Difficulty levels: how hard the planet bites.

The levels at a glance

Level	Survival?	Hunger and thirst	Damage taken	Your bag
Relaxed	No (free roam)	Off. You never need to eat or drink.	40% of normal. One knock takes at most about 10% of your health.	Kept when you die
Tea and Biscuits	Yes	Runs down slowly (three quarters of normal)	70% of normal	Kept when you die
Proper Explorer	Yes	Normal	Normal	Falls where you die
Bring Spare Pants	Yes	Runs down one and a half times as fast	150% of normal	Falls where you die
Absolutely Not	Yes	Runs down twice as fast	220% of normal	Falls where you die
Builder	No (free roam)	Off	None	Kept when you die

The level sets how fast your food, water and stamina run down, and how much each hit takes off your health. In Relaxed a knock is light, and the biggest one (a boss or a long fall) never takes more than a tenth of your health.

Relaxed

The whole game as it was meant to be played without the upkeep: mine, craft, build, explore and fight. You never need food or water. Knocks are light, about 5% of your health for an ordinary hit. You keep your bag when you fall.

Tea and Biscuits

Survival with the kettle on. Things bite, but softly, and food and water run down more slowly than in the harder levels. You keep your bag when you fall.

Proper Explorer

The planet as it was meant to be: fair, wild and hungry for explorers. This is the default. Your bag falls where you die, so go back and collect it.

Bring Spare Pants

Everything hits harder, and food and water run down faster. Your bag stays where you fell. Take spare armour and a full stock of food.

Absolutely Not

The planet wants you gone: twice the hurt, twice the drain, and no mercy. Only the very well prepared should start here.

Builder

Free roam with builder's powers: you can fly, break anything instantly, and your blocks never run out. There is no health, hunger or thirst to worry about. See Controls for how to fly.

Changing your mind

You can switch the mode from the pause menu (Esc) at any time. Every new game is a new planet with its own seed, and the pause menu has a New world button.

Which to pick

• New to the game: Relaxed or Tea and Biscuits, to learn the crafting and building without pressure.
• Want the full game: Proper Explorer.
• Looking for a challenge: Bring Spare Pants.
• Just want to build: Builder.

For what the meters mean, see Health, hunger and the air. For the first steps, see Getting started.

← Back to the wiki · Last updated 25 October 2026. Mantlenaut is in alpha, so things change.