Return of Them

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Return of Them is a free Don't Starve Together expansion. It was distributed as an "Update Chain", meant to add game-changing features in the same vein as A New Reign. Similar to its predecessor, Return of Them started as a beta.

Return of Them Updates
Update	Beta Release Date	Release Date
Turn of Tides	May 16, 2019.^[1]	August 15, 2019.^[2]^[3]
Salty Dog	September 12, 2019^[4]	October 3, 2019.^[5]
Hook, Line and Inker	November 11, 2019^[6]^[7]	December 12, 2019.^[8]^[9]
She Sell Sea Shells	April 16, 2020^[10]^[11]	April 23, 2020.^[12]
Troubled Waters	July 2, 2020^[13]^[14]	July 16, 2020.^[15]
Forgotten Knowledge	October 15, 2020^[16]^[17]	October 22, 2020.^[18]^[19]
Reap What You Sow	November 26, 2020^[20]	December 15, 2020^[21]^[22]
Eye of the Storm	April 15, 2021.^[23]	May 5, 2021.^[24]^[25]

Return of Them was followed by a similar series of updates called From Beyond starting in 2023.

Official Description

Charlie’s machinations have come to a head as she turns her attention towards the skies - and the mysterious entity that awaits there. Our Survivors will be forced to contend with terrifying monstrosities beyond their comprehension, and yet, there may be a silver lining: their minds and horizons will be expanded under the sublime light of an ancient moon.

Turn of Tides

Something ancient stirs in the night sky, and the world below will never be the same. A strange new island teeming with life has appeared, and with it, a whole new slew of challenges for our Survivors to face.

Keep a wary eye out. They’re almost here.

Salty Dog

Welcome to the brine shoals. Filled with the new salt rock resource, survivors looking to stretch the life of their food with this new spice will need to brave the dreaded Cookie Cutters. And watch out for the Malbatross. Getting on it's bad side will be a weight around anyone's neck.

Facing these new dangers and coming home with the goods will make you a real salty dog!

Hook, Line and Inker

A nice day of fishing sounded like just the thing to soothe the nerves of our weary Survivors, but it looks like fish aren’t the only things that are biting. Luckily there’s something to distract them from their soggy seafaring sorrows - the return of Winter’s Feast! And this year it seems that the Constant has provided its own assortment of holiday gifts… could it be that a certain someone is feeling particularly jolly this year?

She Sells Sea Shells

Far out past the familiar shores of the mainland, something is waiting for our Survivors. What would you do for the thing you treasure most?

Troubled Waters

The seas seem to grow more dangerous with every passing day. Is this the work of Charlie, or is the strange, mutating influence of the moon growing stronger? Let’s hope our Survivors can stay afloat long enough to find out.

Forgotten Knowledge

It seems that the chunk of moon that crashed into the ocean did more than create a new island, but broke through to the caves below as well, revealing previously sealed passageways that had sat undiscovered by our Survivors. What ancient secrets might be kept within?

Reap What You Sow

The days have been filled with tilling and toil,

Gathering seeds and nourishing soil,

In hopes that the crops will produce at their best,

(Just make sure that you keep a sharp eye out for pests!)

Eye of the Storm

With the three lunar altars now complete, the truth at the center of this ancient mystery will finally come to light...

They've been here all along.

Don't Starve Together: Return of Them - Eye of the Storm is now available for all players. With this conclusion of the Return of them Story Arc, worlds collide as old threats and familiar faces make themselves known.

As this chapter comes to an end, we are left to wonder to what end will Charlie's machinations bring our survivors. And what does she still have planned?

Features

In Return of Them, the Ocean was completely reworked to create a new area accessible by multiplayer boats, and both types of Farms were removed and replaced with a new system of cultivation. The other features of this expansion include:

