So you want to play Woodie but you aren’t quite sure what to expect of him. When I started it was difficult to find some tips on how to get the most out of this character. Since I couldn’t find what I was looking for I just did my own trial runs to study his abilities. Finally I am at a place where I feel I understand the character I thought I would put a quick guide together to get right to the point.
Pros:
- Begins with an axe that has unlimited use and allows him to chop at a faster speed than any other character.
- Has a beard that gives him a little extra insulation during those cold days
- Can control his Sanity by planting Pinecones and Birchnuts
- Receives longer loyalty period to certain followers
As you can see Woodie is a great character; he can gather resources very quickly as well as having great control over his sanity. However, I am sure you are reading this to learn more about this Werebeaver Form. This so called curse can intimidate someone from using the character at all. At first it may seem daunting but with understanding of how it works you can make the most out of this, so lets get into it.
WHEN DOES HE TURN?
Log Meter - When your log meter reaches 25 you will be forced into Werebeaver form. This meter goes down by chopping wood - this is easy to see right from the get go, but be aware that the meter goes down a bit overtime regardless of your actions. A new player may find themselves transforming randomly while not chopping any trees, but maybe mining or just walking around, this is most likely the reason. You can control this meter by eating logs to raise it; also, when you return to human form from Werebeaver, the log meter goes back to 100
**Tip - Keep an eye on your log meter and have a log supply on you that you can eat to help keep yourself above 25
Full Moon - During a full moon Woodie is forced into Werebeaver form. During this time if you are not prepared you can be very vulnerable. His Sanity will go down at an escalated rate as it always does BUT during the full moon his log meter also constantly runs down. Be aware that if that meter reaches zero you will go into starvation mode and your health will lower. A combination of this and shadows creatures attacking you from inevitable insanity can result in a fast death.
**Tip - Be aware of the moon cycles so you know when a full moon is arriving. I like to have a Full Moon safety kit at my base that I set aside for this occasion. This consists of a stack or two of logs on the ground as well as a stack of pinecones I put in my inventory. When I turn I use some of the time to do some quick chomping of resources (make the best out of the situation) and when ready to go back to human form I return to the stack of logs and eat them until my meter gets back to 100. Pick up the stack and continue eating the logs for the rest of the night; if you aren’t careful you will return to Werebeaver form since the meter will continue falling down until the full moon is over. Remember to plant those Pinecones to bring your sanity back up and get those shadow creatures off your back.
WHAT HAPPENS IN WEREBEAVER FORM?
In this form you will immediately drop your axe Lucy as well as Equipment being worn (not backpack) and your Sanity will drop at an escalated rate. You will not have access to your map or inventory.
You Will Gain
-Night Vision (making you immune to being killed from darkness)
-Speed Increase
-Damage Deduction
-Thermal Deduction (you can still freeze to death)
-You will have universal Tool Actions. Allowing you to Chop down trees, Shovel up resources, and Hammer down materials, and Mine minerals.
Each one of these Tool Actions will raise your log meter a little and you will stay in Werebeaver form until the meter is back to 100. (Remember you can also eat logs to change yourself back faster)
TIPS - This is just my play style, and the use of Werebeaver can of course be used in many ways once you understand how it works. -
Fighting -- I don’t use Werebeaver to fight. He looks powerful but his attack isn’t great and his damage deduction does not make him a tank. Your inventory is not accessible so you cannot heal. you are better off armored and weaponized as Woodie. I would recommend if anything using the speed of Werebeaver to kite a mob to Allies or Followers.
Nightmare Fuel -- You can use this form to bring you to instant insanity and farm nightmare fuel.
Resurrection -- If you die in this form your ghost will also not be able to see the map, making finding resurrection point difficult, and when you do resurrect, you will still be Werebeaver.
Gathering -- Use this form as a way to clear out areas very fast, when back to human gather you can gather materials. Be prepared and have a plan while inducing this form. Keep Pinecones on you and Logs on the ground so in a crunch you can turn back immediately and then plant pinecones to get rid of any shadow creatures you may have attracted while insane.
Sanity -- Before inducing Werebeaver form on yourself make sure your sanity is high. This form will drain it fast, and there is nothing worse than trying to hack down all the materials while being attacked by shadow creatures. Having high sanity before hand gives you more time to do your work without being interrupted.
Ruins -- Caves can be a great source for crockpot Veggies. Bring your Pinecones and Logs to a cave, go full Beaver and that Night Vision will allow you to explore the cave fast while chopping down countless mushroom trees. Keep an eye on that Log Meter so you don’t transform stranded; or make sure you have a light source available right away, last thing you want is to transform and be stuck in a dark cave being killed by Charlie.
Emergencies -- Werebeaver can be used as for an emergency situation. Say you find yourself starving at its getting dark but you can’t make a fire (probably not a situation you would want to put yourself in in the first place, but things happen) chop trees until you turn to Werebeaver. You will be immune to your human hunger and the night will no longer affect you. Spend the time running to find a food source, wait for day and transform back, eat, then go get Lucy. It can be a good habit to mantain the log meter around 50 if you want to have this option quicly available; that way when these situations arise you can turn in a crunch
Treeguards -- As Woodie you are bound to run across a Treeguard very frequently. Use that to your advantage. Since he will catch their attention so fast and you will be prepared with Pinecones anyways, they are easy to appease by planting them. Treeguards can be great for taking on enemies like Clockwork Rooks who will pummel trees down in their attacks. Soon enough there will be a battle between the Treeguard and the Rooks (Treeguard will win) and you can collect those precious gears.
I hope this helps anyone that may want to play Woodie. He is a fun character, great for those that hate the agony of dealing with insanity or the slow task of gathering resources. Just make sure you know how the Werebeaver form works, keep an eye on that log meter and those full moons and you will be just fine. As I continue playing I will try to update for some more tips and I encourage anyone else to add onto this. I know I still have a lot to learn about him, so lets give Woodie some love.