Wormwood | Don't Starve & DST Guide - Basically Average (2024)

I’ve recently been expanding my horizons and playing characters inDon’t Starve andDon’t Starve Together that aren’t considered overpowered, but instead provide a challenge for players. While it’s hard to say goodbye to my soulmate Wigfrid, I’ve been enjoying my time spent as the adorable Wormwood.

Wormwood is a character that was made available in the Hamlet DLC, while also playable inDon’t Starve Together, Wormwood costs 2,700 Spools to craft. Players will also receive Wormwood for free if they have purchased Hamlet DLC or can purchase Wormwood in various chests inDon’t Starve Together.

Wormwood doesn’t have too many downfalls, like Wes, but provides a change in playstyle like Wurt, Warly and Wortox. To be honest, Wormwood is by far one of the most unique characters inDon’t StarveandDon’t Starve Together

WORMWOOD’S STATS

Hunger: 150

Sanity:200

Health: 150

WORMWOOD’S NEW RECIPE TAB

For those of you who play or have played Maxwell or Wickerbottom, you’re probably used to having a new tab specifically for your character. Well, Wormwood is another character who receives an extra tab to craft exclusive recipes to help him survive!

Wormwood’s new crafts can be found in theGreen Thumb Tab, which is always accessible and does not require any items or stations nearby. The following are the items that are specific to Wormwood:

LIVING LOG

By far, one of the most useful items Wormwood can craft is the Living Log. To craft a Living Log, Wormwood players must forfeit20 Health, which may seem steep to newer players. If players are prepared to lose this Health they can quickly regain it in a matter of seconds.

Living Logs are usually collected by killing Treeguards (including Palm Treeguards) in all versions ofDon’t Starve (DS, DST, RoG, HAM, & SW) and Poison Birchtrees inDon’t Starve Together&Reign of Giants. The only other way players will be able to receive Living Logs are by killing the Elder Mandrake, A Smashing Pot or by purchasing them in The Flying Pig Arcane Shop in the Hamlet DLC.

As you can tell, the sources of Living Logs tend to be more difficult to grind out, primarily because many sources rely on chance or RNG. Even with Woodie on your team, chances are you’re going to have a much easier time crafting Living Logs with Wormwood.

Focusses when using Living Logs include theShadow Manipulator,Dark Sword,Bat Bat (which can actually heal Wormwood) and the rest of Wormwood’s exclusive crafts. Similar to Telltale Hearts inDon’t Starve Together, a Wormwood player should keep a few Living Logs on hand or craft them whenever at high Health.

BRAMBLE HUSK

One of my favourite things about being a Wigfrid main is always having access to her Battle Helm, especially while playingDon’t Starve Together. The Battle Helm provides players with 80% protection and only takes 2 Gold Nuggets and 2 Rocks to craft. Useful, right?

I can’t say that the same thing is true of the Bramble Husk. The Bramble Husk takes 4 Bone Shards and 2 Living Logs to craft and only provides players with 65% protection, though the Bramble Husk does cause the attacker to take 22.5 damage per hit. The Bramble Husk also only has 375 HP in Hamlet and 262.5 HP inDon’t Starve Together. Pretty crap, eh?

While the Bramble Husk can’t really be used as your primary armour source, it can be useful for players who are more experienced. The Bramble Husk is most useful for players who have a handle on healing who want to deal some extra damage when they make a mistake while kiting. Although 22.5 damage isn’t the highest amount of damage, it is a bit lower than a follower’s damage and attacks all mobs in a 1 tile radius.

One of the most interesting perks of wearing the Bramble Husk is that players do not receive damage when harvestingSpiky Bushes,Brambles,Bramble Blooms,Bramble Traps,Cactus (RoG), and Roses (DST). Taking damage from resources and your traps can be annoying, making the Bramble Husk valuable, especially inDon’t Starve Together. Build your teammates one of these bad guys and make sure no one takes excess damage.

BRAMBLE TRAP

By far, the most interesting craftable object Wormwood can craft is the Bramble Trap. Using only 1 Living Log and 1 Stinger, these traps cause 40 damage in a one-Pitchfork radius.

Bramble Traps have 10 uses, but prove to be extremely effective, especially against seasonal giants and Hound waves. It’s important to remember that Bramble Traps can damage the player, so players will want to have a Bramble Husk on. Bramble Husks do not lose any durability when players walk through a Bramble Trap.

Unfortunately, Bramble Traps do not trigger on every Mob. The following are the Mobs that do not trigger Bramble Traps:

Batilisks

Bees

Birds

Butterflies

Chester

Dragonfly(RoG & DST)

Eyeplants

Glommer(RoG & DST)

Gnat Swarms (HAM)

Killer Bees

Lureplants

Mosquitoes

Mounted Beefalo

Packim Baggims(SW)

Poison Mosquitoes (SW)

Shadow Creatures

Vampire Bats

While Bramble Traps deal less damage than their counterparts the Tooth Trap, which deals 60 damage, Bramble Traps are much more affordable. Tooth Traps require 1 Log, 1 Rope and 1 Hound Tooth and players cannot avoid damage using a Bramble Vest.

