Emergency Stim Use Recommendations?


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Hello fellow survivors,
I'm returning from a hiatus and have never used emergency stims. 

Please tell me if these are useful for rope climbing or not, and the *negative* consequences of use. I am preparing to return to Timberwolf Mountain to look for the "lost book of 25 hours research" and only can allow for another 1/5 kilogram of equipment and need to know if those stims will make my trip SUBSTANTIALLY easier...or not.

 

I am resuming my hiatus from an 'alive 313 days' place so ...I don't want to screw up.

Thanks for any who can give solid, honest guidance!

 

 

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Of course they make it easier. But they will not cover bad mistakes on the way up. You have to plan even if you use the stim.

 

Imho they're wasted for climbing, you should keep them for a dying situation. Like being attacked multiple times by wolves, having to run at all cost etc etc

Note that with the new update you save file will be lost, so even if you die on timberwolf don't be too sad :)

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if you can avoid bears and wolves like a boss then it is worth it to use an e-stim to climb the last and longest rope, however if you are like everyone else here then it is a bad idea to waste a stim on that, just use coffee or keep a bedroll handy.

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Coffee and bedroll for climbing is also my advice. Stims are hard to find on the higher difficulties and keeping one handy for the "oh I messed up bad" moments is more useful, I find, than slightly easier climbing.

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3 hours ago, selfless said:

The negative is that you are instantly exhausted when it wears off.

Yup.. except that even then, if really desperate, you can use a second stim. It won't last anywhere near as long as the first one, but it will get you that last couple of hundred metres to safety, if necessary. After which, you'll pretty much collapse in a heap.

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7 hours ago, togg said:

Of course they make it easier. But they will not cover bad mistakes on the way up. You have to plan even if you use the stim.

 

Imho they're wasted for climbing, you should keep them for a dying situation. Like being attacked multiple times by wolves, having to run at all cost etc etc

Note that with the new update you save file will be lost, so even if you die on timberwolf don't be too sad :)

 

7 hours ago, Mortan1234 said:

if you can avoid bears and wolves like a boss then it is worth it to use an e-stim to climb the last and longest rope, however if you are like everyone else here then it is a bad idea to waste a stim on that, just use coffee or keep a bedroll handy.

 

5 hours ago, cekivi said:

Coffee and bedroll for climbing is also my advice. Stims are hard to find on the higher difficulties and keeping one handy for the "oh I messed up bad" moments is more useful, I find, than slightly easier climbing.

 

5 hours ago, stapeliad said:

I do not ever use the stims unless I am going to die if I don't use them.  They are a last resort.

 

3 hours ago, selfless said:

The negative is that you are instantly exhausted when it wears off.  If you weren't already exhausted when you jabbed it in your chest, that's a big minus.

Thanks for the tips :)
I am a very cautious player so I'll take the slow & steady (counter-clockwise) route, sipping coffee or napping in caves along the way. This means it'll take me two days (maybe even three) to get from the Mountaineer's Hut to the summit.

Some of you said you use it if you really screw up, as a last resort, and that you are insanely exhausted after. 
Does the emergency stim increase your condition?  Or does it just allow you to sprint away from somewhere, and if so, for how long? 
Or does it do both?

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40 minutes ago, Wasteland Watcher said:


Some of you said you use it if you really screw up, as a last resort, and that you are insanely exhausted after. 
Does the emergency stim increase your condition?  Or does it just allow you to sprint away from somewhere, and if so, for how long? 
Or does it do both?

Both.  Stim heals 15% condition in addition to locking your stamina and rest bars in the full position for its duration.  Since your stamina cannot drain, you can sprint non-stop or climb to your heart's content with out tiring.  That is, until the effect wears off (about 60 real world seconds or 15 game minutes).  Then your stamina and rest bars both drop to zero, you get encumbered, and you start losing condition to exhaustion (1% per game hour).

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2 hours ago, JAFO said:

Yup.. except that even then, if really desperate, you can use a second stim. It won't last anywhere near as long as the first one, but it will get you that last couple of hundred metres to safety, if necessary. After which, you'll pretty much collapse in a heap.

 

1 hour ago, selfless said:

Both.  Stim heals 15% condition in addition to locking your stamina and rest bars in the full position for its duration.  Since your stamina cannot drain, you can sprint non-stop or climb to your heart's content with out tiring.  That is, until the effect wears off (about 60 real world seconds or 15 game minutes).  Then your stamina and rest bars both drop to zero, you get encumbered, and you start losing condition to exhaustion (1% per game hour).

