Rotwood is an early access Roguelike dungeon crawler that launched into early access in 2024. However, it did see some versions being play-tested even earlier than that. Plenty of mechanics and enemies have persisted since the beginning, but there are several new mechanics showing up in later builds. These mechanics include both the gem mechanics and food buffs.

Food buffs are involved with that knife and fork symbol that some players might be wondering about. This symbol is present for every expedition they set out on, but there is no consumable food items or cook NPCs present in the game. The gem and food mechanics could change wildly over the course of the game’s development, but this guide will detail what exactly they mean — and what you can do about them — at the time of writing.

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What Does The Knife & Fork Symbol Mean In Rotwood?

Rotwood Food Buff heart

The 2024 early access version of Rotwood has a much larger focus on the game's combat and expeditions, but many gamers have wondered how to utilize the knife and fork symbol. Originally, Corestones were required for a lot more than they are now, and one use was adding buffs from certain consumable foods. These buffs gave players all sorts of different effects, such as environmental damage mitigation or changing probability to bend luck to their favor.

Once one of these buffs was in effect, it replaced the knife and fork symbol with the relevant buff.

How To Use Food Buffs In Rotwood

Rotwood food buff silver lining

There is no official way to use food buffs in the current version of the game. This can greatly change over the course of early access, or even change entirely after a full release. Some gamers have managed to use cheats to activate the ones sitting in the game’s code, which means these buffs might be making a proper appearance for players to try out pretty soon.

These buffs will add a much greater degree of strategy and complexity to runs, and they might even be a requirement for completing locations at their most challenging difficulties. This is just one of many exciting mechanics players can expect from Rotwood down the line to make the game more enjoyable and engaging as the developers continue to flesh out the game.

Rotwood Tag Page Cover Art
Rotwood

Platform(s)
PC
Released
April 24, 2024
Developer(s)
Klei Entertainment
Genre(s)
Action , Dungeon Crawler
Publisher(s)
Klei Entertainment