📖 Swamp Nightmares? Your Don't Starve Survival Cheat Sheet

The Ultimate Swamp Biome Survival Guide

Don't Starve & Don't Starve Together

Last Updated: June 2025

Includes 2024 Wurt Updates

1 Swamp Biome Overview
2 Dangers & Enemies
3 Resources & Harvestables

4 Surviving & Thriving
5 Advanced Tricks & Synergies
6 Recent Updates

7 FAQ
8 Final Checklist
★ Swamp Expedition Planner

TL;DR – Surviving the Swamp

The Swamp (Marsh) biome in Don't Starve and Don't Starve Together is infamous for its dangers but also hides unique rewards. New players often fear it – with good reason! Tentacles lurk unseen beneath the murk, Merms (fish-men) and Spiders roam, and mosquitoes buzz at dusk. Yet experienced survivors know the swamp can feed you, arm you, and even protect your base if you play it smart.

Whether you're a cautious newcomer just trying to snag some reeds, or a Wurt main building a throne for the King of the Merms, this guide has you covered – in mud but not in blood!

Swamp Biome Overview (Marshlands 101)

What Counts as "Swamp"

The Swamp (called Marsh in-game) is a dark, murky biome identifiable by its soggy ground and gnarled Spiky Trees. Step onto that purple-gray marsh turf and you'll immediately notice the ambiance: creepy dead trees, pools of bubbling water, and lots of slimy sounds. Unlike cheery green forests or golden savannas, the swamp always feels a bit menacing – and for good reason.

A Hostile Habitat

Swamps are widely regarded as the most dangerous surface biome in Don't Starve. Here's why:

Invisible Attackers: Tentacles lurk underground, erupting only when you're close. They can stun-lock and kill in seconds.
Hostile Residents: Merms guard their turf aggressively, and Spider Dens commonly generate here.
Sparse Basic Resources: Very little flint, grass, or berry bushes. Mostly specialized resources that require careful gathering.

Swamp Characteristic Icons

Purple Marsh Turf

Bubbling Ponds

Spiky Trees

Reeds

Fog Effects

Merm Houses

DS vs DST Differences

Mob Stats: Merms have 500 HP in DS, but only 250 HP in DST
Renewable Resources: DST added Monkeytails on Moon Quay for farming reeds
Character Interactions: Wurt (DST only) can befriend Merms and crown a King

Dangers & Enemies in the Swamp

Tentacles - "The Ground Will Hurt You"

These are the iconic swamp monsters – basically a purple, spiked tentacle that lives underground. You won't see a tentacle until you're very close and it begins to emerge, identified by a distinctive bubbling puddle animation and sound.

Tentacle Stats

Health 500
Damage 34 damage per hit
Attack Rate 2 hits per second
Common Drops Tentacle Spike (100%), Tentacle Spots (20%)

Why They're Dangerous

Tentacles are responsible for a huge number of newbie deaths. They're hidden, hit hard, and often appear in clusters. If two or three tentacles overlap attack ranges, you might get juggled between them.

Dealing with Tentacles

Avoidance: Watch for ripple animations and bubbling sounds. Keep moving – standing idle in swamp is asking for a tentacle hit.
Armor up: Always wear at least log armor or a football helmet in swamp. A tentacle's 34 damage hit will be reduced to ~6.8 with a football helmet.
Fighting Back: Learn the timing of dodge, hit, hit, dodge. Ranged attacks are safer.
Use Allies: Pigs, Rock Lobsters, or trained spiders can fight tentacles for you.

Pro Tip: Electric Damage

Electric Darts are amazing against tentacles – because tentacles are always "wet" creatures, electric damage deals 2.5× normal damage to them. A single Electric Dart can do 150 damage to a tentacle. That means about 3–4 electric darts will slay a tentacle from a safe distance.

