Guides/Character guides-Wendy

This is a guide for playing as Wendy, the Bereaved. It will give a general summary of her strengths and weaknesses, and will also explain some of the most common and effective ways to utilize her twin sister, Abigail.
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== Character Summary ==
Preferring to employ studied, elaborate tactics and strategy in combat, Wendy is a unique character whose gameplay often involves fighting large-scale battles into the darkest hours of the night.
One of her more easily overlooked strengths is a lower and slower sanity drain debuff from monsters and the slow drain of dusk and night. Night time can wear her sanity down eventually, but it will take much longer than with other characters. This gives Wendy much more freedom and choice to do as she pleases when the night comes, or when approaching insanity-inducing creatures, such as Spiders or Ghosts.
The first hurdle one will have to face as Wendy is that she simply doesn't have the strength to easily kill the same enemies that some other character could. Her physical strength is equal to Wes's, leaving her more vulnerable to some threats that might have been overlooked with other characters, such as Wilson, or even better, Wolfgang. Kiting is decisively more crucial when playing as her. It becomes increasingly important to get a feel for the timing of your enemies' attacks, as well as to avoid getting overwhelmed - something that is easier to fall victim to without Abigail around to help.
Abigail is Wendy's deceased sister, and main ability, she is called back into ghost form through her Flower. Summoning Abigail lets you trade a hefty 50 for all of the destructive powers of an angry spirit, but always remember: Abigail is not invincible and that she can die. She has a total of 600 and once summoned, Abigail will follow Wendy around, but will keep her distance so that she can't be completely next to Wendy until either Abigail attacks, or until Wendy does the same to her (except in , whereas Wendy can stand close to her sister to prevent Charlie from attacking). Abigail will harmlessly float near Wendy most of the time, but she will attempt to attack any enemy that Wendy attacks, or any enemy that attacks either Wendy or Abigail herself. It must be noted that she can attack hostile creatures by herself too, such as Spiders, and passive creatures that wander around, such as Moleworms or Butterflies; and this can happen if they get too close to her. Abigail turns red when she is causing damage or when damaged, and while attacking she utilizes a short range area-of-effect (AoE) that can increase in power as darkness fall.
=== In addition to Don't Starve Together ===
In Don't Starve Together, both Abigail and Wendy have received some important changes.
For example, Abigail deals even more damage during in the daylight and when darkness are falling, respectively dealing 15 and 25 , increasing her effectiveness. In addition, she is able to defend herself more effectively thanks to her shield, lasting a brief duration, which can be empowered. Wendy is able to manage her sanity better than ever, and doesn't lose any when you are in proximity of ghosts, becoming neutral to you.
As Wendy you can prepare your Ghostly Elixirs, and administer them to your dead sister to trigger powerful effects. With these, you become able to achieve results in fights that otherwise would have been impossible. She must first gather some Mourning Glories by helping the spirits of the dead juveniles, the Pipspooks, by finding their lost toys.
The elixirs Wendy can craft are the following:
* The Revenant Restorative , a useful elixir which can be used to heal Abigail's ectoplasmic wounds to sustain her in harsh environments, such as the Ruins;
* The Spectral Cure-All , an even more powerful healing item to let your sister heal during long fights that require a heavier amount of dark magic;
* The Unyielding Draught , useful to better shield Abigail when the enemies aren't hampered by your sister's burn;
* The Distilled Vengeance , to punish enemies who dare to attack your filial specter's shields;
* The Nightshade Nostrum , to make feel enemies the night while the daylight shines upon them, empowering Abigail's attacks to always deal 40 ;
* and finally, the Vigor Mortis , and let Abigail feel more swift than ever, increasing her movement speed.
Learning how best to use Abigail's strengths, and how to manage her weaknesses, is what will set the stronger Wendy players apart from the rest, making a big difference if one knows how to use her powers correctly. Abigail isn't perfect, but she can easily carry you through some of the most common threats in the game, letting you rest easy where you could have struggled alone.
== Abigail==
Abigail is summoned using her Flower. When the flower is fully open , killing anything (even yourself!) while the flower is on the ground will summon her, causing you to suffer a 50 penalty as a result. However, this does not apply to murdering a captured animal within your inventory (in , the method is different as described later).
When Abigail attacks, she utilizes a short range area-of-effect (AoE) attack that will deal damage to any enemy in a small radius around her. This damage starts off weak in the daylight, dealing 10 , while gradually becoming stronger as night falls; eventually ramping up to four times (40 at night, 20 during dusk) as much damage during night as she does during day.
