Survival
Casualties Unknown survival guides
Start here if you keep dying before layer 3. These pages cover the everyday loop of a run: what to do first, how to read the status icons, and how to keep your character fed, rested and willing to carry on.
Where to start
Read these in order on your first evening with the game.
- Beginner guidePlastic, then a canteen, then a foliage bag
- Food, water and sleepClean water needs a campfire
- Mood and moodlesNaptails give a big mood boost
Every Casualties Unknown survival guide
- guide Beginner guide
What to do in your first run: the tutorial, first crafts, hidden controls, saving and how to stop dying before layer 3.
- Plastic, then a canteen, then a foliage bag
- Save at layer ends
- E-PDAs give fast Intelligence
- guide Mood and moodles
What the status icons mean, what raises and lowers mood, and why low mood can end a run.
- Naptails give a big mood boost
- Queasy is safe; more is not
- Mood helps your last stand odds
- guide Last stand
How the last-second revive triggers, what affects its odds and what to do when you get one.
- More likely with higher mood
- Sets happiness to about 10
- Cancels timed effects
- guide Food, water and sleep
How to sleep safely, what to eat, how to make clean water and how to manage temperature.
- Clean water needs a campfire
- Juice never spoils
- Check skin health before sleeping
Survival questions players ask
How do you survive in Casualties Unknown?
Stop bleeding first, keep clean, eat and drink before you are desperate, and do the tutorial. Most early deaths come from falls, glass and untreated wounds. Details →
Can you save in Casualties Unknown?
Yes, at the end of each layer. Players do not expect saving in the middle of a layer. Details →
How do you sleep in Casualties Unknown?
Use the Zzz button in the health panel, a sleeping bag or a Naptail. Treat open wounds and low skin health before you sleep. Details →
What is a moodle?
A round status icon that reports a condition, such as bleeding or hunger. Hover over one to read it. Details →
What is last stand?
A second chance that can trigger just before death, more likely with higher mood. It is never guaranteed. Details →
How do you raise mood?
Eat a Naptail somewhere safe, drink juice and eat good food. Pain, corpses and hunger all push it down. Details →
How do you make clean water?
Fill a canteen with groundwater, light a campfire and craft water while you are next to it. Details →
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