Resources & Harvestables in the Swamp

Despite its hostile nature, the swamp is rich in resources – some of which you can't get anywhere else. Here are the key harvestables:

Reeds (Cut Reeds & Papyrus)

Those tufts of tall grass in the water are Reeds. When you click to harvest, you get an item called Cut Reeds. By themselves, cut reeds do nothing, but refine 4 of them together and you get Papyrus (requires Science Machine).

Growing & Regrowth

Once picked, a reed will regrow in 3 days in DS and DST. They only regrow on marsh turf and only within a swamp biome radius. If you dig up a reed (with a shovel), DST's world regrowth will sprout a new reed somewhere on marsh turf after a long while.

You cannot manually transplant reeds – there is no "reed sapling" item. In DST, Monkeytail plants from the Moon Quay island can be dug up and replanted anywhere to grow reed-like plants. Wormwood can also craft Seeds of Monkeytail with the right ingredients.

Uses of Papyrus

Bird Cage: Requires 2 papyrus. Lets you convert monster meat to eggs.
Honey Poultice: A cheap healing item (stores well, heals 30 HP).
Wickerbottom's Books: Her powerful books like "On Tentacles" cost 2 papyrus each.
Nightmare Gear: Night Armor and Dark Sword require papyrus.
Pan Flute: If you find a Mandrake, it needs papyrus to craft a Pan Flute.

How to Harvest Safely

Never rush to pick reeds on sight. First, scan the area for tentacle bubbles. Move your cursor around – if it turns into an attack cursor randomly on swamp ground, that indicates a mob (likely a tentacle) is there.

A smart tactic: wait for distractions. If you see spiders or Merms near reeds, let them roam; they might draw out or kill nearby tentacles for you. Patience often yields the safest harvests.

Spiky Bushes & Trees (Year-Round Twigs)

Swamps are home to unique flora that bite back: Spiky Bushes and Spiky Trees. These are excellent sources of Twigs with some special traits.

Spiky Bushes

These look like scraggly thorn bushes. When you pick a spiky bush, you'll get 1× Twigs (just like picking a sapling) but you'll also take 3 damage (pricked by thorns). The bush will then regrow its twigs after 4 days, even in winter!

Unlike normal saplings which go barren in winter, spiky bushes keep producing. They also don't wither in summer heat. And in DST they never catch disease. So these are superior twig plants aside from the prick damage.

Key Advantages

Regrow even in winter (unlike saplings)
Don't wither in summer heat
Never catch disease
Don't require fertilizing after transplanting

Spiky Trees

These are the tall, dead-looking thorn trees scattered in swamps (and also in desert biome in RoG/DST). Unlike normal Evergreens, spiky trees are static – they don't have growing stages; they spawn at full size and never regrow.

When you chop a Spiky Tree, you mostly get Twigs (around 2–3 twigs per tree on average) and only a 20% chance to get a Log. They're more a twig source than a log source.

Wormwood Synergy

If someone is playing Wormwood, spiky bushes are amazing. Wormwood normally takes damage when fertilizing plants, but spiky bushes need no fertilizer. Also, Wormwood wearing his Bramble Husk armor takes no damage from picking spiky bushes.

He also gains sanity from planting things, so planting a farm of spiky bushes makes him happy and sets up twigs. Definitely leverage that if Wormwood is in your crew.

Tentacle Drops (Spikes & Spots)

When you defeat tentacles, they drop some of the most valuable resources in the early game:

Tentacle Spike

A 100% drop from killed tentacles. This weapon deals 51 damage per hit, making it one of the most powerful melee weapons in the game (second only to the Dark Sword among common weapons). Its respectable durability means a single spike can last through several fights.

Spike Stats

Damage 51 per hit
Durability 100 uses
Drop Rate 100%

Tentacle Spots

These slimy purple patches drop at a ~20% rate from tentacles. They're a crucial crafting ingredient for several important items:

Uses for Tentacle Spots

Rain Coat: Requires 2 spots in DST, one of the best rain-gear items, protecting you fully from wetness.
Feather Hat: Useful for farming feathers from birds.
"On Tentacles" Book: Wickerbottom's powerful spell book that lets her summon tentacles.
Royal Tapestry: In DST, Wurt uses spots to craft the Royal Tapestry that summons the Merm King.

