📖 Moon Cycle Mayhem: Don't Starve Survival Hacks

Don't Starve Moon Cycle: The Ultimate Survival Manual

This comprehensive guide explains everything you need to know about the lunar cycle in Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together: mechanics, strategies, mob behaviors, character interactions, and advanced lunar events. Whether you're a new player or a veteran survivor, you'll find valuable information to master the mysterious forces of the moon.

Moon Phase Tracker

Enter your day to see moon phase

Current Phase: -

Next Full Moon: -

Next New Moon: -

Upcoming Moon Calendar

Calculate to see upcoming moon phases

Common Player Questions

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Player Query Quick Answer
"When is the next full moon in DST?" In Don't Starve Together, full moons occur every 20 days (first on day 11, then day 31, 51, 71, etc.).
"What happens on a full moon in Don't Starve?" Full moon nights are bathed in bluish light (no darkness damage). Certain creatures transform: Pigs outdoors become Werepigs, Woodie involuntarily transforms, Glommer appears at his statue, etc.
"Do full moons affect caves?" Generally no – caves remain dark even during surface full moons. (Exception: a special lunar grotto plant regrows on full moons.) Always carry a light in caves.
"How does the moon cycle affect Woodie/Webber/Wendy/etc.?" Woodie transforms into a random Were-form on full moons in DST. Webber isn't directly changed by the moon, but can exploit Werepigs for resources. Wendy is ignored by ghosts that spawn on full moons. Wurt isn't transformed by the moon (unlike pigs), giving her stable Merm allies.
"What are Moonstorms and Lunar Rifts?" Moonstorms are special late-game events where a crackling storm blankets an area, causing permanent full moonlight and spawning lunar creatures until the Celestial Champion is defeated. Lunar Rifts are post-boss events where portals spew lunar creatures (Brightshades) and new resources intermittently.
"How can I track the moon cycle or plan for full moons?" Use visual cues or tools: craft a Moon Dial structure to see the current phase (it fills with water as full moon nears). Alternatively, mods like Combined Status display moon phase and a countdown to full moon in the HUD.
"Any tips for base-building and survival around the moon cycle?" Build base structures with full moons in mind: keep Pig Houses away from your main camp or fenced in, to avoid Werepig attacks on full moons. Use full moon nights as free light for exploring or farming (but beware wandering Werepigs).
"What's the deal with Glommer and the full moon?" Glommer is a friendly creature that spawns from Glommer's Flower at the statue on full moon nights. You can grab the flower during a full moon to make Glommer your pet (providing sanity and fuel). Some players exploit full moons by sacrificing Glommer to summon Krampus (for a chance at the Krampus Sack).

Moon Cycle Basics

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Don't Starve vs Don't Starve Together

In Don't Starve (DS), the moon cycle lasts 16 days, with the first full moon occurring on Day 10-11, and repeating every 16 days thereafter.

In Don't Starve Together (DST), the moon cycle is 20 days long, with full moons occurring on Days 11, 31, 51, 71, etc.

New moons in DST happen on Days 1, 21, 41, 61, etc., which often align with season changes.

Moon Phase Duration

Don't Starve (DS): 16-day cycle

  • New Moon (1 night)
  • Waxing Crescent (3 nights)
  • First Quarter (1 night)
  • Waxing Gibbous (3 nights)
  • Full Moon (1 night)
  • Waning Gibbous (3 nights)
  • Last Quarter (1 night)
  • Waning Crescent (3 nights)

Don't Starve Together (DST): 20-day cycle

  • New Moon (1 night)
  • Waxing Crescent (4 nights)
  • First Quarter (1 night)
  • Waxing Gibbous (4 nights)
  • Full Moon (1 night)
  • Waning Gibbous (4 nights)
  • Last Quarter (1 night)
  • Waning Crescent (4 nights)

Moon Phases Visualization

New Moon

Waxing Crescent

First Quarter

Waxing Gibbous

Full Moon

Waning Gibbous

Last Quarter

Waning Crescent

Important Moon Days to Remember

Don't Starve Together:

  • Full Moons: Days 11, 31, 51, 71, etc.
  • New Moons: Days 1, 21, 41, 61, etc.

