With quirky, scribbly visuals and a delightfully spooky atmosphere, Don’t Starve is a deservedly popular survival game. Despite the title, there’s a lot more to it than simply not starving. The eccentric charm of this game flows through the music, monsters, and interactions within this world, but it also shows the most in each character. With a total of 18 in the base game, DLCs, and multiplayer successor Don’t Starve Together, the series boasts an array of colorful characters who bring their own dialogue and abilities to the experience. Read on for 10 facts about the cast of Don’t Starve.
10. Wilson Was Tricked Into Being Trapped In The Constant
Wilson is the first character to be given a backstory through a cutscene. In the trailer for the game, we see Wilson as a defeated scientist with failed experiments, lacking inspiration. A mysterious voice compels him to build a huge machine, filling him with great knowledge. Once the machine is finished, he hesitates, but the voice aggressively commands him to pull the lever and activate it. With a fitting evil laugh, shadowy arms appear through the floor and drag Wilson to the world of Don’t Starve. Poor guy. We also see Maxwell laughing above, proving him to be the antagonist of the game.
9. Willow Could Light Automatic Fires At Her Feet
Willow doesn’t just have a burning desire to survive; she has a desire to burn everything. Her obsession with fire allows her to be immune to fire damage, and the lighter she carries is exclusive to her. But she used to have an extra ability: she would light fires at her feet the moment she was in complete darkness. Not only was this useful to see where you’re going, but it would also make Willow invulnerable to attacks from the Darkness at night. Since the Strange New Powers update, she no longer has that ability. At least she has her trusty lighter!
8. Wolfgang Had Several Bizarre Jobs
From the game’s flavor texts and dialogue, it becomes clear that Wolfgang, otherwise known as The Strongman, has done a lot of things in his time. He is said to have been a member of a “troupe,” which sure sounds like a circus troupe. Plus, one of his skins is called the “Circus Rose Attire.”
It seems that he was also in the military when the player examines a Beefalo as Wolfgang and says he is reminded of the “cavalry.” He also says that pitchforks remind him of his childhood, so maybe he worked on a farm? He sure was busy!
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7. Wickerbottom Loves Cats
What kind of old librarian isn’t a crazy cat lady? Wickerbottom doesn’t disappoint, as Wilson expresses an understanding that she used to own a cat. Not only that, but when examining the Lucky Cat Jar as Wickerbottom, she sighs sadly. When examining a Kittykit, she says that it feels “like home.” Clearly, she loves cats and had them in her life at home. Poor Wickerbottom's stuck in The Constant without her beloved feline friends. And as an insomniac, she can’t even see her cat companions in her dreams. Better befriend a kittykit!
6. Woodie’s Werebeaver Form Allows Him To Escape Death
Woodie is one of two characters that can change their form; if he chops down too many trees too quickly, or if the moon is full, he will become a “Werebeaver.” But this form is more useful than you might think. The sanity, health, and hunger meters disappear when Woodie is in his Werebeaver form, meaning that effectively if he were to stay in that form, he could survive indefinitely. He wouldn’t even need food or items to help heal him — he could simply live forever. But beware, the “naughtiness” score still applies and Krampus can still come after him.
5. Webber Is A Child Trapped Inside A Spider
Players may well think that Webber is a humanoid spider; he certainly looks like one, but his form is more complicated than that. He is, in fact, a child living inside a spider that tried to consume him. How horrible is that? You wouldn’t guess it from the spider silk beard he grows. Does that mean it’s his or the spiders?
His true identity prompts a lot of questions: do the other spiders realize what he is? Other spiders don’t attack him, but is that because he looks like a spider, or do they know there’s a child in there and feel bad?
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4. Wigfrid Isn’t Really A Valkyrie
Wigfrid is exclusive to the Reign of Giants DLC, unlocked through gaining enough experience. She is dressed like a Valkyrie, a figure from Norse mythology, but that doesn’t mean she is one. Several clues tell us this: when she examines a pirate hat she says, “This hat confuses my character… I mean, my söul.” Plus, the loading screen text related to her says that she "cultivated her persona" over many years. So if her Valkyrie form is just a role she plays, it’s likely her name isn’t even Wigfrid. So who is she, really?
3. Wilba Is Voiced By An Ocarina
The characters of Don’t Starve all have instruments for voices when they speak, and Wilba is no exception. Her instrument is pretty special – it’s an ocarina. The Legend of Zelda fans will no doubt be thinking of Ocarina of Time, a popular Zelda game famed for its little blue ocarina that allows the protagonist to travel to different places and times. As a pig princess, is Wilba perhaps linked to Princess Zelda from Ocarina of Time? While she speaks in musical tones like everyone else, she also oinks when she’s done speaking.
2. Wilbur Can’t Speak Unless He Sees Bananas
Aside from being a king, Wilbur is still your average monkey. He loves bananas, and will even gain 10 Sanity Points from eating them. He can’t speak and uses several variations of monkey gibberish to talk throughout the game. But, if you examine bananas when playing as Wilbur, he will cry “Nanas!” His love of bananas is so great, it grants him the power of human speech. Who would have thought bananas were such powerful things? They can also be used to recruit other prime apes to be your followers. All you gotta do it give them bananas. Perhaps they can now speak limited English, too?
1. Wendy Is Afraid Of Forgetting Her Sister
Wendy is haunted by her dead twin sister, Abigail. Obsessed with her to the point of talking to her frequently, Wendy can summon Abigail’s ghost to fight alongside her in combat. This is helpful in beating mobs of monsters and keeping Wendy safe. But why is Wendy so obsessed with her late sister and unable to move on? The text from the loading screen involving Wendy states that she “clings fiercely to the grief over her sister’s death” because she’s afraid that moving on would make her forget Abigail. That makes her depressing character seem less weird, but certainly sadder.
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