To light a torch in Casualties: Unknown, stand next to a lit campfire and use the torch repair recipe in the crafting menu: “repairing” the torch with the campfire as a heat source sets it alight at full condition. A torch you craft from two sticks and a rope starts at 0%, unlit, which is why a brand-new torch gives no light.
Casualties: Unknown is dark, and losing your light deep in a layer is one of the fastest ways to fall into a trap. This guide covers how to craft the torch, how to light and relight it, where the sticks and rope come from, and how the torch stacks up against other lights.
How Torches Work
The torch’s in-game description calls it a primitive light source and says: “While it lights up the way pretty well, it will be put out by liquids. You can relight it with a flame source.” Three things follow from that:
- It is crafted unlit. The Torch recipe makes a torch at 0% condition.
- It burns down. Its condition drops over time while lit, and at 0% it goes dark.
- Water kills it instantly. Any liquid puts it out, whether you walk into a pool, swim or get caught in flowing water.
Relighting uses the same recipe as the first lighting, so one campfire handles both.
Step-by-Step: How to Make and Light a Torch
- Gather two sticks and one rope. Rope is made from two foliage; sticks come from cutting wood (see below).
- Open the crafting menu with the button in the bottom-left corner and craft the Torch. It comes out at 0%.
- Build a campfire if there is not one nearby: a lighter or firestarter plus three flammable items, such as sticks, wood scraps or charcoal.
- Stand next to the lit campfire with the unlit torch in your inventory.
- Open crafting again and choose the torch repair recipe. It uses the campfire as the heat source, which is not consumed, and returns the torch lit at full condition.
- Hold the torch in a hand, ideally your secondary hand so your main hand stays free for a tool. Press Q to switch which hand holds what.
Where to Get Sticks and Rope
- Rope: two pieces of foliage. Glowplants and geotrees drop foliage in the first layer.
- Sticks: the stick recipe cuts a wood cube into two sticks with any blade, a flimsy knife included. Wood cubes are pressed from wood scraps and a little bio-chem fluid, and wood scraps drop from wooden blocks (the 1.0 update made wood blocks drop only wood scraps). Sticks also turn up as loot, so pick up every one you see.
Both recipes sit low on the Intelligence ladder, so a fresh experiment can make a torch right away. The firestarter needs slightly more Intelligence, which is one more reason to keep any lighter you find. If a recipe looks different in your game, drag an item onto the crafting icon to see every recipe it is used in.
How to Relight a Torch
When water puts it out or it burns down to 0%, do the same thing again:
- Get out of the water. A wet torch goes straight back out.
- Stand next to a lit campfire.
- Use the torch repair recipe in the crafting menu.
The 1.0 patch notes give the torch the firestarting quality, which makes a torch a firestarter in its own right: before it burns down, use it to start your next campfire, then use that campfire to relight it. Carry a few spare flammable items and the cycle keeps you lit across a whole layer.
Torch vs Other Lights
| Light | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Torch | Cheap, made from foliage and wood, bright warm light | Burns down, dies in water, needs a campfire to light |
| Emergency light | You start with it | Limited; save it for emergencies |
| Glowplant fruit | Free, glows on its own | Dimmer than a torch; it is “bioluminescent and inedible,” a light, not food |
| Flashlight or headlamp | Strong, aimable beam | Needs batteries |
| Lantern | Steady light | Needs a rare emissive crystal shard |
The torch is the best early light you can make on purpose. It shines brighter than a glowplant fruit for very little, and it keeps you going until you find or craft a flashlight, headlamp or lantern.
Tips Most Players Miss
- Throw a light down before you jump. A glowplant fruit tossed into a dark drop shows the landing and can set off traps below, which beats landing in one and needing our guide on how to remove shrapnel.
- Light the torch at the same fire you boil water on. One campfire covers both jobs; see how to boil water.
- Keep it out of flowing water. Geysers and streams are dangerous in their own right, and they snuff your light at the worst moment.
- A campfire warms you too. The 1.0 update made campfires warm you up more, so relighting is a good moment to dry off and rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my torch not give light? A crafted torch starts at 0%, unlit. Stand next to a lit campfire and use the torch repair recipe in the crafting menu to light it.
How do you relight a torch in Casualties: Unknown? The same way you light it the first time: next to a lit campfire, through the torch repair recipe. Dry off first if water put it out.
Can you light a torch with a lighter? The reliable route is lighter, then campfire, then torch: the torch repair recipe uses a heat source, and the campfire is the heat source the game gives you. The torch’s description does say any flame source relights it, so if your crafting menu offers the repair with just a lighter in your inventory, that works too.
What do you need to craft a torch? Two sticks and one rope. Rope is two foliage, and sticks are cut from a wood cube with a blade.
How long does a torch last? It burns down steadily while lit and goes dark at 0%. Relight it at any campfire, and use it to start a fresh fire before it runs out.
Does water put out a torch? Yes. Any liquid extinguishes it immediately, so keep it out of pools and flowing water.