Don't Starve (Single-player):

  • Full Moons: Days 10-11, 26-27, 42-43, etc.
  • New Moons: Days 2-3, 18-19, 34-35, etc.

The Moon Dial

The Moon Dial is a craftable structure that helps you track the moon phase. As the moon waxes, the water level in the dial rises, reaching full when the moon is full.

  • Recipe: 1 Moon Rock + 2 Cut Stone + 1 Purple Gem (DST)
  • Placed near your base, it provides a visual indicator of the current moon phase
  • During a full moon, it overflows with water and emits light
  • During a new moon, the water completely recedes

Full Moon Effects & Phenomena

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Environmental Changes

During a full moon, the world is bathed in an eerie blue light. This illumination provides enough visibility that you won't take damage from Charlie (the night monster), allowing you to explore freely without a light source.

Important Differences Between Games

  • Don't Starve (DS/RoG): During full moons, regular mushrooms transform into Mushtrees, and flowers transform into Evil Flowers (reverting back the next day)
  • Don't Starve Together (DST): Mushrooms and flowers no longer transform during full moons

The blue glow affects the entire map, including deserts and forests, but does not penetrate into caves. Caves remain dark regardless of the moon phase on the surface.

Full Moon Environment

  • Bluish ambient light across the map
  • No darkness damage from Charlie
  • Increased visibility without torch or fire
  • Surface world only (caves unaffected)
  • Perfect time for exploration or gathering

Creature Transformations

Werepigs

During a full moon, all Pigs that are outside their houses will transform into aggressive Werepigs:

  • Transform at dusk on full moon nights
  • Will attack players and other creatures on sight
  • Have increased health (350 vs 250 for normal Pigs)
  • Run faster than normal Pigs
  • Drop 2 Meat and 1 Pig Skin when killed
  • Revert back to normal Pigs at dawn

Strategy: Keep a safe distance from Pig villages during full moons, or build walls around Pig Houses near your base.

Glommer

Glommer is a peaceful flying creature that can be obtained during full moons:

  • Appears at Glommer's Statue only during full moons
  • The statue is located in the Pig King's biome near a set of Pig Heads on stakes
  • You can pick Glommer's Flower during a full moon
  • Glommer will follow whoever holds the flower
  • Provides sanity boost when nearby (+6.25/min)
  • Drops Glommer's Goop, which can be used as fuel

Note: Killing Glommer on a full moon triggers Krampus to spawn, which some players exploit to farm for the rare Krampus Sack.

Chester Transformations

During a full moon, you can transform Chester if you have the Eye Bone in your inventory:

Snow Chester
  • Fill Chester with 9 Blue Gems during a full moon
  • Transforms into a blue, fuzzy version
  • Items stored inside will remain fresh for longer
  • Acts as a portable refrigerator
Shadow Chester
  • Fill Chester with 9 Nightmare Fuel during a full moon
  • Transforms into a dark, shadowy version
  • Inventory space expands from 9 to 12 slots
  • Useful for carrying more items

Other Full Moon Effects

  • Graves: Each grave spawns a Ghost during a full moon night
  • Bunnymen: Not affected by full moons directly (remain normal)
  • Hounds: Standard Hounds can transform into Horror Hounds if within a Moonstorm area
  • Pengulls: Can become Moonrock Pengulls under lunar influence during advanced events
New Moon Effects

While full moons receive more attention, new moons have their own effects:

  • Nights are exceptionally dark (darker than regular nights)
  • In DST, mining Marble Statues during a new moon will spawn Shadow Pieces (bosses)
  • Ideal time for fighting Shadow Pieces if prepared

Surviving and Exploiting the Moon Cycle

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Planning for Full Moons

Preparation Checklist

Before Your First Full Moon:

  • Mark your calendar for day 10-11 (DS) or day 11 (DST)
  • Have a safe area prepared away from Pig villages
  • Plan a trip to Glommer's Statue to collect the flower
  • Prepare combat gear if you want to farm Werepigs
  • If playing as Woodie, store valuable items in chests before transformation

Exploiting Full Moons:

  • Use the free light to collect resources all night
  • Map unexplored regions without torch consumption
  • Mine resources or cut trees without light concerns
  • Farm Werepigs for meat and pig skin
  • In DS/RoG, harvest Evil Flowers for Nightmare Fuel

Base-Building Considerations

Safe Base Design:

  • Build your main base away from Pig villages
  • If you want Pigs nearby, surround their houses with walls or fences
  • Consider using Bunnymen instead of Pigs (they don't transform)
  • For Wurt players: Merm houses are safer as Merms don't transform
  • Set up Tooth Traps around your base as protection from Werepigs
Advanced Tip: Werepig Farm

Create a controlled Werepig farm by:

  1. Building a single Pig House surrounded by walls
  2. Adding a small gate you can open during full moons
  3. Placing Tooth Traps inside the enclosure
  4. When full moon comes, open the gate and let the Werepig step on traps
  5. Collect 2 Meat and 1 Pig Skin with minimal effort

Combat and Resource Farming

Werepig Strategy

Werepigs are dangerous but offer valuable resources if handled correctly:

  • Stats: 350 Health, 40 Damage, faster than normal Pigs
  • Drops: 2 Meat, 1 Pig Skin
  • Safe Approach: Kite them with 3 hits, then dodge their attack
  • Group Approach: Lead them to other mobs like Tentacles or Treeguards

Advanced Technique: Lead multiple Werepigs into an enclosed area with Tooth Traps for mass farming.

Glommer & Krampus Farming

Some players sacrifice Glommer during full moons to farm Krampus Sacks:

  1. Collect Glommer's Flower during a full moon
  2. Take Glommer to a prepared trap area
  3. Kill Glommer (adds 50 naughtiness points)
  4. 1-3 Krampus will spawn almost immediately
  5. Kill Krampus for a chance at the Krampus Sack (1% drop chance)

Note: This method is considered "cheesy" by some players, and sacrificing the innocent Glommer is frowned upon by true gentlemen explorers.

Full Moon Boss Fighting

Full moons can be advantageous for certain boss encounters:

Advantages
  • Free light throughout the night
  • No need for a torch or lantern while kiting
  • Better visibility for dodging attacks
  • Can use both hands for weapons and healing
Ideal Bosses to Fight
  • Deerclops (Winter boss, often appears around day 30)
  • Treeguards (can spawn any time when chopping trees)
  • Spider Queens (can be lured away from nests)
  • Ancient Guardian (cave boss, though caves are dark regardless)
Bosses to Avoid
  • Bearger (likely to destroy your base if lured during a chaotic full moon)
  • Ancient Fuelweaver (corrupted darkness negates full moon light)
  • Any boss near Pig villages (Werepigs may complicate the fight)

Character-Specific Moon Synergies

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Woodie

The lumberjack is the character most affected by the full moon:

Don't Starve (DS/RoG)

  • Always transforms into a Werebeaver on full moons
  • Transformation is unavoidable
  • Will drop all inventory items when transforming
  • Reverts at dawn with high beaver hunger penalties

Don't Starve Together (DST)

  • Transforms into a random Were-form (Beaver, Moose, or Goose) at moonrise
  • During full moons, Woodie's Were-meter drains 50% slower
  • Can pre-transform before night to control the Were-form

Strategy Tips

  • Store important items in chests before full moon nights
  • Plan resource gathering tasks during transformations
  • Weremoose is best for combat, Werebeaver for gathering wood, and Weregoose for exploring
  • Have food prepared for after transformation (high hunger drain)

Wickerbottom

The librarian can manipulate moon phases through her books:

Lunar Grimoire

  • A special book available only in DST
  • Reading it turns the current night into a full moon immediately
  • One use lasts one night
  • Resets the moon cycle counting from that forced full moon

Advanced: Chaining Full Moons

Some players use multiple Lunar Grimoires to create perpetual full moon conditions:

  1. Craft multiple Lunar Grimoire books (requires Iridescent Gems)
  2. Read one book each night as dusk begins
  3. This keeps the night in permanent full moon state
  4. Benefits: constant light, no Charlie attacks
  5. Drawbacks: constant Werepigs, unable to trigger new moon events

