Endling: Extinction Is Forever — 5 Best Tips for Beginners

Endling: Extinction Is Forever is all about a mother’s undying love for her cubs during the downfall of mankind. It isn’t a long game by any means, but it does delve surprisingly deep into the relationships between stray animals in the midst of a global crisis. And, as with any indie-survival game that adopts a parent-child bond, it also means there’s plenty of heart, warmth, and of course, reasons to raise concerns about the dangers that loom in the aftermath of the apocalypse.

Anyway, if you’ve just picked up a copy of Endling and aren’t overly sure where to begin, or how to even keep your cubs alive, for that matter, then be sure to read on for five useful tips. Here’s how to survive the end of the world…as a fox.

5. It’s Okay to Just Survive

Granted, Endling isn’t the longest journey in the world, but it does allow the player to stretch it out for as long as they like, thanks to it being a nonlinear experience at heart. As for what it is you get up to each night is entirely up to you; there is no right or wrong answer here, as you’re pretty much free to explore and eat whatever it is that your heart desires. And that brings us to our next point: patience truly is a virtue in a game like Endling; you don’t necessarily need it, but having it will of course make things a little more immersive in the long run.

In Endling, you’ll come to find that some days there just isn’t a whole lot to find or do. And that’s okay, so long as you’re not sitting idly by and wasting the whole night by neglecting your cubs’ needs. But just know that, if there are no available POIs on the map, then chances are there will be a few to scout out in a day or two. So, if you’ve exhausted all your options and have little else to do, then don’t feel obligated to go beyond what’s needed at the time. Bottom line is, if your cubs are content, then there’s nothing wrong with hanging around the lair for another night or so.

4. Throw The Furries Off Your Scent

It goes without saying that, with the world in such a critical state, the few humans that are still in tact are likely to be a bit, shall we say, on edge. To stop them from impeding your progress when out exploring all those orange POIs, you’ll want to spend the first portion of each night setting up a distraction, preferably away from your den, and also away from the area you intend to explore or hunt in. Doing this will essentially draw the hunters away from their randomly generated campout spots on the map, and instead divert them towards the location where you previously set the bait.

Of course, there’ll be nights where you won’t have to travel all that far in order to get the food you need to keep your cubs alive. Having said that, if you’re planning on heading out to either a factory or a barn, then always be sure to set some form of bait before embarking. Remember, if you’re shot by a hunter, then you won’t lose all of your progress, but you will need to replay the entire night from scratch. So, best play it safe and keep those pesky Furries at bay as often as possible.

3. Take Your Time

Just to reiterate, Endling isn’t a long game. However, that doesn’t mean you should aim to mop up as many objectives in the shortest time possible, either. On the contrary, it’s far better to spend your days hunting for food and staying within an earshot of the lair than it is  go tiptoeing in territories that aren’t for the public eye. And unless there’s a pink trail coursing you towards a story-related POI, then there’s no reason why you should push your cubs to the point of exhaustion. Instead, conserve your energy, and take as many rest days as you need to focus on building morale and stamina.

As for the hours themselves — it’s never a good idea to  explore new areas as the sun starts to make an appearance. If you’ve been given the option to explore several POIs that are scattered around the map, aim to uncover only a handful at a time. If you try and push your luck, you’ll only wind up draining your energy levels and having to restart from scratch.

2. Use Your Friends Wisely

As rough and as rugged as the post-apocalyptic era might strike you as, there are actually a few wandering souls with an ounce of kindness who’d much rather see your cubs fed than deserted and hungry. The two friends you’ll want to make during your time in Endling are the badger, as they’ll open up fast travel locations and additional lairs for you to get a quick snack, and the young girl, who offers high-energy meals whenever you pass through.

Unfortunately, you won’t have access to either of the two friends until roughly fourteen or fifteen nights in. Once you’ve survived the first fortnight, you’ll want to head towards the treehouse (a POI will be available in the map), and climb the tree to where the young girl in the gas mask is singing. Once acquainted, you will find the girl in several locations on random days; finding her will automatically give you a hearty meal to boost your energy levels.

To befriend the badger, you will need to rescue its cub, which can be found on the higher ledge of one of the hunter’s lookouts. You can identify the event by checking the map after the initial fortnight phase, after which a POI will pop up on the map. Do yourself a favour and set aside a night to befriend the badger, as it’ll save your skin during most sticky situations.

1. Let Progression Happen

Raising your cubs from the womb will come with its fair share of developmental milestones, a lot of which will be hidden behind the biggest hurdle of all, which is of course time itself. As each of your three cubs will have four abilities to discover throughout your journey, you’ll need to visit various points of interest around the map to help teach them how to survive. Having said that, there are some things you won’t be able to teach your young during your travels; being able to climb, for example, is something that only older cubs can do.

The point is to just let progression happen, and not rush to mop up everything in a set amount of time. In an ideal world, a single play-through of Endling should take you around thirty in-game days to complete. So, if you’ve been wondering about those cordoned off areas on the map, then rest assured that you’ll have your chance to explore it, if not tomorrow, then at some point in the foreseeable future. Until then, keep your cubs fed, and wait for their growth spurts to grant them new passive abilities.

So, what’s your take? Do you have any words of advice for Endling newcomers? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.