Food and drink keep your survivor alive in The Long Dark, a survival game set on Great Bear Island in the northern Canadian wilderness. Food fills your calories, which keep hunger at bay, while drinks restore hydration, which keeps thirst away. Many items do both, some keep you warm in the cold, and a few treat illness. Knowing how these pieces fit together will help you stay healthy for longer.
Showing 65 of 136 items.
Type
Food
Acorns (Cooked - Large Portion)
A larger serving of cooked acorns for a filling trail meal.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 320
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 0.25
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up.
- How to Get It
- Cook Prepared Acorns (Large Portion) with potable water over a fire.
Acorns (Cooked)
Cooked shelled acorns make a simple wild-food meal.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 100
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 0.03
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up.
- How to Get It
- Cook Prepared Acorns with potable water over a fire.
Airline Food - Chicken
A wrapped chicken meal salvaged from the Timberwolf Mountain summit wreckage.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 620
- Hydration (%)
- 5
- Vitamin C
- 29%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.25
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, very low-condition packs can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found in cargo containers in the Tail Section wreckage at the summit of Timberwolf Mountain.
Airline Food - Vegetarian
A meat-free packaged meal from the summit wreckage with useful vitamin C.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 560
- Hydration (%)
- 5
- Vitamin C
- 73%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.25
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, very low-condition packs can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found in cargo containers in the Tail Section wreckage at the summit of Timberwolf Mountain.
Animal Fat
Fat harvested from wildlife that can be eaten or rendered into cooking oil.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- Can cause food poisoning even at Cooking Skill 5.
- How to Get It
- Harvest from a bear, cougar, deer, moose, or wolf carcass; it can also be rendered into cooking oil over a fire.
Beef Jerky
A compact, cured snack that keeps well on long trips.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 350
- Hydration (%)
- -10
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, very low-condition jerky can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Canned Corn
Shelf-stable corn that adds vitamin C to meals or soups.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 295
- Hydration (%)
- 5
- Vitamin C
- 52%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.3
- How to Get It
- Found in Far Territory supply caches, Signal Void bunkers, the Zone of Contamination Concentrator, and food-themed Prepper Caches (except on Interloper); Sutherland the Trader can also supply it.
Canned Ham
A ready-to-eat preserved ham ration from Far Territory supplies.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 550
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 0.4
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings and containers when Tales from the Far Territory is installed.
Canned Pineapple
A sweet, vitamin-rich canned snack for the road.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 295
- Hydration (%)
- 5
- Vitamin C
- 56%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.4
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings and containers when Tales from the Far Territory is installed.
Carrot
A fresh carrot from Far Territory supplies, ready to eat or add to stew.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 175
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 9%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- How to Get It
- Found as food loot in buildings and containers when Tales from the Far Territory is installed.
Cat Tail Stalk
A wild stalk that provides food without spoiling.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 150
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 1%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.05
- Effect
- Does not decay.
- How to Get It
- Harvest a Cat Tail plant growing beside freshwater rivers, ponds, and lakes.
Cereal
A dry cereal ration that can be eaten straight from its package.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 700
- Hydration (%)
- -10
- Weight (kg)
- 0.2
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Chocolate Bar
A sweet, shelf-stable snack that can cause food poisoning when badly spoiled.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 250
- Hydration (%)
- -3
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, low-condition food can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Chocolate Bar (4 Days of Night)
A seasonal chocolate variant from the old Four Days of Night challenge.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- 4 Days of Night challenge
- Calories (kcal)
- 2,500
- Hydration (%)
- -
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- How to Get It
- Seasonal food loot from the now-discontinued 4 Days of Night challenge; unavailable in regular Survival.
Condensed Milk
A sweet canned milk drink that restores food and hydration.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 750
- Hydration (%)
- 25
- Vitamin C
- 12%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.25
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, very low-condition cans can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Cooked Potato
A cooked potato that can be eaten plain or added to a recipe.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 250
- Hydration (%)
- -3
- Vitamin C
- 24%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.15
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up.
- How to Get It
- Cook Potato over a fire.
Cured Fish
Salt-cured fish lasts longer and travels lighter than a fresh catch.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 0.2
- Effect
- At lower Cooking Skill, low-condition cured fish can still cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Place raw fish above 40% condition in a Salt-filled Meat Curing Box and let it cure.
Cured Meat
Salt-cured meat is a light, long-lasting ration that can also go into Pemmican Bars.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 0.25
- Effect
- Curing removes parasite risk from predator meat; low-condition cured meat can still cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Place raw meat above 40% condition in a Salt-filled Meat Curing Box and let it cure.
