10 Beginner Tips That Actually Hold Up
No filler, no invented mechanics — ten rules drawn from tested guides and cross-checked reports, ordered the way a first run actually unfolds.
Planks, furniture, crates, even birds — the sea delivers your entire early economy past your raft. Every item you don't hook is a resource someone else's run gets.
10 Wood + 2 Metal converts junk wood into planks and gates Bonfire level 3. The tested advice is to run two of them; slow planks are the #1 early bottleneck.
Set it once and hunger stops being a daily decision. Pair it with Cooked Bird (harpoon a bird, cook it) for the big top-ups.
It gates your structure progression AND keeps the Angler Fish away. Feeding it is never wasted effort — letting it die at night can end your run.
Off the raft after dark (or with a dead Bonfire) puts the Angler Fish on you, and it does not stop chasing. If it's already on you, a Flare Gun is the escape rope.
30 Metal + 10 Wood buys effectively infinite metal for the rest of the run. Everything after this point is easier.
It's 50 Pearls and tier lists call it the worst class in the game. At the same price, Medic at least starts every run with a Medkit.
The invasion is repellable with melee, and the Transponder it yields unlocks Alien Island. It's a loot event wearing a horror costume.
A downed teammate has a bleed-out timer, but rushing in blind just gets you downed too. Clear or kite the threats, then pick them up.
Raid nights scale with the day counter, and one player can't watch every angle. The turret is the standing solo recommendation.
FAQ
What should I do first in 100 Days At Sea?
Harpoon floating resources non-stop, get a Sawmill running within the first days (10 Wood + 2 Metal), add a Crab Trap for passive food, and keep the Bonfire fed. That foundation carries you to the Magnet at Bonfire level 4.
How do I not die at night?
Stay on the raft and keep the Bonfire lit — those are the two Angler Fish triggers. Raid nights are a separate threat that scales with your day counter, which is what walls and the Auto Turret are for.
What's the biggest beginner mistake?
Treating the Bonfire as decoration. It gates your building progression and its flame is the only thing standing between you and the Angler Fish — most early deaths trace back to an unfed fire.
Is 100 Days At Sea better solo or with friends?
Both are viable. Co-op trivializes revives and raid defense; solo leans on the Auto Turret and tighter Bonfire discipline. The revive rules are the big practical difference — solo, a knock-down usually ends the run.