- Doloc Town beginner tips are essential for surviving the cozy post-apocalyptic farm sim
- Backpack upgrade should be your very first purchase on day one for 500 gold
- Energy management relies on stockpiling blueberries and scavenging canned food from trash
- Storage shelves from Lank provide free, permanent box storage early in the game
- Auto-fire drones make bullet-hell combat highly manageable for new players
Day One Priority: Inventory and Gold
Starting your journey in Doloc Town requires immediate action to secure enough gold for your first backpack upgrade. You begin the game with 300 gold, meaning you only need to earn an additional 200 gold to afford the first inventory expansion. Bag space is incredibly precious because the game features a massive amount of scavengable resources, and your default carrying capacity will fill up almost immediately.
Video Highlights:
- Fastest route to earning 500 gold on day one
- How to secure the first backpack upgrade immediately
- Optimal use of the starting empty box for overflow storage
- Introduction to key NPCs like Cassia, Link, and Zenith
To execute the day-one gold strategy effectively, follow the optimal scavenging route through the junkyard. After the intro with Cassia, grab your pickhammer and empty box, then head directly east.
| Step | Action | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gear Up | Take pickhammer and empty box from your chest |
| 2 | Meet Link | Head east, talk to Link, start environmental crisis mission |
| 3 | Scavenge | Break garbage piles, save batteries, scrap, wires |
| 4 | Free Beer | Find Zenith at tavern at 10:00 AM, get morning beer |
| 5 | Sell & Buy | Sell beer and junk to Hull, buy backpack upgrade |
Use your starting box as overflow storage for common items like rubbish, plastic bottles, and cardboard. You will need these materials later, so do not discard them just to free up space.
Energy and Stamina Management
Doloc Town will eventually prompt you to cook a pot of food after you look tired and hungry, but you can safely ignore this suggestion during the first few days. Instead, focus on scavenging specific consumables that provide excellent stamina recovery without requiring a kitchen setup.
Blueberries
- Forages everywhere
- Quick stamina boost
- Highly stackable
- Lasts into late game
Canned Food
- Drops from drones
- Found in garbage piles
- Restores health and stamina
- Save for combat encounters
Trash Food
- Free stamina source
- Zero cost to acquire
- Perfect for daily tasks
- No negative effects
Hold off on eating canned food unless you absolutely need the health recovery during combat encounters. These items stack up quickly but are vital for surviving aggressive enemy encounters in the river valley.
Storage Solutions and Box Mechanics
Storage is one of the most critical mechanics to understand in Doloc Town. You will meet an NPC named Lank, identifiable by the pot on his head. Helping him with the environmental crisis mission on day one sets off a chain of events that rewards you with a free storage shelf on day three, which can hold up to six boxes.
| Feature | Standard Box | Box on Shelf |
|---|---|---|
| Durability | 15 uses | Infinite uses |
| Capacity | 15 item slots | 15 item slots |
| Sell Value | 40 gold | 40 gold (1 use left) |
| Portability | Carryable | Stationary |
Help Link on Day One
Complete the environmental crisis mission by clearing trash piles and reporting back to Link.
Find the Lost Pickaxe (Day Two)
After receiving Link's letter, head south from your farm, then west to the forest. The pickaxe only spawns after you get the letter.
Claim Your Free Shelf (Day Three)
Return the pickaxe to Link. He will give you a free shelf capable of storing six boxes, saving you significant crafting time.
Carry a dedicated "takeout box" pre-loaded with common items like fiber, wood, and rocks. When you gather more of these items, they automatically stack into the box. When the box reaches one use left, sell it via your shipping drone for 40 gold.
Combat Basics and Drone Upgrades
Combat in Doloc Town follows a bullet-hell style that can feel overwhelming at first. The most significant adjustment you can make is turning on your drone's auto-fire mode in the settings menu. This allows your drone to handle offensive pressure while you focus entirely on dodging enemy patterns.
| Enemy Type | Threat Level | Auto-Fire Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Green Slime | Low | Practice manual aiming |
| Robot Flies | Peaceful | Turn auto-fire OFF |
| Aggressive Drones | High | Turn auto-fire ON |
Visit Motti to purchase your first drone frame upgrade for 1,000 gold. You likely will not need to buy chips from COD, as defeating standard drones naturally provides enough parts for basic upgrades.
Tool Upgrades and Resource Farming
Copper tools dramatically improve your efficiency in Doloc Town. Prioritize upgrading your pickaxe first to unlock mining in the river valley, followed by the axe for harvesting bamboo and rockwood.
| Tool | Priority | Primary Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Copper Pickaxe | 1st | Mine ore in River Valley, break large junk |
| Copper Axe | 2nd | Break Rockwood (West), cut bamboo |
| Copper Scythe | 3rd | Cut vines for Alchemy seed unlocks |
Set aside a few days to visit the River Valley with your drone on auto-fire. Once you gather enough copper, craft the Garbage Smelter to turn small rusty scraps into copper bars, reducing your need for constant mining trips.
When chopping trees, collect the seeds and plant a tree farm near, but not on, your farm. You will need the farm space for buildings. Trees take time to grow, so establish your forest early to ensure a steady supply of wood for crafting and alchemy.
Exploration and Sleeping Bags
For players who love exploring the map without running back to the farm constantly, sleeping bags are a game-changer. They allow you to sleep in monster-free zones to recover health, stamina, and save your game.
| Source | Cost | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Meera's Outpost | 150 gold | Pre-made, single-use sleeping bag |
| Kuma (Wandering Merchant) | 2,000 gold | Recipe: 5 burlap, 2 resin per bag |
Use crafted sleeping bags to create checkpoints near valuable resource nodes like iron and copper. Sleep near these areas to force resource respawns without wasting time traveling back and forth from your main farm.
Never wait for acid rain to destroy unwanted buildings. Talk to Gerald to use a toolbox, which costs one use but refunds your original construction materials and gold. It is far more efficient than letting weather degrade your structures.
Early Game Checklist
First Week Goals:
- Purchase first backpack upgrade (500 gold)
- Complete Link's environmental crisis mission
- Retrieve Link's lost pickaxe from the forest
- Obtain free storage shelf from Link
- Craft first copper tool (Pickaxe recommended)
- Establish a tree farm near your base
- Enable drone auto-fire in settings
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the most important first purchase in Doloc Town?
The backpack upgrade is absolutely critical. It costs 500 gold and you start with 300, so you only need to earn 200 more by scavenging the junkyard and selling the free morning beer from Zenith.
Q: How do I get permanent storage boxes in Doloc Town?
Place your boxes on a storage shelf. Boxes placed on shelves do not degrade with use, effectively giving them infinite durability compared to the standard 15-use lifespan when carried.
Q: Should I turn on auto-fire for my drone?
Yes, but toggle it depending on the situation. Keep it on for aggressive enemies and mining trips to the River Valley, but turn it off around peaceful enemies like robot flies to conserve battery.
Q: Where can I find the sleeping bag recipe?
Look for a mysterious salesman named Kuma on the cliffs and pathways of the River Valley. His recipe costs 2,000 gold, but it allows you to craft sleeping bags using just 5 burlap and 2 resin.