Yes, Don’t Starve Together has finally gotten the content from the original game’s Reign of Giants expansion. While the vast majority of the content from said expansion is now in Don’t Starve Together, there are a few things missing as the developers are still trying to figure out how to adapt those things for the multiplayer version of the game (such as Biiigfoot and Moggles).
The harshness of the blistering hot days of summer from Reign of Giants is now in Don’t Starve Together, along with a number of other mechanics from the expansion. Wigfrid and Webber are now playable characters in the game. Spring brings heavy rains, and the desert and deciduous forest biomes have been added. And, of course, the namesakes of the Reign of Giants expansion are also now in Don’t Starve Together (one giant for each season). So, Deerclops is no longer the only giant threat to your well-being.
This update also adds a few fairly large changes in terms of gameplay mechanics, too. You will want to collect food from crock pots and drying racks as soon as you can once it’s ready. It will begin rotting if you leave it sitting out for too long. So, you’d best throw it in the old ice box if you don’t plan on eating it right away. Another new mechanic is that rabbits and other small animals that you can put in your inventory need food. You can feed them to keep them alive. However, if you fail to feed them they will starve to death and turn into meat which will then begin to rot if you don’t put it in the ice box to make it last longer.
Rain will now make your character wet, which is not a good thing. If you get too wet, you’ll start cooling down and then losing sanity. Structures with wood in them can burn down, but it’s not a total loss. You can hammer down the burnt remains to get back some resources.
Not everything from the Reign of Giants expansion for the original game was a perfect fit for Don’t Starve Together, so the developers at Klei Entertainment have adapted a few things. Fire spreading has been reworked a bit so it spreads a bit slower now. This will give you at least a chance at being able to fight fires. There are water balloons for this, too. Another adaptation is the Ice Flingomatic’s new emergency mode, rather than being completely shut off. If it detects things burning down around it in quick succession, it will activate and try to save what it can.
The namesakes of the Reign of Giants expansion are also in Don’t Starve Together, with some adaptation of their own. They are now more present in the world, rather than being giant jerks who come down from the hills to terrorize one unlucky player per season. Even the Thermal Stone has been adapted a bit. Its color is now based on the difference between its temperature and the ambient temperature of the world. Before, it had fixed temperatures at which its visual color would change. The Thermal Stone is also said to be more effective at heating/cooling now.
This update has added the vast majority of the content from the original game’s Reign of Giants expansion pack, including a couple of playable characters, a plethora of new items for Don’t Starve Together players and plenty of new foes to make your life difficult. There is a preset in the game options that lets you play with the Reign of Giants content disabled should you want to, but the new mechanics, such as food rotting when left out too long will still be in effect.
So grab all your friends and start up a game of Don’t Starve Together. Pick yourself up off the ground, tell Maxwell to shut up and get to work surviving. Build a magnificent new base and dominate the world… or die trying? But, whatever you do… Don’t Starve!
