| “ | Jeremiah's guide to surviving the Quiet Apocalypse. Listen to him if you want to live. In-game description
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Survival School was the third mission of the Predux Episode 2: Luminance Fugue of the Wintermute story. It has since been replaced after the V1.47 Wintermute Redux version of the game, but is still playable to those that download versions V1.15, V1.30, or V1.37 of Steam version of The Long Dark by using the Time Capsule.
Due to its overwhelmingly negative impact on breaking the pace of the game (especially for players already familiar with Ice Fishing, Hunting, Mending, and Foraging/players whom have already played Episode 2 before) and being able to do only one task at a time, this mission has since been replaced by the optional side missions Survival School and The Basics of Survival. The main mission that filled this spot of the story was instead replaced by Signal to Noise.
Objectives
- Learn to craft Fishing Tackle, then catch fish from Mystery Lake.
- Get to the Camp Office and find the fishing gear you need.
- [0/5.00 KG of fish] Place fish meat in the container at Jeremiah's Cabin.
- Learn to find, track, shoot, and butcher a Deer.
- Find the hunting grounds Jeremiah mentioned.
- [0/10.00 KG] Place the harvested deer meat in the container at Jeremiah's Cabin.
- Learn to mend and maintain clothing. It'll save your life some day.
- Find the Lookout tower, where Jeremiah left some skins drying.
- Repair Jeremiah's coat.
- Return the mended coat to Jeremiah.
- Learn to identify and harvest some of the edible, medicinal flora native to Great Bear Island. (Place in the container at Jeremiah's Cabin)
- [0/8] Reishi Mushrooms
- [0/8] Old Man's Beard
- [0/8] Rosehip
- [0/4] Cattail Stalks
- Return to Jeremiah.
Walkthrough
| Mission details | |
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| Mission length | Medium |
| Start location | Trapper's Homestead |
| Enemies to kill | 1-2 Deer |
| “ | No. What I suggest is Jeremiah's Survival School. Student Population: one. Let's see if we can keep you alive long enough to graduate. Jeremiah
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Any of the 4 mission tasks can be taken and completed in any order desired, but they must all be finished in order to get to the next mission Jeremiah's Folly. Only one School of Survival can be active at one time.
Fishing
| “ | M - Fishing. Do we really have time for this? J - You won't always have the means to hunt, so you need to know more than one way to feed yourself. Protein's scarce in the Winter. Fishing might help keep your dumb pilot ass from dying out there. Mackenzie and Jeremiah
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Selecting this option will task Mackenzie to head to the Camp Office to craft a Fishing Tackle and catch fish from the Ice Fishing Huts at Mystery Lake. Mackenzie realizes that this is more of a chore for Jeremiah to put fish in his belly than to teach him anything, but Jeremiah points out that with his wounds he won't be able to hunt or trap for the rest of the season, so this helps them both out.
The Fishing Tackle blueprint will unlock, so head to the Camp Office and craft a tackle. Then start Ice Fishing when you walk out to the lake and into a Fishing Hut. Break the ice in one of the huts and gather the specified amount of fish in terms of weight, then return to the Homestead and place them inside of the Supply Bin next to the door.
Hunting
| “ | M - What can you tell me about hunting? J - Trick is to spot your target, get as close as you can, take a shot, and don't miss. Mackenzie and Jeremiah
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Jeremiah will instruct Mackenzie to head to a clearing over the hill to the Unnamed Pond and to kill a stag. His orders the pilot to shoot and kill a Deer, then bring its meat back to the cabin. If Mackenzie gets a hit but doesn't immediately kill the beast, Jeremiah's advice is to track the blood in the snow as the Deer bleeds out, then harvest the carcass. Jeremiah will then hand you 5 Rifle Ammunition and send you on your way. Be aware that Jeremiah will NOT give you more ammo if you run out.
Clear as much from your inventory as you can, as you will need the extra storage space soon. Hunt during the morning or day to maximize your visual scanning of the area. Head forward over the hill the moment you step out of Trapper's Homestead until you find the Unnamed Pond, then crouch, get close, take aim, and kill a Deer. Harvest all the Venison (Raw) from its body and return to the cabin, then place the meat in the Supply Bin. You may need to kill multiple deer to accomplish this task.