Abigail's Flower goes through three distinct stages; the first will show it curled up with a white hue , the second will show it starting to open with a faded pink color , and the third will show it fully open and glowing a red-pink , as well as it levitating when left on the ground, and making a ghostly sound if approached, but this only occurs in .
Be warned: 50 is a high price to pay for summoning Abigail. While usually worth it, unprepared players can find such a sanity drop hard to recover from. Try to obtain some sanity-restoring food (such as a Cooked Green Cap) or clothing (for istance, a Top Hat, since it's easy to come by while playing as Wendy) in order to replace the cost. It is also recommended that the player should not try to summon Abigail when their sanity is already low to begin with, since Abigail can't help Wendy fight the Shadow Creatures.
The easiest way to ensure that you can summon Abigail is to have a nearby Flower and wait for a Butterfly to spawn. Even Wendy, with her tiny fists, can kill these flying carbs in one hit. During Winter, stored Rabbits or Birds can be used instead; though they must first be placed upon the ground before sacrificing them in order to summon her.
=== Don't Starve Together ===
In Don't Starve Together, each blooming state of the Flower doesn't determine the charging rate of the item, but rather, it indicates Abigail's power level , which can cap up to level 3. Each state represents her level, the highest being the one most saturated in red. Each one of it will grow your sister's health from the weak 150 , level 2 empowering her by 300 , and finally up to 600 .
Note that the Flower will stay unbloomed if you are far from it, left on the ground, or if other players other than you (except other Wendys) carry it in their inventory. Since other players apart from fellow Wendys can't grasp your ghostly and eerie comprehension towards the world of spectral creatures, they can't summon Abigail in any way.
==== Summoning ====
In Don't Starve Together, summoning Abigail has become an easier task, since the player is simply required to right click on the Abigail's Flower and wait for Wendy to summon her. Upon calling for her dead sister, you gain 15 , making the summoning an advantage, all across the board. You should be aware of the fact that Wendy can lose 15 if you dismiss her, making the gain of sanity completely worthless; even more if destroyed by any other means, such as from an enemy or environmental damage, losing 30 and resetting her power back to level 1.
==== Abigail's Perks ====
Abigail also has two states, which can be changed by Wendy at will. One, the Sooth state, is what is seen in Don't Starve, where she sticks by Wendy and will never engage if not told to do so (except for a few entities, like Moleworms). In her other state, Rile Up, she targets any hostile or neutral mobs without being told to. 
* Rile Up can be a handy tool in various situations. Since Abby doesn't need to be told what to do, she can be used as a distraction from Wendy. For example, Cave Spider nests can't be taken out with attacking and have to be mined down. So, to prevent being caught in a stunlock loop from Spiders and not being able to get anything done, Wendy can Rile Up Abby and have her deal the first hit. The Cave Spiders and Spitters will go after her and completely ignore Wendy, making her free to mine away at the nest.
Remember to Sooth her after the combat, as she can cause a lot of unwanted trouble with other creatures (for instance, Bunnymen or Pigs).
thumb|200x200px|A video about Abigail's effectiveness against swarms.
When hitting a foe, Abigail renders them vulnerable and the damage they take is increased by 10%, and you are going to deal an extra 40% against them, making Wendy a character more fit for fighting rather than anything. If one does the maths, the total damage dealt to enemies is increased by 115%, rendering Abigail useful to deal important chip damage in (for example) boss fights, whereas she couldn't have done anything but disappear in a matter of seconds. If you are able kite correctly, you can actually set the aggro of the enemies onto you when they try to hit (faling, hopefully), and thus, prolonging her presence in the world of the living.
Another important tip: if you are unsummoning Abigail to prevent the loss of her perks while in combat, you should do it only when you get a little bit of distance from the foe(s), since the unsummoning animation would let the enemy hit Wendy, losing important health points. This also applies to (and especially) when you are summoning her, which takes even more time.
== Combat with Abigail ==
Being the bane of the creatures that swarm their attackers, or those who dare to strike during night, Abigail is able to take down a large amount of monsters which otherwise would be a challenge to defeat on your own.
As she is more vulnerable by herself, one of the most valuable assets Wendy possesses is the ability to throw her sister at creatures in order to kill them for her. Often you can let her take the brunt of enemy attacks for you, while you rush in after the aggro has been triggered to get your own attacks in (or just to collect the loot). Abigail regenerates health gradually over time in the same way that Chester does (which effect can be amplified with and ), and and can take quite the beating compared to Wendy, though it isn't hard for Abigail to be bested by certain kinds of enemies.