Dog Food
An emergency canned ration that can cause food poisoning when badly spoiled.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 500
- Hydration (%)
- 5
- Weight (kg)
- 0.3
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, very low-condition cans can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Dried Apples
Dried apples are a sweet, lightweight snack with some vitamin C.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 400
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 4%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.15
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Energy Bar
A compact emergency bar for travel and calorie top-ups.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 500
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 4%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Granola Bar
A compact oat bar with a small amount of vitamin C.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 300
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Vitamin C
- 2%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, low-condition food can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Ketchup Chips
A salty snack that restores calories but increases thirst.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 300
- Hydration (%)
- -6
- Vitamin C
- 5%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Maple Syrup
A sweet syrup used in Frontier Cooking recipes and as food on its own.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 850
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 0.3
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Military-Grade MRE
A rare, ready-to-eat ration that is dense, vitamin-rich, and slow to spoil.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,750
- Hydration (%)
- 5
- Vitamin C
- 65%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.5
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, very low-condition MREs can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Peanut Butter
A calorie-dense spread; badly spoiled peanut butter can cause food poisoning.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 0.5
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, low-condition food can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Pickles
Pickles provide vitamin C and are ready to eat straight from the jar.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 650
- Hydration (%)
- 5
- Vitamin C
- 50%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.6
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Pinnacle Peaches
Canned peaches are a quick vitamin-rich snack and a useful recipe ingredient.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 450
- Hydration (%)
- 20
- Vitamin C
- 56%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.5
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Pork and Beans
Pork and beans is a filling canned meal that can be warmed by a fire.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 600
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Vitamin C
- 2%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.25
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Pumpkin Pie
A seasonal pumpkin dessert from a discontinued Four Days of Night challenge.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- 4 Days of Night challenge
- Calories (kcal)
- 2,000
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 0.5
- How to Get It
- Available as food loot during the now-discontinued 4 Days of Night challenge.
Salty Crackers
A brittle, calorie-dense snack that can leave you thirstier.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 600
- Hydration (%)
- -20
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Tin of Sardines
A compact canned fish snack; badly spoiled sardines can cause food poisoning.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 300
- Hydration (%)
- 5
- Vitamin C
- 3%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.1
- Effect
- Below Cooking Skill 5, low-condition food can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Tomato Soup
Tomato soup is a vitamin-rich can that can be warmed before drinking.
- Type
- Food
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 300
- Hydration (%)
- 10
- Vitamin C
- 30%
- Weight (kg)
- 0.25
- How to Get It
- Found as packaged food loot in buildings, kitchens, and containers across Great Bear Island.
Type
Raw Meat and Fish
Bear Meat (Raw)
Raw bear meat needs cooking and can carry parasite risk on harder modes.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- Eating raw meat can cause food poisoning; on Stalker and Interloper, bear meat can also risk intestinal parasites.
- How to Get It
- Harvest raw meat from a bear carcass.
Big Bass (Raw)
The story-mode catch from Pleasant Valley’s Magical Pond.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- WINTERMUTE only
- Calories (kcal)
- 3,750
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 15
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch it at Magical Pond in Pleasant Valley during Wintermute Episode Three’s “Locals Tell of a Magic Pond” side quest.
Burbot (Raw)
Raw burbot is freshwater fish that can cause food poisoning if eaten uncooked.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,950
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 6
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch through ice fishing in freshwater lakes.
Coho Salmon (Raw)
Raw coho salmon offers vitamin C but risks food poisoning if eaten uncooked.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,650
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 12%
- Weight (kg)
- 5.5
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch through ice fishing in coastal saltwater.
Cougar Meat (Raw)
Raw cougar meat is risky to eat and can carry parasites on harder modes.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 850
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 0%
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- Eating raw meat can cause food poisoning; on Stalker and Interloper, cougar meat can also risk intestinal parasites.
- How to Get It
- Harvest raw meat from a cougar carcass.
Goldeye (Raw)
Raw goldeye must be cooked before eating and can cause food poisoning.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 630
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 2.1
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch through ice fishing in freshwater lakes.
Lake Whitefish (Raw)
Raw lake whitefish offers vitamin C but risks food poisoning if eaten uncooked.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 575
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 22%
- Weight (kg)
- 2.3
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch through ice fishing in freshwater lakes.
Moose Meat (Raw)
Raw moose meat is heavy to carry and should be cooked before eating.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- Eating raw meat can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Harvest raw meat from a moose carcass.
Ptarmigan (Raw)
Raw ptarmigan is small-game meat that needs cooking before eating.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 500
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- Eating raw meat can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Harvest raw meat from a ptarmigan carcass.
