Best Don’t Starve Characters

Don’t Starve Together is the multiplayer version of the super unique and addictive game Don’t Starve. This game involves teaming up with friends to play different characters and try to survive in The Constant. Each of these characters has their unique skills, strengths, and even weaknesses, meaning that a well-rounded cast of characters can make surviving a bit easier.

Because each character is so unique and different, it can be hard to figure out which character is the best. While this depends on playstyle, it can still be argued that some characters are more useful than others. There are cons to each character to balance out the pros, so finding the best one that suits a player is ideal.

Updated December 17, 2024, by Ashely Claudino: The Don’t Starve series has some of the best indie games out there. Over the years, several characters have been released for the game, whether it’s the original, sequel, or DLC content. This list has been updated and now includes a list at the end summarizing all of the characters’ stats and quirks as well as improved images.

25 Wes

Does Less Damage And Needs More Food

• First Appearance: Don’t Starve Together
• Health: 75
• Hunger: 75
• Sanity: 75
• Perk: Incapable of talking and is very fragile. Inflates balloons that explode when they take damage.

Some Don’t Starve characters are only good if players looking for a gaming challenge, and Wes is one of those characters. However, if the player isn’t looking to take things to the next level, they might want to skip him. Wes does 25 percent less damage and gets hungry 25 percent faster than just about every other character.

His special ability is creating balloons that can distract enemies and do a tiny bit of damage when they pop. This use is unlimited, but it does cost 5 sanity to use. The fact that he does not speak means players will never get survival cues or communicate with other characters. Overall, it’s a struggle to survive as Wes. For solo or group runs, Wes will only hold players down and can be a risk for survival.

24 Maxwell

Low Health and Perk Punishment

• First Appearance: Don’t Starve
• Health: 75
• Hunger: 150
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: Can conjure shadow puppets.

Maxwell was originally the villain of Don’t Starve before he found himself trapped in The Constant. While Maxwell can be a fun character to play because he can spawn Shadow Puppets using his Codex Umbra and his sanity is incredibly easy to manage, he’s not as strong as many other characters.

He also starts in The Constant with his items, such as the Dark Sword, Night Armor, Purple Gem, some Nightmare Fuel, and his book.

The Shadow Puppets can live up to 2.5 days before dying off. Upon summoning the puppets, Maxwell will lose 15 Health, 2 Nightmare Fuel, and 55 Maximum Sanity. While it’s satisfying seeing the antagonist trapped in The Constant, he’s not a character worth playing as he has such low health, so it can be hard to explore unless players can keep up his armor.

23 Wilson

Freezing Resistance and Insight Ability

• First Appearance: Don’t Starve
• Health: 150
• Hunger: 150
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: Will grow a large beard

Wilson is the first character that fans will play with, as he is the only character unlocked when starting the game. For so long Wilson has been the default character with very few abilities except for his beard. The beard can be useful for the winter because it gives the player 135 insulation against Freezing, and it can also be shaved for Beard Hair, which is needed to make a Meat Effigy.

The Effigy will restore 10 Sanity as well as resurrect the player on Death.

But thankfully, an update eventually gave Wilson his own abilities, which is perfect for those starting out. While players are exploring the game, Wilson can now gain ‘Insight’, which can be spent on learning new abilities under categories such as “Beard”, “Torch”, and “Alchemy”.

22 Wortox

Resistant to Negative Effects But Must Eat Souls to Survive

• First Appearance: Don’t Starve Together
• Health: 200
• Hunger: 175
• Sanity: 150
• Perk: Can gain souls, release them to heal, or eat them to gain hunger but craves souls as food and takes less healing from other food items.

Wortox is a DLC character who once worked with Krampus until his life took a terrible turn. Wortox is unique because he primarily eats Souls, items dropped by other players or creatures upon their death. He can eat food but gains only half the amount of health as other characters.

Wortox can use Souls to teleport short distances and doesn’t lose as much sanity near monsters. However, since he eats Souls primarily, he does crave them often, which means eating regular food only affects him halfway.

Souls will appear if something dies within 20 units from Wortox, but they must be collected within 10 seconds. So players have to make sure to be quick on their feet.

21 Wurt

Great Merm-Related Buffs But Tough to Feed

• First Appearance: Don’t Starve Together
• Health: 150 (Or 250)
• Hunger: 200 (Or 250)
• Sanity: 150 (Or 200)
• Perk: Can befriend Merms and make disguises for teammates but can’t eat meat or non-vegetables and loses sanity when holding them.

Wurt is a DLC character and young Merm. She can craft Merm homes and marsh turf. Additionally, she can summon the King by crafting her Royal Tapestry, and once he is summoned, her stats will be buffed.

