Which Are The Best DST Solo Characters?

You may be wondering about who is the best character to play on solo in DST? My response: you’ve just asked the most difficult question in regards to the game.

Asking this question in a room full of DST veterans is a sure way to start a fight. Everyone has different ideas about which character is the best to play solo and will debate their point loudly.

Here’s an example: I tend to play solo a lot so I usually play Wendy. She comes with Abigail, her dead twin, which is a blessing when dealing with mobs. If I need to run away from Frogs (may they rot and burn), Abigail is a great distraction. She’s also great when fighting bosses because, even though she can’t be equipped with armor, Abigail will fight with all of her worth. It’s like I’m not even really playing solo. However, this is based on my playing style and preference rather than actual stats.

Thus, I write this article with objectivity in mind. I took time to understand the characters’ quirks, advantages, and downsides, all things that would affect default gameplay. This article is also current with the DST updates of new characters: Wormwood and Wortox.

So, sorry Wendy that you didn’t make the final cut. You know you’ll always be my #1. Now let’s get into the top 5 best solo characters:

5. Wormwood

He's a plant version of Pinnochio! Except nicer.

I’ve been loving this character who is a recent addition to DST. I give you Wormwood! He’s a plant based character who is great to play in the start of the game. Why? Because he plant seeds without a farm!

We could make a long list of the difficult aspects of DST gameplay with one of them being high on the list: food. It’s easy to use up food resources so imagine a character that can plant on day one, generating plenty of food before the start of the first Winter.

Why Wormwood is Great for Solo:

• Besides being able to plant seeds anywhere and anytime, planting gives Wormwood Sanity. So save up on seeds and you’ll not have too much trouble with this character’s Sanity dropping.
• If you happen to be around Beefalo while you’re low Health, you can pick up as much manure as you can and heal. For most of the other DST characters, they rely on healing items (such as Honey Poultice or a Tent) and food to heal up. But the beauty of healing by manure means you don’t need to go back to basecamp every time your health is getting low.
• Wormwood can’t be damaged by food. He will still feel effects on his Hunger and Sanity, depending on the stats for said food item. But if the only thing you have on hand in the wilderness is Monster Meat, then eat away (eat it cooked though).
• A definite plus is that lureplants are friendly to Wormwood. No more getting damage from the eyeplants.
• Have you seen his bramble traps? One trap requires less resources than a toothy trap (forgot to mention that Wormwood can produce living logs, one of the resources for the bramble trap). A bramble trap delivers 40 damage and has 10 uses which adds up to 400 damage in total. So you don’t even have to really fight! Just make enough traps and they’ll destroy your enemy for you (just make sure you wear armor when you do).

Usefulness Rating: 80/100

4. WX-78

He's Frankenstein's Robot Monster! 

I decided to go with WX rather than Wolfgang for #4 as best solo character. This is due to Wolfgang needing to eat much more food just to maintain his ideal weight AND that he has a petrifying fear of Darkness.

WX, on the other hand, has only one crippling weakness: water. This would make him particularly troublesome to play during Spring but it can be easily countered with a Raincoat. There are other reasons why WX is good as a solo character but the fact that his weakness is easily countered is a definite plus.

Why WX is Great for Solo:

• WX is built for fighting. Once you have him upgraded, his Health, Sanity, and Hunger will increase (400, 300, 200 respectively). And this is a permanent change as long as he doesn’t die.
• Because he’s a robot, he can eat stale or spoiled food so you don’t need to ever worry about how fresh your food is.
• He has an ability called System Overload. When struck by Lightning, he is given 100 Health. It also makes him glow which is useful at night.
• Other benefits with System Overload is that WX’s speed is increased by 50%. Not only that, he is immune to Freezing at this time.

Usefulness Rating 95/100

3. Wickerbottom

Wicker's a danger with a book in her hand.

One of the best things about Wickerbottom is that the most you’ll ever need in crafting (with Science, I don’t know about Magic) is the Science Machine.