Rabbit (Raw)
Raw rabbit is small-game food that can cause food poisoning if eaten uncooked.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 500
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- Eating raw meat can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Harvest raw meat from a rabbit carcass.
Rainbow Trout (Raw)
Raw rainbow trout offers vitamin C but can cause food poisoning if eaten uncooked.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 575
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 20%
- Weight (kg)
- 2.3
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch through ice fishing in coastal saltwater.
Red Irish Lord (Raw)
Raw red Irish lord must be cooked and can cause food poisoning.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 930
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 3.1
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch through ice fishing in coastal saltwater.
Rockfish (Raw)
Raw rockfish is a coastal catch that should be cooked before eating.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,500
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 5
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch through ice fishing in coastal saltwater.
Smallmouth Bass (Raw)
Raw smallmouth bass offers vitamin C but can cause food poisoning if uncooked.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,500
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Vitamin C
- 11%
- Weight (kg)
- 5
- Effect
- Eating raw fish can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Catch through ice fishing in freshwater lakes.
Venison (Raw)
Raw venison must be cooked and may cause food poisoning if eaten uncooked.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- Eating raw meat can cause food poisoning.
- How to Get It
- Harvest raw venison from a deer carcass.
Wolf Meat (Raw)
Raw wolf meat risks food poisoning and parasites on harder modes.
- Type
- Raw Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 800
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- Eating raw meat can cause food poisoning; on Stalker and Interloper, wolf meat can also risk intestinal parasites.
- How to Get It
- Harvest raw meat from a wolf carcass.
Type
Cooked Meat and Fish
Bear Meat (Cooked)
Cooked bear meat is a filling meal, though it can carry parasite risk on harder modes.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- -15
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up. On Stalker and Interloper, bear meat can risk intestinal parasites unless cooked at Cooking Skill 5; low-condition meat can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Bear Meat (Raw) over a fire.
Big Bass (Cooked)
Cooked from the large bass caught for a Wintermute side quest.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- WINTERMUTE only
- Calories (kcal)
- 4,313
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 15
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up.
- How to Get It
- Cook Big Bass (Raw) over a fire after catching it at Magical Pond in Wintermute Episode Three.
Burbot (Cooked)
Cooked burbot is a filling freshwater fish meal.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,952.5
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 4
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition fish can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Burbot (Raw) over a fire.
Coho Salmon (Cooked)
Cooked coho salmon makes a coastal meal that provides vitamin C.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,650
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Vitamin C
- 9%
- Weight (kg)
- 3.7
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition fish can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Coho Salmon (Raw) over a fire.
Cougar Meat (Cooked)
Cooked cougar meat is a filling meal, but may carry parasite risk on harder modes.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 800
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Vitamin C
- 0%
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up. On Stalker and Interloper, cougar meat can risk intestinal parasites unless cooked at Cooking Skill 5; low-condition meat can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Cougar Meat (Raw) over a fire.
Goldeye (Cooked)
Cooked goldeye is a freshwater catch ready for a fireside meal.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 720
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 1.6
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition fish can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Goldeye (Raw) over a fire.
Lake Whitefish (Cooked)
Cooked lake whitefish is a freshwater meal that also yields cooking oil.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 575
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Vitamin C
- 16%
- Weight (kg)
- 1.5
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition fish can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Lake Whitefish (Raw) over a fire.
Moose Meat (Cooked)
Cooked moose meat is a rich source of food that takes a long fire to prepare.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition meat can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Moose Meat (Raw) over a fire.
Ptarmigan (Cooked)
Cooked ptarmigan makes a light wild-meat meal.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Tales from the Far Territory
- Calories (kcal)
- 450
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition meat can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Ptarmigan (Raw) over a fire.
Rabbit (Cooked)
Cooked rabbit is a lean meal from a renewable small-game source.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 450
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition meat can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Rabbit (Raw) over a fire.
Rainbow Trout (Cooked)
Cooked rainbow trout is a coastal fish meal that provides vitamin C.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 575
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Vitamin C
- 15%
- Weight (kg)
- 1.5
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition fish can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Rainbow Trout (Raw) over a fire.
Red Irish Lord (Cooked)
Cooked red Irish lord is ready to eat after a coastal catch.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 900
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 2
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition fish can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Red Irish Lord (Raw) over a fire.
Rockfish (Cooked)
Cooked rockfish is a coastal meal and a source of cooking oil.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,462.5
- Hydration (%)
- 0
- Weight (kg)
- 3.25
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition fish can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Rockfish (Raw) over a fire.
