Guides/All About Night

Night can be a very confusing time for novice players, especially since venturing out into the night is fatal.
==Night's Effects ==
====Without a Lightsource====
*The player will be alerted that Charlie (Night Monster) is near. After 5 seconds the player is attacked and damaged for 100 health and 20 sanity.
* (Armor will absorb damage taken from Charlie.) 10 seconds later it will attack again, causing the same amount of damage. 
*50 sanity/min is drained while in the darkness. (0.83 sanity/second)
*You will be unable to pick up items or interact with objects using the mouse button. Objects can still be collected by using the space bar, but due to the games natural tendency to go towards any object instead of the closest one, this is an ineffective way to gather materials for a torch or a fire.
====With a Lightsource====
*5 sanity/min is drained while near light. 
====On the World====
*Mobs will fall asleep as soon as night starts and will wake when night is over. Note: Some mobs sleep during the day instead, especially if their home is destroyed (such as the Spider and the Spider Warrior.) However, the combat reaction below is the same. Other creatures that sleep during the day may wake when near but are neutral mobs (such as a Bunnyman) instead and will react as a pig without its home.
**If the player walks near a sleeping Spider, Spider Queen, Killer Bee, Tallbird, or Hound it will wake up and attack the player, unless they are part of one of Maxwell's traps. If so, they will continue to sleep until an event triggers them.
**If the player attacks a sleeping Spider, Spider Queen, Bee, Killer Bee, Tallbird, Hound, Treeguard, or Pig, it and its nearby allies will wake and attack the player.
**If the player walks nearby a sleeping Koalefant or Winter Koalefant it will wake up and start running away. There is just enough time to attack it with a melee weapon if you are quick. (A torch works.)
**The pig king will be asleep and will not be able to receive any gifts in exchange for gold.
*Plants will not grow.
*Meat will not dry.
*Tallbird eggs (unless in a nest or near a fire) will freeze and turn to Wet Goop.
==Light==
In order to survive the night, the player needs to be near a light. Light sources are listed from best to worst:
===Fire Pit===
Cost: 12 Rocks and 2 Logs
Cost to maintain: Fuel
Cost rank: Expensive initial placement, maintenance is low, high reuse value
Light area: Large, grows smaller as fire weakens
Mobility: Stationary
Rank: Good, the most efficient method to stay warm during winter
Usage: The optimal choice for a base or an area where you know you will stay for a while or come back to. It is much more efficient in the long term than any other light source, lasting up to 6 minutes. It is also used to stay warm during winter and cook food.
===Endothermic Fire Pit===
Cost: 2 Nitre , 4 Cut Stones and 2 Electrical Doodads
Cost to maintain: Fuel, Nitre
Cost rank: Extremely expensive initial placement, maintenance is low, high reuse value
Light area: Large, grows smaller as fire weakens
Mobility: Stationary
Rank: Good, the most efficient method to stay cool during summer
Usage: Essentially a cold Fire Pit, this Fire Pit cools you down, making surviving the summer much easier. The downside to this is the huge expense that is required to build this.
Note: Endothermic fires are only able to be built in a world with the Reign Of Giants DLC.
===Campfire===
Cost: 3 Grass and 2 Logs
Cost to maintain: Fuel
Cost rank: Moderately expensive to place, low to maintain. Must be replaced with every new use.
Light area: Large, grows smaller as fire weakens.
Mobility: Stationary
Rank: Good, but inefficient for long term usage
Usage: Optimal for new players during the night, useful for keeping warm during winter when not having access to a Fire Pit, and can be used for cooking food.
===Endothermic Fire===
Cost: 3 Grass and 2 Nitre
Cost to maintain: Fuel, Nitre
Cost rank: Moderately expensive to place, low to maintain. Must be replaced with every new use.
Light area: Large, grows smaller as fire weakens.
Mobility: Stationary
Rank: Good, but inefficient for long term usage
Usage: An alternative for players who are surviving summer. Also useful in a pinch when there are no logs about.
Note: Endothermic fires are only able to be built in a world with the Reign Of Giants DLC.
===Torch===
Cost: 2 Grass and 2 Twigs
Cost to maintain: Single use only, however can be put down or unequipped to keep use down.
Cost rank: Moderately inexpensive to craft
Light area: Small
Mobility: High, equipped. Must be held in hand to give light.
Warmth: Used to set things on fire, trees burn longest and give charcoal when chopped down after burning.
Rank: Good depending on the situation; inefficient to use regularly.
Usage: Optimal for travel during early game, and very effective for temporarily restoring warmth during winter by setting things on fire.
===Fire===
Cost: Torch or firestaff is used to start the fire, and a tree or burnable item.
Cost to maintain: A tree lasts for 10–15 seconds, an item placed on the ground lasts 3–15 seconds.Freezing#Mechanics Firestaff uses 1 charge.
Cost rank: Supply cost for tool used, only.
Light area: Huge, depending on item(s) burned.
Warmth: Provides warmth, can be used to heat up a heat stone up to about 1/3 from 1 fire.
Rank: Bad, a fire lasts a very short time but has a very large light area.
Usage: Almost free way to restore warmth during winter.
===Miner Hat===
Cost 1 Straw Hat, 1 Gold Nugget and 1 Fireflies, and it requires an Alchemy Engine to prototype
Cost to maintain: 1 Gold Nugget and 1 fireflies. Last for a very long time, about 4-5 nights before having to refuel.
Cost rank: Cheap, but takes some effort to find and get materials. Fireflies are not renewable, but are abundant. (Fireflies stack up to 40, so up to 160 of them they can be brought over to a new world)
Light area: Large.
Mobility: High, worn as a hat
Warmth: None
Rank: Arguably the lightsource of choice, it lasts about 4-5 nights if used only at night. The only downside is that Fireflies are not renewable, however abundant.
Usage: Any time light is needed.
===Alternative Light Sources===
A list of alternative light sources that can save you from Charlie. Some work well, some are only to be used in desperate times. 
Fireflies
Night Light
Lightning Rod
Pumpkin Lantern
Light Bulb
Lantern
Heat Stone
Houndius Shootius
====Character Exclusive Light Sources====
Willow's Lighter
WX-78's System Overload
Woodie's Curse
==References==
Category:Articles using instructional language