Preparing Defensive Gear and Audio
Exploring dark spaces empty-handed will quickly end a Survival run when aggressive mobs close in. Before entering unlit hallways, acquire defensive gear such as the 
knife and keep it on your hotbar for immediate combat. Early awareness is just as important as a weapon: open your vanilla Music and Sounds settings and turn up your volume sliders so you can hear the mod's custom sound effects echoing through dark rooms before a threat reaches you.
Identifying Threats by Environment
Different creatures stalk specific types of areas, and recognizing them early helps you decide whether to fight with your knife or run:
- Dark Corridors: Watch the darkness for glowing faces, which reveal stalking Smilers along with their spider and fog variants.
- Tight Hallways: Stay ready to sprint from Skin Snatchers and Hounds, which act as fast predators that chase players down narrow passages.
- Party-Themed Areas: Watch out for Partygoers, which appear as hostile yellow humanoids.
- Deep, Overgrown Zones: Move carefully to avoid distorted Clumps and Wretches lurking in dense areas.
Save your knife for moments when a fast pursuer corners you in a tight corridor and running is no longer an option.