99 Nights in the Forest Beginner Guide: How to Survive Your First 10 Nights
TL;DR, bestie
- Night 1 is your free pass. The Deer doesn’t hunt on the first night, so spend Day 1 chopping wood, grabbing scrap and finding food.
- Feed the Campfire non-stop. It’s your safe zone. Leveling it up also reveals more of the map. If it goes out at night, the Deer comes for you hungry.
- Craft the Map first, then upgrade the Crafting Bench with scrap from the Grinder.
- Carry a Flashlight. It stuns the Deer for a moment. Nothing kills it.
- Key dates: Pelt Trader on Day 2, first Cultist raid on Day 4, a second monster can wake up on Day 5.
🗓️ Last updated: 1 November 2026
99 Nights in the Forest is a co-op survival game by Grandma’s Favourite Games. You keep a campfire alive, rescue four missing kids, and try to last 99 nights while the Deer and its Cultists do their best to stop you. The first ten nights decide whether a run snowballs or falls apart. Here’s exactly what to do with them.
Your first 10 nights at a glance
| Day | What happens | What you should do |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calm. The Deer doesn’t attack | Wood, scrap, food, craft the Map |
| 2 | First Pelt Trader visit. The Deer may wake up | Bring a Bunny Foot or Wolf Pelt to trade |
| 3 | Daytime events can show up | Keep fueling, keep scavenging |
| 4 | First Cultist raid at night (then every 4 days) | Be at camp with a weapon before dark |
| 5 | The Owl, Ram or Cat can wake, depending on your biome | Stay close to the fire at night |
| 6–10 | Pelt Trader returns every 3–4 days | Push the Campfire and Bench levels, go for the first kid |
These come from the community wiki’s timeline of fixed days. Real runs vary a bit, so treat it as a rhythm rather than a script.
Day 1: the most important day you’ll play
The first night is the only one where you can wander without the Deer chasing you. Use every second of it.
- Chop trees near camp and haul the logs back. Logs are your fuel and your crafting wood.
- Grab scrap items (broken fans, old radios, bolts and so on) and drop them in the Grinder next to the Crafting Bench. It turns junk into Scrap.
- Craft the Map at the Bench (it costs a few logs). It shows explored areas and where your teammates are.
- Hunt Bunnies for Morsels and a Bunny Foot, which the Pelt Trader wants on Day 2.
- Upgrade the Bench to Tier 2 once you’ve got the wood and scrap.
The Campfire: keep it fed, always
The Campfire is the heart of every run. Inside its safe zone, the Deer and other monsters can’t reach you, health regenerates, and you can cook food and recharge Flashlights.
| Fuel | Notes |
|---|---|
| Logs | The everyday fuel. You’ll burn hundreds |
| Coal | Stronger than logs, found around the map |
| Fuel Canisters | Very efficient. Save them for emergencies or level-ups |
Every Campfire level (there are six) makes the explorable map bigger and the safe zone wider. Rain burns through fuel faster, so top it up before the weather turns.
If the fire goes out: you get “The campfire has gone out, you are no longer safe”, the map stops working, health stops regenerating, and at night the Deer turns up hungry (faster, harder hitting, red eyes). Don’t let it happen. Seriously.
Food without the drama
Your hunger bar drains all the time, and faster when you sprint. Standing still, it empties in roughly 12 to 13 minutes.
| Food | Where from | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Berries, Carrots | Around the map | Snack-sized, fine on Day 1 |
| Morsels | Bunnies, Wolves and more | Cook them at the fire. Raw ones hurt you |
| Steak | Wolves, Bears | Bigger refill. Also cook first |
| Cake | Structures and loot | Refills hunger and heals a little |
Later, a Crock Pot (Bench Tier 3) and Farm Plots (Tier 2) solve food for good.
Surviving the night
- Be home before dark. The Deer only spawns at night and goes for anyone outside the safe zone.
- Flashlight = panic button. Shining it on the Deer stuns it briefly, but it recovers faster every time. Use the stun to run, not to fight. The Deer can’t be damaged by anything.
- Use the terrain. It isn’t great at pathfinding, so big trees and buildings help you break line.
- Emergency perches: halfway up a ladder (on a Water Tower or similar) is a well-known safe spot if you’re stranded.
- Raid nights (Day 4, 8, 12 and so on): Cultists come into camp. Have weapons ready and fight as a team.
Rescuing the kids (and why it speeds things up)
Four missing children are hidden around the forest. The first, Dino Kid, usually appears once your Campfire reaches level 2, guarded by a pack of wolves. Each child you rescue raises the day multiplier, so every night you survive counts for more days. Beds from the Bench do the same. Rescuing kids early is the biggest shortcut to Night 99.
Classes and Diamonds
Classes are bought with Diamonds in the lobby. They change your starting kit or give you perks. Cheap, useful starters are the Scavenger and the Medic (40 Diamonds, with two Bandages for reviving teammates). You earn Diamonds for milestones like reaching Day 50 (2) and Day 99 (3), and from the Cultist Stronghold’s Diamond Chest.
Kiko’s take: My honest first-run advice: don’t be a hero on Day 1. Be a lumberjack. A fat log pile and a leveled-up fire carry you through nights 2–10 way better than wandering off to find loot. Treat the Campfire like a Tamagotchi: feed it constantly, and it won’t die on you at 3am.
Gear I’d actually use
Heads up: the Amazon links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. How I pick (and what I never link).
- HyperX Cloud Stinger 2 Core headset: a budget wired headset that lets you hear footsteps, with a flip-to-mute mic for when voice chat is off
- Xbox Wireless Controller: the boring, reliable pick. It works with Roblox on Xbox and on PC
FAQ
Does the Deer attack on the first night?
No. Night 1 is calm, which is why it’s the best time to gather.
Can you kill the Deer?
No. It’s unkillable. A Flashlight stuns it for a moment, and the Campfire’s safe zone keeps it out.
What should I craft first?
The Map, then the Tier 2 Bench upgrade.
What happens if the Campfire goes out?
You lose the safe zone, health regen and the map, and the Deer spawns hungry at night.
How do I get through 99 days faster?
Rescue the kids and build beds. Both raise the day multiplier.
Sources
Last checked: 16 August 2026 (NZDT). Image credits: YouTube – Gamer Empire; YouTube – Bucket; YouTube – Purp. Related: Roblox parental controls, free Robux scams, and the 99 Nights hub.
kikomii is a fan site and isn’t affiliated with Roblox or Grandma’s Favourite Games.