In my opinion, I’d rather have more traps out than have fewer traps. Get to that easy farming!

COMPOST WRAP

In my opinion, Compost Wraps aren’t all that interesting, mainly because they aren’t the only way Wormwood can heal.

Compost Wraps cost 5 Manure, 2 Rot and 1 Nitre and only give players 30 Health. I personally prefer using my Manure on other things and quite frankly don’t have the patience to wait for Rot.

While Compost Wraps can heal mobs inDon’t Starve (HAM & DST)they cannot heal other characters in Don’t Starve Together (DST).

Compost Wraps heal 8+32 Health over 32 Seconds in Don’t Starve Together (DST).

POISON BALM (DON’T STARVE: HAMLET)

One of the most annoying types of damage players can receive in games is damage over time, especially when that damage seemingly lasts forever. InDon’t Starve: Hamlet,players can be afflicted by Poison which lasts for 3 in-game days. Poison will reduce a player’s Sanity by 6 per Minute and Health by 0.1-0.8 per second.

It seems like Klei has been gracious to Wormwood players, realizing how difficult it can be to regain Health and granting us the ability to craftPoison Balmwith 1 Venom Gland and 1 Living Log. Poison Balm will cure poison the same way that Anti Venom (3 Seaweed, 2 Coral, 1 Venom Gland) does, although costing far fewer resources.

WORMWOOD DOESN’T LIKE HARMING PLANTS

One of the most annoying aspects of Wormwood is that he suffers from Sanity loss whenever he chops down a Tree, digs up a plant or picks Flowers.

Wormwood will lose 2 Sanity for each burning Tree, Flower, Seed, Sapling or Grass Tuft, 5 Sanity for digging said resources and 15 Sanity for each Tree chopped.

The only plants that do not cause Sanity drain are Weathered Trees, Ferns and SSpiky BUshes.

As a positive, Wormwood players gain 10 Sanity from replanting said plants, making this con reasonably minimal. When running low on Sanity plant all of the seeds that you have in your inventory or while playingDon’t Starve: Hamlet dig through a Dung Pile.

Dung Piles will give Wormwood players 30 Sanity when dug up with a Shovel. Dung Piles will also give players up to 3 items.

The only plants that will not provide Sanity gain are Butterflies, which are used to plant Flowers. Similarly, Flower Petals will not provide Sanity or Health to Wormwood players.

WORMWOOD DOESN’T NEED FARMS OR GARDEN RIGMAJIGS

In the first few weeks of playingDon’t Starve orDon’t Starve Together, don’t waste your time and resources building farms. Instead, spend your time planting seeds directly into the ground for an array of fruits and vegetables.

Although seeds will take four days to grow to full size, paired up with Wickerbottom, Wormwood becomes overpowered.

Being able to plant seeds anytime, anywhere, comes in extremely helpful, especially if you have multiple bases around your world. If you have a Bird Cage focus on planting Pumpkins since they provide players with a significant amount of Health, you can also focus on Dragonfruit for Dragon Pies.

Wormwood is unable to plant Mushrooms, so you’re going to want to make some Mushroom Planters if you want that juicy Sanity.

Also, note that Wormwood will not be able to plant crops in Summer as the plants will become withered. Make sure you take advantage of Spring and leave the yummies in the Ice Box for the blazing heat.

Wormwood players will also not need a Garden Hoe in order to prepare the ground, making him very useful from Day 1.

WORMWOOD CAN’T HEAL OR TAKE DAMAGE BY EATING FOOD

The roughest aspect of Wormwood, especially for newer players, is the fact that he cannot heal by using food. I thought it was rough not being able to use Trail Mix with Wigfrid, but not being able to heal yourself at all with food is rougher.

As a trade-off, players can use Manure, Guano, or Bucket-o-poop to regain 2 Health.

I still recommend sticking to Honey Poultice or Healing Salvesfor healing, though using Manure in the early game can come in handy. Players can also use a Tent or Siesta Lean-toto regain health.

If you’re not a lazy player like I am, try crafting yourself some Compost Wraps.

The best part of this perk is that Wormwood also doesn’t take any damage from food, making Peppers, Monster Lasagna and other odd foods acceptable to eat.

WORMWOOD CAN FERTILIZE HIMSELF(DON’T STARVE TOGETHER)

A new perk to Wormwood is that he can now use Fertilizers to heal himself, gaining an instant heal based on the Nutrient Value of the fertilizer he uses.

Players can use the following objects to heal Wormwood:

MANURE

Using a single piece of Manure on Wormwood will provide him with 2 Health.

BUCKET-O-POOP

Using a single use of the Bucket-o-poop on Wormwood will provide him with 3 Health.

GUANO

Using a single piece of Guano on Wormwood will provide him with 3 Health.

COMPOST

Using a single piece of Compost on Wormwood will provide him with 8 Health over an 8 second period.

ROTTEN EGG

Using a single piece of Rotten Egg on Wormwood will provide him with 6 Health over 6 seconds.

ROT

Using a single piece of Roton Wormwood will provide him with 4 Health over 4 seconds.

COMPOST WRAP

Using a single piece of Compost Wrap on Wormwood will provide him with 8 Health immediately and 32 Health over a 32 second period.

