Surviving Night and Caves When Nightmare Fuel Makes the Dark Unpredictable

Nightmare Fuel changes standard lighting so dark areas become creepy and unpredictable. Because of this, the usual reading of "this spot looks lit, so it's safe" no longer works. You need to plan your light deliberately.

Before you go into the dark

1. Carry far more torches than usual. Craft a full stack before nightfall or any cave trip. Under this pack you will want to place them more densely than you normally would.

2. Brew or find Night Vision potions if you can. They are the most reliable vanilla way to cut through dark areas.

3. Check your Brightness slider in Options → Video Settings. Raising it can help, though the pack still controls how lighting looks overall.

4. Bring a shield and food. When you can't see clearly, you will take more surprise hits.

Moving through dark areas

• Light as you go. Place a torch every few steps instead of rushing ahead into shadow.
• Listen as well as look. Footsteps, hisses and rattles are vanilla sounds the shader doesn't touch. Trust them when the visuals are confusing.
• Leave a trail. Place torches on one side of tunnels only, so you can always find your way back out.
• Wall in at night. Early on, dig into a hillside and seal the entrance rather than wandering exposed while the lighting plays tricks on you.
• If a cave feels impossible to read, back out and return with more light. Don't push forward blind.