📖 Willow’s Pyro Playbook: Don’t Starve Like a Firestarter
The Ultimate Willow Guide
Master the firestarter in both Don't Starve & Don't Starve Together with our comprehensive survival strategies.
Health: 150
Hunger: 150
Sanity: 120
Table of Contents
1. Overview
2. Abilities & Perks
3. Exclusive Items
4. Solo vs Co-op
5. Early Game
6. Mid Game
7. Late Game
8. Community & Mods
Overview of Willow's Character
Willow is the fire-obsessed survivor whose unique abilities revolve around flame and frenzy. In the original Don't Starve (DS), Willow can be unlocked after 160 experience points (the second character unlocked).
She spawns with her trusty lighter and, in Don't Starve Together (DST), her teddy bear Bernie. Willow's identity as "The Firestarter" comes with powerful perks – like immunity to fire – and thematic drawbacks – such as increased vulnerability to cold.
Thanks to a 2019 character refresh and a late-2023 skill tree update, Willow has evolved from a niche pick (often misused by griefers to burn bases) into a viable, even top-tier character valued for both team utility and combat potency.
Character Summary:
- Health: 150 (Average)
- Hunger: 150 (Average)
- Sanity: 120 (Below Average)
- Unlock: 160 XP (Second Character)
- Spawn Items: Lighter, Bernie (DST)
2019-2023 Character Evolution:
Original Willow
- Fire immunity with delay
- Random firestarting when insane (DS)
- Lighter with limited capabilities
- Often seen as a griefing character
2019 Refresh
- Complete fire immunity
- Added Bernie mechanic
- Removed random fires from insanity
- Added cold vulnerability
2023 Skill Tree Update
- Added Shadow/Lunar magical abilities
- Bernie upgrades and buffs
- Ember collection system
- Late-game scaling potential
Willow's Core Abilities and Perks
Complete Fire Immunity
Heat Resistant, Hates the Cold
Faster Cooking & Fueling
"Favorite" Food – Spicy Chili
Willow's Drawbacks
Exclusive Items: Willow's Lighter and Bernie
Willow's Lighter
Core Properties
- Lasts 10 minutes (600 seconds/1.25 days)
- Provides smaller light than torch but much longer duration
- Spawns with Willow; crafting cost: 3 Grass + 2 Twigs + 1 Gold
- Grants +0.6 Sanity/min when held
Unique Features
- Can be used to cook food directly (place on ground or use in inventory)
- Can function as a weapon with 50% chance to ignite enemies
- Can extinguish smoldering objects faster than other characters
- Can be crafted by Willow, Warly and Walter only
Skill Tree Upgrades
- Increased light radius (up to 2.5 tiles)
- 100% chance to ignite enemies when attacking
- Ability to absorb fires to refuel
- Unlocks ember collection for spellcasting
Bernie the Teddy Bear
Bernie (Small Form)
- 1000 HP when placed on ground
- Animates when nearby players at ≤15% sanity
- Draws aggro from shadow creatures within 4 tile radius
- Only taunts shadow creatures in small form
BERNIE! (Large Form)
- 2000 HP when transformed
- Transforms when Willow is at ≤0 sanity
- Actively fights mobs that threaten Willow
- Deals 50 damage per hit every 2 seconds
- Engages any hostile creature, not just shadows
Additional Bernie Features
- Can be equipped for 60 points of insulation (warmth)
- Provides +2 Sanity/min when held
- Loses durability when held (1% every 50 seconds)
- Can be repaired with Sewing Kit or Trusty Tape
Skill Tree: Bernie gains regeneration, animation at higher sanity thresholds, auto-animation near shadow/lunar enemies, and shadow/lunar affinity.
