Retreat to Enen Guides - Guide Hub

Retreat to Enen is a survival game that integrates meditation with challenging gameplay. Our Retreat to Enen Guides will help you learn this game, find Ruins, and more!

Quicklinks: Retreat to Enen Guides | Retreat to Enen Starter Guide | F.A.Q.

Retreat to Enen Guides

• Walkthrough and Story Guide
• Valley of Giants Walkthrough Guide
• The Great North Walkthrough Guide
• Crafting and Unlocks Guide
• Building Guide
• Cooking Guide
• Farming Guide
• Hunting Guide

Retreat to Enen Starter Guide

Retreat to Enen is a deceptively difficult survival game with little room for error, especially in the early game. A step in the wrong spot or a failure to carefully manage your resources will result in you being "Medically Evacuated" and losing the game, forcing you to start over from your latest save. You can even encounter some of these hazards on your first day before you've even had a chance to save!

First, let's start with a breakdown of the UI:

The Retreat to Enen UI, Explained

Here's a breakdown of the Retreat to Enen UI, referring to the above image that shows the main UI on the left and the mini UI on the right.

1. Level and Inventory
   • Level - Your Level. You gain a Level for each Ruins you Meditate at. (Ruins, not Meditation Points.)
   • Crafting - Crafting various items, including:
     • Survival - Basic survival items like shelter, a Fire Pit, etc.
     • Hunting - Traps for Hunting and Weapons
     • Luxury - Storage, Lighting, and Furniture items
   • Building - Making complex Buildings for long-term survival.
     • Basic - Wood, Stone, and Clay Buildings
     • Upgrades - Upgraded versions of Wood and Stone Buildings.
     • Modern - Metal Buildings and special structures.
   • Inventory - A list of all of your non-Food items. The Weight is shown on the top right; you cannot pick up any additional items if your Weight is maxed out.
     • You gain +10 Weight with every Level.
   • Food - A list of all of your Food.
2. Messages - Random tips about the Island of Enen.
3. Clock and Calendar - The yellow ball shows where the sun is relative to the time of day. Below that is the Day # and the exact time.
4. Ruins Counter - This shows which Ruins you have found and Meditated in. Each area has a total of 3 Ruins to explore.
5. Health - This shows any Afflictions you currently have active, along with:
   • Health - A measure of your overall Health. This goes down if you take damage or have certain Afflictions like Pathogen or Poison. Increase this with healing items.
     • If your Health is reduced to 0 at any time, you are "Medically Evacuated" and must load a save.
   • Hunger - A measure of how hungry you are. Increase this by eating Food.
   • Thirst - A measure of how thirsty you are. Increase this by drinking Water.
   • Spirit - Your spiritual state. Increase this by Meditating at Meditation Points or Ruins.
6. ​Afflictions - This shows you what Afflictions, if any, you are currently suffering from
7. Status - Your four core stats. From the top down:
   • Health
   • Hunger
   • Thirst
   • Spirit
8. Temperature - Your current Core Temperature. If this drops too low, you'll start losing Health.
9. Weather - Shows whether it's hot, cold, etc.

Your Objective

Retreat to Enen tells the tale of a person sent on a journey to commune with nature as a rite of passage. Your main objective is to reach a total of 9 Ruins across three areas; each area has 3 Ruins to explore.

Your secondary objective is to stay alive, and that might be harder than you think -- chopping down trees has been outlawed, so you have to resort to using whatever you can find on the ground.

Building a Base and Surviving

First and foremost, you'll want to build a base to get started. This will include a Basic Shelter for sleeping and a Fire Pit for cooking and warmth at the minimum. You may also want to build a Cooking Pot for more complex recipes and healing items and a Raincatcher to get a clean supply of water.

Debuffs and Other Dangers

Aside from the hazards of passing out from hunger or thirst,

• Pathogen - Drinking unclean Water can get you the Pathogen Affliction which will gradually reduce your Health to 0 unless treated.
• Poison - Getting attacked by a Snake will cause the Poison debuff, which also reduces your Health to 0 unless treated.

From Foraging to Farming and Hunting

You will not be able to survive on things you find on the ground alone -- you'll have to start Farming and Hunting to ensure that you have enough supplies to stay alive. Check out our Farming Guide and Hunting Guide for tips on how to do that.

Exploring the Island of Enen

You now have an understanding of the basics of Retreat to Enen. Still need a little help? Check out our Retreat to Enen Walkthrough and Story Guide for a full step-by-step guide through the entire game!

Retreat to Enen F.A.Q.

What is Retreat to Enen?

Retreat to Enen is a survival game that explores meditation, nature, and survival.

Is Retreat to Enen Multiplayer or Co-Op?

No, Retreat to Enen is not multiplayer or co-op.

How Do You Save the Game in Retreat to Enen?

You can save your game in Retreat to Enen by interacting with a Basic Shelter, Hammock, Bed, or Snow Pod.

What Happens When You Die in Retreat to Enen?

Dying in Retreat to Enen causes you to be "Medically Evacuated" and you'll have to load your latest save. Make sure to save frequently!

How Do You Pause the Game in Retreat to Enen?

You can pause Retreat to Enen by pressing Escape. Having your inventory up does not pause the game!

Where is Obsidian in Retreat to Enen?

You can find Obsidian in Retreat to Enen in Valley of Giants and The Great North.

Where is Ore in Retreat to Enen?

You can find Ore in Retreat to Enen in Valley of Giants and The Great North.

Where is Northern Lilly in Retreat to Enen?

You can find Northern Lilly in Retreat to Enen in Valley of Giants and The Great North.

How Do You Cure Poison in Retreat to Enen?

You can cure Poison in Retreat to Enen by Cooking an Antivenom in a Cooking Pot.

How Do You Cure Pathogen in Retreat to Enen?

You can cure Pathogen in Retreat to Enen by Cooking an Antiseptic in a Cooking Pot.