Wendy

The bereaved has unique interactions with full moon spawns:

  • Ghosts that spawn from graves during full moons are neutral to Wendy (won't attack her)
  • Can explore graveyards safely on full moon nights
  • Abigail is very effective against Werepigs
  • No direct power boost from full moons, but safer exploration

Webber

The spider-boy has interesting interactions with moon-affected creatures:

  • Not transformed by the moon directly
  • Pigs already hate Webber, and as Werepigs they're even more dangerous
  • Can use befriended spiders to attack and farm Werepigs safely
  • Strategy: Position spider nests near pig houses for auto-farming on full moons

Wortox

The impish soul-collector benefits from full moon chaos:

  • Can collect souls from ghosts that spawn at graves on full moons
  • Ghosts that despawn at dawn drop souls if Wortox is nearby
  • Easier soul-hopping (teleportation) with full moon light
  • Strategy: Hang around graveyards during full moons for free souls

Wurt

The merm princess has unique advantages during full moons:

  • Merms (her allies) don't transform during full moons
  • Pigs (her enemies) become even more dangerous as Werepigs
  • As King of the Merms, can lead a merm army against weakened pig settlements
  • Strategy: Build merm villages instead of relying on pigs for safer base defense

WX-78

The robot has specific interactions with lunar events:

  • Not directly affected by the moon phase
  • Lunar lightning during Moonstorms does NOT charge WX-78
  • In Lunacy areas, sanity mechanics change to enlightenment, altering WX's usual vulnerability
  • Strategy: No special moon advantages, but prepare normally for Werepigs

DLC Characters

Characters from single-player DLC have their own moon interactions:

  • Wilba (Hamlet): Transforms into a Werepig under the full moon unless wearing her silver necklace
  • Wildbores (Shipwrecked): Similar to mainland Pigs, transform to Werepigs on full moons
  • Wheeler, Warbucks, etc.: No special moon interactions, standard precautions apply

Advanced Celestial Events (Don't Starve Together)

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Lunar Island & The Celestial Altar

The Lunar Island is a mysterious location added in the Return of Them update:

  • Located somewhere in the ocean, requires sailing to discover
  • On this island, sanity is replaced by Enlightenment (works inversely)
  • Contains unique resources: Moon Glass, Lune Trees, etc.
  • Home to strange creatures like Gestalts (floating spectral lights)
  • The Celestial Altar must be assembled from three broken pieces scattered on the island

Enlightenment vs Sanity

In lunar areas, your sanity meter works differently:

  • Full sanity means no enlightenment (you're "sane" but blind to lunar reality)
  • Low sanity means high enlightenment (you're "crazy" but can see lunar beings)
  • You need to be enlightened (insane) to see Gestalts and certain resources
  • Being enlightened allows you to craft special items at the Celestial Altar

Moonstorms

After assembling the Celestial Altar, Moonstorms will begin to appear:

  • Target random areas of the mainland
  • Create an area of heavy dust and glowing particles
  • Reduce visibility and movement speed
  • Create permanent full moon conditions within the storm
  • Spawn lunar creatures like Gestalts
  • Hounds that die in the storm may become Horror Hounds
  • Pengulls become Moonrock Pengulls in winter storms

Wagstaff's Quest

During Moonstorms, a shadowy figure named Wagstaff will appear:

  1. He tasks players with gathering special items in the storm
  2. Players must use devices to find celestial debris
  3. After completing several quests across multiple Moonstorms
  4. Wagstaff will complete the Lunar Siphonator device
  5. This triggers the final boss encounter

Celestial Champion

After completing Wagstaff's quest, the final showdown begins:

  • A meteor crashes onto the Lunar Altar
  • The Celestial Champion boss spawns
  • This is a multi-phase boss battle with unique mechanics
  • During the fight, the moon phase is locked at full moon
  • Defeating it ends the permanent full moon state
  • The moon in the sky gets a permanent crack after victory
  • Rewards include the Celestial Crown and other valuable loot