Solo vs. Co-op: Willow's Role in Different Modes
Solo Play (Don't Starve)
Strengths in Solo
- Excellent night-time efficiency with her lighter
- Can continue gathering resources through darkness
- Self-sufficient sanity management through fires
- Fast cooking for reliable hunger management
- Efficient early-game exploration and setup
Solo Challenges
- In DS: Must manage sanity to avoid random fires
- No natural tanking ability (unlike Abigail or pigs)
- Winter vulnerability requires extra preparation
- Burning enemies may destroy valuable loot
Solo Play Tips
- Use night time for resource gathering others can't do
- Ignite enemies with lighter, then switch to weapon to finish
- Setup multiple fire sources at base for sanity management
- Prioritize thermal stone and winter gear before winter
- In DS, keep sanity above 60 when near important structures
Co-op Play (Don't Starve Together)
Team Contributions
- Supply teammates with crafted lighters for emergencies
- Serve as base "firefighter" during summer
- Use Bernie for crowd control in fights
- Efficient fuel management saves team resources
- Quick cooking support at campsites
Bernie Support Role
- Deploy Bernie to protect allies with low sanity
- Intentionally lower sanity to summon BERNIE! during hordes
- Bernie can tank for the entire team in combat situations
- Saves teammates from shadow creatures when they're insane
Character Synergies
- Winona: Quick charcoal production for generators
- Warly: Faster cooking with Willow's lighter
- Wortox: Soul-hop sanity drop for Bernie activation
- Wickerbottom: Books + Willow's fire = efficient resource farming
Early-Game Strategies (Days 1–10)
Exploit the Lighter for Night Exploration
Don't waste the short early-game nights sitting idle. Use your lighter to:
- Continue harvesting grass, twigs, berries during darkness
- Mine boulders or dig saplings at night
- Shave sleeping Beefalo with a Razor at night
- Pick Blue Mushrooms that only emerge at dusk/night
Pro Tip: Willow can accomplish in 5 days what takes others 6-7 days by utilizing nights efficiently.
Manage Sanity with Small Fires
Use fires strategically to manage sanity:
- Light multiple small fires for greater sanity gain
- Three small fires nearby give triple the sanity boost
- No cap on how many distinct fire auras can stack
- In DS, keep sanity above 60 to avoid random ignition
Sanity Station: Drop 3-4 separate piles of pinecones or grass around you and light each for a huge sanity boost.
Use Fire for Combat – Carefully
Fire can be a powerful weapon in early combat:
- Lighting an enemy causes it to panic (not fight back)
- Use torch (100% ignition) rather than lighter (50%)
- Ignite enemy, then swap to spear to finish it off
- You're immune to fire damage if burning enemies hit you
Warning: Enemies killed by fire may have their drops burned to ash. Kill with a weapon after igniting to preserve loot.
Early Resource Management
Willow's fuel efficiency changes how you manage resources:
- One campfire with 2 logs can last all night (vs. 3-4 for others)
- Cook food twice as fast, reducing time spent at fires
- Can skip building a fire on the first night using just the lighter
- Quickly gather charcoal by burning clusters of trees
Quick Start: Burn a cluster of trees on Day 2 to get 6+ charcoal for early Crockpot and Drying Racks.
Early Game Threats & Solutions
First Hound Wave (Day 7-10)
- Light a tree on fire when hounds approach
- Stand next to it so attacking hounds catch fire
- Drop Bernie to distract hounds while you fight them one-by-one
Beehive Farming
- Use torch to burn a beehive
- Your fire immunity protects you from burning bee attacks
- Extinguish smoldering hive before it burns completely
- Collect honeycomb and honey safely
Emergency Light
- If caught in darkness (Charlie warning sound)
- Click lighter in darkness to create momentary light
- This "strobe" effect resets Charlie's attack timer
- Gives you time to craft a torch or find safety
Mid-Game Strategies (Season 1 and 2)
Winter Survival – Countering the Cold
Winter is Willow's greatest challenge. Counter her cold vulnerability:
- Winter Gear is Non-Negotiable: Craft Thermal Stone plus Winter Hat or Beefalo Hat before winter
- Layer More Warmth: Due to her insulation penalty, consider combining hat + vest
- Bernie as Winter Tool: Equip Bernie in hand for +60 insulation (like earmuffs)
- Build Multiple Fires: Exploit stacking fire sanity to counter winter sanity drain
Critical Warning: Respond immediately to freezing breath animation. Willow takes 2× freeze damage; even seconds of freezing can be deadly.
Managing Spring & Sanity
Spring brings rain and sanity fluctuations:
- Rain Protection: Craft straw hat or umbrella to keep lighter from getting wet
- Frog Rain Advantage: Use fire to set clustered frogs ablaze for mass cooked frog legs
- Spider/Bee Clearing: If Combustion is unlocked, use it to clear spider dens and bee hives
- Nightmare Farming: Visit caves during nightmare phase with Bernie to farm nightmare fuel
Spell Tip: Combustion sets everything in a 2.5 tile radius on fire simultaneously—excellent for clearing clustered enemies.
Mid-Game Boss Strategies
Deerclops
Willow's challenges & advantages:
- Deerclops hits freeze Willow faster than others
- Bring Bernie to taunt shadow hands during the fight
- Set Deerclops on fire for bonus damage over time
- Use Fire Ball spell to create a warm, lighted fighting area
If using Fire Ball, drop it at your battleground to prevent freezing mid-fight and maintain sanity levels.