Housing and befriending Guards will help players feel more protected as they will help her battle or do chores. Unlike other non-human characters like Wortox, Wurt isn’t attacked by creatures like the Bunnymen. One of the main disadvantages for Wurt is the fact that she is a vegetarian. On the bright side, she’s able to eat durian without any side effects. Another big disadvantage is her relationship with pigs. They will try to attack her on sight, and she despises them as well. Even with a disguise, she can not befriend pigs or try to trade with the Pig King.

While she sounds like a great character, it’s more for the later part of the game once she’s befriended guards, created tapestries, and covered the floors in marsh turf.

20 Woodie

Can Transform and Chop Trees Quickly, But Serious Stat Depletion Post-Transformation

• First Appearance: Don’t Starve
• Health: 150
• Hunger: 150
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: Has a sentient axe with unlimited durability and can transform into a Werebeaver but when his transformations end his stats are diminished greatly.

Woodie starts in The Constant with a unique axe named Lucy, who is constantly talking to him and encouraging him to chop down trees. Lucy can cut down trees faster than a normal axe and never breaks.

On a full moon or after eating a Totem, Woodie will transform into one of three different creatures if he eats two Monster Foods in under 4 minutes. These creatures are either a Werebeaver, a Weremoose, or a Weregoose. A Wereness meter will appear on the screen, and once it reaches zero, players will transform back to Woodie. The hunger meter will be quite low once he transforms back, so gamers should be sure to stock up on food before turning.

19 Wonkey

Neutralizes Character Nerfs and Can Run, But Aggros Many Mobs

• First Appearance: Don’t Starve Together
• Health: 125
• Hunger: 175
• Sanity: 100
• Perk: Doesn’t aggro Powder Monkeys or Prime Mates, can run 33 percent faster but is hostile to other mobs.

Wonkey is a secret internal character that players can unlock by having ten Accursed Trinkets in their inventory. Technically, Wonkey isn’t its own character since it cannot be selected from the menu. Rather, becoming Wonkey is a curse placed on whichever character the player is using. This means that Wonkey will neutralize any nerfs that the character has – Wigfrid can eat non-meat items or Wurt can eat meat, – and this is Wonkey’s main selling point since it doesn’t have any specific perks.

Wonkey also has permanent access to Moon Quay island and won’t aggro Powder Monkeys or Prime Mates. However, Pigs and Bunnymen are hostile to Wonkey – but they can still trade with the Pig King. Wonkey also has a slower move speed, but if it moves for three seconds it will start to run, and its running speed is 33 percent faster compared to other characters.

18 Willow

No Fire Damage and Has Bernie’s Protection, But Major Arson Tendencies

• First Appearance: Don’t Starve Together
• Health: 150
• Hunger: 150
• Sanity: 120
• Perk: Has a lighter and is immune to fire damage but will light fires whenever she gets too nervous.

Willow starts the game with her teddy bear and a lighter. This lighter can be used to start fires, which will help to slowly increase her sanity. And if players want to put those fires out, Willow never takes fire damage. Bernie, the teddy bear, can provide sanity and warmth to Willow. And if he is placed on the ground close to Willow at 15 percent or less Sanity, Bernie will grow to a larger size and help her battle mobs or bosses.

If Willow’s sanity starts to get low, and she has the lighter in her inventory, she will randomly set fires in front of herself. While they won’t hurt her, it can cause some serious problems, depending on what players standing by. She’s a decent character, as she’s the second character players will unlock, but she can be a bit hard to control if players don’t keep up with her needs.

17 Woodlegs (Single Player Only)

Brilliant Early Game Items But Can’t Be On or Near Land

• First Appearance: Shipwrecked DLC
• Health: 150
• Hunger: 150
• Sanity: 120
• Perk: Can craft a special boat and sniff out treasure, but takes sanity damage while on or near land.

Woodlegs is perhaps one of the most “stacked” characters from a starting standpoint. His inventory is filled with a bevy of useful items, and his specialty-crafted item, the “Sea Legs,” has the same durability as an Armored Boat and an infinite cannon to blast away at enemies. His special headgear allows him to “see” nearby treasure spots, and he will start the session with the closest treasure spot revealed. He can be a great resource for finding valuable items and his craftable ship is pretty powerful.

Unfortunately, Woodlegs will absolutely hemorrhage Sanity when he is on land (or hovering near a coastline, for that matter). This makes him very difficult to use during the early game and players will need to keep up with his quickly-draining sanity in the first few days.

16 Wilba (Single Player Only)

Great For Werepig Relations But Difficult Sanity Control

• First Appearance: Hamlet DLC
• Health: 150
• Hunger: 200
• Sanity: 100
• Perk: Has a special item that keeps her from transforming into a Werepig. Can befriend other pigs but is afraid of the dark.