Thanks very much the info guys -- very helpful to know the effects beforehand. I don't like surprises that might kill you.
 

I opted not to take the emergency stim and to tread carefully. It took two days to go from Draft Dodger's cabin to the summit :)

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16 hours ago, JAFO said:

It won't last anywhere near as long as the first one

This statement surprised me so I just checked (PC v.393).  I used four stims in a row in an Interloper game, timing how long they lasted.  Then repeated the test on Voyageur.  Each stim lasted 75 seconds, and the fourth stim had exactly the same duration as the first -- no diminishing returns.

On topic, I do use stims in non-life threatening situations sometimes - to sprint, or climb, or just get a bit of bonus Condition so I can stay out in the cold longer.  Sometimes the time saved getting to that next safe spot is worth trading a stim for.

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14 hours ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

I opted not to take the emergency stim and to tread carefully. It took two days to go from Draft Dodger's cabin to the summit :)

Pretty much the only situation when I would ever use a stim for climbing is if I were trapped at the bottom of the Ravine without a bedroll. Or maybe if I were exhausted and standing below a rope while a bear just started to charge towards me. ;p

As multiple others already mentioned, using a stim for climbing is a total waste of resources in almost all other cases. 

My best suggestions for stims is also not to use them AFTER a wolf-fight (when you're already at low condition), but rather beforehand. Stims are incredibly useful to outrun wildlife in potentially lethal situations (e.g. if a wolf notices you accidentally while you're exhausted and below 50% condition) because flares, torches and decoys are very likely to fail under these circumstances. I'm using at least 80% of my stims that way. B|

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1 hour ago, Ruruwawa said:

This statement surprised me so I just checked (PC v.393).  I used four stims in a row in an Interloper game, timing how long they lasted.  Then repeated the test on Voyageur.  Each stim lasted 75 seconds, and the fourth stim had exactly the same duration as the first -- no diminishing returns.

On topic, I do use stims in non-life threatening situations sometimes - to sprint, or climb, or just get a bit of bonus Condition so I can stay out in the cold longer.  Sometimes the time saved getting to that next safe spot is worth trading a stim for.

Reading your comment gave me the idea of waiting until I have 10 stims and using them when I want to do my "The Flash visits The Long Dark" imitation and run from Mystery Lake to Desolation Point in one day :D

51 minutes ago, Scyzara said:

Pretty much the only situation when I would ever use a stim for climbing is if I were trapped at the bottom of the Ravine without a bedroll. Or maybe if I were exhausted and standing below a rope while a bear just started to charge towards me. ;p

As multiple others already mentioned, using a stim for climbing is a total waste of resources in almost all other cases. 

My best suggestions for stims is also not to use them AFTER a wolf-fight (when you're already at low condition), but rather beforehand. Stims are incredibly useful to outrun wildlife in potentially lethal situations (e.g. if a wolf notices you accidentally while you're exhausted and below 50% condition) because flares, torches and decoys are very likely to fail under these circumstances. I'm using at least 80% of my stims that way. B|

Thanks for the suggestions :)


Out of curiosity (and off topic), what are you doing where you would be outdoors while exhausted and below 50% condition?? I never go out when like that! But then again, I have only played Voyageur sandbox

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21 minutes ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

Reading your comment gave me the idea of waiting until I have 10 stims and using them when I want to do my "The Flash visits The Long Dark" imitation and run from Mystery Lake to Desolation Point in one day :D

Thanks for the suggestions :)


Out of curiosity (and off topic), what are you doing where you would be outdoors while exhausted and below 50% condition?? I never go out when like that! But then again, I have only played Voyageur sandbox

 

This can happen very easily...... those stupid wolves love to attack you, then you are stuck in a storm and can't see anything, and you get lost........then you sprain your ankle.....

