Highlights
- Prepare for island dangers by crafting key items first, like a Primitive Bed of Leaves and Campfire with Stones.
- Rest in a proper bed to cure diseases and restore health, using the time mechanic to control sleep duration.
- Craft tools like the Stone Cutter, Stone Axe, Stone Spear, Rain Water Collector, Portable Box, and more to survive and thrive.
Survival: Fountain of Youth puts players in the shoes of a shipwreck survivor who has crashlanded on a mysterious island. Navigating the inhospitable wilderness of the islands requires forethought and preparation.
8 Best PvP Multiplayer Survival Games, Ranked
Those looking to survive with friends and against others will definitely want to check out these Multiplayer Survival titles.
Crafting the right item at the right time can save players a lot of hassle by preparing them for the island's dangers before they become a real issue. Having a laundry list of items that need to be crafted first in order to get a good start in the game can be quite helpful, especially at higher difficulties.
8 Primitive Bed of Leaves
A Safe Place to Sleep
- Recipe: 5 Narrow Leaves
In the spirit of realism, sleep is a requirement in Survival: Fountain of Youth. Players can sleep anywhere they please just by pressing T and selecting the amount of time they want to take a nap; however, as players might expect, sleeping in a bed is vastly preferable to sleeping out in the wilderness.
The first proper bed players will be able to make is called a Primitive Bed of Leaves. It only requires a few Narrow Leaves to craft, which can be found on nearly every leafy tree in the game (sometimes even on the ground). Sleeping in a proper bed has an increased chance of curing all diseases and restoring a large amount of health, depending on the time allotted to sleep.
7 Campfire with Stones
Multipurpose Roasting Station
- Recipe: 3 Stones, 5 Small Sticks
While some basic recipes can be crafted directly from the crafting menu without needing external tools, others require a Campfire or a Campfire with stones to be made. In any base players build, the very first structure they put down should be a Campfire with Stones as it fulfills both requirements.
Recipes that require Campfires include all roasted food items (Roasted Meat, Roasted Scorpion, Roasted Bananas, etc.) and most Medicine. Players can build a Campfire with Stones by combining five Small Sticks and three Stones.
6 Stone Cutter & Stone Axe
Basic Tools For Harvesting
- Recipe: 1 Stone; 1 Stone, 1 Small Stick
As with any survival game, the core gameplay loop of Survival: Fountain of Youth revolves around collecting resources and using them to build bigger and better things. However, while a good few resources can be harvested just by interacting with the source, others can only be obtained if players have the relevant harvesting tool in their inventory.
Best Survival Strategy Games, Ranked
The survival-strategy hybrid genre is a complex one, and there are several unique games that fall into this category.
In the early game, these tools are the Stone Cutter - crafted using one Stone - and the Stone Axe - crafted using one Stone and one Stick. Having both items in the inventory is a must for players looking to head out to explore the region. Stones can be obtained from Stone Piles or by breaking down Massive Stones.
5 Stone Spear
Best Early Game Melee Weapon
- Recipe: 1 Long Stick, 1 Stone Cutter, 1 Liana Rope
There are three varieties of melee weapons in Survival: Fountain of Youth: Knives, Axes, and Spears. Axes deal decent damage and double as harvesting tools, but they only work in relatively close range and cannot be thrown with any accuracy. Knives have an even shorter range than axes, but their swings are quicker, and they can be thrown efficiently.
Lastly, spears have the best range out of all the melee weapons, and they can be thrown with extreme accuracy, making them decent at long range. Given a choice, players should always opt to bring a spear as the melee weapon to an excursion, and the Stone Spear is the first high-damage spear players will find themselves able to craft after graduating from wooden tools.
4 Rain Water Collector
Renewable Source of Drinking Water
- Recipe: 1 Liana Rope, 1 Coconut Flask, 1 Wide Leaf, 4 Small Sticks
Finding drinking water should be every player's very first concern when they first step foot on the island. Green Coconuts are the easiest method of obtaining water, but for a more permanent solution, players will be able to build a rain water collector and place it out in the open to collect rain water the next time it rains. This water can not only be used to quench thirst and refill the water meter, but it also serves as an ingredient in some high-level recipes unlocked later in the game. Building a rain water collector means players are building a long-lasting, renewable source of a valuable item that respawns automatically over time.
3 Portable Box
Increase Carrying Capacity
- Recipe: 2 Long Sticks, 2 Narrow Leaves, 2 Wide Leaves
Carry capacity is one of the most important stats to level up in Survival: Fountain of Youth, as it defines how much stuff a player can carry on their back at any given time. Players can equip a 'bag' in the Bag Slot in the equipment menu to increase this capacity. In the early game, the only 'bag' item that can be crafted is called the Portable Box, which increases carrying capacity by 10 units. Obtaining this item should be among the first priorities for a player.
10 Best Survival Games To Play If You Like Nightingale
If players enamored with the new survival game Nightingale can't wait for it to leave Early Access, these similar survival games can fill the void.
Alternatively, if players choose the Leather Backpack item from the tutorial chest, they can equip it on the island to increase their carry weight by 22 units. On top of that, players will also be able to increase their natural carry limit by leveling up Strength, which gains experience when players fight in melee combat or walk while over-encumbered.
2 Box Made of Branches
Storage Space for Supplies
- Recipe: 4 Small Sticks
One of the very first items players will want to craft for their base is the Box Made of Branches. Each box only costs 4 Small Sticks but can hold up to 40 units of resources and items before reaching capacity. The gameplay loop of Survival: Fountain of Youth mostly involves harvesting resources from the island and bringing them back to the player base to convert into useful materials through crafting.
The Box Made of Branches is the very first storage chest players get access to, and building it allows them to stock up on supplies. Players can also opt for the Large Box Made of Branches, which requires 2 Long Sticks and 6 Small Sticks to make and has 80 units of capacity. But for the super early game, the regular box is more than enough.
1 Regular Workbench
Craft the Next Tier of Items
- Recipe: 2 Long Sticks, 2 Liana Ropes, 4 Small Sticks
A lot of the basic items in Survival: Fountain of Youth can be crafted without needing a workbench, but building a Regular Workbench is a must for crafting the next tier of items. With a Regular Workbench, players can create items like the Obsidian Spear, the Tusk-tipped Harpoon, the Bone Knife Blade, and more.
Most materials that require a Workbench to be crafted also require a hammer to be equipped. Luckily, players can craft a Wooden Hammer easily by combining 1 Big Branch and 1 Small Stick. Once players obtain the necessary materials, they can even improve the Workbench to an Improved Workbench, unlocking new and more powerful recipes in the process.
