Frequently Asked Questions
Gameplay
How do I tame and ride creatures?
To tame a creature you must craft the relevant treat recipe – ie to tame a grasshopper, craft a grasshopper treat. Fight the creature until its health is at 50% or lower, then the option to feed the creature the treat will appear when you are close enough. The treat only needs to be in your inventory for you to use it. No need to drop it or equip it.
Currently four creatures can be used as mounts: grasshoppers, damselflies, wolf spiders and geckos. More will be added in future updates. Ladybugs can also be tamed and given packs to store additional items. Ladybugs cannot be mounted but can be told to follow the player. At present you can only have one active tamed creature at a time, but this system will be expanded in future updates.
Tamed creatures can be told to either stay in position or follow their owner. If you tell a creature to stay, you can find it again by navigating to their indicator on the map or you can craft a whistle, which will summon them immediately to your side.
How do I claim a Great Tree and build on it?
You can recognise Great Trees from the fungus platforms leading up their trunk. Climb all the way to the top and you will find a gnome effigy. Speak with the owl effigy to claim the tree as your own. Use the empty building space there to construct your permanent base. Once you have ascended a Great Tree, you can use the tree butler’s balloon to quickly ascend and descend from the forest floor and back.
You can then select to make your Great Tree private or public, which will allow other players to make changes to the base. You can claim a different Great Tree from the platform at their base. You will then have the option to relocate your base structures to it, and when visiting other player’s worlds you will be able to bring your Great Tree base with you.
How can I do more damage to enemies?
Every enemy has unique weaknesses and resistances. Check the icons next to their name to see what types of weaponry will be most – or least – effective against them.
Are there boss fights?
Yes, the world of Smalland features numerous battles against uniquely threatening foes. Currently the game contains four boss creatures and two sub-boss creatures. You may come across them while exploring, or undertaking story missions will lead you to them eventually as you quest for the unique resources they drop when defeated.
Will my weapons and tools break?
Weapons and tools will degrade with use. Items that are in a state of disrepair will be less effective, but they will not break or be lost. They can be repaired at any time using a workbench. Minor repairs use no resources but more severe damage will come at a cost. We recommend you repair early and often to preserve your most useful items.
How do I construct buildings?
Just equip your builder’s hammer. This will bring up all the construction options you have unlocked, including individual building pieces and usable items such as the workbench and storage chests. As you discover more resources in the world, more building options will become available to you. Be aware that all buildings need foundations and basic structural support.
Can buildings be damaged and destroyed?
Yes, creatures can damage buildings. There are fortification options to reduce the impact of this. Anything you construct can also be harmed by exposure to the weather if left uncovered. Always make sure to add roof pieces to protect against this. Other players can also damage or alter buildings, if your world settings allow it. You can use the builder’s hammer to deconstruct any building part, which will fully refund the resources used in its manufacture.
I died and now all my items are gone – are they lost forever?
No, you can always retrieve your items from the marker at the place you died. Up to 10 markers will be retained after death and shown on your map. If you die from drowning, your marker will automatically be placed at the last safe place you were standing before death.
How do I survive the storms?
When a storm is coming you will receive a warning. You will receive another warning just before it hits. To survive you need to take shelter, either inside a cave or a structure. As long as you have a floor, walls and a roof, you can wait out the downpour in safety. If the storm hits at night, having a bed will allow you to sleep through it.
I keep dying because of the cold – what should I do?
Crafting a campfire will stave off the cold, as will wearing padded armour which can be crafted for you by Kalev or various other NPCs. You can also create food items using the cauldron which will help you resist the cold.
What can I eat to refill my nourishment bar?
You can forage basic edible items such as berries and mushrooms. Eating these will keep you nourished, but only in small increments. For longer lasting benefits, craft a campfire. This allows you to cook snacks and meals using more ingredients, such as insect parts. Consuming cooked food prevents your nourishment from depleting for a short time after eating.
Features and Settings
Is Smalland: Survive the Wilds compatible with Steam Deck?
Yes. Although Smalland is not yet officially Steam Deck verified by Valve, it has been tested and confirmed as working on the hardware by our development team. We recommend using medium or high settings for consistent 30fps performance.
How do servers work?
There is currently 10 player co-op play with password protected or public servers.
Is there dedicated server support?
Not at launch, but dedicated servers are planned for a future update!
Does the game feature controller support?
Yes. The game will automatically detect any compatible controller. Go to Settings > Input to assign different control bindings.
Is there an offline mode?
Yes, when you create a world you can choose to make it online or offline.
Is there PVP?
You can currently enable friendly fire in the world creation settings but a specific PvP mode is planned for later.
Can I play using first person view?
Yes! Pressing Z on your keyboard will enable first person mode!
Spiders freak me out – is there an Arachnophobia mode?
Yes! Within the settings menu there are four levels of comfort for arachnophobes. The lowest setting gives them less legs, then no legs, followed by no fangs and finally just floating bodies!
Future Plans
Is Smalland: Survive the Wilds coming to consoles?
Yes. A console version of Smalland: Survive the Wilds is planned. We currently aim to release it once the PC version reaches v1.0 and leaves Early Access.
How long until v1.0?
We’re not committing to a specific date at this stage, but we have a clear internal development roadmap for what v1.0 will be.
Will more content be added during Early Access?
Yes, lots of new material is coming to Smalland: Survive the Wilds in the coming months. This includes more gameplay features, options and in-game content. You can view the latest content roadmap here.
Didn’t this game come out already?
Smalland: Survive the Wilds was previously announced via a crowdfunding campaign by a different development team, but this was not released. The original development team no longer has any involvement after the Smalland: Survive the Wilds IP was acquired by Merge Games. This version of Smalland: Survive the Wilds has been in active development since May 2020.
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