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10 minutes ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

Out of curiosity (and off topic), what are you doing where you would be outdoors while exhausted and below 50% condition?? I never go out when like that! But then again, I have only played Voyageur sandbox

During late stages of parasite infection on Interloper you're permanently exhausted and your health bar is capped at a maximum of about 60% or so. But that's rather an extraordinary event, of course. Happened to me only three times so far if I remember correctly.^^

Most often, I'm simply getting exhausted because I'm wandering around too much on TWM (my favorite late-game map). Rope-Climbing drains your fatigue bar pretty fast there if you don't pay attention. Add late-game Interloper temperatures (and a bit of recklessness/stubbornness from my part) and your character may drop below 50% health every now and then. ^^

Which in itself is no problem of course, but if you then additionally screw up and have your character noticed by a wolf... well, let's just say this is the point of time when you'll know the perfect moment for a stim has just arrived. ;) 

But hey, that's what stims are for. Dying with five of them in your inventory is pretty pointless. And I don't remember I ever ran out of stims during any of my games.^^

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1 hour ago, Wasteland Watcher said:

Reading your comment gave me the idea of waiting until I have 10 stims and using them when I want to do my "The Flash visits The Long Dark" imitation and run from Mystery Lake to Desolation Point in one day :D

I've used that tactic for speed runs... (which I only when when extremely bored).  So, recently I did the Nomad challenge in 46d 9h 22m and I sprinted from the Dam in ML to the Quonset hut without stopping, thanks to coffee and stims.  Saves a LOT of time!

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2 hours ago, stapeliad said:

This can happen very easily...... those stupid wolves love to attack you, then you are stuck in a storm and can't see anything, and you get lost........then you sprain your ankle.....

I no longer go out in storms unless it's to field dress rabbits that are within a 10 minute walk from camp. It's just too risky. I hate hypothermia!

2 hours ago, Scyzara said:

During late stages of parasite infection on Interloper you're permanently exhausted and your health bar is capped at a maximum of about 60% or so. But that's rather an extraordinary event, of course. Happened to me only three times so far if I remember correctly.^^

Most often, I'm simply getting exhausted because I'm wandering around too much on TWM (my favorite late-game map). Rope-Climbing drains your fatigue bar pretty fast there if you don't pay attention. Add late-game Interloper temperatures (and a bit of recklessness/stubbornness from my part) and your character may drop below 50% health every now and then. ^^

Which in itself is no problem of course, but if you then additionally screw up and have your character noticed by a wolf... well, let's just say this is the point of time when you'll know the perfect moment for a stim has just arrived. ;) 

But hey, that's what stims are for. Dying with five of them in your inventory is pretty pointless. And I don't remember I ever ran out of stims during any of my games.^^

You sir, are reckless :D  I think I may never be ready for an Interloper run -- having a hard enough time scrounging 810 calories a day in Voyageur!
I'm fairly cautious about rope climbing -- I plan it so that I can sleep close to the rope the night before and climb first thing in the morning when I'm fresh. I hate having to drink four cups of coffee to give myself enough energy to climb...somehow seems too risky. I mean, I'll do it, but I don't like to ;)

After reading the comments here I've decided to always bring one emergency stim with me when exploring.
 

1 hour ago, Ruruwawa said:

I've used that tactic for speed runs... (which I only when when extremely bored).  So, recently I did the Nomad challenge in 46d 9h 22m and I sprinted from the Dam in ML to the Quonset hut without stopping, thanks to coffee and stims.  Saves a LOT of time!

Speed run sounds kinda like it may be an interesting change of pace :) I plan to try it out after the next patch. I haven't tried anything except for Voyageur Sandbox since the first time I played in November 2015.
Wow... The Long Dark has really come a long way ^_^

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6 hours ago, Ruruwawa said:

This statement surprised me so I just checked (PC v.393).  I used four stims in a row in an Interloper game, timing how long they lasted.  Then repeated the test on Voyageur.  Each stim lasted 75 seconds, and the fourth stim had exactly the same duration as the first -- no diminishing returns.

Hmm.. now I'm surprised. In my case, I was heavily overloaded, and already very tired. The first stim got me from Alan's Cave (where a blizzard blew up) to within a few hundred metres of the Camp Office.. the second one got me almost to the door of the Camp Office before it quit. I seem to recall I wasn't moving as quickly with the second stim, so maybe the duration just seemed shorter..

Anyways, thanks for testing.

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On 5/19/2017 at 10:23 PM, stapeliad said:

I collect them :P ... always have one on me when I go out just in case, especially in Pleasant Valley.
Having snow shelter items is better than using an emergency stim.

 Thanks for the tip. I keep forgetting we can build emergency shelters.  Though the items weigh a bit more than a stim, at least there are no negative health effects :)

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