Lost and Found

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Lost and Found are a special type of container in The Long Dark. They look like a metal container, but are red in colour and have the Hinterland logo on its cover and tin, and do not naturally spawn in the game world.<ref>Hinterland Support - "Lost & Found Boxes", https://hinterlandgames.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360038137951-Lost-Found-Boxes</ref>

Overview

Lost and Found containers spawn in Regions or indoors locations when the player loses items because of a game update or glitch (eg, containers or terrain are altered during an update, items fall through the map, or the player falls victim to the disappearing-travois bug). A Lost and Found container will spawn containing the lost items near the doors of indoor locations and near major buildings/areas in outdoor areas.

Lost and Found containers are unique in that they do not naturally generate upon world creation (like most containers do), and cannot be created by the player (such as Rock Caches). They will be present only when a relevant glitch has occurred. Lost and Found are also unique in that items cannot be placed inside them, only removed. Once a Lost and Found is emptied, it will despawn upon reloading the location.

Locations

Multiple regions

Coastal houses A-H
Fishing Cabin B
Trailers A-D

Ash Canyon

At the cave to Timberwolf Mountain

Blackrock

At the prison Gate house

Bleak Inlet

At the cave to Forlorn Muskeg
Inside the cave, near exit to Forlorn Muskeg
Trailer (near cannery)
Cannery workshop
Radio control hut

Broken Railroad

At the tunnel to Forlorn Muskeg
Maintenance Shed
Hunting Lodge
Rail Transition Cave (by lower entry point)
Rail Transition (Inside tunnel at the end of Broken Railroad)

Coastal Highway

Outside of the Quonset Garage (specifically, directly to the left of the front door that faces the road)
Inside Quonset
Cabins
'Mine transition' near exit to Coastal Highway (presumably, the mine connection to Pleasant Valley)

Crumbling Highway (connector)

Outside of the mine entrance
Inside the mine at the exit to Desolation Point

Desolation Point

Outside of the Lonely Lighthouse
Whaling Warehouse
Riken
Lighthouse

Forlorn Muskeg

At the tunnel to Mystery Lake
Inside the transition cave to Bleak Inlet, near the Forlorn Muskeg exit

Forsaken Airfield

Outside the doors of Control Tower
Middle of Main Hangar
Trailer (by the door)
Wood Cabin (by the door)

Hushed River Valley

Cave exit to mountain town/Milton

Keeper's Pass

Keeper’s Pass North: Next to the Car close to the exit to Black Rock

Mountain Town

Outside of the Post Office
Milton House A (House with Canadian flag next to door)

Mystery Lake

Outside of the Camp Office
Trappers Cabin
Camp Office
Lake Cabins
Carter Dam - Upper and Lower

Pleasant Valley

Outside of the Farmhouse (on the front porch)
Outside of the Rural Store (by the front door)
Barn (Big Red)
Farmhouse
Farmhouse basement
Rural store
Radio control hut
Prepper hatch

Ravine

At the tunnel to Coastal Highway

Sundered Pass

Path leading to Transfer Pass
Buried House (in bedroom corner)
Cabin (by the door)
Caves (by one of the entrances)

Timberwolf Mountain

In the Mountaineer's Hut

Transfer Pass

Platform outside of Station Building

Transition Cave (Between Zone of Contamination, Sundered Pass and Forsaken Airfield)

Just inside forsaken Airfield cave entrance

Winding River

By the 'no entry' door into the Carter Hydro Dam

Zone of Contamination

Outside the double doors at the front of the Concentrator Building
Concentrator (by side double doors in the main large building)

History

Lost and Found containers were first introduced in the Crossroads Elegy update. Upon introduction, Lost and Found containers would spawn in Regions or indoors locations which were explored in the current savefile in a previous version of the game, and were subsequently altered in an update. The reason for the existence of these containers is to prevent players from losing items when regions are altered in the previous update (Example, furniture is moved with items on them/Containers removed with items in them).

Trivia

Lost and Found generate inside of maps (Regions or indoors locations/caves with a Loading Transition) directly beside their entry point. For locations with multiple entry points, only one Lost and Found will be present at one of them.
Prior to the implementation of the "Lost and Found" system, in previous updates to Regions or locations items could become inaccessible inside/outside/above map geometry or concealed by added/relocated doodads (such as indestructible furniture).
Lost and Found are retextured Metal Containers.
Hinterlands logos are present on two objects in-game: Lost and Found containers and Cup of Coffee.

References