Smallmouth Bass (Cooked)
Cooked smallmouth bass is a freshwater fish meal that yields cooking oil.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 1,500
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Vitamin C
- 8%
- Weight (kg)
- 3.3
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition fish can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Smallmouth Bass (Raw) over a fire.
Venison (Cooked)
Cooked venison is a filling deer-meat meal.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 800
- Hydration (%)
- -5
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up; low-condition meat can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Venison (Raw) over a fire.
Wolf Meat (Cooked)
Cooked wolf meat is filling but carries parasite risk on harder modes.
- Type
- Cooked Meat and Fish
- Availability
- Base game
- Calories (kcal)
- 700
- Hydration (%)
- -10
- Weight (kg)
- 1
- Effect
- When eaten hot, grants Warming Up. On Stalker and Interloper, wolf meat can risk intestinal parasites unless cooked at Cooking Skill 5; low-condition meat can cause food poisoning at lower cooking skill.
- How to Get It
- Cook Wolf Meat (Raw) over a fire.
How Hunger and Thirst Work in The Long Dark
Your survivor has two basic needs, hunger and thirst, and food and drink cover them separately. Food restores calories to fill hunger, drinks restore hydration to fill thirst, and many items do both. A full stomach won't help if you're parched, so keep both in mind before you head out.
If either need runs out, your condition (your health) starts to drop, and it only recovers on its own while you're fed and watered. Sleep is the fastest way to win back lost condition, but it only works when both needs are covered, so top up before you rest.
How to Get Safe Water in The Long Dark
Water in The Long Dark is usually something you make yourself. Melting snow over a lit fire gives you unsafe water, and it has to be boiled before it's safe to drink. Boiling takes a while, so start early when you're thirsty. If you can't light a fire, purification tablets make unsafe water safe on the spot.
Drinking untreated water can give you dysentery, which is serious and can kill if it goes untreated. Treat everything you collect before you drink it, every time.
How to Cook Food and Store It Safely
Cooking turns raw food into something you can safely eat. Solid food can go straight onto the hot stones at your fire, while liquids need a pot or can set on the heat, and stoves cook food too. Each fire only has so much room, so plan what goes on the heat before you start.
Raw meat and fish carry a risk of food poisoning, and cooking removes that risk, though it costs a little of the food's calories. That trade is almost always worth making. The game's own hints also say wolves are drawn to raw meat and fish, so stay downwind when you can to help mask your scent.
Food loses condition over time, and where you keep it makes a difference. Food stored outdoors generally decays the slowest, while food kept indoors decays the fastest. Canned food and soda are the exceptions to that pattern.
What to Carry and Cook: Drinks, Meals and Ingredients
Drinks do more than quench thirst. Warm food and drinks give you a buffer against the cold, and you can warm a drink or canned food on or near a fire. When the weather turns, hot options are the better pick, so it's worth packing one for longer trips.
Meals are dishes made from several ingredients, and some recipes carry special benefits, so check what a dish gives you before you cook it. Frontier Cooking adds a skillet, new ingredients such as flour and broth, and a recipe system that lets you combine them into dishes like rabbit stew.
Ingredients are the raw materials that go into those recipes, so check what a dish needs before you use one up. Choosing well mostly comes down to matching what you carry to what you're short on.
Food Poisoning, Dysentery and Scurvy: How to Treat Them
Food poisoning, dysentery and parasites are the illnesses that come from eating and drinking, and antibiotics treat all three. Parasites can come from some meats, and reishi tea or burdock tea work as natural alternatives to antibiotics. Either way, you'll need to rest after treatment before the condition clears.
Scurvy is a different problem. The game tracks vitamin C, which slowly drains away, and if it runs too low you risk scurvy, which can kill if left untreated. Eating foods that contain vitamin C keeps your levels up, and vitamin C pills lower the risk too. Cooking can change how much vitamin C a food gives, so compare the raw and cooked versions before you decide what to eat.
FAQ
How do you get the Well Fed bonus in The Long Dark?
Keep your calories above zero for a long stretch of in-game days, and the bonus switches on. While it's active, you carry a little more and your maximum condition rises slightly. Letting calories hit zero, even briefly, ends the bonus and starts the count over.
Can you drink unsafe water in an emergency?
Yes. Unsafe water quenches thirst just as safe water does, but each drink carries a chance of dysentery. If you have no other option, keep an antibiotic or some reishi tea handy in case it makes you ill.
Is Frontier Cooking included in the base game?
No. Frontier Cooking requires the paid expansion pass for Tales from the Far Territory, so without it you won't have access to its skillet or recipes.