First of all, figuring out what to do when you begin is normally the hardest starting out. You need money to buy things, and you typically need to get to around 60 cold protection at a minimum before the tenth day-- when it begins to approach freezing temperatures.

If you need a general overview for the visual locations of each Hobo, look at the next section of the guide.

If you need basic understand of what is what in the game, look at sxcnt's game guide: https://steamproxy.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1098588632

Quite a bit is different from the 2017 and 2020 versions, but the information is still valid.

• Busking, Fighting, and Begging on Knees was removed as skills (for now, at least).
  
• Fighting is now based on perks and the "Techniques" that you can learn from the Gym.
  
• Busking and Begging on Knees are currently just gone.
  
• The Shrapnel section is different; now the exclamation marks mean damaged clothes, and there is a stink icon that will slowly appear on clothes as they get more smelly.

Those are really the only major changes.


Hard-work being the employment office located on the west-side of the business district under the overpass. Simply go south from the gas-station, turn left at the three-way and the building is on the right.

You will wind up with either a Street Sweeper job or an Excavation job at random; Street Sweeper is randomly placed at the Train-station, around the Post Office at the southern end of the Business District, or up by the super-markets to the north.

Excavation just puts you in the construction site by the hotel to press the E-key about 30 times.

Street Sweeper is a lot better of a roll in this instance, because you can beg and clean at the same time.

Crime being jobs from Langos in the north-east part of the pit. They will start you off on a simple job; you'll have to learn how to optimally pick a medium lock after this job, every job from them after the first will be a medium lock.

Note this, Langos will still give you work if you screw them over by not paying them on the first job-- as well as subsequent jobs; however, I would recommend paying them the minimum amount at least until they get 20 Trust-- where they will offer jobs at double the rate.
(Same kind of job, just dealing with Building Materials instead of Scrap Metal.)

With the employment office handing out temp-work, and Langos handing out theft jobs, completing them both in quick succession will net you around 200 CR easy.


The best thing to do in this scenario is beg; there is no real strategy for this.
Run around and talk to every single civilian and beg for cash, with a final goal of reaching 400 CR at a minimum.
(You can typically spam the first option of dialogue without repercussion, since you don't have any perks at this point.)

You can break this up into three separate acts: Shoes, Pants, and Shirt.

At any Super-Market:
Sneakers (Deluxe) costs 100 CR.
Sports Pants costs 100 CR.
Sweatshirt (Deluxe) costs 200 CR.

This at a minimum will get you through the first ten days.

Do NOT sell or dismantle your starting clothes, as they will be useful for the next part.


If you have not already began talking with the other Hobos, because you don't know where they are, progress the main quest of "Why does my head hurt?". It will introduce you to your main skill and perk trainers.

Maisner - Simple Survival Skills and Dump Rider
Drax - Picking Locks
Kashee - How to craft a weapon, get approximately twice the lifespan of the weapon, and craft the best damaging weapon in the game.
Monty - Crafting
Bear - Dump Diving and Cold Resist Perk (+10)
Furgrim - Stealing
Nugget - Trading
Anatoly (Not a hobo, but the Pawnshop owner, used for free Rum and Trading Master.)
Master Hobo - Intermediate Cooking and Survival Crafting, as well as a lot of the Perks.
Cardinal - Alcoholic Perk (2 and 3)
Standa - Learning how to actually do damage in combat.
Fester - Advanced Cooking

Dump diving is not a requirement, but a lot of equipment to build your hideout comes from Dump Diving-- especially the large-brown bins.

With your second set of clothing, turn your starting clothes into your dump-diving set. You can survive for a while without needing to change clothes, and during the Day you shouldn't have to worry about getting too cold until around Day 6 or so.

The idea is that you wear your starting clothes. Trash them, rip them, get them super smelly, and fix them and wash them at your leisure, but instead of suffering from massive smelly clothes all the time, just swap to your clean pair when you're not dumpster diving. Begging/Surviving Set, and Dump Diving Set.

Once you get to about Level 7-8 Dump diving, you can probably scrap/sell your dump-diving set and just use one clothing set-- just be careful not to destroy your only clothes at this point, if that's what you choose to do.

