Vintage Story: How to Survive Your First Night for Beginners

Oct 01 2025

In the world of Vintage Story, where survival is not simply about accumulating resources but also about understanding nature and adaptability, the first night is always the biggest challenge for any new player. Unlike common survival games, Vintage Story does not provide instructions, does not have a specific navigation system and is especially not easy. This is where you are forced to learn how to survive by instinct - the true meaning of a pure survival game.

What is Vintage Story?

Vintage Story is an open-world sandbox survival game, inspired by Minecraft but with higher difficulty and depth. Players will explore, collect resources, build, hunt and craft to survive in a wild and dangerous world.

The highlight of Vintage Story is the realistic survival system: from environmental temperature, hunger, to spoiled food, all creating a true survival experience. And the first night is when you will feel that harshness the most clearly.

Why is the first night important?

The first night is an important milestone in the survival journey of any new player. This is the time when you must quickly apply what you have learned to ensure safety in the scarce and dangerous conditions. Without light, no shelter and no stable food source, you are very vulnerable to the harsh environment and hostile creatures.

If you are not well prepared, you will have to face complete darkness, a feeling of isolation, and scary sounds around you. The first night in Vintage Story is not only a test of survival ability but also an important stepping stone to build a solid foundation for the later stages of development.

How to Survive Your First Night for Beginners

What do you need to prepare before nightfall?

Pick up twigs and small rocks.

Gather food.

Find clay and dry grass.

While moving, take advantage of picking up any natural materials you see on the ground. Scattered stones, dry twigs, tall grass, or dry grass are basic but extremely useful materials. They allow you to quickly craft primitive tools such as stone knives and stone axes through the knapping technique - joining and shaping stones by hand. Although the initial tools are not durable, they will be the main survival weapon to help you get through the first night.

Along with crafting tools, you also need to prepare a light source. When the sun sets, the darkness in Vintage Story not only obstructs your vision but also creates an ideal environment for monsters to appear. Creating torches from dry grass and sticks, then using a firestarter to light a fire, is the simplest and most effective way to have light to protect yourself.

Building a temporary shelter

A safe base is the most important factor in the first night.

Choosing a location: Find a shallow cave or dig a small hole in the cliff to use as a shelter.

Sealing the entrance: Use dirt, wood or any block to cover the entrance, preventing monsters from approaching.

Preparing light: If you have materials, make torches to light up, avoiding monsters appearing right in the base.

Creating primitive tools

Rudimentary tools will help you get through the first night and prepare for the following days.

Stone Knife: Used to cut grass, process food and many basic tasks.

Stone Axe: Helps cut trees faster, opening the way for collecting wood.

Primitive Hoe: If you have time, you can prepare for planting right after the first night.

Dealing with darkness and monsters

When night falls in Vintage Story, the world around you becomes many times more dangerous. Unlike during the day, darkness reduces your visibility and is also the time when monsters appear more frequently. Without preparation, just one trip out at night can cost you your life. Therefore, a strategy to deal with darkness and enemies from the first night is extremely important.

The most basic thing is to always stay in the shelter when night falls. Do not venture out to find resources when you do not have weapons or adequate light. Even moving a few steps in the dark can cause you to be surrounded by surprise. To limit danger, prepare light with torches or campfires. Torches can be stuck on the wall, both to illuminate and to mark safe spaces. Meanwhile, campfires help you keep warm, cook food and ward off monsters in a small area around the shelter.

Another important tip is to keep enough food and energy before nightfall. If you let your character starve or get exhausted, you will be easily defeated when monsters attack. In addition, equip at least one defensive tool, such as a stone knife or stone axe, so you can defend yourself in unexpected situations. Some players even use the first night to arrange their belongings, reorganize their materials, or plan for the next day, instead of going out.

Most importantly, remember that the first night is not for exploring or adventuring, but for surviving safely. When the morning comes, you will have more time and opportunity to expand, exploit resources, and prepare for bigger challenges.

Survival Tips for Newbies

The first night in Vintage Story can be overwhelming for new players, but if you master some basic tips, you will easily overcome this challenge. Many new players often get caught up in exploring and forget to prepare shelter, only to be attacked by monsters when darkness falls. Therefore, on the first day, prioritize finding shallow caves, digging small holes or building a temporary earthen wall to protect yourself.

Another tip is to make the most of the surrounding resources instead of moving too far. You can easily pick up branches, small stones, dry grass near the spawn point to craft basic tools. Going far on the first day is very dangerous, because you may get lost and not be able to return to the shelter before dark. In addition, always keep at least one tool on hand, such as a stone knife or a stone axe. Although they are not powerful, they are enough to defend yourself or handle unexpected situations.

Set simple goals: find food, craft crude tools, prepare light and build a temporary shelter. If you can do these things, you’ve successfully survived your first night – and that’s an important first step to mastering the vast world in Vintage Story.

Conclusion

Surviving your first night in Vintage Story is quite a challenge, especially for beginners. By gathering resources, building shelter, crafting basic tools, and staying safe in the dark, you can completely overcome and prepare for the long days of survival ahead. With patience and reasonable strategy, Vintage Story will become an attractive and creative survival experience.