Running the house ยท Until the ending check on day 71

The stockpile is going. What replaces it, and what keeps it running?

Cooking, farming and trapping take over from the stockpile, and everything they need: planters, power, the right room, the doors that hold, and the people on the phone.

Every guide here is checked against the 9/2 Update (version 1.0.15511).

Start with this one

It answers the question the rest of the stage builds on.

The Satisfaction of Harvest Cook, trap or farm: which to build first Should I invest in cooking, trapping or farming first?

The decisions, in the order the run poses them

Each one gives a default choice, the reason, when it holds, what it costs and what to do instead.

[Main Quest] Cook a Hot Meal What a dish is worth: the ingredient grade nobody mentions Does it matter which ingredients I cook with? Guide Sep 3, 2026 Rooftop Garden What to plant, and what each pot is worth Which crops should I plant, and how long do they take? Guide Sep 2, 2026 A Second Pot of Green Which planter to buy, and what each one changes Which planter should I buy? Guide Sep 1, 2026 Rat Infestation - Set Traps Where to set every trap, and what it catches Which trap should I set, where should I put it, and what do I bait it with? Guide Sep 3, 2026 [Main Quest] Assemble Solar Panels Powering the house: what to build and what to burn How do I power my base, and what should I burn for fuel? Guide Sep 3, 2026 Before the Cold Hits Keeping warm: cold waves, rooms, heaters and tiers How does warmth work, and what do I need to get through a cold wave? Guide Sep 3, 2026 Feeling Unwell The outbreak on day 51, and the rats that make it worse What is the day 51 outbreak, and how do I stop it getting worse? Guide Sep 2, 2026 [Main Quest] Supply Exchange The stranger economy: what it costs to keep other people alive What does supporting survivors cost, and what does a trade actually get me? Guide Sep 3, 2026 Supply Rack What a location restocks, and how soon it is worth going back How soon is it worth searching the same place again? Guide Sep 3, 2026

How it works

The rules and formulas behind those decisions, with worked examples, and how to use the lists.

[Main Quest] Cook a Hot Meal How cooking works, and what decides the quality How does cooking quality work and how do I get Perfect dishes? How it works Sep 2, 2026 New Sprouts Unfurling How growing works: light, cold, anomalies and the ripe window How does growing actually work, and what makes a harvest bigger? How it works Sep 2, 2026 Rat Infestation - Set Traps Where to set every trap, and what it catches Which trap should I set, where should I put it, and what do I bait it with? How it works Sep 3, 2026 [Main Quest] Assemble Solar Panels Powering the house: what to build and what to burn How do I power my base, and what should I burn for fuel? How it works Sep 3, 2026 Before the Cold Hits Keeping warm: cold waves, rooms, heaters and tiers How does warmth work, and what do I need to get through a cold wave? How it works Sep 3, 2026 Weather Forecast on a Note The forecast is fixed: every dark day and cold snap What weather is coming, and what should I plant before it? How it works Sep 2, 2026 [Main Quest] Supply Exchange The stranger economy: what it costs to keep other people alive What does supporting survivors cost, and what does a trade actually get me? How it works Sep 3, 2026 Girl Next Door's Message The phone: everyone who trades with you, and what they run out of Who messages me, what can they trade, and what do they want? How it works Sep 3, 2026 Notebook What the codex counts, and what filling it pays you What does the codex pay me, and which milestones are worth going out of my way for? How it works Sep 3, 2026 Handy Tools What to craft at the workbench, and what the scrap is for What should I craft at the workbench, and what are the materials for? How it works Sep 3, 2026

Look it up

The lists a player at this stage keeps open. Each one works on its own, without reading anything.

Stove Recipes What can I cook, and what does it give back? Potted Plant Crops What should I plant, and how long does it take? Workbench Equipment What can I place in the house, and what does it do? Severe Weather Warning Forecast What weather is coming, and on which day? Cold Wave Strikes Crises What is coming, on which day, and how hard does it hit? Journal by Candlelight Codex What does each milestone ask for, and what does it pay?