Deception games are often difficult to master. Since accomplishing your dastardly goals is all down to intuition and quick wit, it's up to you to know when to balance mechanics with social interaction. However, with a game like Dread Hunger where the art of lying is coupled with typical survival mechanics, winning through mastery of your environment isn't as far-fetched as you would think.

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Dread Hunger sees you embark on a voyage across the icy depths of the arctic above Canada during the 1800s in an attempt to find a passage through to the other side - a story which is not unlike the similar, ill-fated attempt undertaken by the HMS Terror and Erebus of 1846. As a thrall, it is your mission to make sure these voyagers never leave, by any means necessary. With these helpful tips, your objective can be completed with relative ease.

The Basics

Survival

No matter where your allegiance lies, survival is key within the icy wilderness of Dread Hunger's map. Food, warmth, and health are all imperative to ensuring your wellbeing on the expedition, the three of which are monitored in the bottom left corner of your HUD. Keep note of the up and down arrows on each meter that indicate how quickly your stats are depleting or replenishing.

Hunting animals is your prime source of food and will likely be your first move upon landing ashore. Seals are a great starting resource, but keep in mind that they run out quickly. After a few days, your last cuts of meat will come from dangerous predators, or you can simply drop your moral compass and eat from the human corpses littered across the land. Cannibalizing the dead is a vital strategy for Thralls who don't see the same ill-fated effects of exclusive human feasting that innocent crewmates do.

Keeping warm is as easy as staying on the ship or standing by a fueled heater/oven. Fuel involves a multitude of items which are listed below:

• Coal
• Barrel
• Blubber
• Stick
• Arrows

It's worth noting that coal as a fuel for anything but the ship's boiler should only be done as a last resort, since it's the only means to fuel the ship's movement. You can also construct fire pits by collecting sticks and rocks, but they are terribly inefficient. To avoid freezing, stay inside during the nighttime, and avoid swimming at all costs.

The Thrall

As a Thrall, you have a plethora of extra abilities that help you dismantle the voyage once and for all. You'll come equipped with a bone charm that unleashes one of three magic abilities once your power meter is full. These are as follows:

You should use these often, but be wary of using them near other players. The Spirit Walk is an absolute last resort and the Whiteout can affect you as much as your adversaries. Thralls can also build Totems, which, when enough are built, buff your abilities considerably. Be cautious - totems are breakable and trackable back to you.

Getting Players On Your Side

The key to your early game as a Thrall is to ensure suspicion of you stays low. This means having to make sacrifices occasionally but, with the right mindset, you can turn the game right around in the blink of an eye.

The first and most important thing is to make sure there is no perceived separation between you and the rest of the team. Bring gifts for everyone and show that you're a real contributor to the journey. Refrain from giving coal, however, as this will actively work against you in the long run.

If players begin to suspect you before you're ready to act, a last-ditch effort could be to group up with a particular player and then use your cannibal ability on them. This gives the perception that the cannibals were sent for you, making for a suitable alibi. It's important to remember your allegiance and to only make friends when absolutely necessary, especially during the late game when the chances of you being caught are exceptionally high.

Preparing To Survive On Your Own

Unless you're an expert, chances are you're going to eventually get caught. It's important to learn how to survive outside the ship - which is perfectly possible. Start by hoarding as much food as possible to cut off supplies for the rest of the crew. This will put them in panic mode with the added benefit of keeping your hunger satiated for a while. Make sure to get a satchel, which boosts your inventory space, as quickly as possible. A shovel is also great for uncovering rare items.

After a while, you should get the hang of surviving on your own. Going it alone should only really be done when suspicion of you is reaching a breaking point, or it is near the end of the game and feigning innocence isn't the priority anymore. Don't get bogged down by your needs either. Focus on your objective.

Knowing When To Cannibalize

Okay, now for the really fiendish Thrall behavior. Cannibalism isn't mandatory at the get-go for Thralls, but it is a must for late-game tactics. Leave your moralistic predilections on the ship you've been banished from and get ready to feast on the dead. The issue of cannibalism in Dread Hunger isn't so much about resourcing, it's about timing. You don't want to tap into your human-shaped resources too early or wait too late and have your rivals do so once they've depleted their meat and blubber.

The trick to cannibalizing the dead bodies around the map is to choose the moment when you know you're going to run out of animal meat, but the ship's resources haven't been depleted just yet. If you manage to find that sweet spot, you can not only feed yourself for the remainder of the match, but also starve out the opposition who are most likely relying on human meat at this point.

Be warned, however, if done too late it can result in the same happening for you, only worse since you're outnumbered.

Winning Against Survivors

Now, all these tips are handy enough, but what happens when it really comes down to winning it for the Thralls? Your biggest key to sabotaging the voyage is nitroglycerin. The incredibly unstable explosive is the only way to blow up the iceberg preventing the crew from passing through.

It has a key location on each map, usually guarded by a pack of wolves or a bear, and must be brought to the iceberg to be used - an incredibly arduous process.

The best time to strike as a Thrall is to wait until the crew has decided they're going to grab the nitroglycerin. You can even tag along if you've managed to remain unsuspicious for this long and sabotage the process from the inside.

If you've already been outed, you can use the crew's absence to destroy the ship with TNT, which will distract them and cause a huge panic. The most lucrative strategy, however, is to blow up the nitroglycerin from a distance before it has reached the iceberg. Do this by either crafting or finding a ranged weapon and shooting at the convoy.

If you're getting desperate, grab the explosive yourself and destroy it (remember, a Thrall's death does not result in an instant win for the crew!)

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