User:Glflegolas
Are you struggling to survive? Check out my blog post for some tips.
I am Glflegolas, an organic chemist by trade. In my spare time I often track Atlantic Hurricanes from my Twitter page (@TorenWX), and sail/hike/cycle when weather permits.
I got into the Long Dark in March of 2019, after watching some videos from Paul Soares Jr, and earning a scholarship from my local university's chemistry department; this was essentially a gift to myself for my success.
I have been to every single region in the Long Dark, but that doesn't mean I've been to every location in the game. Personally, I play the game more as a casual survival/exploration on the Voyageur (sometimes Stalker) difficulty, where my goal is to explore as much of the world is possible, with help from whiteberry and StrayWolf's maps. My "permanent" house is on Jackrabbit Island, possibly one of the best places for long term survival in the game. That being said, I do enjoy a challenge now and then, and have successfully completed the Hopeless Rescue and Whiteout challenges, and I do have an Interloper playthough that I play every now and again. My favourite region to explore is the Hushed River Valley; although not the largest region, the layout is such that there is lots to explore, there's lots of great loot to find, and there's tons of great places tou can call home.
I have also played story mode from time to time, which I do enjoy. The plot for episodes 1-3 is pretty good, and I'd like to see what episodes 4 and 5 have. Don't worry about spoilers, they don't bother me.
For a more complete profile of who I am and what I do, head on over to my profile at The Lord of the Rings Minecraft Wiki, where I am admin at.
Opinion on the various game difficulties
These opinions are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of the broader community.
Pilgrim
The equivalent of easy. Good for learning the maps and the basic game mechanics, but you won't get the full experience the game has to offer. As a result, it's easy to get lulled into a sense of security here. The only way to get attacked by wolves is to get too close to one that's feeding on a carcass, and bears/moose don't attack unless you shoot them.
This difficulty is excellent for players new to the survival genre and who haven't played Story Mode yet, but I find it gets boring after some time. However, if you enjoy this game mode, don't be ashamed -- you do you!
Voyageur
I consider this difficulty the equivalent of "normal", and it's my favourite difficulty when I'm off camera. You get the full Long Dark experience, without things being so difficult they become frustrating. What do I mean by that? There's hostile wildlife, but it's not everywhere. Blizzards can freeze you, but they're not too common. There's lots of loot, but it can run out if you stay in a region for a couple in-game weeks. Overall, it's ideal for people who like a "casual survival" experience, and surprise, I'm one of them.
If you have played Story Mode as a Capable Survivor, have played survival games before, or have watched a few hours of YouTube videos, you should be able to play this difficulty off the bat (at least, that's what I did).
Stalker
This is "Hard" difficulty in my opinion. While there is less loot than in Voyageur, and the weather is a bit more unpredictable, those challenges are only really apparent in the early game, before you're well equipped. What will be a problem throughout the entire gameplay is the high frequency of hostile wildlife. Wolves, bears, and timberwolves will be the biggest threat to your long-term survival in this difficulty.
I would not recommend playing this difficulty unless you have some first-hand experience with the game first. You are likely to die repeatedly and become very frustrated. You might do OK with it if you played up to Episode 3 of Story Mode as a Capable Survivor, or have played on Voyageur for a while.
Interloper
Definitely "ultimate" difficulty level. Literally everything about this game mode is hard. No tools, very little loot in buildings, icy cold temperatures, and extremely deadly wolves (though less frequent than Stalker) can all spell disaster. Even if you don't like cheating in games generally, I seriously recommend using the spoiler maps on this wiki and/or Interloper loot tables (search the Hinterland Forums for those). Your survival may depend on it.
Although this difficulty can be the most satisfying, it's also easily the most frustrating. You can do everything "right" and still not manage to survive long enough to get a full set of improvised tools and crafted clothes. I would not recommend trying this difficulty unless you have lots of experience with the game and have explored all the maps inside-out.