Farming Spots in DST

With the 2024 Wurt update, Lunar Merms have a 25% chance to drop Tentacle Spots when they die. This provides a renewable way to farm spots without relying on tentacles.

Additionally, befriended Catcoons can occasionally cough up Tentacle Spots as gifts, making them another potential source.

Merm Houses & Structures

Merm Houses are naturally-occurring structures in swamps that spawn and house Merms. They look like decayed, mossy shacks.

Merm House Mechanics

Each house can hold up to 4 Merms internally
One Merm is typically outside during day, all come out at dusk
When a Merm dies, the house spawns a new one after 4 game days
Attacking a Merm near its house may cause more Merms to emerge to help

House Resources

If you destroy a Merm House with a hammer, you'll get:

2 Boards
1 Monster Meat
Be prepared for Merms to emerge as you break it down!

Wurt's Structures (DST)

In Don't Starve Together, Wurt can craft various structures:

Craftsmerm House: A player-built Merm House that functions like natural ones.
Royal Tapestry: When placed on marsh turf and offered certain fish, it spawns the Merm King.
Merm Flort-ifications: Defensive walls that house Merm Guards (2024 update).
Armermry: A chest that automatically equips gear to Merms (2024 update).
Communal Kelp Farm: Food supply for Merms (2024 update).

The Merm King

The King provides powerful buffs: all Merms get +health and +damage and won't attack Wurt's friends. Wurt herself gets +50 max hunger and gains sanity near the King.

The King periodically coughs up gifts when fed fish, including Tentacle Spots. You must keep him fed regularly or he'll starve and die.

Other Swamp Resources

Mushrooms

Swamps can have all three colors of mushrooms: Blue (appear at night), Green (at dusk), and Red (at day). These are useful for food or sanity management (Green caps for sanity restoration when cooked, etc.).

Fish & Frog Legs

Merms drop Fish and Frog Legs when killed. These are excellent food sources. Fish can be used in recipes like Fishsticks (great healing food), while Frog legs make Froggle Bunwich or can be dried as small jerky.

Monster Meat

Abundant in swamps due to the constant battles. Spiders drop monster meat, which can be:

Fed to a caged bird for eggs
Used in crock pot recipes (1 monster meat + 3 other ingredients)
Dried into monster jerky (less health penalty)

Silk & Spider Glands

From spiders that die in swamp conflicts. Silk is essential for clothing, tools, and structures. Spider Glands can be used as basic healing items or to craft healing salves.

Mosquito Sacks

When a mosquito pops or is killed, it drops a Mosquito Sack that heals 8 HP when consumed. You can also use it to craft:

Healing Salve (with ash and rocks)
Booster Shot (with stinger and honey)
Water Balloons in DST (for extinguishing fires)

Marsh Turf

Can be dug up with a pitchfork and relocated. In DST, Wurt needs marsh turf to place her structures like the Royal Tapestry, so digging and transporting this can be useful for creating a swamp outpost elsewhere.

Surviving (and Thriving) in the Swamp

So you know the risks and the rewards. How do you balance them to come out on top? This section covers survival priorities, base-building considerations, and key strategies.

Early-Game Swamp Visits: Do's and Don'ts

In the early game (first Autumn, days 1–21 or so), you'll likely visit the swamp for specific needs but not linger too long.

Timing & Preparation

Go Daytime Only: Plan your swamp run during the day. At dusk, mosquitos and more spiders emerge.
Minimal Gear: At least bring armor (log suit or football helmet) and a spear. A Ham Bat is even better if you have one.
Healing Items: Bring a few healing salves or cooked spider glands to recover from any tentacle surprises.
Lighting: Always carry a torch even in daytime – sudden frog rain or a mis-timed excursion could leave you in darkness.

