Dinkum Guides - Guide Hub

Dinkum is a town-building survival game themed around Australia and somewhat similar to Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley. Our Dinkum guides will help you get started with the game!

Quicklinks: Dinkum Guides | Starter Guide | F.A.Q.

Dinkum Guides

• Dinkum Bugs Guide
• Dinkum Building Guide
• Dinkum Cooking Guide
• Dinkum Crafting and Unlocks Guide
• Dinkum Critters Guide
• Dinkum Farming Guide
• Dinkum Fishing Guide
• Dinkum Hunting Guide
• Dinkum Milestones Guide
• Dinkum Mining Guide
• Dinkum Money Making Guide
• Dinkum Residents Guide

Dinkum Starter Guide and Walkthrough

Your adventure in Dinkum begins by designing your character and naming the island. From there, Fletch will instruct you in the basics of island living.

Your First Day in Dinkum

The first main objective is to place the Base Tent, your own Tent, and the Visitor's Site. Here's what each of these buildings does:

• Base Tent - Fletch's home. Includes a Crafting table and provides services such as Deed and License purchases. (More on that shortly.)
• Your Tent - Your own home. You can decorate it however you like. It's a good place to put some Crates (for storage) and your Sleeping Bag.
• Visitor's Tent - Much like the Campsite in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, this is where prospective villagers will visit one day at a time. Doing Favors for a person and buying items in their shop will let you get a Deed for their own unique Building.

You'll also get your first item of food -- most likely, you'll find a Bush Lime since those are typically close to the starting location.

Health, Energy, and Time

Three key elements to a day are Health, Energy, and Time.

Health is pretty straightforward -- take damage, and your Health goes down. If your Health reaches zero, you pass out and have to end the day. You can restore Health with most Food.

Energy is consumed when you do actions such as mining for ore or swinging your Bug Net. You can also restore it with Food. When your Energy gets low, you will move slower and the screen will begin to turn grey. If your Energy hits zero, you pass out and the day ends.

Finally, there's the element of Time. A day in Dinkum starts at 7:00 AM and ends at midnight. Shopkeepers will open and close at different times of the day, Fletch included -- there's no 24/7 service with this ol' gal.

Once it hits midnight, the time will change to "Late." This is a perpetual state where your Energy is capped at about 10-20% of your normal, making it very difficult to do any meaningful work. Late Time, however, is perfect for smelting ore or Cooking since you don't need to use Energy for those tasks.

Making Money for a Table Saw

On the second day, your focus will shift to making money (a currency called "Dinks.") Pretty much all of your money will be earned by selling random things to John. Fletch will give you some more Tasks with the ultimate goal of getting John to Build a shop in town.

Part of that process is getting a Table Saw, a workbench that can turn Logs into Planks. This will be needed for most Buildings and some Crafting throughout the game.

After John agrees to move in, you'll have to get the Deed from Fletch. This will allow you to place John's shop anywhere on the island. Then, you'll have to supply construction materials in order for the shop to be built. You'll also accrue a debt that must be paid off before you can erect another Building.

After John's Shop

With John's Goods completed, your next goal is getting more people to move in. You'll meet new characters such as Rayne (who sells Farming equipment and Seeds). Much like John, however, their shops will be limited compared to a permanent building.

We're not entirely sure of the exact specifics, but the general idea is that you want to do Favors for them -- select "I want to Talk" and then "Got a Job for Me?" You'll also want to spend money at their shops. Eventually, they'll decide they want to move in and you'll have to place the Deed, supply construction materials, and pay off the Debt upon completion.

The Town Hall and Beyond

Your final goal in the early game and mid-game is to get a total of 5 permanent residents. Once you do, you will be able to upgrade the Base Tent into a proper Town Hall.

From here, it's all about growth. There are more people to unlock and more items to craft (especially from Franklyn). There's a big adventure to explore here, and you're only just getting started. Have fun!

Dinkum F.A.Q.

What is Dinkum?

Dinkum is an open-world survival game where you can build a town from scratch on an island based on the Australian bush. It has similarities to Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley.

Does Dinkum Have Multiplayer?

Yes, Dinkum has multiplayer.

What Happens When You Die in Dinkum?

When you die in Dinkum, you'll lose a portion of your inventory and your Tools will lose some durability. (You'll also get a Milestone the first time you die.) You will then get to push a button to wake up back at home.

How Do I Get Someone to Move Into My Town in Dinkum?

Do Favors for them and buy things from their shop and they'll eventually ask to move in. You may need to ensure that your town has no Debt, too, although we're not quite certain about this.

How Long with Dinkum be in Early Access?

According to the developer, “For at least one year, but ultimately I will continue the development of Dinkum until I feel like the game and its content are at a quality I consider completed.”