FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions about Cataclysm DDA.

General

 @ : How do I enter a locked house? Just for academic interest, mind you...

You have several possibilities, depending on the tools you're carrying and the circumstances:

• Open a window or door: Occasionally you can simply open a window or door, which is by far the easiest approach. This won't work with most windows, and it's unusual to find an unlocked door, but it doesn't hurt to try.
• Break a window: Either smash, throw something or fire a ranged weapon against a window. Remember to clean the broken window (via * and g) before going through to avoid potentially cutting yourself. Note that cleaning the window takes a few minutes. Breaking a window creates a lot of noise. Using firearms or explosives will increase the noise even further.
• Remove a window: Either a stone hammer or a hammer plus a screwdriver will allow you to Deconstruct Furniture (*->E), which can be used on a window to remove it.
• Pry the door or window open: If you have a crowbar you can try to pry a door or window by activating it and selecting the direction where the door/window is. You might need to try several times to be successful (and you might not be successful at all). Prying a door open creates low noise. Failing to pry open a window will sometimes break it, causing a lot of noise.
• Pick the lock of the door: If you have a picklock kit you can try to force entry by picking the lock of the door, by activating it and selecting the direction where the door is. Success is based on your mechanics skill, and a failure can damage your picklock kit (and, eventually, destroy it). Picking a lock doesn't create any noise.
• Bash the door down: smash the door until it breaks. This is a lengthy process and you will destroy the door completely when doing so. It's only recommended as a last resort. Bashing a door down creates a lot of noise.

 @ : How can I drink water without puking all my hard earned potato chips?

You can either boil or purify any water you find. That will transform it into clean water, so you can consume it safely.

• Boil water: You'll need some kind of recipient (pot, stone pot or frying pan) and some kind of heating source (such as a powered hotplate, integrated toolset or a nearby fire - gather some wood and light it with a matchbook or lighter). Then boil it by using the crafting menu (&, then Drinks->clean water).
  • The easiest place to obtain untreated water is in toilets (found in all houses and some stores). If you use a hotplate all you'll need to do is to place yourself besides the toilet while carrying a recipient to boil the water in and some liquid containers to transfer the clean water to. If you don't use a hotplate, then you'll have to find a way to transfer the water from the toilet to your fire. Your best bet, as of now, is to use gallon jugs. They are very common, so you won't have a hard time finding a gallon jug of ammonia or bleach in a house. Empty it first, refill it with water from the toilet and proceed to boil it next to your fire.
  • You do not need to fill the pot with water: having it available as a tool and 'crafting' the clean water in the crafting menu is how you boil.

• Purify water: The fastest and easiest way, but for that you'll need a water purifier. You can find them occasionally in hardware stores, but you'll probably need to craft it yourself. To purify the water all you need to do is activate the purifier and select the water container. The amount of batteries used in the process will depend on the capacity of the liquid container.

 @ : How can I cook indoors and not die in the process?

You can use a hotplate, or start a fire placed in a brazier or wood stove. You can craft hotplates and braziers, and you can find wood stoves in LMOE shelters and forest cabins (or build one).

To properly use a brazier you'll have to activate it first to place it on the ground

To start a fire safely, place any wood or flammable materials in the same tile the brazier or wood stove is. Once lighted, the fire won't spread to other tiles.

 @ : How can I empty or transfer liquids?

Unload the liquid container you want to empty or transfer. The inventory will appear, so you can choose another liquid container to transfer the liquid to. Select the corresponding inventory letter and press RETURN. If you ESCAPE that screen you'll be asked if you want to pour it on the ground. Say Yes if you want to do so. Note that you won't be able to recover poured liquids.

For glass bottles of rotten milk you'll be asked to pour it on the ground right away.

Note that you don't need to be wielding a liquid container in order to unload it. The same applies to any other item type when you want to unload its "ammo" (flashlights, guns, etc).

 @ : I'm cold and can't sleep at night!

Gather some clothes that provide particularly high warmth (check the clothing page for that) and put them in the place you use to sleep in (or carry them with you if you're a nomad). Put the extra clothes on before going to sleep. Take them off when you wake up.

Check the warmth level of all your body parts in your character screen (@). If all of them are green then you'll likely be able to sleep without problems, unless a sudden drop in temperature occurs while sleeping.

Being hungry, thirsty, or wet can also make you feel the cold more, so try to avoid these effects before you go to sleep.

 @ : Yay science, and all that... but how the hell do I stop reading this book?!

Press the pause key (5 or .).

Components

 @ : This "Survival" stuff is neat, but where can I get sinews, plant fibres, bones and fur pelts?

You can get them all by Butchering creatures. To be able to butcher you'll need a knife-like tool in your inventory (pocket knife, steak knife, combat knife, etc - check the tools page for any item with a "knife" function). The more cutting damage, the faster you butcher, so a machete or combat knife are your best bet among the most common "knife" tools, followed by the butcher knife.

• Sinew and bones: Butcher mammals and other vertebrates (check the creatures with the BONES flag in the enemies page for a complete list).
• Plant fibre: Butcher plant-like creatures, such as triffids (particularly vinebeasts) and fungaloids.
• Fur pelts: Butcher a furry creature (check the creatures with the FUR flag in the enemies page for a complete list).

The amount of items returned when butchering will depend on your survival skill.

 @ : Where can I get leather patches and rags?

• Rags: Cut any item made of cotton (like a pair of jeans or a sheet). To cut it you need to activate a knife-like tool in your inventory (pocket knife, steak knife, combat knife, etc - check the tools page for any item with a "knife" function), select 1 to cut-up fabric and then choose the item in your inventory you want to cut. For t shirts and tank tops you can disassemble them instead (via ().

• Leather patches: You have the easy way and the hard way. The easy way is to cut leather items following the process mentioned above (items like purses, sneakers, leather jackets, leather pants and leather gloves, etc. Check the clothing page for a complete list). The hard way is by Butchering some creatures with thick skin(like giant frogs, but check the creatures with the LEATHER flag in the enemies page for a complete list) or apply a knife to a fur pelt.

When cutting, the amount of rags and leather returned will depend on your tailoring skill level. When butchering, it's survival what determines the amount of leather obtained.

 @ : Where can I find a rubber hose?

They can be randomly found in hardware stores. You can also obtain one by disassembling a crossbow or by smashing a refrigerator.

Enemies

 @ : Zombies keep re-appearing! How impolite of them!!

Either you are playing with static spawn mode off, which spawns zombies dynamically, or you're witnessing the undead's infamous ability to not remain dead for long.

To prevent zombies from resuscitating, you'll have to butcher them once they're down. You can also cremate them, run them over with a truck until there's nothing left but a red pulp... use your imagination, but don't take too long.

The important thing here is that their bodies must be destroyed, one way or another, and that the sooner you do it the better.

Weapons

 @ : I can't hit anything with my gun! What's happening here?!

You're either not skilled enough yet in the skill used to fire your gun or you aren't taking the recoil effect into account.

Most firearms create a certain recoil when being shot. You can check the recoil level of a gun by reading its description (the lower it is, the better).

After firing a shot a warning will appear in the bottom right side of the screen (displayed as Recoil, the severity color-coded from light grey to red). To make sure your next shot won't be under the effects of recoil, wait one turn (5 or .) or move your character one tile until the recoil warning disappears.

World

 @ : Erm... where am I?!

The New England region, in the United States.