Smart Exploration Tactics

Scout Edges First: Don't charge into the heart of darkness. Explore the perimeter first, mapping key resources.
Use Roads: Many swamps have roads cutting through. Stick to roads to minimize random tentacle encounters.
One-Thing-At-A-Time: Only engage with one hazard at once. If you're harvesting reeds, ignore that merm over there.
Grab N' Go: When you get what you came for, leave and regroup. Don't get greedy and linger just because you can.

Early Game Targets

Your primary objectives in early swamp visits should include:

8-12 Reeds (enough for a bird cage and a few papyrus items)
1-2 Tentacle Spikes (if you're skilled/lucky)
Spiky Bushes to dig up and replant at your base
Any free fish/frog legs for food from Merm-monster fights

Advanced Tricks & Synergies

For those who've mastered the basics, here are some pro-tier strategies:

Tentacle Farming Setups

Want to systematically farm tentacles for spikes and spots? Here are several approaches:

Using Allies

Rock Lobsters: Befriend a couple from caves and bring them up. They have high defense and can fight tentacles effectively.
Pig Army: Feed several pigs monster meat at dusk to make them all werepigs, then kite them into swamp – they'll attack tentacles while being formidable fighters.

Wickerbottom's Book

"On Tentacles" (requires 2 papyrus, 1 tentacle spots) lets her spawn multiple tentacles on demand in any turf. You can:

Spawn tentacles in a penned area
Use them near bosses to help in fights
Create tentacle-vs-tentacle battles by casting near existing ones

Lureplant Collection

Place a Lureplant (Eye Plant) in the middle of a tentacle field. The eyeplants will pick up drops as tentacles kill other creatures, essentially auto-collecting resources for you.

This works best in areas where natural conflicts occur frequently, like where spiders and merms might stumble into tentacles.

Winona's Catapults

In DST, Winona can deploy Catapults near a reed patch or tentacle field. These automated turrets will bombard hidden tentacles safely, farming tentacle spikes for you.

It's an efficient way to clear an area - a couple of rocks and boards invested in catapults yields a steady supply of 51-damage Tentacle Spikes.

Character Synergies & Abilities

Wurt's Swamp Empire

If you are Wurt or have one in your team, the whole dynamic changes:

Prioritize building a King of the Merms quickly
Once King is up, all Merms become allied and stronger
Build a "Merm city" - bunch of merm houses around the King
2024 Skills: Choose between Lunar or Shadow paths

Lunar vs Shadow Mutations

Lunar Mutation: Feed Merms moon shards to create Mutated Merms that drop more resources like tentacle spots (25% chance).
Shadow Resurrection: Any loyal merm that dies revives as a Shadow Merm (stronger and permanent follower until killed).

Shadow route is generally stronger for combat, while Lunar route yields more resources.

Other Characters' Advantages

Wendy: Abigail makes swamp much safer. She'll target mosquitos and can distract/fight tentacles.
Wanda: Can telepoof in, deal damage, and rewind out if hurt.
Wolfgang: When mighty, can deliver massive damage to tentacles (3-shot kills possible).
Wickerbottom: Books give her unparalleled control over swamp dynamics.
Webber: Spider allies can help fight tentacles, though they'll conflict with Merms.
Wormwood: Gets major benefits from spiky bushes without taking damage when wearing Bramble Husk.

Team Conflicts

Be aware of potential team conflicts in swamp environments:

Wurt + Webber Issue: Wurt's Merms will attack Webber's spiders and vice versa. A Wurt-Webber duo can accidentally create a constant Merm vs Spider war around your base! Consider geographically separating their domains.

Character Synergies: Wurt can provide Clever Disguises to teammates, letting them safely approach Merms. Characters with AoE abilities like Willow's Bernie can help clear tentacle fields.

Mob Farming & War Techniques

Merm vs Pig Farming

Build a couple of Pig Houses on the edge of a swamp to create a perpetual war:

Each morning pigs come out, see merms, they fight
Pigs die → pig skins and meat
Merms die → fish and frog legs
You collect both without fighting

Be cautious: in DST, pigs can turn into Werepigs on full moon and those will attack merm houses too.

