We Happy Few – Survival Tips

We Happy Few is primarily a game about survival. You’ll need to scavenge, fight, and sneak your way through the dystopian city of Wellington Wells and try to escape. With hostile Wastrels, Wellies, and Bobbies patrolling the dark corners of each island, you’ll need to be careful and play strategically if you are to stay alive. We’ve rounded up some basic survival tips below to help you survive while island hopping in We Happy Few.

Mind Your Vitals

The most basic aspect of survival in We Happy Few is managing your vital stats and basic needs. This consists of maintaining a full Health meter and managing your hunger, thirst, and fatigue levels to maintain your Stamina. 

There are various ways to replenish your Health after getting injured in We Happy Few. Check out our guide on how to heal to see what you can do to restore a diminished Health meter. 

To alleviate hunger and thirst, you will of course need to eat food and drink beverages, though this may be easier said than done depending on your situation. Make sure to also find a Water Pump in each area to refill your Canteen and quench your thirst for a short time.

Blue Currants are a reliable food source early on if you’re looking to briefly quell your hunger without getting a bout of food poisoning from eating something rotten.

Fatigue can be alleviated by sleeping in your bed inside one of the Safe Houses. Note that while sleep can restore your Health and Fatigue meters, it can also make you very hungry or thirsty afterward, so save your food and drink for after your nap. 

Loot Everything

Scavenging for resources is a major part of survival in We Happy Few. You’ll need to scavenge for nearly everything, including food, drinks, and crafting components. It’s best to prioritize collecting items that can be used to craft supplies that you will need often, such as lockpicks or bandages. 

Check your Crafting inventory to see what ingredients you need for various items so you know what to look for while scavenging. Your inventory has a weight limit, which is listed under your Encumbrance level in your profile menu. You may need to offload some crafting components into your Pneumatic Stash to free up space.

Collect Blueprints

Speaking of crafting, you’ll want to collect any Blueprints you come across while exploring. Blueprints are essentially crafting recipes that determine what items you are capable of crafting.

Once you collect a Blueprint, its recipe will be added to your Crafting list. Note that some Blueprints are for items that can only be crafted at a Mechanical Crafting Table (Workbench) or a Chemistry Set, so you will have to physically visit these stations to craft those items.

Read Books

Books are also very valuable items to pick up in We Happy Few. Books can grant passive status effect bonuses that help improve your overall character stats. For example, the Iron Lung book reduces toxic fog damage. Be sure to pick up and read every book you find in the game so that you don’t miss out on any stackable bonuses.

Avoid Confrontation

While battling Bobbies and whacking Wellies may sound enticing, your best chance for survival in We Happy Few is to try to avoid conflict at all costs. Fighting one hostile enemy can quickly escalate into multiple enemies if you’re not careful, so it’s better to avoid confrontation whenever possible.

Stealth takedowns are a great way to eliminate hostile threats in a non-violent manner. Just be sure to pick up and move their bodies somewhere hidden so that no one else is alerted by a lifeless body laying across their walking path. If you find yourself in a situation where multiple enemies are chasing you, it’s best to try to run away as quickly as possible. Make sure to maintain your Stamina levels, just in case.

Get Digging

While scavenging, keep an eye out for Dig Spot notes, which point you toward the location of various Dig Spots throughout the map. Dig Spots are small piles of dirt with a treasure chest that often contains valuable items like Blueprints, Books, or crafting supplies.

Dig Spots will appear on the map with a shovel symbol after you’ve obtained their corresponding note, so make sure to visit the Dig Spots on your map to reap their rewards. 

Follow these survival tips and you just might make it out of Wellington Wells alive. Check out our other We Happy Few guides for more tips and tutorials.