Abigail will start to attack things when you click to attack them, making a viable strategy to attack-click, quickly move to break the path finding, and then let whatever you just clicked at feel the burn of her ectoplasm. Note that in you are required to fake an attack on an entity in order to set Abigail on the hunt, and clicking doesn't work at all until the intent of hurting is shown.
Unlike the player (usually), Abigail can be brought back several times in the same world. Don't be afraid to throw her to the Hounds or to use her as a scapegoat in dire situations; your life is far more important than hers.
Some of the situations in which Abigail shines are listed as follows.
=== Recommended Targets ===
*Spiders will melt beneath Abigail by the dozen due to the way they attempt to swarm their prey, making assaults versus dozens of Spiders simultaneously a relatively simple endeavor. Send forth Abigail to aggro the nest, plus whatever Spiders are in the area. Farming Spiders with Abigail can be tricky to manage properly, so it's best to keep an eye on her and try to keep an opening for yourself in case she goes down and the swarm targets you instead. Don't be afraid to bail if you think things have gotten out of hand; worst-case scenario, you'll just have to make a quick dash through the nest creep to grab her Flower again, if the zone is safe enough (this doesn't apply to ).
*Bees is another easy target for Abigail. Most of the time an entire swarm can be stunlocked all at once as she sits on their hive and kills every single one Bee. Abigail is even able to manage easily hundreds of them without any particular problem.
*Beefalos are a mixed bag as well, due to their natural tankiness, heavy (yet slow) attacks, and their tendency to rush in from large distances when their comrades are attacked. While not really the best target for Abigail, in the darkest hours of night is the best time to take on a herd due to her higher attack damage, but make sure you back Abigail up or she might not have the power needed to melt through an entire herd. Be prepared to sprint if she falls, but if the group is small enough you should be able to mop up what's left, even if Abigail didn't have it in her to finish the job. In Don't Starve Together, you are recommended to use a Distilled Vengeance to get a little bit more damage output and shield Abigail to prevent her to die almost instantly. If you lack the necessary materials, use a Unyielding Draught instead, which can be as useful as the latter, even though this can be dangerous in larger Beefalo herds.
*Koalefant hunting can also be made easier with Abigail's help. Once tracked, place the Koalefant into a wide area. Next, issue an attack order on the Koalefant, and Abigail will try to attack it. If everything goes well, she's going to get the animal's aggro and let you kill it with ease, while you help Abigail her attack. In , this method is impossible to apply and you are required to resort to alternative methods.
*Hound waves, particularly early on, are easily handled by Abigail. Versus larger groups she can be overpowered, but the first several weeks can be spent in relative safety as you can largely ignore the handful of Hounds that came for you, picking up bits and pieces of them when the deed is done. Beware of fires from Red Hounds later on: the burn damage can harm Abigail if she spends too much time sitting inside of it. In Don't Starve Together, you are recommended to use shielding elixirs (, ) to Abigail, as when larger groups are going to attack you, your spiritual sister helper is going to have serious issues surviving the waves, making survival particularly hard for Wendy when it comes to Hounds in later seasons.
*Pengulls are an easy target for Abigail, as she's able to finish the job faster than most characters in the game. Just set aggro on one of the Pengulls, and let her kill them (more preferably during night). In this manner, Wendy is able to gather an easy source of Jet Feathers, Morsels and Drumsticks.
*Tallbirds are a mixed bag, as Tallbirds generally target the player. Even though the Tallbird is fast enough to reach the player, its attack won't connect (given the player does not stop running). Abigail will then catch up to the Tallbird and attack it, which will normally result in a victory. It may take time for Abigail to kill the Tallbird, especially if the fight takes place during the day. However, if the Tallbird targets Abigail, Abigail's chances of death skyrocket. During the fight, you are recommended to help her, as in Abigail is going to empower your attacks, making quick job of the Tallbird. If fighting consecutive nests, it's better to craft a Revenant Restorative for more sustain during the campaign, or a Spectral Cure-All if you think you're swift enough for a slaughter of birds. If you find yourself before a Tallfort, better craft a Distilled Vengeance for total mayhem, and helping your sister during the assault (as always, during night, preferably).
*Spider Queens are an easy foe for Abigail and if you are helping, you can easily finish a series of arachnide regimes. In engagement you must be quick and direct, and most importantly, equip armor and a decent weapon (such as a Cutlass Supreme in , or a Ham Bat ). Spider Queen doesn't have as much health as other bosses, so if you and your sister will help eachother during the fight while tanking and hitting the main target, you are going to kill her in a matter of seconds, especially when Abigail can easily deal with the Spiders wandering and protecting their queen.
