Maxwell (Don't Starve)

Maxwell

NPC

Don't Starve

DST

Origin

Quotes

Gallery

Maxwell
Status
	75
	150
	200
Sanity Modifier	+20/min
Special Item(s)
Starting Item(s)	×4
Code	"waxwell"

Maxwell fragmenting his mind.

Main article: Codex Umbra

Maxwell's Sanity increases by 20 /min because of his dapper style. He starts the game with a Dark Sword, Night Armor, Purple Gem, 4 Nightmare Fuel and his own Book called the Codex Umbra.

Codex Umbra acts similar to Wickerbottom's books, but has an infinite durability. Upon reading it, a Shadow Puppet with the silhouette of Maxwell will appear. Using the Book costs 15 , 2 Nightmare Fuel and 55 maximum Sanity. Due to this the player may have up to 3 puppets, at which point Maxwell will have 35 Sanity and will be unable to spawn more. The Shadow Puppets will live up to 2.5 days before dying off. They will aid Maxwell in combat, and assist him in mining and chopping down Trees. Upon death of a Puppet, Maxwell's maximum sanity will be restored by 55 points.

Disadvantage

Maxwell's maximum Health is only 75, making fights very dangerous if the player doesn't have good armor available. His Sanity regeneration bonus can also make it hard to stay insane and reap the benefits of that state.

Downloadable Content

In the Shipwrecked (SW) DLC, Maxwell's Puppets will aid him when hacking things with a Machete and they will have their own shadow version of the Row Boat making it possible for them to follow him across islands, unlike other Followers.

Tips

• Maxwell's starting items are some of the most powerful and rare in the game giving him an easier start than most. The Armor and Sword provide a great deal of survivability.
• Summoning multiple Puppets to reduce the maximum Sanity is a good way to get Maxwell to stay almost insane for long periods of time, which is not easily obtained normally due to his Sanity regain buff. Coupled with the fact that when equipping his Sword and Armor he loses 10 /min, it is possible for him to become insane and sane back at will and very easily since there's only 5 points of sanity between the two thresholds.
  • Going insane during Daylight and killing Shadow Creatures for Nightmare Fuel is a good way to keep his Puppets up 24/7 during the early days of the game. Killing Beardlings (or bearded Crabbits in SW) is also an option but Nightmare Fuel from them is not always guaranteed.
• Since Maxwell has a natural regeneration of Sanity, players are recommended to do sanity-consuming things that other players would suffer from. For example: picking Evil Flowers, using Magic and Ancient Items, or eating sanity draining Food.
  • Sanity regenerating items such as the Tam o' Shanter, Tent, Taffy etc. are unnecessary for Maxwell. This allows him to wear armor such as the Football Helmet while still rapidly regaining Sanity. This also makes exploring during the Night or in Caves and Ruins ideal as the Sanity drain from darkness is negated.
• Due to Maxwell's low max Health, it is recommended to use his starting Night Armor when fighting dangerous creatures such as Hounds or Boss Monsters early on, reducing damage against him by 95% when worn.
  • Combined with his Dark Sword and Shadow Puppets, Maxwell is unexpectedly an ideal fighting character before the durability of the Armor and Sword wear out.
• While Shadow Puppets are great against weaker foes, fighting stronger Mobs will result in their death unless they're helped by Maxwell. Great support weapons are the Ice Staff and Fire Staff. The Ice Staff can be used to stun enemies before they land a hit on the Puppets, preventing them from taking damage. The Fire Staff can stun mobs for longer while also damaging them but comes at the cost of possibly burning the dropped loot upon the enemy's death.
  • Players can also take advantage of the behavior of Mobs to get the most out of the Puppets. (e.g. Getting a Tallbird to aggro on Maxwell first, then ordering the Puppets to attack it.)
• Maxwell also has the advantage of being capable of building a Shadow Manipulator quicker than other characters, as he starts with a Purple Gem and Nightmare Fuel, shortening the time needed for gathering materials. This can allow players to quickly rebuild Night Armor and Dark Swords early in the game.
• Normally the Shadow Puppets stop aiding with their Tools after Maxwell stops doing the act, but if they are close to the target and the player quickly cancels the action by moving or quickly switching to another hand slot item, the Puppets will still carry it out, essentially getting the resources without using the durability of the Tool. This means that it is a waste of resources to craft better versions of those Tools when playing as Maxwell.
• Late game, players can collect Nightmare Fuel in mass amounts by staying in the Ruins during the Nightmare Cycle. Shadow Creatures can drop stacks worth of fuel for the player to collect once the cycle reaches its calm state.
  • Otherwise dropping some captured bees near some Evil Flowers will spawn more of the latter which then can be used to craft Nightmare Fuel.
• Due to the low maximum Health and the cost of the Codex Umbra it is advised to only rely on Life Giving Amulets to revive from death instead of Meat Effigies as the latter will leave him at only 45 maximum Health. This means that Beard Hair is largely useless to Maxwell.
• In DLCs, thanks to his Sanity regeneration, Maxwell will not lose Sanity even with 100 Wetness while holding wet Items.