Tentacle/DST

Don't Starve

DST

“That looks dangerous.”

–Wilson

“Not at all cuddly.”

–Willow

“Skinny monster!”

–Wolfgang

“Long, thin, and dangerous!”

–Wendy

“BIOLOGY IS DISGUSTING”

–WX-78

“A horror waiting in the mud.”

–Wickerbottom

“There a squid down there?”

–Woodie

“I'm glad the rest of it is still down there.”

–Maxwell

“Arms from the depths! But where is the rest of the body?”

–Wagstaff

“It lööks fierce. Intö the fray!”

–Wigfrid

“We would be mad if something stepped on us, too.”

–Webber

“Hands off, bucko!”

–Walani

“Calamari?”

–Warly

“Like in me dreams!”

–Woodlegs

“'TIS ARMS FROM 'NEATH THE GROUND”

–Wilba

“Arms from the dirt”

–Wormwood

“Swell. There's a tentacle coming out of the ground.”

–Wheeler

“Hands off!”

–Winona

“Just try and catch me!”

–Wortox

“Scale-less always walking into those, florp.”

–Wurt

“I want to see the creature it's attached to!”

–Walter

“I'll be avoiding that.”

–Wanda

For the similar trinket, see Dessicated Tentacle.

Tentacles are hostile Monsters that specifically spawn in Marshes or Caves, though they will not spawn on world-generated roads. Wickerbottom can summon Tentacles using On Tentacles, one of her self-published books.

When the player or mob approaches an area containing a Tentacle, bubbles will appear on the ground. Getting closer will cause the Tentacle to bulge out of the ground before extending fully. It will then try thrashing at anything within range, and will disappear back into the ground once there's no targets left.

Tentacles take three blasts from the Ice Staff to be frozen and cannot be put to sleep or set on fire. When killed, they will drop 2 Monster Meat and can drop a Tentacle Spike or Tentacle Spots.

Behavior

Tentacles are very dangerous because of their high damage and high health. They can only be seen once a creature or player gets relatively close, meaning that a careless player can easily walk into an area with many Tentacles without noticing them before being stun-locked and killed.

At first, there will be a barely noticeable bubbling patch on the ground, followed by a piece of tentacle that looks like a purple bubble, which appears just before the Tentacle surfaces. When a creature is in range, the Tentacle will emerge and twirl around once before snapping and standing straight up. There is a brief delay before it strikes again, they will often hit an entity twice during their attack animation.

As long as its current target is still in range, a Tentacle will not change targets even if something else attacks it, similar to Tallbirds.

If its target moves out of range, the Tentacle will sink back down into the ground; it cannot move around or give chase. After going back underground, Tentacles will stay hidden until another target moves into range or directly hits them, at which point they begin to attack again.

Due to Tentacles' aggressive nature, it is common to find drops from creatures they kill or from dead Tentacles killed by other creatures (usually Merms), lying on the Swamps. One Tentacle can sometimes kill a group of 4 Spiders on their own, though it depends on the situation. Due to this behavior, many players like to use Tentacles as a food and item supplier, especially when camping in or near a Marsh.

Tentacles do not respawn upon death, making them a finite resource for most characters. Wickerbottom is the only character who can prevent Tentacles from becoming extinct by using the book On Tentacles. It is worth noting that even though Tentacles do not respawn, players can get the same loot from Big Tentacles (except for Monster Meat).

Hunting

Tentacles cannot be stun locked. With most characters, it takes 15 strikes with a Spear to kill one. If properly timed, they can be attacked in between their strikes: when the player character is just out of the tentacle's range, the right time to start running toward the Tentacle for a hit is when the Tentacle comes down at the 4 o'clock direction. Attacking even slightly earlier will likely result in damage taken by the player. Although they appear to have an area attack, Tentacles actually attack targets individually. Due to this limitation, Pigs that attack if they get too close can easily kill a Tentacle if there are at least three of them.

Tentacles will still produce an Insanity aura, even if it is still in the ground and out of attack range. Thus, the sanity meter is a good indication that a Tentacle is near. Additionally, there is a low growl that can be heard when a Tentacle is near, and the player can watch for the bubbling patch, though Sanity drain is still the best indication, as the Tentacle growl can easily get confused with the normal growling ambiance of the swamp. During Adventure Mode, the sanity meter indication can be a lifesaver if the player is traveling in a swamp at dusk or night.

A safe, but time-consuming way to fight a Tentacle is to go right next to the spot where the Tentacle will come out, hit it as soon as the little nub appears, and dash to the side, out of its reach. Repeat after the Tentacle retracts into the ground.

It can be easy to kill Tentacles with little to no work by finding some Rundown Houses, waiting for Dusk, and seeing if the Tentacle alarms the Merms. The stiff fight will end in Frog Legs, Monster Meat, Fish, and perhaps Tentacle Spots, or even a Tentacle Spike.

