Traps in Don't Starve are like Swiss Army knives: they solve problems you didn’t even know you had. From passive food farming to turning hound waves into tooth factories, mastering traps is the difference between surviving and thriving. Let’s break down how to use them like a pro.

1. Basic Trap Mechanics: What New Players Miss

Traps aren’t just for rabbits. Here’s what the game doesn’t tell you:

  • No bait? No problem. Place traps directly on rabbit holes or spider dens for automatic catches.
    Example: Drop a trap on a rabbit hole, and it’ll snag the rabbit when it exits.
  • Resetting is free. Picking up an untriggered trap costs no durability. Use this to reposition traps strategically.
  • Monster meat machines. Spiders walk into traps if lured away from their nest. Perfect for silk farming.

2. Early-Game Trapping: Stop Starving by Day 10

New players often starve trying to chase rabbits. Here’s how to automate food:

Step-by-Step Rabbit Farm

  1. Craft 4-6 traps (6 grass + 2 twigs each).
  2. Place them on rabbit holes in savannahs (highest hole density).
  3. Collect 1-2 morsels daily. Pair with ice (winter) or berries for meatballs.

Image showing traps placed on rabbit holes in a savannah biome
Setting up traps on rabbit holes for automatic catches.

-- Meatball Recipe: 1 morsel/monster meat + 3 ice/berries AddToCrockpot("meatballs", {meat=1, filler=3})

Spider Den Cheese

  • Trap spiders by placing 2-3 traps near tier 3 dens. Let warriors chase you into traps.
  • Use monster meat for meatballs or eggs (via birdcage).

Image illustrating traps placed near a spider den
Using traps to farm silk from spider dens.

3. Mid-Game Defense: Turn Hounds into Resources

Hound waves escalate, but traps turn them into profit:

Tooth Trap Fields

Strategy Setup Time Effectiveness Cost
Sparse Field 1-2 days Handles early waves 10-15 teeth
Dense "Killbox" 4-5 days Deletes 20+ hounds 40+ teeth
  1. Place 20+ tooth traps 1 screen from base.
  2. Stand near them during hound warnings. Hounds path into traps.
  3. Collect teeth to expand the field.

Pro Tip: Add a flingo to prevent summer fires.

4. Advanced Tactics: Winter Survival and Boss Kills

Traps scale into late-game challenges:

Winter Food: Ice + Traps = Infinite Meatballs

  • Mine icebergs for ice (3 ice + 1 monster meat = meatballs).
  • Combine with rabbit traps for backup food.

Boss Cheese

Boss Trap Type Setup
Deerclops 40-50 Tooth Traps Lure through the grid 3-4 times
Bee Queen Bramble Traps (Wormwood) 20+ traps + kiting
Toadstool 80+ Bramble Traps Place in phases to avoid stomping

Image showing traps set up for a boss fight
Strategically placed traps to cheese bosses like Deerclops.

5. Case Studies: Real Players, Real Wins

The Spider Empire (Day 50+)

  • Player "WebberMain" built 8 traps around 4 spider dens. Result: 12 silk/day and infinite monster meat for bacon & eggs.

Hound Wave AFK (Day 100)

  • "BaseBuilder99" created a 60-tooth trap killbox with a flingo. Hounds now die offscreen while they farm.

Winter Without Farms (Day 21)

  • "IceQueen" used 10 rabbit traps + iceberg mining. Survived winter on meatballs and pierogies.

6. Traps vs. Alternatives: When to Switch

Traps aren’t always optimal. Compare:

Chart comparing traps to other methods for dealing with enemies
Pros and cons of using traps versus alternative methods.

Method Pros Cons
Tooth Traps Scalable, low maintenance Grindy setup
Pig/Bunnymen High DPS, renewable Requires infrastructure
Fire Farms Instant kills Risk of base destruction

Use traps for early-mid game, then transition to bunnymen or boss loot.

TL;DR: Trap Like a Pro

  1. Rabbits: Trap holes for morsels + ice meatballs.
  2. Spiders: Farm dens for silk + monster meat.
  3. Hounds: Build tooth trap killboxes.
  4. Bosses: Cheese with bramble/tooth trap grids