World

Biomes for the Caves
- Lunar Grotto
- Ancient Archive

Biomes for the Lunar Island
- Lunar Archipelago
- Lunar Baths
- Lunar Forest
- Lunar Mine
- Rocky Beach
Ancient Guard Post
Ancient Kiln
Ancient Lunarune Stone
Ancient Moon Statue
Anenemy
Archival Stone Wall
Archival Thulecite Wall
Archive Chandelier
Archive Orchestrina
Archive Switch
Archive Pillar
Boat Fragment
Celestial Altar and Celestial Altar Pieces
- Celestial Altar Base
- Celestial Altar Orb
- Celestial Altar Idol
Celestial Fissure
Celestial Sanctum and Celestial Sanctum Pieces
- Celestial Sanctum Icon
- Celestial Sanctum Ward
Celestial Tribute
Charged Glassy Rock
Driftwood
Fountain of Knowledge
Hermit Island
- Hermit Home
- Hermit Bee Box
- Hermit Drying Rack
Hot Spring
Inviting Formation
Lunar Spore
Moon Glass
Moon Glass Mound
Moongleam
Mysterious Energy
Naked Mole Bat Burrow
Nightmare Rampart
Ocean Debris
Plugged Fissure
Salt Formation
Sea Bones
Sea Sprout
Sea Stack
Sealed Portal
Sentrypede Husk
Shattered Spider Hole
Shell Cluster
Sunken Chest
Tidy Hidey-Hole
Underwater Salvageable
Vitreoasis
Wobster Mound

Mechanics

New crafting tabs: Seafaring, Fishing Tab, and ‎Landscaping Tab
Rowing and Sailing via Multiplayer Boats
Enlightenment
Waves
Ocean Fishing
Farming
Moonstorm

Mobs

Boss Monsters

Plants

Items/Structures

Seafaring Tab
- Boat Kit
- Oar
- Driftwood Oar
- Boat Patch
- Anchor Kit
- Mast
- Pinchin' Winch
- Steering Wheel Kit
- Winged Sail
- Tin Fishin' Bin
- Deck Illuminator
- Lightning Conductor
- Fire Pump
Fishing Tab
- Floats
- Lures
Bottle Exchange Tab
- Bundle of Thanks
- Fish Food
- Tackle Box
- Spectackler
Craftables
- Applied Silviculture
- Astroggles
- Astral Detector
- Bath Bomb
- Clean Sweeper
- Collected Dust
- Composting Bin
- Cookie Cutter Cap
- Feathery Canvas
- Fish Scale-O-Matic
- Flare
- Garden Hoe
- Garden Digamajig
- Gardeneer Hat
- Glass Cutter
- Growth Formula Starter
- Horticulture, Abridged
- Lunar Siphonator
- Moon Glass Axe
- Moon Moth Figure Sketch
- "Moon" Figure Sketch
- Pocket Scale
- Premier Gardeneer Hat
- Produce Scale
- Salt Box
- Sea Fishing Rod
- Seasoning Salt
- Seawreath
- Seed Pack-It
- Splendid Garden Hoe
- Strident Trident
- Tackle Receptacle
- Terra Firma Tamper
- Think Tank
- Tillweed Salve
- Waterfowl Can
- Watering Can
- Turfs
  - Ancient Stonework
  - Moon Crater Turf
  - Mutated Fungal Turf
  - Rocky Beach Turf
  - Shell Beach Turf
Food
- Raw and Cooked Barnacles
- Fire Nettle Fronds
- Raw and Cooked Fish Morsel
- Forget-Me-Lots
- Raw, Cooked and Dried Kelp Fronds
- Lune Tree Blossom
- Moon Moth Wings
- Raw and Cooked Moon Shroom
- Raw and Charred Naked Nostrils
- Plant Seeds
  - Brittle Seed Pods
  - Bulbous Seeds
  - Clustered Seeds
  - Fluffy Seeds
  - Lumpy Seeds
  - Oblong Seeds
  - Pointy Seeds
  - Seed Pods
  - Sharp Seeds
  - Spiky Seeds
  - Square Seeds
  - Swirly Seeds
  - Tubular Seeds
  - Windblown Seeds
- Raw Fish and Fish Steak
- Raw, Ripe and Cooked Stone Fruits
- Tillweeds
Crock Pot Recipes
- Amberosia
- Barnacle Linguine
- Barnacle Nigiri
- Barnacle Pita
- Beefy Greens
- California Roll
- Jelly Salad
- Leafy Meatloaf
- Lobster Bisque
- Lobster Dinner
- Milkmade Hat
- Mushy Cake
- Seafood Gumbo
- Soothing Tea
- Stuffed Fish Heads
- Surf 'n' Turf
- Veggie Burger
Advert
Bull Kelp Stalk
Compost
Cookie Cutter Shell
Distilled Knowledge
Driftwood Piece
Enlightened Crown
Enlightened Crown Shard
Friendly Fruit Fly Fruit
Gnarwail Horn
Infused Moon Shard
Malbatross Bill
Malbatross Feather
Message in a Bottle
- Empty Bottle
Moon Shard
Restrained Static
Lunar Essence Extractor
Pearl's Pearl and Cracked Pearl
Salt Crystals
Sea Sprout Starter
Seedshell
Shell Bells
Spoiled Fish and Spoiled Fish Morsel
Sprouting Stone Fruit
Tools
- Reticulating Buffer
- Widget Deflubber
- Grommet Scriber
- Conceptual Scrubber
- Calibrated Perceiver