Another easy way to kill a number of tentacles is to bring 2-3 Rock Lobsters from Caves. Tentacles will attack Rock Lobsters when they are led through them. The Rock Lobster that the tentacle attacks will curl up into a boulder, negating most of the incoming damage, while the other Rock Lobsters kill the Tentacle. 2-3 Rock Lobsters are capable of cleansing entire Marsh Biomes of tentacles provided the player has enough minerals to befriend them long enough to finish the job.

To make "tentacle traps", a player must bring several Pine Cones to the swamp and plant 3-6 of them around where the Tentacle emerges. Once the trees are grown and the player is ready to harvest the tentacle, they can simply light the trees on fire and the tentacle will die before the last tree burns out, even when hidden underground. The downside is that any Tentacle Spots that drop will also burn leaving only Ashes. To avoid this, the player can use exactly 4 Logs instead, which will drain Tentacle's heath low enough to be killed with a single hit using Spear. This method of hunting is easiest with Willow due to her fire affinity. This does not, however, work in DST, where the tentacle takes no damage from the fire.

Alternatively to the method above, one can use Gunpowder. A player can place a stack of three near a tentacle, ignite them and dash away. Even when hidden underground the tentacle will die instantly in the blast. A gunpowder stack of two can also be used, but the tentacle will need to be finished off with 2 swings of a Tentacle Spike. The player is usually fast enough to kill it before it manages to attack in this case. However, this case would require 3 consecutive swings of the Spear, which will allow for retaliation after the second swing.

Below is the number of hits it takes with each weapon to kill a Tentacle when playing with characters with a default damage modifier. The Weather Pain, Brightshade Staff, and Bee Mine are not included due to their random natures. This table does not take into account the damage bonus gained from characters with a lunar or shadow affinity. It also does not take into account the 40% damage bonus Wendy gets from attacking the same mob as Abigail, Wanda's damage bonus with Shadow weapons (except for the Alarming Clock, which does accurately reflect that bonus), or Wolfgang's damage multiplier when he isn't mighty.

Number of hits

Advanced options Select your character: If you are reading this, you do not have JavaScript enabled. Enable it to see a list of other characters' damage modifiers. You are currently viewing the version of the table with no damage modifier, 1x. Current Damage Modifier: 1
Weapon
	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
	3
()	4 (Old) 6 (Middle age) 7 (Young) 19 (Out of fuel)	3 (Old) 5 (Middle age) 6 (Young) 16 (Out of fuel)	2 () (Old) 3 () (Middle age) 3 () (Young) 8 () (Out of fuel)	2 () (Old) 2 () (Middle age) 3 () (Young) 7 () (Out of fuel)
()	4 ()	3 ()	4 ()	3 ()
()	5 (4 )	5 (4 )	4 () (4 () )	4 () (3 () )
	9 (8 )	8 (7 )	5 () (5 () )	5 () (4 () )	8 (7 )	7 (6 )	4 () (4 () )	4 () (4 () )	7 (6 )	6 (6 )	4 () (4 () )	3 () (3 () )	5 (5 )	5 (4 )	3 () (3 () )	2 () (2 () )
	9	8	6 ()	5 ()	8	7	5 ()	4 ()	7	6	4 ()	4 ()	5	5	3 ()	3 ()
	7	6	3 ()	3 ()	5	5	2 ()	2 ()	4	4	2 ()	2 ()	3	3	1 ()	1 ()
	5 ()	4 ()	5 ()	4 ()	4 ()	3 ()	4 ()	3 ()	3 ()	3 ()	3 ()	3 ()	2 ()	2 ()	2 ()	2 ()
	11 - 58 (10 - 36 )	10 - 53 (9 - 34 )	7 () - 35 () (6 () - 25 () )	6 () - 31 () (6 () - 23 () )	10 - 50 (9 - 33 )	9 - 46 (8 - 31 )	6 () - 29 () (5 () - 22 () )	5 () - 25 () (5 () - 19 () )	9 - 45 (8 - 30 )	8 - 40 (7 - 28 )	5 () - 25 () (4 () - 19 () )	4 () - 22 () (4 () - 17 () )	7 - 34 (6 - 24 )	6 - 30 (5 - 22 )	4 () - 17 () (3 () - 14 () )	3 () - 15 () (3 () - 12 () )
	10	9	4 ()	4 ()	8	7	3 ()	3 ()	6	5	3 ()	2 ()	4	4	2 ()	2 ()
()	8 - 37	7 - 31	3 () - 15 ()	3 () - 13 ()
	8
Note	8 ()	7 ()	8 ()	7 ()	6 ()	5 ()	6 ()	5 ()	5 ()	4 ()	5 ()	4 ()	3 ()	3 ()	3 ()	3 ()
	12	10	5 ()	4 ()	9	8	4 ()	3 ()	7	6	3 ()	3 ()	5	4	2 ()	2 ()
() Note	9	8	4 ()	3 ()
	12 - 23	10 - 19	5 () - 9 ()	4 () - 8 ()	9 - 17	8 - 15	4 () - 7 ()	3 () - 6 ()	7 - 14	6 - 12	3 () - 6 ()	3 () - 5 ()	5 - 9	4 - 8	2 () - 4 ()	2 () - 3 ()
()	8 (7 )	7 (6 )	4 () (3 () )	3 () (3 () )
()	7	6	3 ()	3 ()
	14	11	6 ()	5 ()	10	9	4 ()	4 ()	8	7	4 ()	3 ()	5	5	2 ()	2 ()
	14 (Melee on land) 9 (Melee on ocean) 8 (spell)	11 (Melee on land) 8 (Melee on ocean) 7 (spell)	6 () (Melee on land) 4 () (Melee on ocean) 4 () (spell)	5 () (Melee on land) 3 () (Melee on ocean) 3 () (spell)	10 (Melee on land) 7 (Melee on ocean) 6 (spell)	9 (Melee on land) 6 (Melee on ocean) 5 (spell)	4 () (Melee on land) 3 () (Melee on ocean) 3 () (spell)	4 () (Melee on land) 3 () (Melee on ocean) 2 () (spell)	8 (Melee on land) 6 (Melee on ocean) 5 (spell)	7 (Melee on land) 5 (Melee on ocean) 4 (spell)	4 () (Melee on land) 3 () (Melee on ocean) 2 () (spell)	3 () (Melee on land) 2 () (Melee on ocean) 2 () (spell)	5 (Melee on land) 4 (Melee on ocean) 3 (spell)	5 (Melee on land) 3 (Melee on ocean) 3 (spell)	2 () (Melee on land) 2 () (Melee on ocean) 2 () (spell)	2 () (Melee on land) 2 () (Melee on ocean) 1 () (spell)
()	10 (Direct hit) 15 (AoE)	9 (Direct hit) 13 (AoE)	4 () (Direct hit) 6 () (AoE)	4 () (Direct hit) 5 () (AoE)
	10
	10 ()	8 ()	10 ()	8 ()	7 ()	6 ()	7 ()	6 ()	6 ()	5 ()	6 ()	5 ()	4 ()	3 ()	4 ()	3 ()
()	7 ()	6 ()	7 ()	6 ()
	16	14	7 ()	6 ()	12	10	5 ()	4 ()	10	8	4 ()	4 ()	6	5	3 ()	2 ()
()	6 (When thrown)	5 (When thrown)	3 () (When thrown)	2 () (When thrown)
	20	17	8 ()	7 ()	15	13	6 ()	5 ()	12	10	5 ()	4 ()	8	7	3 ()	3 ()
()	15	13	6 ()	5 ()
()	8 (When thrown)	7 (When thrown)	3 () (When thrown)	3 () (When thrown)
	25	21	10 ()	9 ()	19	16	8 ()	7 ()	15	13	6 ()	5 ()	10	8	4 ()	4 ()
()	10 (When thrown)	8 (When thrown)	4 () (When thrown)	4 () (When thrown)
()	20 (Direct hit) 30 (AoE)	17 (Direct hit) 25 (AoE)	8 () (Direct hit) 12 () (AoE)	7 () (Direct hit) 10 () (AoE)
()	30	25	12 ()	10 ()
()	15 (When thrown)	13 (When thrown)	6 () (When thrown)	5 () (When thrown)