GLOMMER’S GOOP

Using a single piece of Glommer’s Goop on Wormwood will provide him with 2 Health instantly and 4 Health over 4 seconds.

WORMWOOD BLOOMS IN SPRING, MONSOON AND LUSH SEASONS

Although Wormwood is adorable when in full-bloom, the whole mechanic isn’t beneficial for players.

Wormwood has four bloom stages, each affecting his movement speed and Hunger drain. A visual change signifies each bloom stage on Wormwood’s body, including leaves, a closed flower and a bloomed flower.

While Wormwood is in the 3rd bloom stage, a trail of grass and flowers will follow him. Although these flowers and pieces of grass cannot be picked for resources, they do still attract bees. Wormwood himself will attract Bees for the whole Spring, Monsoon and Lush season.

Luckily Wormwood has a bit more speed to run away from bees, and with the help of aWalking Cane, players can completely avoid bees.

As for whether the Flowers are usable by Bees? No, unfortunately, Wormwood’s Flowers cannot be used to help produce Honey in Bee Boxes.

The following are the modifiers players will receive while in each of the 4 stages of bloom:

InDST Wormwood can now bloom in all seasons, however, he will bloon 25% slower in Winter and the bloom will last half as long.

Wormwood will also be able to tend plants better while in bloom.

PLAYERS CAN NOW FORCE WORMWOOD’S BLOOM(DON’T STARVE TOGETHER)

If players are looking for a way to force Wormwood’s Bloom they can now force it to take place by using one of the following items:

GROWTH FORMULA STARTER

If players use a Growth Formula Starter on Wormwood he will bloom for 1 minute.

FERMENTING GROWTH FORMULA

If players use a Fermenting Growth Formula on Wormwood he will bloom for 2 minutes.

FERMENTED GROWTH FORMULA

If players use a Fermented Growth Formula on Wormwood he will bloom for 4 minutes.

SUPER GROWTH FORMULA

If players use a single use of Super Growth Formula on Wormwood he will bloom for 4 minutes.

SPOILED FISH

If players use a Spoiled Fish on Wormwood he will bloom for 2 minutes.

SPOILED FISH MORSEL

If players use a Spoiled Fish Morsel on Wormwood he will bloom for 1 minute.

COMPOST WRAP

If players use a Compost Wrap on Wormwood he will bloom for 4 minutes.

GLOMMER’S GOOP

If players use a Glommer’s Goop on Wormwood he will bloom for 1 minutes.

PLANT MOBS ARE NEUTRAL TOWARDS WORMWOOD

A shockingly overpowered aspect to Wormwood is how many mobs are completely neutral towards him.

Neutral Mobs include:

Eyeplants/Lureplant

Snaptooth Seedlings(Hamlet)

Snaptooth Flytraps (Hamlet)

Hanging Vines (Hamlet)

The most interesting neutral mob is the Lureplant, which can be used to make automatic farms or as a form of damage to difficult mobs.

Using Lureplants and Eyeplants as a farm makes teaming up with Wickerbottom even more useful. Get Wickerbottom or Maxwell to read Birds of the World and enjoy your endless supply of Morsels!

WORMWOOD BURNS FASTER THAN MOST

If you’re a bit of a Pyromaniac, I would probably stay away from Wormwood because he takes 25% more damage from fires and burns for slightly longer than the default character. If Wormwood is on fire, he can be frozen using an Ice Flingomatic, and this will come in very handy in the Summer. Just like other plants, Wormwood has a chance to catch fire in the Summer, so be very careful.

Think of Wormwood as the Willow of the Summer, making him much more vulnerable even when it comes to Overheating.

RECOMMENDED CHARACTERS TO PAIR INDON’T STARVE TOGETHER

As mentioned a few times in the post, Wickerbottom and Wormwood tend to be a great team composition; however, a team composition you may not immediately think about is Wortox and Wormwood.

Since players cannot heal using food with Wormwood, players can team up with Wortox in hopes of receiving that extra healing they need, especially when crafting Living Logs.

Otherwise, Wormwood is a bit of a Lonestar, helping out his fellow survivors as much as he can.

WORMWOOD’S FAVOURITE FOOD (DON’T STARVE TOGETHER)

If players are looking for more stats from food when it comes to Wormwood, they should really feed him Cooked Bananas.

Instead of providing 12.5 Hunger, they will provide Wilson with 27.5 Hunger.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON WORMWOOD

I absolutely love Wormwood, and he’s been a great addition to my roster of characters to play, primarily because he provides a different playstyle without being overbearing.

Wormwood can get somewhat abusive inDon’t Starve Together,especially if you pair him up with the right teammates.

As for single-playerDon’t Starve,I find Wormwood fairly challenging to play and quite frankly, I don’t enjoy the experience quite as much asDon’t Starve Together. Mechanics are less abusable in single-player, and my gameplay would leave me to recommend benching Wormwood until you’re more comfortable with the gameplay.

So, I’m curious, what are your thoughts on this little green fellow? Do you find him as useful as I do? Is Wormwood too much of a challenge? Let me know in the comments below!