The Long Dark is a very very big game with a World Map spanning 12 regions and over 130 locations to explore. And when you’re out there in Great Bear Island, you need to know where to go to survive and even more importantly where to even start. This guide will help you determine the best starting regions and what they have to offer.
5. Desolation Point
"Not so Desolate, it turns out"
You know things are rough in Great Bear Island when we start this list with a place called Desolation Point. But while located at the western edge of the map and teeming with wolves, timberwolves, and even bears, starting near the roads makes this region fairly easy to navigate around in with its fair weather conditions and a significant number of supplies to be found in such as much needed food, clothes, and fire-starting materials, though quality and abundance of these items may not exactly be plentiful, they’re much better nothing
Why it’s great:
- Easy To Navigate around the Region
- Significant number of supplies needed for starting (Extra layers of Clothing, Food, and Fire starting materials)
- Forgiving Weather Conditions
4. Broken Railroad (Best for Early Game Crafting)
“At the edge of the world, salvation or destruction awaits”
Located at the very western edge of Great Bear Island, the Broken Railroad Region has a lot to offer, plenty of materials for fire starting and mending located in the maintenance yard that also has a forge inside it if you want to craft arrowheads for later use, a possible spawn point for firearms in the Hunting Lodge location and an abundance of deer to use them on and craft quality gear with very early on in the game, though not the most ideal place to start your survival mode run in since it has a lot of predatory wildlife and fairly difficult terrain to get a hang of to trouble between to and from the points of interest in the region, it’s certainly leagues better than the other advanced level regions.
What’s Great About It:
- Possible early Hunting Rifle and Pistol acquisition at the Hunting Lodge
- Helpful tools can be found in the Maintenance Yard and Hunting Lodge
- Plenty of Crafting Opportunities with a Forge and required materials located at the Maintenance Yard
- Moderate Supply of Food and Abundance of Fire-Starting Materials like Reclaimed Wood and Coal.
3. Pleasant Valley (Best for Gathering Early Game Necessities)
“Not so Pleasant but it will do”
While one of the best regions to start in, the name Pleasant Valley is a bit misleading as while it is one of the best regions to start your long and exhausting winter adventures in, it still holds plenty of danger as numerous wolves and bears roam the area outside of the roads and while the flat terrain makes it easier to navigate than other regions, it is frequently visited by blizzards which can make a simple sojourn into a problematic venture. But where danger is lies opportunities as there are plenty of supplies throughout the region and even a possible spawn point for a Hunting Rifle at the Pleasant Valley Homestead, an abundance of hunting opportunities, and plenty of preserved food, snacks, and sodas for you to store or carry during long treks across regions as well as better clothing from the get-go as this region is filled with man-made structures and homes that will have clothing options in them.
What’s great about it:
- Abundance of Items that is slow to degrade
- Easy terrain to navigate
- Rare Item Drops like the Hunting Rifle
2. Mountain Town (Best for Beginners)
“I’d like to stay here please”
A really good place to start your survival mode run in or just get the hang on of the game overall, The Mountain Town is designed to be far more hospitable than most of the other regions in the Game. While not a place that will have remarkably great items and materials, it is fairly easy to navigate, has far less concentration of hostile wildlife, and plenty of opportunities to gather essential materials for long journeys as it has an abundance of food, fire-starting materials, decent clothing and even important tools such as the hunting knife and hatchet.
What’s great about it:
Good for Beginners
An abundance of basic but necessary supplies and items
Easy to Navigate around in
Plenty of Shelters throughout the Region
1. Mystery Lake (Best Region to Start In Overall)
“Not so Mysterious once you get the hang of it”
By far the best region to start in, Mystery Lake can have everything you need right from the get-go. Centrally located in the whole of Great Bear Island, it makes the best location to start a base in with the Camp Office location making it easy to access other regions, gather supplies and materials, and go back. This is also thanks to Mystery Lake’s fairly easy-to-navigate terrain as the railroad tracks located in the middle of the map make for an easy landmark to know exactly where you are on the map. That also isn’t to say that Mystery Lake is something to scoff at in terms of supplies however as the numerous locations offer a significant number of items and supplies of decent or even greater quality with the Trappers Homestead having also a chance to spawn a Hunting Rifle along with some cartridges that will make use of the Region’s great Hunting Areas as deer and rabbits are abundant, even if there is a significant number of wolves and bears, they are far less concentrated and scattered which makes navigation fairly easier than most regions.
What’s Great About It:
- Centrally Located, Best for a Base
- Plenty of Supplies and Decent Items, possibly even spawning a Weapon
- Plenty of Materials for Crafting
- Incredibly Easy Navigation
