The Survivalists guide: The Mysterious Stranger, Mysterious Box, and treasure maps

In The Survivalists, you’ll eventually encounter The Mysterious Stranger who provides the Spyglass, Mysterious Chest, Labyrinth Keys, and treasure maps. Here’s our guide to help you out.

Note: For more information, visit our guides and features hub for The Survivalists.

The Survivalists guide: Meeting the Mysterious Stranger

The Mysterious Stranger’s arrival is something you’ll look forward to as you play The Survivalists. Seeing a hot air balloon in the middle of nowhere definitely surprised me.

The Mysterious Stranger travels from island to island. You could get a notification that he spawned, but you need to sail to a new location to find him.

The Spyglass, Labyrinth Keys, and treasure maps

The Mysterious Stranger does provide a task and it might be random. For me, it was to bring him 3x rope. When I did this, I got the Spyglass found in the rewards chest at the side of the balloon.

The Spyglass is used whenever you’re near the shoreline or while sailing. It’ll reveal parts of the world map, including any islands that are further away.

Additionally, the rest of the shop’s options become available:

• Mysterious Chest – 30
• 20x Palm Leaf – 23
• Flimsy Axe – 50
• Mango Curry – 200
• Lightweight Axe – 135
• Metal Club – 120
• Gold Spear – 75
• Sturdy Multitool – 55
• Gold Ingot – 45
• Glowing Rock – 70

Note 1: As for the Labyrinth Keys, these open locations in The Survivalists. Each key costs 5,000 gold. Delving into these ruins will eventually help you complete the campaign.

Note 2: The next task from the Mysterious Stranger nets you an Elixir Bottle which protects you from harmful terrain. He’ll also sell Labyrinth Gems for 245 gold each. You’ll find more advanced items with each successive meeting.

As for the treasure maps, some are quite cheap while others (legendary/orange) are more expensive. The chests themselves might spawn next to totems (they might require an offering such as bat wings, meat, and other materials first). Otherwise, they could be close to tribal villages surrounded by hostiles.

The Mysterious Chest

The most important item in The Survivalists‘ early-game, however, is the Mysterious Chest. This container costs a measly 30 gold and it’s got a lot of storage capacity (36 items). You can let your monkey companions carry this around, along with other chests, so you can store any loot you find while traveling.

Note 1: If you’re joining multiplayer runs, the Mysterious Chest will also be with your character.

Note 2: One nasty bug you might encounter is the Mysterious Chest spawning in the middle of nowhere (like the sea). I’m not sure how this happens, and reloading didn’t fix things for me. Try to make sure that the Mysterious Chest is placed on the ground (not carried by a monkey companion) if you’re saving and exiting the game. This could help, but it’s not 100% guaranteed.

The Survivalists is available via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.