Since the first time I set foot on The Long Dark back in 2015, the Trapper’s Hut in Mystery Lake has been my home. It doesn’t matter in which of the 16 regions I was born, or where my journey takes me. I would eventually end up in the Trapper’s hut moving things around. and collect equipment to try to survive as long as possible. At least that was the case until the Broken Silence update launched on December 2, 2024.
For the uninitiated, The Long Dark is a post-apocalyptic survival game set in the frozen Canadian wilderness. Open world survival mode has a few objectives. Players need their own motivation to move through the world. The goal is to stay alive as long as you can in a hostile environment. Something as simple as the wind or as scary as a bear or cougar can kill you. The gameplay is closer to pure survival, and the Permadeath option keeps the stakes higher than DayZ.
As players strive to stay alive as long as possible. They will inevitably choose one or two safe houses to call home. When you live hundreds or even thousands of days You won’t be able to be on the road all the time. Eventually things will calm down and you will begin to move away. and venture into hostile parts of the world to fulfill your basic survival needs.
Before the Broken Silence update, safehouse selection was governed by a number of factors. This includes the amount of storage space a location has. and desk access Both features are essential for living buildings to survive in the long term. Post Broken Silence, however, players can use the new safehouse customization feature to create their own furniture. Including storage. They can destroy workbenches found in the world and rebuild them in their desired location. This means that the list of available safehouse options now includes almost every building in the game’s 16 world regions.
There are other factors. Things to consider include: Does your safe house have a stove? And how many burners does the stove have? You don’t want to choose a spot where a bear, cougar, or coyote can spawn outside your door. And bite you on your cold ass You might want easy access to fishing or rabbiting or whatever.
How you choose to hang yourself at the end of the day is a personal decision in The Long Dark. For years, I felt boxed into a single choice based on my preferences. Now, the possibilities are nearly endless. And for the first time in years, I felt like I could see the world from a different perspective.
With thoughts of looking for a house to live in So I packed up my things and headed to the Coastal Highway, where I found a nice waterfront cabin to live in now. It is unlikely that this house will become my permanent home before all is said and done. Because my mind couldn’t help but wonder what other region had an ideal safe house that I hadn’t thought of before. What can I do with a giant farmhouse in Pleasant Valley? Can I enjoy a quieter area like Broken Railroad while living outside of the Hunting Lodge with its large basement and six-burner stove? That’s 12 liters of drinking water at a time. If you know, you know.
The opportunity to explore those options took a game I’d been playing for nearly a decade and made it feel brand new. That’s a terrible idea to process. A decade old game that feels fresh
The Broken Silence update for The Long Dark doesn’t just introduce safehouse customizations. But it also brings a fresh look at wildlife, with Trader having his own mission, cougars, and an immersive photo mode to name a few of the features. If you haven’t been to Great Bear Island in a few years, This holiday season is the perfect time to dive back in. Just make sure you prepare a hot drink before lighting it. Trust me.
