The Long Dark: Best First Aid Items

The Long Dark: Best First Aid Items

Key Takeaways

  • Antiseptic is a critical first aid item as it prevents infection risks.
  • Water Purification Tablets ensure access to safe drinking water, crucial for preventing dysentery.
  • Antibiotics are essential for treating lethal afflictions like infections, dysentery, and parasites.

As a seasoned survivor of the frozen wastes, I can confidently say that these survival items are the difference between life and death. I remember my first winter, when I had nothing but the clothes on my back and a pocket full of matches. A single Emergency Stim saved me from certain doom during a wolf attack, allowing me to sprint away and make it back to my shelter.


The Long Dark is a survival exploration game set in the frozen Canadian wilderness, created by Hinterland Studio and launched in 2017. The storyline places players as survivors of a geomagnetic storm and airplane crash, left stranded on an isolated island where all signs of life appear to have vanished. Players must adapt and conquer the challenges presented by nature, as their circumstances can shift dramatically at any moment, for better or worse.

Essential first aid supplies are crucial for survival, helping players to either avoid or recover from numerous health issues. For severe conditions like dysentery, possessing these essential items means the distinction between living and dying. Even seemingly minor ailments can significantly lower your odds of staying alive.

8 Antiseptic

Infection Risks Be Gone

An antiseptic is often discoverable inside various storage spots, and on average, has about five applications. Its purpose is to ward off infections, typically acquired from injuries caused by wolf or bear attacks. Similar to other findable objects, it can’t be fabricated on its own.

A vitally important first aid item, players should never leave home without a well-filled bottle of Antiseptic. Infections can develop in as little as eight hours, quickly catching unprepared survivors off guard. Even for veteran players, infections can soon prove deadly unless Antibiotics are available. Curing this affliction is time, resource, and condition intensive, so avoiding it is vital wherever possible.

7 Water Purification Tablets

Fear Dirty Water No Longer

Water Purification Tablets are scarcely found items capable of sanitizing a full liter of potentially harmful drinking water with each tablet used. By providing a means to acquire clean water, these tablets shield players from the risks associated with dysentery.

These water purification tablets prove beneficial when gamers find themselves devoid of a fire source or the extended time required to boil water, such as during a blizzard or while recuperating from a severe illness. They purify water in just a minute, allowing those stranded in cold weather to use them without fear of frostbite. In dire situations where players are on the brink of dehydration, these tablets can be lifesaving.

6 Antibiotics

Fight Those Afflictions

Antibiotics serve as valuable medical supplies that help combat infections, dysentery, food poisoning, and intestinal worms. You can usually find them in small bottles containing around six pills. Each health issue typically calls for two pills to be used in treatment, except for intestinal parasites which require 20-40 antibiotics over a period of 10-20 days, depending on the severity.

Since infections, dysentery, and intestinal parasites can be fatal if not treated, it’s wise for players to always have a supply of Antibiotics with them at all times. Though food poisoning isn’t lethal, if ignored, it will lower a player’s health by 15%. This leaves them in a weakened state, making them more susceptible to attacks from animals. Players who consume predator meat on higher difficulty levels should consider keeping Antibiotics in reserve, as there’s a risk of contracting intestinal parasites from it.

5 Bandages

Old Reliable

Bandages are a multifunctional first aid essential that can either be found or quickly made using just one piece of fabric. These bandages serve various purposes, such as stopping bleeding, mending broken ribs, treating burns, and providing relief for sprained ankles and wrists. Given their wide range of applications, players should always stock up on them, as they may find themselves needing them at any time, especially during wildlife struggles where multiple injuries can occur simultaneously. Indeed, it is always better to be prepared with a sufficient quantity of bandages on hand.

Among the ailments Bandages can help alleviate, it’s crucial for players to utilize them for wounds causing blood loss. If ignored, this condition could lure predators towards their position and swiftly deplete their vitality. Untreated sprained ankles can also be fatal because they impede sprinting, making it nearly impossible to evade predators and adverse weather conditions.

4 Emergency Stims

Escape A Crisis

Emergency Stims are seldom obtainable first aid resources that differ from standard ones. Unlike common first aid supplies, they don’t heal particular ailments. Rather, they empower players to break free from dangerous situations by temporarily disabling stamina restrictions and detrimental effects. Essentially, these stims offer an instant boost of limitless stamina, enabling swift escapes from pursuers and safe returns after assaults. Additionally, survivors with injuries like broken ribs can climb ropes hassle-free upon using this item.

Heed this, employing this item involves a price. Once its influence subsides, the player’s exhaustion levels will swiftly return to zero, leaving characters utterly drained. Emergency Stims are intended for extreme scenarios when all other options have failed, to help escape perilous predicaments.

3 Old Man’s Beard Wound Dressing

A Renewable Cure For Infection Risks

Old Man’s Beard Wound Dressings serve a similar purpose as Antiseptics in terms of preventing and treating potential infections. Unlike Antiseptic, which is typically purchased, these wound dressings can be crafted at home. They are particularly useful for treating infection risks stemming from animal attacks. Immediate application after an attack can help prevent an infection from developing.

Instead of antiseptic, wound dressings offer a reliable and convenient method for survivalists over the long term to manage infections even after most structures have been raided. They serve as a swift and accessible solution for players to mitigate infection risks without needing antiseptic. Old Man’s Beard can be effortlessly found and collected, enabling survivors to craft wound dressings well before an infection occurs.

2 Reishi Tea

A Natural Alternative To Antibiotics

Reishi Tea serves as an artisanal herbal solution that mirrors the function of Antibiotics within the game environment. Players can utilize this tea to tackle issues like infections, dysentery, food poisoning, and intestinal parasites. Unlike traditional antibiotics, each ailment typically calls for just one cup of Reishi Tea to complete the treatment regimen.

This Reishi tea offers survivors a long-term, sustainable way to manage these diseases even after they’ve exhausted their antibiotics. Unlike antibiotics, Reishi tea doesn’t spoil, so you can make multiple batches without worrying about them going bad. Plus, it provides hydration, some calories, and warmth (if heated) for added benefits.

1 Go! Energy Drink

Energy When It’s Needed Most

Energy Drinks from Go! are one-time consumables. Instead of curing ailments or preventing harm, these drinks aid players in enduring challenging scenarios. This is achieved by boosting exhaustion, slowing down the rate at which exhaustion depletes, and halting the decrease in stamina.

Energy drinks provide an indispensable resource for players to navigate through perilous scenarios like animal attacks or blizzards. These situations can be life-threatening, but with these energy drinks, players can temporarily access unlimited stamina, allowing them to evade danger even when they’re far from home. However, it’s crucial for players to keep track of the duration of these effects. Once they expire, a player’s stamina will deplete rapidly, and they could lose half their energy reserves. This can be potentially hazardous or even fatal if players are running from predators or climbing steep terrain.

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2024-11-24 10:04