Seven Tips To Get You Going In Wildmender

Wildmender is a survival game and a gardening simulator all rolled into one, and as such, getting started and on the right foot can take a bit of trial and error. Thankfully, I have dug myself into more holes than I can count, so here are a few tips and tricks to get you going and your garden thriving:

1. Plant Dunegrass

Let’s start off with one I took a while to understand: the usefulness of Dunegrass. This plant is one of the first you will encounter, with its yellowish seeds filling up your inventory before you know it. The thing is, it is not readily apparent what the use of this plant is. Sure, you can eat the seeds, but the benefit is somewhat small, so why plant them? The reason is, surprisingly enough, space.

I’m not completely sure if this is the case, but while playing, I noticed I was running out of plantable soil very quickly. It seemed the allocated area had just stagnated in size! Then, after planting some Dunegrass to make room in my inventory, I returned after a foray into the canyons to notice the area of soil had increased substantially! Sure, you’ll get better plants for soil production later, but in the beginning, the humble Dunegrass can do quite a bit to get you rolling!

2. Adventure at Night

This is a point I briefly made in my review of the game: it is most productive to do your adventuring at night. The reasoning behind this is two-fold, with the first reason being the somewhat obvious “it’s not as hot”. Though it seems insubstantial, this slight difference in the speed you consume water and food can be a lifesaver in the later areas of the game! Additionally, if you venture out during the day, it is almost assured you will miss out, as spirits, the friendly ghosts that give you Memories, are only visible at night. Even if you know where one is, they will not be intractable until the sun sets. Other points of interest, such as spirit darters and frogs (trust me, you want frogs), are also illuminated in the dark. So make it a habit to set off near or during the night! I promise it’s not too spooky.

3. Play Through the Plot Until You Meet the Kitty

This one is hard to explain without spoiling the story, but I'll do my best. Once the tutorials are over and you are given your first mission, my first instinct was to go out and explore this magical world. Mistake. Before I knew it, I was miles from home and had maybe a drop of water and half a stick left, making the trek back stressful and annoying. If you just follow along the main quest, take out outposts and so on, eventually, you will meet the big kitty. After talking with them and doing a few quests, you will receive a plethora of skills, information, and equipment that changed exploring almost completely! I highly recommend getting to that point before going out on longer expeditions!

4. Keep Acorns Handy

This is a strange one, I admit, but important nonetheless. Acorns are vital if you want to make playing the game more enjoyable. Why? Because Acorns are the main resource used in quick travel! When you happen upon a Sigil Gate, the teleportation platforms scattered throughout the world, you will have two options: you can teleport back to your oasis with a bit of essence. This sounds great; however, it’s a one-way trip. If you want to open the gate up for quick travel, you guessed it, you’ll need an acorn. There are other instances where acorns are handy, too, but I won’t dive into those to avoid spoilers. Just trust me; have an acorn or two handy in your inventory at all times!

5. Interact with Plants

This one is short and sweet. After you have planted your various flora, you can interact with them. In this menu, you can sing for them to make them grow and perform a few other actions depending on your current skills. These are great, but not what I’m referring to: you can also see how your plant is doing! This may be something like they’re in good soil, are parched, etc, but most importantly, it will tell you if the current environment is somehow disadvantageous for the plant! For example, some plants like the shade, while others thrive in the light! This information can be guessed, but having it available with one interaction is very handy and can lead to elevated yields!

6. Check Your Crafting Tab

This one was a bit embarrassing for me. There I was, playing along, adventuring and having a good time. After a few adventures and completed quests, I started wondering when I would get some kind of storage container! My bag was constantly full, and I felt bad just throwing things away. Hours later, I opened the menu, accidentally clicked a button and saw the crafting menu. I have no idea when, but since the last time I opened it, I had gained a whole bunch of different recipes. Including storage containers! I had, for whatever reason, assumed all future crafting would happen at the workbench, as in many other titles, but nope! So every time you complete a major quest, it’s a good idea to give said menu a looky.

7. Forg

Finally, my favourite feature in the game. Once you make it to the Salt Flats area of the game, you may see beams of light in the night sky. These may lead you to springs of water or other areas of interest, or they may lead you to a frog. These hoppy and happy friends are quite parched and need a fair bit of water to be satisfied. Succeed in that, however, and you can take them with you to your oasis, where they will then live. A fun addition itself, as they are adorable, but that's not all! While a frog is staying in your oasis, you can interact with them. You can give them a hug, which you should each and every time, but you can also ask them to open wide. Turns out the frogs act like small containers themselves, picking up and preserving seeds and flowers for you! This has saved me numerous times as I’ve frantically searched for one more acorn.

And there you have it! Hopefully, these tips and tricks will help you get on your way in Wildmender and allow you to get the most out of its beautiful world! Do you have some tips I missed, or is one of my tips absolute rubbish? Let us know in the comments!