the shore and blast them with cannon from the sea. Or drop tooth traps around set piece areas to soften them up.
External Aids: Mods and Console
If you find gear grinding tedious or your playstyle is more build-oriented than combat, there are community solutions:
Craftable Gears Mod
Extremely popular (over 300k subscribers on Steam workshop). This mod adds a recipe for Gears in the Refine tab – by default, 4 Cut Stone, 6 Twigs, 4 Gold, 6 Flint for 1 Gear.
It's configurable and designed to be "not necessarily easier, just an alternative", to keep things fair.
Global Positions / Finder Mods
There are mods that reveal map icons for set pieces or allow you to find specific items on the map. For example, mods that mark clockworks or gears on the map once discovered.
These don't give you the item, but remove the exploration uncertainty.
Console Commands
In single-player, you can enable console and literally spawn items. If you just want to test a megabase build without the grind, press ~ and type DebugSpawn("gears") or in DST c_spawn("gears", X) where X is number.
It's cheating in the survival sense, but some players treat DST like a sandbox for design.
World Gen Tweaks
Don't forget you can set "Lots" of clockworks in world generation when starting a world. This will increase the number of gear-dropping enemies naturally spawned. There's even a setting for "Lots" of tumbleweeds – which is outright amazing for resources.
Real Gamers, Real Stories
"In my first ever Don't Starve run, winter crept in and I still hadn't found a Gear. I'll never forget rationing my last meatballs, watching them rot without an Ice Box, desperately digging graves by torchlight in a swamp. A lucky Gear popped out of a grave on December 21 (yes, I remember the day) – I screamed in joy, raced to prototype an Ice Box, and saved my small food stash. Lesson learned: sometimes this game makes you earn that fridge!"
"Fast forward to a DST session with friends: we had Wigfrid, WX-78, Wickerbottom, and Wendy. By day 20, we had more Gears than we knew what to do with – Wigfrid and Wendy tag-teamed the Clockworks while WX tanked hits, and Wickerbottom kept us sane (mostly). We even set up a 'gear charity box' for our public server newcomers. It's funny how a once ultra-rare item becomes abundant with experience and teamwork."
Key Takeaways
Always be on the lookout for gear opportunities, even in unexpected places. Don't be afraid of Clockworks; gear up and take them down systematically. Once you've stabilized, diversify your gear income – tackle a boss, explore the ocean, reset the ruins – so you're not reliant on one source.
And of course, use those Gears wisely to craft the structures that will make survival easier, which in turn will help you get even more Gears. It's a satisfying loop of progress.
For further resources, check out the Don't Starve Wiki on Gears for drop rates and additional trivia, or the Klei Forums where veterans share creative gear-farming setups. If you're into video guides, YouTubers like Jazzy and Beard775 have excellent up-to-date videos demonstrating these techniques in action.
In summary, Gears can be as rare or as plentiful as you make them. With knowledge (and a bit of guts), you'll soon go from scrounging one Gear for an Ice Box to tossing extras at WX-78 just for the lulz. Good luck, and may your crock pots stay cool!
Recent Updates That Changed Gears
| Date | Update | Impact on Gears |
|---|---|---|
| March 2024 | From Beyond: Scrappy Scavengers | Introduced the Junk Yard biome with Junk Piles (3.125% chance to yield a Gear). Created a new infinite gear source. |
| August 2022 | Curse of Moon Quay | Added Moon Quay Island with Broken Machinery that can be hammered for Gears. New mid-game gear source. |
| April 2022 | WX-78 Character Refresh | Removed WX-78's ability to increase max stats by eating Gears. Reduced overall gear demand in late-game DST. |
| April 2021 | Eye for an Eye Update | Introduced the Terrarium item and Twins of Terror boss fights. The Twins drop 6–10 Gears per fight, providing a renewable gear source. |