Combat

In Darkout, combat is not only key to survival, it is also an important part of the research gathering process. Many of the higher tier items (and some of the lower ones too) require parts which can only be found by eliminating enemies.

## Monsters

All of the monsters in Darkout, with the exception of Jellies, are shadow monsters. How they came to exist on the planet is unknown and there are many different types from wolves and spiders to creatures which have some human features. Learning how to deal with these creatures and where they appear will be key in surviving and making the most of the Darkout world.

## Spawning

As mentioned above, the majority of monsters in the world are creatures made of shadow essence. It's not a big stretch then to imagine that these creatures only spawn in darkness. As such, any areas which you want to keep free from monsters (such as your base) should be kept fully lit at all times. In early parts of the game, it can also be advisable to try and keep your mines lit as you gather resources. You start out with 10 glow-sticks which are perfect for this task as they can be placed as required and subsequently removed. Any places that you intend to be visiting regularly, however, should be kept lit if at all possible. Monsters early in the game can kill you with relative ease and more powerful ones appear later on, so having important map areas lit is always a good idea.

## Monster Vulnerability - Whiteout Status

You may be feeling invincible with your newly crafted sword and your leather suit 2, but sadly it takes more than that to even scratch a shadow beast. Before a shadow beast becomes vulnerable to normal damage, they must first be exposed to a certain amount of light damage. Once you have done enough light damage to a creature, it will turn white and can then be safely attacked with your trusty sword or bow and arrow. Doing light damage to a creature can be accomplished by either having them exposed to light for a time or by using a weapon which does light damage (even a torch will do). As such, the most valuable weapons in the game are those that do a reasonable amount of both types of damage such as a pistol with incendiary bullets or a bow with fire-arrows. As such, your starting glow sticks are more precious to you than many of the normal damage weapons you can craft early in the game.

## Healing

No matter how well prepared you think you are, how many glowsticks you have or just how damn awesome your character may be, chances are you will eventually be killed. Death has many forms in the world of Darkout, shadow monsters being the obvious but also falling from large heights or even drowning helplessly in a tar pit may prove even more effective at ending our lone survivors life. Don't worry, however, as the only consequence of dying is a simple respawn. If you have slept in a bed you will spawn next to it (the last one you placed, if you placed more than one), if you haven't you will spawn back at your starting location. It's not all sunshine and roses though, as you spawn back with half health and early game, it can be quite difficult to heal. Sleeping in your bed is the most obvious method of getting back on your feet, but this takes a long time. It's often a good idea to get your character to sleep while you queue up research and craft items, so try to make sure your bed is close to your crafting buildings if possible. Later in the game, this becomes less of an issue as some armour sets will heal you much faster than your bed, and there are also consumables which can restore some of your precious health.