Moose/Goose
Spring's unique boss is manageable with fire:
- Use Combustion or Lunar Flames on Moslings (baby geese)
- Fire will make Moslings panic, preventing tornado attacks
- Bernie can distract Moose/Goose's honk attacks
- With Moslings eliminated, focus on kiting the main boss
Stand in the middle of burning Moslings safely thanks to your fire immunity while others would take damage.
Klaus
Winter/spring boss with unique Willow advantages:
- Ignore the fire deer's attacks completely
- Use Bernie to distract Krampuses in phase 2
- Lunar Flames can hit multiple Krampuses at once
- You won't take damage if ignited by fire deer
Klaus has no insanity aura, so you may need to manually lower sanity to activate Bernie (eating raw green caps works).
Ruins Rushing and Caves
Shadow Creature Dominance
- Many ruins creatures are shadow-aligned
- Bernie is extremely effective against Nightmare creatures
- No lantern fuel worries thanks to your lighter
- Controlled sanity oscillation for nightmare farming
Clockwork Tactics
- Set Knights and Bishops on fire to completely disable them
- Their gears won't burn up when they die (fireproof)
- Light them with torch/lighter, then hit with weapon
- Bernie can help tank Rooks while you attack from behind
Nightmare Creature Control
- Stay at edge of sanity to control spawns
- Let a few nightmares spawn, use Bernie to tank them
- Use campfires to raise sanity and stop new spawns
- For large groups, use center fire or Lunar Flames
Ancient Guardian Strategy
- Use lighter/Fire Ball to light dark arena without Miner Hat
- Ignite the Guardian for bonus damage
- With Burning Frenzy skill: +25% damage vs burning targets
- Drop Fire Ball in labyrinth instead of using Star Caller's Staff
Tools & Mods for Mid-Game
Status Display Mods
Popular mods like "Combined Status" or "Show Me" display:
- Exact temperature values (crucial for Willow)
- Bernie's remaining HP percentage
- Precise insulation values of clothing
Insanity Begone
Almost tailor-made for Willow:
- Disables insanity screen distortion
- Restores normal colors while insane
- Makes long-term low sanity more manageable
- Client-side mod that doesn't affect gameplay mechanics
Late-Game Strategies (Summer and Beyond)
Skill Tree Path – Shadow vs. Lunar Fire
Ember Management – Fueling Willow's Spells
Both Shadow and Lunar spells consume Ethereal Embers as fuel. Efficient ember farming methods:
Killer Bee Farms
One of the fastest ember sources:
- Find a Bee Biome and gather many bees
- Summon Bernie to tank the swarm
- Cast Combustion (4 embers) to ignite dozens at once
- Absorb dropped embers with lighter
- One large swarm can yield significant ember profits
Spider Dens
Efficient spider ember farming:
- Target Tier 3 dens with many spiders
- Aggro the den and let spiders swarm
- Combustion spell or torch to set them ablaze
- With Controlled Burn skill, spider glands won't burn
- Collect both embers and other spider drops
Other Ember Sources
Additional farming methods:
- Splumonkeys in caves (use sanity to turn into Beardlings)
- Merms lured from villages
- Clockworks after a moonstorm
- Shadow creatures in atrium after a rift event
- Hound waves (if you can gather them tightly)
Ember Economy Tips
- With efficient farming, you can generate more embers than you spend
- One Combustion (4 embers) might kill 10 creatures dropping 6+ embers total
- Store excess embers for boss fights
- With Hungry Lighter skill, absorb environmental fires to refuel lighter
- At max embers, feed them into your lighter to skip making torches/lantern fuel
Major Boss Battles
Ancient Fuelweaver
One of Willow's strongest matchups:
- Bernie trivializes shadow minions and hands
- Stay insane to prevent mind control "stop" attack
- Use Lunar Flames to instantly burn off healing shadow hands
- Shadow Flame does massive damage (includes planar bonus)
Caution: Lunar Flames can kill shadow creatures Bernie is tanking, raising your sanity. Consider wearing a Nightmare Amulet to stay insane.
Dragonfly
Willow's fire immunity gives her an edge:
- Immune to lavae's fire attacks
- No need for Scalemail for fire protection
- Can stand in magma pools without burning
- Bernie can distract enraged Dragonfly briefly
- Combustion/Lunar Flames can clear lavae waves
Tip: Use Fire Ball to create a light source during night fights instead of a Star Caller's Staff.
Bee Queen
Moderate advantage with AoE abilities:
- Combustion helps thin out Grumble Bee swarms
- Burning clusters of bees makes them panic
- Lunar Flames can potentially hit Queen + multiple bees
- No inherent minion like Abigail, but Bernie can help
Advanced: With Bee Queen Crown + Lunar affinity, you can spawn gestalts when hit that attack bees.