Spider vs Merm Farm

Plant a Tier-1 spider den right next to a Merm House. The Merm and spiders will periodically skirmish, yielding silk, glands, monster meat, fish and frog legs - a complete resource farm!

Mosquito Sack Farm

Wurt players can put a Craftsmerm House next to a Marsh Pond. The Merm will fight spawning mosquitoes, leaving sacks for you to collect.

Over time, you'll accumulate a bunch of mosquito sacks which can be stockpiled for healing recipes or water balloons.

Giant & Boss Strategies

Swamps can be leveraged against major threats:

If Deerclops is coming, meet him in swamp, then circle while tentacles attack
Bee Queen fights benefit from dragging her through tentacle fields
Moose/Goose and her moslings are especially vulnerable to swamp ambushes
Even Treeguards can be kited through swamp to weaken them

This approach softens bosses before you need to engage them directly.

Mods for Swamp QoL

There are several mods that can make swamp life easier without outright cheating:

UI & Information Mods

Geometric Placement: Makes it easier to plant things like walls, bushes, etc., on a grid.
Combined Status: Shows your exact health, hunger, sanity and wetness – extremely useful in swamp.
Minimap HUD: Keep map open small to see tentacle icons (tentacles show as red dots).

Gameplay Mods

Lightning Rod Range: Shows you lightning rod coverage so you can ensure your swamp base is safe.
ActionQueue: Queue up actions like "harvest all these reeds" with one drag.
Waypoint or Path Lights: Mark safe routes through a swamp.

More Extensive Mods

Movable Structures: Some mods let you dig up and relocate Merm Houses or tentacles.
Marvellous Merms: Makes Merms more useful with AI improvements.
No Player Damage from Spiky Bush: Removes the 3 damage from picking spiky bushes.

Keep in mind these change game balance, so they're recommended mainly for quality of life after you've mastered the vanilla experience.

Setting Up a Safe Zone

If you plan to spend a while in swamp, consider temporarily creating a "safe zone":

Place a Campfire or Fire Pit on a tile that you know has no tentacle
Drop a Trail of Light (miner hat or lanterns) marking checked areas
Place wooden flooring in a small patch - tentacles won't spawn there
This creates a small safe haven you can retreat to if overwhelmed

Patch History & Recent Changes

The swamp biome itself hasn't drastically changed in layout, but several updates have affected how we interact with it:

June 27, 2024 – "From Beyond: Staying Afloat" Update

Huge swamp-centric changes for Wurt in Don't Starve Together:

Wurt's Skill Tree: Added with two main mutation paths
Lunar Mutations: Merms can be transformed with Moon Shards
Shadow Resurrection: Merms revive as shadow allies when they die
New Structures: Merm king can get a Throne upgrade, Armermry and Tool Sheds added
Terraforming Tools: Brilliant and Dreaded Mudslingers to create special marsh turf
Merm Guards: Can become permanent followers with the right skill

Winona also got craftable Spot Lights and improved catapults, making tentacle farming easier.

2022-2023 Updates

Several updates indirectly affected swamp gameplay:

March 2022 – "Eye of the Storm": Finalized lunar versus shadow rift content. Cave swamps affected by Acid Rain mechanics.
Nov 2023 – "Skill Issue" Update: Began rolling out Skill Trees for characters. Wigfrid got Battle Spears that do more damage when wet (swamp benefit).
Willow Updates: Gained insanity immunity to wetness, helpful in swamp rainy conditions.

Earlier Major Changes

Oct 24, 2019 – Wurt DLC Released: Introduced Wurt, the Merm character, with ability to craft Merm Houses, Clever Disguise, and Royal Tapestry.
2019-2020 – Return of Them Series: Added Monkeytails on Moon Quay island, providing renewable source of reeds outside swamp.
Dec 2020 QoL Patch: Disease was completely removed from DST, making the disease-proof benefit of spiky bushes less critical.

Bug fixes also addressed some quirks: tentacles no longer spawn on world edges, and Merm King hunger drain was adjusted to require less frequent feeding.

