Escape the Darkwalker

Escape the Darkwalker is a Halloween-themed event for 2020, and is the successor of the 4 Days of Night Events. It will be available between from 6PM PST on October 29th to 6PM PST on November 12th

• In an endless night, you are stalked by an invisible, malevolent entity bent on your destruction. Keep your distance from the entity for as long as you can. Once it closes in on you, you die. The only objective is to survive for as many real-time minutes as you can.
  
• You can’t hurt the Darkwalker, but you can slow it down. Using special spray paint Glyphs, you can temporarily dispel or attract the entity.
  
• Any region of the world can be selected to start, but one can only stay in a region for 30 real-time minutes before Toxic Fog will appear. When the fog appears, you’ll have 5 real-time minutes to escape the region before you die. Once the fog takes hold, the region is impassible. A lot of your strategy will come down to where you travel and how far ahead you can plan your movements through the world.
  
• Since you can’t see the entity, you’ll have to count on what you can HEAR to stay alive. Listen for the entity’s cries, its footsteps, and how the spooky music builds as it approaches your location.

Strategy

• The Darkwalker is indestructible and invisible, and constantly chases the player across all Regions, indoors, in vehicles, and even inside mines. It produces audio ques and music based on it's current distance, and it's distance is shown exactly if closer than 200M. If the Darkwalker touches the player they instantly die.
• Toxic Fog fills a Region (major or minor) after the player has spent 30 real-world minutes inside it. This instantly spoils all food and drinks (including Coffee) in their inventory, and causes constant Condition loss while in the zone. Toxic Fog progress is shown for each region, by viewing it on the Map; a UI element will appear for the current Region, if Toxic Fog's progress is higher than 50%, and turn red if less than 2 minutes remaining. Toxic Fog fills a region instantly and completely as soon as it appears.
• Green Spray Paint can Lure the Darkwalker to a location (destroying the Lure upon reaching it), or Ward an area which protects the player if near the ward for up to 2.5 hours (in-game). Additionally, once per playthrough the progress of the deadly Toxic Fog can be reduced by 50% for one Region (most effective just before the Toxic Fog appears).
• Time of day is permanently fixed to night. This makes the world colder than normal, and the Magnifying Lens useless.
• The player starts out with a Bedroll, random clothes, food, medicine and other supplies.
• All Region maps are fully explored, but locations are unlabeled until discovered; the location of the Green Campfire in each major Region shown.
• Spray Paint spawns are replaced with Glyph Spray Paint, which makes anti-Darkwalker glyphs instead of usual informational markings.
• All Wildlife appear as usual, including a Voyageur grace period for hostile wildlife.
• EtD is set to Voyageur difficulty mode, and Feats cannot be used during it.
• Each of the 10 major zones contains one Green Campfire, which has unlimited fuel duration until it's nearby Ward is depleted. High quality loot is found beside each Green Campfire, either in a Hidden Cache, a Bin, a Backpack, or laying on the ground. Coffee, Glyph
• The Toxic Fog Timer considers mines/caves as part of their parent-region. For example: "Cinder Hills Coal Mine" is considered Coastal Highway, and the Bleak Inlet transition cave (connecting Forlorn Muskeg and Bleak Inlet) is considered 'Bleak Inlet'.
• The Challenge Badge "Escape the Darkwalker - Deadly Dreamer Badge (2020)" and the feat "Darkwalker" are earned simultaneously.
• Upon collecting all 10 notes, nothing happens.

Tips

• Plan a route. Choose a starting Region you are familiar with, and decide on a route to take towards the local Green Campfire, and then to the next Region.
• Keep moving. Toxic Fog is extremely deadly and only one "Dispel" (-50% Toxic Fog progress Glyph) can be made per playthrough.
• Minimize weight. Less weight means faster movement. Drop unused clothes, firestarters/fuel, tools, crafting materials, and excess food/drinks. Do not gather unnecessary items, and drop useful but excessive items (e.g. more Food than you need).
• Sleep as much as possible. The higher the Fatigue meter, the faster one's movement. Sleeping for 1 hour at a time is usually safe if the Darkwalker is not nearby, and Ward Glyphs are only necessary if it is. Ward Glyphs last for 2.5 hours (in-game), and Green Campfires always come with a free Ward Glyph near them.
• Ward Glyphs deplete constantly, as long as the player is near them, regardless of how far away The Darkwalker is.
• Coffee, Go! Energy Drink, and Emergency Stim are extremely useful for getting out of dangerous situations, such as escaping a Region before the Toxic Fog arrives. Bandages are also useful for treating a Sprain for sprinting or Rope Climbing.
• Flares and Marine Flares are effective at keeping Wolves and Timberwolves at bay. Revolvers and Distress Pistol are also effective, but heavier. Hunting Rifles are very heavy.

Rewards

Challenges

Escape the Darkwalker - Umbra Badge (2020)

Prerequisite: Survive for 60 minutes (real-time) in a single Escape the Darkwalker game.

Benefit: unlocks challenge badge.

Escape the Darkwalker - Deadly Dreamer Badge (2020)

Prerequisite: Collect 6 'Escape the Darkwalker Diary Pages' in a single game.

Benefit: unlocks challenge badge.

Feats

Darkwalker

Prerequisite: Collect 6 'Escape the Darkwalker Diary Pages' in a single game.

Benefit: "You are less Fatigued at night, but more Fatigued during the day."

Escape the Darkwalker - Diary Notes

Upon starting EtD an extinguished campfire and supplies will be found close by, an introductory note can be found

All Diary notes are found lying on the ground beside the Green Campfire in each of the 10 major zones. A can of Glyph Spray Paint is always found beside it, and a cache of high level loot.

• Starting Region Campfire: ON THE NATURE OF DARKWALKERS

"Glyphs of Power and their Uses:

Lure -- Attract the Darkwalker

Ward -- A shield, if only for a little while.

Dispel -- Push back the choking fog. But only once."

• Desolation Point: Diary Page

"I climbed the tall mountain, but it wormed in the earth below me. There was no escape, not even high above...my delirium has become its feeding ground."

• Coastal Highway: Diary Page

"The gnashing, the grinding, a thing from the stars. But no beauty sets down from that endless void..."

• Pleasant Valley: Diary Page

"...a pale river, turned in on itself, a rush of blood to my head. Only the crooked path leads me away..."

• Timberwolf Mountain: Diary Page

"I discarded the farsighted mask, and only bone remains. The gate is closed. Will it come for me now?"

• Mystery Lake: Diary Page

"...can't see it, can't fight it...only running. My heart, a black echo in the forest, always hunting for a green fire..."

• Bleak Inlet: Diary Page

"...do I give in to its will? That may be the only way back. But not yet, not yet. As long as I paint, I live..."

• Forlorn Musket: Diary Page

"The poison in my blood draws it closer...and now that poison fills the air...the formless hunting a form."

• Broken Railway: Diary Page

"...the signs hold it at bay, or lead it away from me...but who is the Glyph-maker?"

• Mountain Town: Diary Page

"...dead and dreaming, my only friend, the faceless moon who won't look away. There is no sunrise on Ganymede..."

• Hushed River Valley: Diary Page

"I crept upon the nameless city, stars in my eyes. But those eyes no longer see the world...just a choking mist. Over the horizon, that is where I escape."

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