Go crazy dumpster diving. Hit the bigger dumpsters and level up your skill as much as you see fit, but keep in mind that you probably don't have any carry capacity.

If you've found some plastic bags, then that's great and all, but it still won't be enough if you go crazy with dumpster diving.

You will want to get another 300 CR, preferably 900 CR, and find Spurna's Everything Shop. She is just east of the Gas Station, in front of the pawnshop and to the right of the Laundry Mat.

She sells a very nice satchel for 300 CR each. You should be able to utilize 3 of these bags long enough for you to earn enough money to start purchasing the Hiking Bags.

Assuming you had proper time management, which does require you to play somewhat actively during the entire play-through, even with keeping tabs on your fellow hobos by talking with them every now and again and doing odd jobs to raise trust.

By Day 15, optimally you should either have or be well on your way getting all three hiking bags, and the occasional good clothing item sold from Anatoly: Warm Jacket, Kickass Pants, and Combat Boots. Maybe a entrenching tool or two for dealing with Thugs and anyone that tries to arrest you.


This active style of play is not meant for everyone, and you may just fall into it from playing and getting invested. Don't follow this to an exact tee, and have fun with the game. It takes an excruciatingly long amount of time to even get through the season-- we're talking about 18 hours of gameplay, just to get through one season. (30 days).

The resistances you see down at the bottom are fairly close to-- if not-- percentage based. Getting Cold and Wet to 100 or beyond (Cold preferably to 110 from what another person has said) is your ultimate goal no matter what.


People have already included items and other things, for these guides. I only made this because there's very little on the latest update and I wanted to put forth a two-cent fast-paced guide, and it seems Bear was SUPER new since he wasn't included in the last NPC guide.

Quick note, Shrug is not a trainer-- thus not important to me for this guide; however, he will be included for both reference and for when you want to sell those bags.


He is within 20 feet of you when you spawn; you should see his home without moving.



Once you leave your spawn area, if you head left along the wall you will come to the area in this screenshot. Walk through two doorways, turn right and head out the large garage door.


You should be standing next to Drax. Talk with him to complete the "Biovauc" quest if you have it active.


If you turn around, and look towards the fence, you should see Kashee's shop.



Looking past Kashee's shop, you'll see the massive overpass. Run straight through it.


Once you reach the wall, look left.


Head towards the back right of the plot, and locate the door on the left.



Leave Langos and hug the left wall, you'll find some stairs.

Head up the stairs and go straight.

Entrance to Bear's shack, next to a Dump Rider pile.

If you want to talk with him, bring him either bottled bear or a canned bear to unlock him.


This is a fairly important area, as you will be around this location a lot if you setup in the pit.



From the gas station, head east. Use the barriers as reference.


Her shop is on the right, with the Laundry Mat directly next to her on the left. Laundry Mat costs 80 starting out.


Showcasing the starting bag that you want to achieve.


Leave Spurna's, then walk around the building to the back alley. Anatoly's Pawnshop will be right there.



You'll be seeing him a lot. He's directly across from Spurna's.

Run through the small building with "Master Hobo" painted on the door, and he'll be in the trailer on the immediate left.


From the gas station, head down south.

First overpass, head inside and enter the building on the right.

In front of the employment office.


Past the employment office on the right.
Take the first left into the back alley.


Go past the alley on the left, and head straight.

Hobo hell-door; go straight inside. Cardinal on the left.


Once you reach the Monty corner from picture 2, turn around. Head towards the opening.
Thug is on the right; head left into the tiny alcove.
On the other side, look right and you'll see Shrug's hideout.


Once you find Shrug, take the next Left through massive opening.
Go straight to the end, and look left. There is a thug here. Nugget is in the cardboard box.


From Spurna's go down the road. Past the first super-market on the right.
Past the church on the left.
Behind the third super-market.


Go back to Drax image 1, but instead of going through the door, go left.
Head towards the back right.


From the gas station, head to the north down the alleyway.
Turn the first corner, and it's right there.


From the east end of the last supermarket, go up the stairs.

Follow the path.