Update Summary

The swamp in 2025 is friendlier than ever if you play as Wurt (because of her skill tree buffs). The core dangers remain unchanged, but players now have more tools to tame and utilize the swamp's resources.

With renewable reeds via monkeytails and more uses for tentacle spots, the swamp has become better integrated with the wider game. If you've been away from DST and come back now, definitely explore Wurt's new content – you can practically build a Swamp Megabase with an army of Merms!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to not get hit by Tentacles?

How do I farm Reeds or Papyrus in Don't Starve Together?

Should I build my base in the swamp biome in DST?

How do I safely get Tentacle Spikes for weapons?

Do Tentacles respawn in Don't Starve?

Final Swamp Survival Checklist

Before you embark on your next swamp expedition, run through this quick checklist to make sure you're prepared:

Armor & Weapon Equipped

Light Source on Standby

Healing and Sanity Aids

Clear Inventory Space

Plan Your Route

Time Your Visit

Have an Emergency Escape Plan

Control Your Greed

"With this checklist checked and your newfound swamp knowledge, you're as ready as can be to face the Marsh of Mayhem. From one gamer to another: Good luck, stay alert, and may the loot be ever in your favor."

★

Swamp Expedition Planner

Planning your swamp trip? Use this interactive tool to prepare your inventory and get customized tips based on your goals and character.

Choose Your Character

What's Your Goal?

Gather Reeds

Farm Tentacle Spikes

Dig Spiky Bushes

Set Up Merm King

Build Swamp Base

Just Exploring

Current Season

Last updated: June 13, 2025

Prepared by yanghanfu

📖 Swamp Nightmares? Your Don't Starve Survival Cheat Sheet

The Ultimate Swamp Biome Survival Guide

Table of Contents

Swamp Biome Overview (Marshlands 101)

What Counts as "Swamp"

A Hostile Habitat

Swamp Characteristic Icons

DS vs DST Differences

Dangers & Enemies in the Swamp

Tentacles - "The Ground Will Hurt You"

Tentacle Stats

Why They're Dangerous

Dealing with Tentacles

Pro Tip: Electric Damage

Merms – The Swamp's Natives

Merm Stats

Merm House Mechanics

Dealing with Merms

Wurt's Advantage

Spiders – Eight-Legged Ambushers

Spider Threat in Swamps

Spider-Farming Strategy

Webber Note

Mosquitos – Buzzing Bloodsuckers

Mosquito Mechanics

Dealing with Mosquitos

Mosquito Farming

Other Swamp Hazards

Environmental Hazards

Traps & Special Dangers

Environmental Counter-Measures

Resources & Harvestables in the Swamp

Reeds (Cut Reeds & Papyrus)

Growing & Regrowth

Uses of Papyrus

How to Harvest Safely

Spiky Bushes & Trees (Year-Round Twigs)

Spiky Bushes

Key Advantages

Spiky Trees

Wormwood Synergy

Tentacle Drops (Spikes & Spots)

Tentacle Spike

Spike Stats

Tentacle Spots

Uses for Tentacle Spots

Farming Spots in DST

Merm Houses & Structures

Merm House Mechanics

House Resources

Wurt's Structures (DST)

The Merm King

Other Swamp Resources

Mushrooms

Fish & Frog Legs

Monster Meat

Silk & Spider Glands

Mosquito Sacks

Marsh Turf

Surviving (and Thriving) in the Swamp

Early-Game Swamp Visits: Do's and Don'ts

Timing & Preparation

Smart Exploration Tactics

Early Game Targets

Making the Swamp Your Home

Advantages of a Swamp Base

Disadvantages

Finding the Sweet Spot

Survival Priorities in the Swamp

Community Quote

Seasonal Considerations

Advanced Tricks & Synergies

Tentacle Farming Setups

Using Allies

Wickerbottom's Book

Lureplant Collection

Winona's Catapults

Character Synergies & Abilities

Wurt's Swamp Empire

Lunar vs Shadow Mutations