InDon’t Starve, the holiday season is not a time of merriment or joy. It’s a time of darkness, desperation, and fear. A time when lives hang on the line.
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The goal of the game is (would you believe) to not starve, which can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Picking berries is a reliable strategy, as is farming. When Fall turns to Winter, though, the food situation turns dire. Berry bushes stop producing. Crops stop growing. The ponds freeze over, with no option for ice fishing. To top it off, the freezing conditions make looking for new food difficult.
In times like these, players can turn to the one remaining viable source of food: hunting. Armed with jerky drying racks, you can save hordes of animal meat for the long, cold winter. However, for every creature you kill, someone is watching.
He sees you when you’re slaying. When you take an innocent life, he makes a note of it, and he remembers. In the middle of a pitch-black Winter night, with nothing but a crackling fire to illuminate your camp, you might just spot him, Krampus, lingering in the shadows.
Krampus is more than happy to ruin your Christmas. He’ll waltz in and start rifling through your chests, and if he sees anything he likes, he takes it. He’ll attempt to keep a distance, so you may’t draw his aggression, then he’ll teleport back into the ether.
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You can play Don’t Starve for hundreds of hours and never once see a single Krampus, adding to his aura of mystery. His appearance is tied to a hidden mechanic: Naughtiness. This is a number that increases when the player kills mobs that Krampus considers innocent. That includes rabbits, birds, and Beefalo, but also some surprisingly hostile creatures. Tallbirds are terrifying and highly aggressive, but killing them is still considered a Naughty act.
Krampus only appears at 31-50 Naughtiness, and Naughtiness decreases by eight points for each day that the player doesn’t attack an innocent creature. Small animals like rabbits only count for 1 Naughtiness, and things like Tallbirds only count for 2. This is why most players don’t normally see Krampus; he only appears for particularly zealous hunters. Of course, there are also creatures like Glommer. Killing this adorable, innocent creature raises Naughtiness by 50, causing an immediate Krampus spawn.
Like many things in Don’t Starve, Krampus is just here to make life harder. He’s a cute and terrifying opposite to Santa Claus, and a perfect fit for a game where everything is both cute and terrifying, from Deerclops to Moose/Goose to Bunnymen and Beardlords. He also reacts to player actions, like the Treeguards who spawn when forests are felled, making the game feel more alive.
WithDon’t Starve Together, there’s no longer any reason to fear Krampus. Groups regularly assemble to take him down and stealhisloot: the Krampus Sack, which is the best backpack in the game. Meanwhile, players decorate their homes and exchange gifts. They prepare feasts of Honey Ham, Creamy Potato Puree, and Pumpkin Cookies. Together, a group of players can defeat the darkness of Winter, returning it to a time of festive light.