It takes 3 blasts with an Ice Staff to freeze Tentacle, and it is immune to being put to sleep.

Shadow Rift Content

This content is available only after activating the Shadow Rift
If it gets caught in the Acid Rain its damage attack will rises to +50% and taking damage rises to +25%. The fact that it is subject to the effect can be understood by the special breath that he will emit.

Trivia

• If a player is near the Marsh Biome, a Tentacle can appear (barely) outside of its biome.
• When using the Thulecite Club, there is a chance that small Shadow Tentacles will appear and assist the player with attacking.
• Due to its longer attack range, Tail o' Three Cats can be used to kill Tentacles without being hit.
• Maxwell expresses surprise at the existence of the Big Tentacle and the Baby Tentacles, suggesting that the Tentacles are reproducing and were not planned to do so. Wilson and Wickerbottom mention that Tentacle Spots are its genitalia; supported by Maxwell's quote for Tentacle Spots, "This is how they reproduce".
• Tentacles in the swamp sometimes don’t respawn.
• Players can simply use pine cone or any similar items to determine if there are hidden tentacles. Because player cannot plants or places structures in areas with tentacles.

Gallery

• 

  Tentacle from within
• 

  Tentacle bulge when the player is nearby.
• 

  Tentacle attacking Wilson.
• 

  Tentacle mid-swing while fighting Merms.
• 

  A Tentacle dying to Merms and another one fighting them.
• 

  A Frozen Tentacle.
• 

  Tentacle retreating back into the ground.
• 

  Tentacle out of the swamp biome.
• 

  Tentacles remain on bare ground after the turf is dug out.
• 

  Tentacle Set Piece.
• 

  Reed Field Set Piece.
• 

  Tentacle found in a cave.
• 

  Rock Lobsters take out a massive quantity of Tentacles.
• 

  A Tentacle as seen in a drawing from Art Stream # 38.
• 

  In DST Loading Screen
• 

  On Steam Community Center Background

References

DSRoGSWHamDST