Tweaks/Changes to existing content

The Moon has a crack in it.
The Potter's Wheel now also accepts Moon Shards as sculpting blocks, allowing all Sculptures to be made with this material.
Down Feathers can now be burned in the fire as fuel, alongside Malbatross Feathers.
Fish were changed to freshwater fish and are caught alive. They can no longer be stacked as each has an individual weight. Eels are also caught alive and cannot be stacked for the same reason. They now spoil into Spoiled Fish Morsel and Spoiled Fish respectively instead of becoming Rot.
The Crock Pot now differentiates different fish values: freshwater fish and small ocean fish are worth 0.5 fish, while eels and medium ocean fish are worth 1 fish. As a result, crock pot recipes that require fish were tweaked accordingly: Fishsticks, Fish Tacos and Moqueca require 0.5 fish, Fish Cordon Bleu requires 1 fish and Ceviche requires 2 fish.
Leafy Meat can now be used in the Crock Pot.
Some Crock Pot dishes require less meat values now.
Suspicious Dirt Piles have a chance to find a Volt Goat.
Removed Wickerbottom's Applied Horticulture and replaced it with Applied Silviculture and Horticulture, Abridged.
Bunnyman loot is reduced from 2 Carrot, 75% Meat and 25% Bunny Puff to 37.5% Carrot, 37.5% Meat and 25% Bunny Puff.
The Disease mechanic is completely removed.
The Birdcage no longer accepts Cooked Eggs, but now accepts raw Monster Meat. Feeding a Vegetable gives only one plant seed.
Bees are no longer hostile to Wormwood unless provoked.

Version History

Main article: Don't Starve Together/Version History

Trivia

The official Chinese translation of Return of Them is 旧神归来, which means "return of the Elder God(s)." This could imply that They are a reference to the Elder Gods from the Cthulhu Mythos.^[26]
In Rhymes With Play # 278, they revealed concept art of an unused mob design. This creature could move in water and on land, but it would spawn only in the sea. It would require being fed, and would float away if you hit it.
The first update, Turn of Tides was originally intended to be released on June 20, 2019.^[27]
DST developers have repeatedly stated in various places that the Reap What You Sow update is not a Return of Them update, (despite using the Return of Them bug tracker and forums)^[28]^[29] but it was later included under Return of Them upon its release.

Gallery

Don't Starve Together Return of Them - Turn Of Tides Launch Trailer
Don't Starve Together Return of Them - Salty Dog Update Trailer
Don't Starve Together Return of Them - Hook, Line & Inker Update Trailer
Don't Starve Together Return of Them - She Sells Sea Shells Update Trailer
Don't Starve Together Return of Them - Troubled Waters Update Trailer
Don't Starve Together Return of Them - Forgotten Knowledge Update Trailer
Don't Starve Together- Return of Them - Reap What You Sow -Update Trailer-
A promotional image accompanying the launch announcement of Turn of Tides.
A teaser image for the She Sells Seashells update.
A hidden teaser for the She Sells Seashells update.
Another teaser image for the She Sells Seashells update.
Teaser image for the She Sells Seashells updated with colored gems.
Teaser image for the Troubled Waters update.
Teaser image for the Forgotten Knowledge update.
A promotional image accompanying the launch announcement of Forgotten Knowledge.
A silhouette teasing the update.
The Pomegranate Branch revealed in the post announcing the beta.
The wintry-themed promo that debuted along with the official update.
A teaser for the Eye of the Storm update.
The revealed teaser for the Eye of the Storm update.
Concept art of an unused fish mob from Rhymes With Play #278.
Turn of Tides update promo gif.
Salty Dog update promo gif.
Hook, Line, and Inker update promo gif.
Troubled Waters update promo gif.
Forgotten Knowledge update promo gif.
She Sells Sea Shells update promo gif.
Reap What You Sow update promo gif.