Combat Tips

  • Bring healing items and armor with high damage resistance
  • The boss has multiple phases with different attack patterns
  • Team coordination is helpful - assign roles for damage and healing
  • The area will be permanently lit (full moon effect)
  • Prepare for waves of lunar creatures during the fight

Lunar Rifts

After defeating the Celestial Champion, Lunar Rifts will begin to appear:

  • Portal-like cracks that open randomly on the mainland
  • Spawn away from player bases (post-2023 patch)
  • Convert surrounding turf to lunar turf
  • Grow in 3 stages over approximately 12 days
  • Explode when transitioning stages (60 damage to nearby entities)
  • Spawn hostile lunar creatures called Brightshades

Brightshade Threats

Brightshades are plant-like monsters with specific behaviors:

  • Target and infest nearby plants and farms
  • Can turn your crops into hostile vines
  • Require planar damage to defeat effectively
  • Drop valuable resources like Brightshade Husks
  • Come in waves, with Deadly Brightshades in the final rift stage

New Resources & Gear

Lunar events provide access to powerful new items:

  • Brightshade Husks: Dropped by defeated Brightshades
  • Infused Moon Shards: Found near rifts and after certain events
  • Celestial Crown: Gives enlightenment aura and vision of Gestalts
  • Brightshade Sword: Deals planar damage effective against lunar creatures
  • Brightshade Armor: Provides protection against lunar threats
  • Lunar Turf: Special ground type created by rifts

Managing Rifts

  • Rifts stay open for several waves of attacks (4-6 waves)
  • After closing, a new rift opens elsewhere after ~5 days
  • Can be disabled or reduced in world settings
  • Build farms in controlled areas to manage Brightshade threats
  • Use walls or flooring that Brightshades can't infest around farms

Full Moon & Lunar Content Patch History (2023–2025)

April 2023 – "From Beyond: Taking Root" Update

Introduced Lunar Rifts, completing the lunar vs shadow story arc. After defeating Celestial Champion, rifts spewing lunar energy start opening, bringing Brightshade mobs and new craftable gear. This major update gave players more to do after the boss, but also added continuous world challenges.

May 2023 Hotfixes

Devs tweaked rifts based on feedback – e.g. ensured Lunar Rifts avoid spawning near bases to prevent griefing builds. Also fixed bugs like rifts appearing over boat docks and duplicating items when transforming terrain. Moonstorms were adjusted so Wagstaff doesn't linger if rifts are off or already active.

June–July 2023 – Quality of Life & Skill Trees

Though not solely moon-related, new character skill trees indirectly tied in: Woodie, for example, got a "Lunar Renegade" skill granting bonus damage reduction against lunar-aligned enemies (Brightshades). Willow's Bernie can now auto-activate if lunar creatures are nearby, acknowledging Brightshades as a threat.

November 2023 – "Taking Root" Finale and Tweaks

Added UI and performance improvements for rifts – rift icons now show on the map even in unexplored areas for easier tracking. Introduced a world setting to adjust Lunar Hail frequency (those falling moon meteors from rifts). Also balanced Brightshade drops and fixed Brightshade vines drawing unwanted aggro.

December 2023 – Winter Event & Misc.

Winter's Feast enabled (snow in lunar grotto looks festive!). Minor fix: Lunar alignment was integrated into Bernie and Wigfrid's skills (cooldown adjustments for "Lunar Flame" abilities). No major moon changes except holiday cosmetics.

March 2024 – "Scrappy Scavengers" Update

Focused on a new Junkyard biome (with a Werepig character Woby bot), but included lunar content polish. Made Wagstaff reappear faster in Moonstorms if you've beaten Celestial Champion before (so you aren't stuck waiting). Lunar Siphonator construction cost reduced (fewer storm rounds needed). Gave option to disable Acid Rain (shadow side) and ensured it never rains acid in lunar areas.

Late 2024–2025

No huge lunar overhauls announced as of early 2025. Klei's focus shifted to new characters and world settings, but ongoing balance patches continue to refine lunar features (e.g. performance improvements for bases cluttered with Brightshade loot, and bug fixes like preventing rifts from piling up hidden entities). Expect that future content might further tie the moon and shadow themes together in new ways!

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