Mending
| “ | M - What do I need to know about clothing? J - Its damn cold out there, right? What you wear might make the difference between life and death. Mackenzie and Jeremiah
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Jeremiah will explain to Mackenzie the importance of wearing good clothing in the Winter. Windproof and Wetproof clothing on the outer layers, while wearing warm clothing on the inside. Eventually, Jeremiah will give Mackenzie his old park, and will ask him to head to the nearby Forestry Lookout to retrieve some skins Jeremiah left up there as sewing supplies to fix the "parka" (The Parka in question is his damaged Bearskin Coat from the Old Bear's attack, it weighs 5.00 kg, and is found in the Clothing section of the Backpack). Simply make your way there, grab the Cured Black Bear Hide, use a Sewing Kit or Fishing Tackle to repair Jeremiah's Bearskin Coat, then return to the Trapper's Homestead. FYI, you can't wear his coat at any point after receiving it, nor can you harvest it (however you can drop it, but don't lose it). After repairing the coat, talk to Jeremiah and select the dialogue option Story to give it back to him, finishing the task.
Foraging
| “ | M - Seems if you have your way, I'll never be a vegetarian out here. J - I'm sure it's no coincidence that most animals out here are made of meat, Mackenzie. You ready? Then go to it, oh mighty killer of fuzzy animals. Mackenzie and Jeremiah
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Jeremiah will briefly explain much of the flora of Great Bear Island, mentioning berries, nuts, and so forth, but then skipping to what mainly grows in the Winter. He will focus on 4 main types of flora; Cat Tail, Rose Hip, Reishi Mushroom, and Old Man's Beard Lichen. You will then be given a list of these items, how many to find, and you will need to place them inside Jeremiah's Supply Bin outside the Homestead. Many ingredients can be found in the rabbit grove east of the door to the Homestead when stepping outside.
When it comes to finding the items needed:
- Old Man's Beard Lichen can be found hanging from trees and is very easy to spot.
- Reishi Mushrooms grow on tree stumps.
- Cat Tails grow near fresh water streams. Check the Unnamed Pond, Frozen Creek, or Mystery Lake (location).
- Rose Hips are red berry looking plants on small rose bushes.
After completing all 4 Schools, return to Jeremiah and a cutscene begins where Mackenzie thanks Jeremiah for the training. After going through all that toil, Jeremiah tosses Mackenzie his knife as a graduation gift, saying he has a feeling that the pilot might need it, and the next mission starts.
Transcript
Survival School (Predux)/Transcript
Differences from Redux Episode 2
Several plot points and locations have been replaced/altered since the Redux re-release of Episode 2:
Plot Points and Gameplay Changes
- This entire mission was cut from the game due to very poor reception, and was turned into a two optional side mission in Redux, with all the tutorials being recycled into the side missions The Basics of Survival and Survival School.
- Fishing was recycled into The Frozen Angler in Episode 2's Survival School.
- Hunting was recycled into Frontier Shooting Guide and Advanced Guns Guns Guns! in Episode 2's Survival School.
- Mending was recycled into A Sewing Primer in Episode 1's The Basics of Survival.
- Harvestable Plants was recycled into Medicinal Plants of Great Bear in Episode 1's The Basics of Survival.
- Jeremiah's Bearskin Coat was cut from the game.
- Jeremiah mentions not having anything electronic in his cabin that could be affected by the Aurora, feigning ignorance that the Aurora isn't as strong as Mackenzie makes it out to be. It would later be revealed that he has a shortwave radio hidden in the floorboards of his cabin that he uses to speak with his mysterious correspondent. This was changed in Redux, as the shortwave radio is now a central part of the plot, as Mackenzie is required to find multiple parts to fix it on many occasions (Radio Parts, Transponder Parts).
- This section of Episode 2's story was also replaced by Signal to Noise.
- Jeremiah rewards Mackenzie with his unique Hunting Knife, Jeremiah's Knife, after graduating from his Survival School. It serves as a reskinned Hunting Knife, with identical stats. This item was cut from the game, and regular Hunting Knives can be found more often throughout Episode 2 in the Redux.
Game History
Survival School (Predux) | |||||||
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