Raft Beginner Guide: Tips and Tricks to Get Started

Raft brings a slightly different type of survival to the popular genre by literally throwing you into the ocean on a small raft surrounded by sharks, and it’s up to you to get from that unenviable starting point to those fancy raft houses you see in YouTube clips and streams. Of course, the road to that is not easy. First, you need to find food and drinkable water, as well as resources for crafting things that will help you survive. See below for tips and tricks on how to get started in Raft.

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Tips and Tricks to Get Started in Raft

For starters, check out the list of the must-have items in Raft that you should prioritize first:

What to Craft First in Raft

• Simple Purifier (x6 Plank, x6 Palm Leaf, x4 Plastic)
• Simple Grill (x6 Plank, x1 Scrap, x3 Rope)
• Simple Collection Net (x6 Plank, x8 Rope, x2 Nail)
• Wooden Fishing Rod (x6 Plank, x8 Rope)
• Wooden Spear (x8 Plank, x3 Rope)
• Empty Cup (x4 Plastic)

General Tips and Tricks for Raft Beginners

Next up, here are some general tips and tricks for survival in Raft if you are new to the game. You should always keep the following in mind:

• Never build on the edge of the raft – This is the first and most important rule. If you don’t want sharks to destroy everything you make, don’t place stuff there.
• Research everything right away – Make a research table and try to create as many new things as possible.
• Put simple collection nets all around your raft – Simple collection nets (see how to craft them above) can help you gather resources needed for research, so surround your raft with them as soon as you can.
• Always keep spare fishing rods and cups – In order not to perish of hunger and thirst on your raft, always keep a supply of rods and cups. Ideally, get a plastic storage box and fill it with these items because you can quickly turn the cups into fresh water and the rods will bring you food fast.
• Craft shark bait – To be able to dive and collect underwater resources, you first need to get rid of the sharks. To do so, craft some shark bait. You will need x2 Rope and at least x2 Raw Herring or Raw Pomfrets.
• Search coral reefs around islands – As mentioned above, diving can bring you the best resources, so don’t skip on exploring coral reefs and collecting everything you can find around them.
• More sails don’t always bring more speed – Don’t overdo it with sails. If you don’t create an engine or at least a paddle, your raft will move at the same slow speed no matter how many sails you put on it, so do not waste resources on them.

And that’s a list of basic tips and tricks for beginners in Raft. Of course, this challenging survival game quickly becomes much more complex, but as you progress, things will eventually become easier and you will be able to enjoy creating your dream Raft base.

For more Raft guides, check out How to Get the Diving Helmet, How to Get the Crane Key, and How to Beat the Alpha Hyena Boss.