This War of Mine was one of the most unique survival simulators since it puts players in the shoes of a role less explored in entertainment media: the casualties of war. The indie game is not about the glory and brotherhood of soldiers fighting for freedom and their homeland, but rather about civilians stuck in an imposed survival scenario after getting stuck in a city siege.
It's now more relevant than ever with the ongoing strife and conflict in several countries. Like its featured subject matter, This War of Mine is bleak and brutal. It's like that on purpose to drive its anti-war message across, but players will certainly get attached to their characters. So in order to preserve their lives and make them survive the war, these tips ought to help.
8 Prioritize Wood & Components At The Start
-gameplay.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
When players loot at the start of This War of Mine, it might be tempting to just bag every bandage, canned food, or ammunition lying on the dilapidated groceries but that's generally counterproductive. Because at the start, the player's base is a dilapidated ruin of a house with a lot of holes.
Based on the game's RNG or random chance, some rogue looters can easily abscond with any stocked-up food or medical supplies. So it's better to shore up defenses first, meaning wood and components need to be prioritized. These are used for repairs and crafting. Once all defenses are in place, players can feel free to stockpile food and medicine.
7 Make Survivors Sleep Only When They're Very Tired
It can be nerve-wracking trying to look after all the survivors on a base especially when they start showing signs of weariness. Players needn't panic if their characters start feeling tired or even just normal. The survivors can still function and work under this condition.
This condition will only start becoming worrisome once it has reached the "very tired" stage as prolonged lack of rest under this tier can lead to sickness or other debilitations. So once they enter that stage, make sure to give them some shut-eye. This way, their productivity can be maximized. Not recommended to try out in real life, of course.
6 Also, Only Feed Them When They're Very Hungry
Hunger is another huge part of the survivor's hierarchy of needs. Surprisingly, it's quite generous. The hungry and even the later 'hungry' stages aren't really that dangerous. It's only alarming once it has gone past the very hungry stage, meaning starving. But for safer measures, players will do well to wait until their survivors are on the 'very hungry' stage.
This way, food is conserved better. When it comes to food, cooking is also generally better since it sates hunger more and can feed more people. Cooked food instead of canned rations or scraps also helps immensely with morale so that the survivors don't get sick or sad or both.
5 Slightly Wounded & Slight Sickness Can Be Cured Through Sleep
Medicine and bandages can be rarer than food. The problem is that wounds and illnesses are all too common as a result of rough scavenging or cold weather. It's often unavoidable for the group's runners and scavengers or even the guards to keep themselves safe from slight wounds or slight sickness.
Thankfully, there's usually no need to spend some precious bandages or medicines on them. They can simply go to bed in order to heal their conditions. If their rest does get postponed, then the slight wounds or slight sickness could easily progress into something more serious. So while the game can be lenient with these small conditions, it's best not to underestimate them.
4 Prioritize Crafting The Crowbar
On the matter of tools to make the survivor's lives easier be it through scavenging or base managing, the crowbar can be an undisputed champion. Players can use it to open lots of locked doors, eliminating the need for lockpicks. This opens up lots of avenues for exploration when it comes to supply runs.
Also, it's mandatory to have one as early as possible in the base due to some locked rooms which contain valuable supplies. In some desperate situations during a supply run, a character can use it to backstab and instantly kill some unaware enemies. Overall, it's one of the most versatile tools in the game.
3 The Trader Comes In Every Third Day
It can be difficult providing cooked food for all survivors so players might end up relying on canned goods. However, they can synchronize the time their survivors will become very hungry to the arrival of a trader. This trader will often sell raw food such as meat and vegetables. Those two can be combined to create Cooked Food.
If not food, then the trader typically has some game-changing or clutch items. Players can then spend their trader intervals scavenging to acquire items that can serve as barter currency for his arrival. He usually comes back after two to three days so it's best to take advantage of his appearance.
2 Food On The Stove Can't Be Stolen & Won't Spoil
Another perk of cooking (on the stove) in This War of Mine is that the food won't go bad and also cannot be stolen by rogue looters. Once players have assigned a character to cook the food but the food remains untouched (even for several days) nothing bad is going to happen to it. It's also immune from night raid thefts.
Players can then treat the stove as some kind of refrigerator where they can stock up on food in case they don't have any spending power when the trader visits. This also puts the stove high on the priority list of stuff to build, craft, or upgrade. It's a literal life-saver during trying times.
1 Helping People Is Good For Depression
Depression is one of the sneakiest and most surprising conditions in This War of Mine. Sometimes, it can even ruin some perfectly smooth and comfy playthroughs. It almost always happens when survivors leave, poor quality of life (bad food, fatigue, cold), or when some survivors kill or witness death.
There are quick ways to alleviate it such as alcohol, cigarettes, or coffee but those can get expensive quickly and is sometimes not good for the survivors' health. A better and longer-term solution is to help neighbors or random needy people. Apart from that, keeping them well-fed with cooked food is also a good way to make them happy.
This War of Mine is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, and iOS.