If players are tired of being attacked and bullied by Pigs when attempting to gather resources near them, consider using Wilba. This unique character is the daughter of the Pig Queen and therefore swine royalty. Her favor will allow her to pluck items from Pig Villages and the denizens will sometimes gift the Princess with basic resources and goodies. She’s quite the ally to have if players plan on setting up near a Pig Homestead.

Unfortunately, she’s afraid of the dark and will lose Sanity at night much faster than a normal character. She has a small Sanity pool too, which makes it easy for her to transform into an insane state. Additionally, even though she starts off equipped with a handy necklace that will “keep her from entering her Werepig form”, it causes her to slowly bleed Sanity. She’s unique and useful in her own right, but it can be a chore to keep her sane.

15 Wilbur (Single Player Only)

Slow Walk Speed but Can Run and Produce Manure

• First Appearance: Shipwrecked DLC
• Health: 125
• Hunger: 175
• Sanity: 150
• Perk: Can run fast but has a slower base speed. Is an ally to Prime Apes but cannot talk.

This adorable little monkey is pretty useful in the right hands and comes equipped with two unique abilities that make him a cut above his human counterparts. Wilbur is fast, approximately 33 percent faster than other characters (when running, players will need to keep moving for approximately 3 seconds for that run stance to take effect). He also produces his own Manure every so often, which makes him a prime candidate for gardening and producing his food early on.

Unfortunately, Wilbur can’t speak, which makes communication a major roadblock. He’s also a bit slower when not running, meaning he will struggle in areas where maneuverability is required. Still, penalties aside, his quick running speed and self-contained Manure stockpile make him a stronger survivor than most.

14 Wheeler (Single Player Only)

Quick and Resourceful, But Easily Killed

• First Appearance:Hamlet DLC
• Health: 100
• Hunger: 150
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: Can easily track items, is faster, and has an air horn, but holds less than other players.

“The Intrepid Explorer” is a welcome addition to any surviving party. She starts each new world with a specialized horn capable of shooting items toward enemies, and she can locate any type of resource imaginable with her Navigadget. She can toss a resource in and the handy tool will point her to any that are nearby. Wheeler is also capable of dodging, and although the ability comes with a 1.5-second recharge, she will be completely untouched by damage during the animation.

Wheeler does have some downsides, with a smaller health pool than most and a fairly small inventory at only 12 slots. Players need more storage space with her, and she’s a bit fragile but should have no problem surviving with some solid armor and her handy dodge ability.

13 Wanda

No Health Bar But Becomes Very Nerfed When Old

• First Appearance:Don’t Starve Together
• Health: N/A
• Hunger: 175
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: She has no health bar, instead her time span is dependent on her age.

Wanda was introduced to Don’t Starve Together in September 2021, and she is especially unique compared to the previous characters. While some have upgradeable or weakened Health stats, Wanda has no health at all. Instead, she has a life span meter that looks like a clock. It starts at 20 and goes to 80. If Wanda reaches 80, she’ll die and the game will end. Thankfully, players aren’t meant to try and beat the game within this time frame.

Wanda’s special ability is a crafting tab called “Clocksmithy” where she can craft 7 unique items. One of which is called Ageless Watch which brings her life backwards by 8 years She can be a tricky character to use because each day is 12 years of her life, but if players strategize enough, they can utilize the fact she has no health bar to their advantage.

Even though she does not get hurt necessarily, each hit towards her takes some time off her life. She ages by the number of years equal to 0.4x the damage. One of the biggest disadvantages to Wanda is that, when she’s at an older age, she can’t carry heavy items, she deals less damage, she’s generally more tired and weak, and can lose far more years of her life when injured.

12 Walani

Early Game Exploration and Resilient Sanity, But Hunger Drains Quickly

• First Appearance:Shipwrecked DLC
• Health: 120
• Hunger: 200
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: Starts with a surfboard that she can re-craft, and dries quicker than other characters, but her hunger drains 10 percent faster.

Walani comes with her unique exploration tool in the form of a surfboard. This will help players navigate the waters early on, without the need to build a boat. She loses her sanity at a much slower rate, which is why she’s a great character for beginners. That said, she has some caveats that can be frustrating for some.

For one, her Health stat is much lower than average and her Hunger will deplete 10 percent faster than a normal character. It’s great that her sanity drains slower but on the flip side, it takes a bit more to “fill it back up.”

11 WX-78

Weak To Rain But Huge Late Game Upgrades

• First Appearance:Don’t Starve
• Health: 100 (Upgradeable to 400)
• Hunger: 100 (Upgradeable to 200)
• Sanity: 100 (Upgradeable to 300)
• Perk: Can be upgraded to increase stats. Immune to freezing but takes damage in rain and water.

