Published , by Bill Lavoy
Published , by Bill Lavoy
Since the very first time I stepped into The Long Dark back in 2015, Trapper’s Cabin in Mystery Lake has been my home. No matter which of the 16 regions I spawn into, or where my journey takes me, eventually I’ll end up at Trapper’s Cabin, moving items around and stockpiling gear in an attempt to survive as long as possible. At least that was the case until the Broken Silence update was released on December 2, 2024.
For the uninitiated, The Long Dark is a post-apocalyptic survival game set in the frozen Canadian wilderness. The open-world Survival mode features few objectives, with player’s requiring their own motivations to fuel their moves around the world. The goal is to live as long as possible in a hostile environment where something as simple as the wind -- or as terrifying as a bear or cougar -- can kill you. The gameplay loop is as close to pure survival as it gets, and the permadeath option makes the stakes higher than the likes of DayZ.
As players strive to live as long as possible, they will inevitably choose a safehouse or two to call home. When you’re living for hundreds -- or even thousands -- of days you can’t be on the road all the time. Eventually things will quiet down, and you’ll start coasting, only venturing into the hostile parts of the world to fulfill your basic survival needs.
Before the Broken Silence update, choosing a safehouse was governed by several factors that included the amount of storage a location had, and its access to a workbench. Both features were essential to a building being viable for long-term survival. Post Broken Silence, however, players are now able to use the new safehouse customization feature to craft their own furniture, including storage. They can break down workbenches found in the world and rebuild them at their preferred location, meaning the list of viable safehouse options now includes almost every building in the game’s 16-region world.
There are still other factors to consider, including whether your safehouse has a stove, and how many burners that stove has. You don’t want to choose a spot where a bear, cougar, or wolf can spawn outside your door and bite you on your freezing ass. You may want easy access to fishing, or rabbits, or whatever.
Where you choose to hang your toque at the end of the day is a personal decision in The Long Dark. For years I felt boxed into one choice based on my preferences. Now, the possibilities are almost endless, and for the first time in years I feel like I’m seeing the world from a different perspective.
With house hunting on my mind, I’ve packed my travois and headed for the Coastal Highway region, where I’ve found a nice waterfront cottage to live in for now. It’s unlikely that this will end up being my permanent home before it’s all said and done, as my mind can’t help but wonder what other regions are holding ideal safehouses that I hadn’t previously considered. What can I do with the giant Farmhouse in Pleasant Valley? Could I enjoy a quieter region like Broken Railroad while living out of the Hunting Lodge that features a full-sized basement and six-burner stove? That’s 12 liters of potable water in one go. If you know, you know.
The prospect of exploring those options has taken a game that I’ve been playing for nearly a decade and made it feel new again. That’s a bonkers thought to process; a decade-old game that feels fresh.
The Broken Silence update for The Long Dark didn’t just introduce safehouse customization, it also brought a wildlife refresh, a Trader with his own line of quests, cougars, and an immersive photo mode to name just a few features. If you haven’t taken a trip 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 beverage before you fire it up. Trust me.