Celestial Champion
No direct buff against this tough boss:
- CC's phase 3 has lots of AoE and constant motion
- Difficult to land Willow's flames effectively
- Bernie has limited use (CC won't fixate on him)
- Burning Frenzy skill adds +25% damage if you ignite CC
Reality: "Unless you're Wolfgang, you're basically Wilson for this fight." Focus on standard kiting and armor.
Shadow Rifts & 2025 Content
Willow shines in planar combat:
- Shadow/Lunar alignment gives Bernie planar defense/offense
- Hot-Headed skill auto-animates Bernie near planar creatures
- Spells do planar damage to bypass defense of enlightened/shadow creatures
- No need for special weapons to damage planar enemies
- March 2024 patch buffed Shadow Flame by +50% for these encounters
Future-Proof: As DST adds more planar content, Willow becomes increasingly valuable.
Optimal Gear & Final Tips
Dreadstone Armor/Helm
Perfect synergy with Willow's sanity management:
- Repairs itself when you're insane
- Bernie keeps you safe while armor repairs
- Self-sustaining protection in shadow/nightmare areas
- Stay insane longer than most characters can safely manage
Dark Sword/Night Armor
Sanity drain is a benefit for Willow:
- -10 sanity/min from Night Armor helps maintain insanity
- Helps keep Bernie activated
- Fire immunity negates Night Armor's overheating penalty
- Dark Sword's sanity drain is easier to manage with fires
Fire Ball vs Star Caller's
Save your yellow gems:
- Fire Ball spell (2 embers) creates a dwarf star for 8 minutes
- Substitutes Star Caller's Staff functionality
- Provides light and heat in caves or during fights
- More resource-efficient than crafting a Star Caller's
Defensive Combos
Multiply your survivability:
- Bernie + Bone Armor = exceptional tankiness
- Anything that bypasses Bernie likely triggers bone armor
- Perfect for base defense against hordes
- Bramble Husk deals damage to attackers (stacks with Bernie)
Team Meta Late-Game
Willow's position in the DST meta circa 2025 is much improved:
- Considered S-tier or high A-tier after skill tree update
- Versatile: crowd clearing, team protection, and ranged burst
- Free nightmare fuel generation
- Bernie provides unique team protection
- Fire immunity and pyromancy magic creates unique battlefield control
Community and Mod Highlights
Video Guides
- Jakeyosaurus: Nearly 2-hour Ultimate Willow Guide covering skill tree in depth
- The Beard 777: "NEW Willow is Broken OP" video showcasing 2,400+ damage combos
- Klei Official Streams: Developer discussions about Willow's 2019 refresh and intentions
Search Terms: "Willow Skill Tree Guide", "DST Willow Boss Killing", "Willow Ember Farming"
Steam Guides
- Willow Fanatic's Comprehensive Guide: Detailed guide with pre-skill tree strategies
- Advanced Fire Combat Tactics: "Sweaty" techniques for using fire in combat
- Best Practices for Sanity Management: How to safely lower and manipulate sanity
Key Resources: Look for guides updated after the late-2023 skill tree update for the most current information.
Recommended Mods
- Willow Skills Plus: Adds UI cooldown timer for her spells and configurable keybinds
- Willow Keybinds: Bind actions like "absorb fire" or "cast Ember spells" to keys
- Insanity Begone: Removes visual distortion when insane, perfect for Willow's playstyle
- DST Willow for DS: Adds Bernie and removes random fires in single-player
- Bernie Skins: Cosmetic options for Bernie (Lotso, Charizard, etc.)
UI Enhancement: "The base UI for Willow's ember usage is kinda shit" - keybinds and timers are almost essential.
Conclusion
Willow's journey from a "pyromaniac griefer" stereotype to a versatile powerhouse is remarkable. With her modern toolkit, she can adapt to solo survival and team support equally, dominating early game with efficient resource use and scaling into late game with explosive damage.
The key to success is understanding her rhythm: balancing on the edge of sanity, knowing when to ignite chaos and when to snuff it out. Whether you're cooking meals on a tiny lighter flame, standing immune amid an inferno, or summoning shadowy conflagrations to obliterate bosses, playing Willow effectively is deeply rewarding.
Embrace the flame and show the Constant that "Nothing beats a roaring fire!"
Willow Strategy Calculator
Survival Strategy Optimizer
Recommended Strategy
Select your gameplay parameters and click "Generate Strategy" to get tailored Willow recommendations.