WX-78 is a unique character because they are not human, something that impacts how they’re played. They can eat gears to upgrade their stats, but gears aren’t always easy to come across and could better be used in other structures, like an Ice Box. And if WX-78 is exposed to rain, they will take damage until they find shelter.

When lightning strikes them, they lose 33 Sanity but will gain 100 Health. While WX-78 has some of the lowest starting stats in Don’t Starve, for dedicated players looking to upgrade to a powerful character, this is the choice for them.

10 Webber

Doesn’t Aggro Spiders and Can Stay Warm, But Causes Hostility in Other Mobs

• First Appearance:Reign of Giants DLC
• Health: 175
• Hunger: 175
• Sanity: 100
• Perk: Can befriend spiders and grow a silky beard for warmth.

Webber is a young boy who lives inside a spider that tried to eat him. Now, he’s able to befriend the spiders that live throughout The Constant which can be huge for resource collecting and avoiding being overrun. But, being a spider means that other mobs like pigs will be hostile toward him, making it difficult to explore the world at times.

Webber can eat monster-based food, which can help keep him full and alive. He will also grow a silky beard to keep him warm against the cold, and it can be shaved with a razor to receive silk.

To unlock him in the Reign of Giants DLC, players will need to find Webber’s skull that drops by killing Spiders. When they find this, they will need to bury it in a grave mound. Lightning will strike that area afterward, causing him to rise, which will allow players to play him from then on.

9 Warly

Portable Crockpot and Ingredients But Needs Meal Variety

• First Appearance:Shipwrecked DLC
• Health: 150
• Hunger: 250
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: Can cook special items and has a portable crockpot but has harsher negative effects from food and doesn’t heal as much when eating it.

Before arriving in The Constant, Warly was a chef. In The Constant, Warly initially spawns with a Portable Crockpot and some ingredients to cook with. This is helpful because Warly won’t eat anything that hasn’t been cooked. But, players don’t have to craft a new crockpot and Warly can take his anywhere with him.

He enjoys eating different meals and will be able to remember what he ate over 1.75 days, so if he eats the same thing twice within that period, he will only gain a percentage of the normal effects that food gives. For group players, players might want to consider pairing Warly up with Wormwood, as those two make a great team.

8 Wolfgang

Damage Scales With Food But Loses Substantial Sanity Around Monsters

• First Appearance:Don’t Starve
• Health: 150 (Up to 300)
• Hunger: 300
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: Will get stronger when his stomach is full, but is afraid of monsters and darkness.

Wolfgang is an incredibly powerful character – as long as players can keep him well-fed. The fuller his hunger is (which is higher than other characters), the more damage he’s able to do. But as he gets hungry, he also gets weaker and weaker.

Along with this, Wolfgang is afraid of the dark and, when he’s around monsters, his sanity drops faster than other characters. Since food can be scarce, he can be a challenge, but he’s worth it.

7 Wendy

Wendy Is Weak, But Abigail Is Extremely Useful

• First Appearance:Don’t Starve
• Health: 150
• Hunger: 150
• Sanity: 200
• Perk: Can summon her deceased sister to aid in combat and isn’t afraid of the dark, but takes a damage penalty when attacking foes.

Wendy is one of the best characters for newer Don’t Starve Together players. She doesn’t appear to be much at first and she’s not very strong, which makes lots of things more of a challenge for her, but her ghostly sister Abigail is a huge help.

Abigail can be summoned by Wendy using Abigail’s Flower after something has died near the flower. Once summoned, Abigail can engage in combat for Wendy, which is a brilliant way to keep Wendy alive while collecting resources and enemy drops. Abigail can die, but she will not take Wendy with her and can be re-summoned after a cool-down period. Wendy is also not afraid of the dark and will take 25 percent less Sanity damage at night and in dark places.

6 Wickerbottom

Great For Resource Collecting

• First Appearance:Don’t Starve
• Health: 150
• Hunger: 150
• Sanity: 250
• Perk: Can craft without the Science Machine and make magical books but is incapable of sleeping and hates it when food spoils.

Wickerbottom is a really powerful character because she can craft items with no Science Machine, including being able to create books. The books can make birds spawn near players, plants and crops advance into their next stage, and she can even summon random lightning strikes near her. This can be extremely helpful later on in the game, and not needing a Science Machine is incredible for early gameplay.

Although these books cost her quite a bit of sanity, reading them can be amazingly helpful for different aspects of the game, like growing crops. She can only read a book a maximum of five times though, so make sure to use the ability wisely.