The Long Dark: Best First Aid Items

Key conclusions

• Antiseptic is the most important first aid because it prevents the risk of infection.
• Water purification tablets provide access to safe drinking water, which is critical to preventing dysentery.
• Antibiotics are necessary to treat such deadly diseases as infections, dysentery and parasites.

Long darkness is a realistic exploration survival game developed by Hinterland Studio and released in 2017. Players find themselves lost in the Canadian wilderness after a geomagnetic storm and subsequent plane crash. Players, finding themselves on an island where everyone seems to have disappeared, must learn to live and overcome Mother Nature. The condition can change in an instant, for better or for worse.

First aid items play an important role in survival, allowing players to prevent or recover from various afflictions. For deadly diseases like dysentery, having the necessary first aid supplies is the difference between life and death. Even non-lethal suffering can greatly reduce your chances of survival.

8 Antiseptic

Risks of infection will disappear

Antiseptic is a lootable item found in most containers, with an average of five uses. It prevents infection by reducing the risk of infection, usually acquired through wounds from a wolf or bear attack. Like most mineable items, it cannot be crafted.

A vital first aid item, players should never leave home without a well-filled bottle of antiseptic. Infections can develop in as little as eight hours, quickly catching up with unprepared survivors. Even for veteran players, infections can quickly prove fatal without antibiotics. Treating this disease requires time, resources and conditions, so it is important to avoid it if possible.

7 Tablets for water purification

No more fear of dirty water

Water Purification Tablets are rare, mineable items that can purify one liter of unsafe drinking water per tablet. These pills prevent dysentery by giving players access to clean drinking water.

These pills are useful when players don't have access to fire or the time it takes to boil water, such as when caught in a blizzard or recovering from a serious illness. It only takes one minute to purify the water, so even those stuck in cold conditions can use it without risk of exposure. In conditions where players are dying of dehydration, these pills can save lives.

6 Antibiotics

Fight this suffering

Antibiotics are obtainable first aid items that treat infections, dysentery, food poisoning, and intestinal parasites. They can be found in bottles, averaging six pills, with two pills required to treat each ailment. The exception is intestinal parasites, which require 20-40 antibiotics over 10-20 days, depending on severity.

Given that infections, dysentery and intestinal parasites are fatal if left untreated, players should always carry a bottle of antibiotics. Although food poisoning is not fatal, if left untreated, it will reduce players' health by up to 15%. This will make them very vulnerable, especially to animal attacks. Players who eat predator meat on high difficulties should stock up on antibiotics in case of intestinal parasites.

5 Bandages

Old reliable

A versatile first aid item, bandages can be hacked and easily created from a single piece of fabric. Used to treat blood loss, broken ribs, burns, sprained ankles and sprained wrists, players should always carry a good supply of bandages. They never know when they might need them. This is especially true in wildlife combat, where players can gain many of these conditions at once.

Of all the ailments that bandages can cure, it is very important that players use them when they are losing blood. If left untreated, this disease will attract predators to their location and quickly worsen their condition. A sprained ankle can also be fatal if left untreated because it interferes with sprinting, making it nearly impossible to avoid predators and bad weather.

4 Emergency incentives

Escape from the crisis

Emergency Stims are rare first aid items that can be mined. Unlike most first aid products, they do not treat a specific disease. Instead, they allow players to avoid deadly situations by overcoming stamina limits and suffering effects. By providing short-term unlimited stamina, stims allow players to quickly escape from predators and return home after attacks. Using this item will also allow survivors with injuries such as broken ribs to climb the ropes unhindered.

Please note that there is a fee to use this item. After its effect wears off, the player's fatigue will immediately drop to zero and the characters will become exhausted. Emergency pacemakers should be used as a last resort to avoid dangerous situations.

3 A bandage for the beard of an old man

Restorative medicine against the risks of infection

Old man's beard dressings are the herbal equivalent of antiseptic. Like antiseptic, one dressing is required to treat one risk of infection, although these wound dressings can be manufactured. Used to treat infection risks caused by animal attacks, prompt use of this item after an attack will prevent infection from developing.

Unlike antiseptics, wound dressings give long-term survivors a consistent and easy way to treat infections long after most buildings have been looted. They are also a quick and easy-to-access way for players to eliminate the risk of infection without antiseptics. An old man's beard can be easily found and collected, and a wound dressing is made long before infection.

2 Reishi tea

A natural alternative to antibiotics

Reishi Tea is a craftable herbal remedy equivalent to antibiotics that allows players to treat infections, dysentery, food poisoning, and intestinal parasites. Unlike antibiotics, each disease requires only one tea per dose of treatment.

This tea provides survivors with a sustainable, long-term remedy for these conditions after they have used antibiotics. Unlike antibiotics, reishi tea does not decompose, which allows you to prepare it several times without fear that they will be wasted. Reishi tea also provides players with hydration, low calories, and warmth (when heated).

1 Go! Energy drink

Energy when you need it most

Go! Energy drinks are single-use items. Rather than preventing or curing disease, these potions help players survive dangerous situations. They do this by increasing fatigue, reducing the rate of fatigue degradation, and stopping the decline in endurance.

These energy drinks are invaluable as they allow players to escape life-threatening situations such as animal attacks or blizzards. Even those who survive far from home can avoid these dangers thanks to temporary infinite durability. However, players should be aware of the duration of these effects. When they run out, the player's stamina will instantly disappear and 50% of their fatigue will be lost. This can be incredibly dangerous and even deadly when players are running from predators or climbing ropes.