=== Not Recommended ===
There are also many enemies that Abigail will struggle to fight against. These foes are often plentiful on the map and can be extremely dangerous to any Wendy player. Care must be taken when attempting to pass through the areas where these mobs reside when Abigail is in tow.
*Tentacles will wreck Abigail. Striking them resets their attack cooldown, and she will do so consistently with no consideration for her own safety, making things that much harder for herself. She can sometimes take a single tentacle, but strolls through the swamp will sometimes trigger the aggro of many tentacles in a row, and each time she will break off from you and attack the thing that just took a potshot at you. The end result will leave you vulnerable for several days or just straight up leave you injured, leaving you open for the next Hound attack as a result. If you must go through a swamp with Abigail, in it's better to Soothe Abby, in order to keep her calm during the travel. It must be noted, though, that an experienced Wendy player can easily eliminate several Tentacles if it manages to keep Abigail healed (with Honey Poultices or Healing Salves) and is quick during the splatter, making an easy source of Tentacle Spikes.
*Frogs in small numbers won't pose much of a threat to Abigail. But an entire swarm, or even a small group fought during the day, will probably be too much for her to handle. Frogs can't be stunned when hit, and Abigail's tendency to sit right on top of her prey will most likely be her downfall as the frogs constantly attack her until one side perishes. One or two is fine, but it's probably better to avoid them completely, even if using shielding elixirs.
*Treeguards could, arguably, be a useful enemy to throw Abigail at. She will fail miserably versus the creature one on one - but when she dies the Treeguard won't remember it was mad at you until you strike it or start to chop another tree down. This makes it possible to run away and equip yourself properly to duel the beast on your own terms without worrying about a lumbering monstrosity looming on the horizon. Be prepared to do a lot of kiting when you do engage it, however; it will take a while to kill it by yourself. In , keeping Abigail alive while kiting correctly can be an extremely efficient way to deal damage, although this is not a recommended method when multiple Treeguards are around.
*Pigs are simple one on one or two, but their kiting AI will give Abigail nothing but trouble. If you intend to fight a pig, Abigail will complement you very nicely if you both were point blank to it, but if it slips out of range it could give you both a bit of a run-around. Anything higher than two pigs will almost surely be the doom of Abigail, or at least make your day significantly more difficult and less enjoyable.
*Merms are difficult for the same reason as the Pigs above, accentuated by the fact you will almost always be swarmed immediately if you were too close to the Rundown House. They're also faster than the Pigs, making it even harder for you and Abigail to do any damage. Generally speaking, swamps and Abigail do not mix.
*Boss enemies in general will easily do Abigail in. The supplementary damage is always useful, especially in , but in that case you're probably going to wind up taking most of the heat, and finishing the job against bosses is always going to be Wendy's task.
== Notes ==
Here are some notes about Wendy and Abigail. We recommend you to read some of these to expand your knowledge about Wendy's power and how to exploit it.
*She will pass through walls when trying to avoid you, but her path finding forces her to seek openings like normal creatures.
*Her AI does not consider her health and will attempt to sit directly on top of enemies, regardless of how much damage she takes.
*At low (~20%), Abigail's normal appearance will change to indicate her weakened state. Her eyes will turn into a more "worried" look.
* Occasionally she will sit just out of range of her AoE attack if her AI hasn't registered it because it's too small a distance; it might be necessary to nudge her closer to something, or re-issue the attack order.
*She is slower than Wendy, and can be left behind on long walks down paths or roads. If Wendy moves far enough away from her, Abigail will teleport to just off of the screen, and then keep following normally, just like Chester does.
* If you lose her Flower, it will show up on the map.
**You can also recraft another one if you have enough materials.
* Any aggro against you will trip Abigail's aggro, possibly drawing her into unfavourable fights. Be aware of how close you are getting to enemies!
* After a certain amount of time, Abigail will get distracted and neglect whatever she was attacking unless hit again. You might have to remind her to keep doing her thing if you sent her at a structure via more attack clicks (holding the button down doesn't help).
* Abigail will not assist you with hostile hallucinations. If you go insane, you're on your own.
*Abigail always deals the most amount of damage when you are in the Caves.
== Surviving==
Above everything else, it's important to know your own limitations and to keep a watchful eye on your items' durability and your health. Abigail will help, but don't let her presence make you feel indestructible. Be prepared and have a plan for any engagement; Abigail can fail you, and you are much weaker by yourself, particularly if you get blindsided or something breaks unexpectedly. Be conscious in combat with Wendy: surprises and being careless are your worst enemies, and can potentially lead to death.
As long as things stay on your terms and you exercise caution, Wendy will carry you well into day 100 and beyond.
Wendy