The Science Machine is easier to come by since it requires less resources to make. So with a Science Machine made, you can have quick access to things you’ll need for survival such as an Icebox. In other words, no using up your time to make an Alchemy Engine. The less time you have to build, the more time you can focus on exploring and harvesting.

Why Wickerbottom is Great for Solo:

• You begin the game with 2 papyrus. You can either use this to craft a book or save it for an item that requires papyrus as a crafting ingredient.
• Her Sanity is 250. It’s a good sign that an insomniac has a strong mentality.
• The End is Nigh book is great in causing damage to enemies; this book will summon 16 Lightning strikes. It’s also great in harvesting feathers and morsels because you can use it with the Birds of the World book. In conclusion, you can cause a bird massacre. Slay, slay, slay away!
• Her Sleepytime Stories book puts nearby mobs to sleep. Imagine knocking out Deerclops in a fight.
• After creating a farm and/or garden, just have Wickerbottom nearby with the Applied Horticulture book and you’ll get more fruits and veggies than you know how to deal with.

Usefulness Rating: 90/100

2. Wilson

Wilson's lookin' good in his "Jack Frost" skin.

Why Wilson is a good solo character? He doesn’t have any downsides outside of default gameplay. Without any downsides, this means you don’t have to be hyperaware of Sanity, Hunger, or Health. 

So no having to be overcautious with WX by trying to find or craft a Raincoat early on. No need to overstock on manure or guano with Wormwood because his Health is too low. And you definitely don’t have to pick every flower and grape you find to keep Wickerbottom’s Sanity stable.

Conclusion: Wilson is a great asset to anyone who wants to play DST with a stable character.

What Makes Wilson Great for Solo:

• Reiterating what I’ve said earlier, one of the things that makes Wilson a great solo character is that he doesn’t have any downsides outside of the natural aspects of the game. It makes it easier to not have to worry about character quirks that cause faster drains on Sanity, Hunger, or Health.
• His stats are 150 Hunger, 150 Health, and 200 Sanity. Pretty good, huh?
• Wilson’s other great asset is his beard. One thing to know about his beard is that shaving increases his Sanity. According to the DS/DST wiki, it’s best to shave his beard every 5 days.
• If insulation is what you’re looking for, you’ll want to leave Wilson’s beard alone during Winter. When his beard becomes the Magnificent Beard, it provides 135 insulation against cold.
• The best thing about the beard is that it can be used to make a Meat Effigy. Resurrection items are a must when playing in Survival and Wilderness modes. With Wilson generating beard hair, you’ll have a guaranteed way to bring yourself back from the grave.

Usefulness Rating: 98/100

1. Winona

Winona: the "Mad" Engineering Genius.

You might think Wilson, who doesn’t have any downsides as a character, would be #1. But the love between sisters is one reason of many as to why playing solo with Winona is a win.

You may not know this but Charlie, the entity of Darkness, is Winona’s sister. Now Charlie isn’t going to be nice enough not to attack Winona whenever the character is without a torch. BUT this monster of shadow is willing to give her big sis one free hit every night before attacking Winona’s hp. Isn’t that sweet (kind of)?

What Makes Winona Great for Solo:

• Her stats are 150 Hunger, 150 Health, and 200 Sanity meaning, like Wilson, she’s a stable character.
• Winona has her own crafting tab called Engineering. In it, she can craft anything from a catapult (which delivers 42.5 damage) to a spotlight that acts as a light source to players near it. She can craft these items at anytime without the use of the Alchemy Engine, Science Machine, Prestihatitator, or Shadow Manipulator.
• Winona spawns in with 3 trusty tapes. These items are useful in repairing clothing so stock up and save up these items for Winter, Spring, and Summer.
• One thing you may not know: Winona can craft faster than other characters. This helps shorten time when trying to build weaponry, basecamp, or food.
• Winona’s disadvantage is that she loses 5 Hunger every minute of crafting. Why does this make her great for solo? Because this downside is way too easy to counter that it can't even be considered as a downside.

Usefulness Rating: 98/100

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