I still remember my first 10 hours in Enshrouded, fumbling through dark caves with only a torch that kept running out of fuel, getting jumped by Shrouded scavengers every two minutes. I didn’t realize how much easier the game would get once I learned how to make candles in Enshrouded, and I’ve been pushing every new player I play with to craft their first batch as soon as they reach the Spring biome. Candles are one of the most low-effort, high-reward crafting items in the entire game, and you don’t need any late-game upgrades to make them. This guide is based on 70+ hours of playtime, including all the mistakes I made so you don’t have to repeat them.
What You Need to Gather Before You Make Candles in Enshrouded
Crafting candles requires almost no rare materials, which is why they’re perfect for early-game players. The recipe unlocks automatically as soon as you collect its core component, so you won’t have to grind for a specific blueprint or spend skill points to unlock it. You can unlock the candle crafting recipe as soon as you collect your first piece of beeswax, so your first step is to track down a beehive. Here’s the full list of materials you’ll need per candle:
- 2 Beeswax per candle: Found in beehives hanging from oak trees in the northern Spring biome; avoid disturbing hives without a melee weapon, as bees will attack you if you get too close
- 1 Twine per candle: Crafted from 3 Plant Fiber, which you can collect by cutting down small bushes, grass, and ferns across every starting biome
- Level 1 Workbench: The same basic station you use to craft tools and building parts, no upgraded stations are required for standard candles
If you’re having trouble finding beehives, stick to the edges of the Spring biome near the starting plateau. Most hives hang from the lower branches of large, leafy oak trees, and you’ll usually hear the buzzing of bees before you see the hive itself. I’ve found that the best time to harvest hives is right after you finish the first quest to clear the starter Shrouded gate, as you’ll already be heading toward the Spring biome for new building materials anyway. You don’t need a fancy tool to harvest beeswax; a basic stone axe works just fine to knock hives down from tree branches.
Step-by-Step Process to Craft Candles
Once you have all your materials gathered, crafting candles takes less than a minute even for large batches. You don’t need to stand near a fire or any other special station, and the entire process works the same whether you’re playing solo or with a group. First, head back to your base and interact with your Level 1 Workbench to pull up the crafting menu.
Navigate to the “Lighting” tab on the left side of the menu, and you’ll see the standard candle recipe listed near the top of the page. If you don’t see it, double check that you’ve picked up at least one piece of beeswax in your inventory, as the game hides recipes until you’ve collected their core components. Select the number of candles you want to craft, and hit the craft button to add them to your inventory. Stacks of 20 candles take less than 10 seconds to craft, so it’s worth making a large batch before a long exploration run.
If you’re playing with friends, you can split up gathering duties to make this process even faster. My regular playgroup usually has one person collect plant fiber for twine, another hunt for beehives, and a third stay back at base to craft the candles while the others gather. We usually make a stack of 40 candles before heading into a large Shrouded mine, and that’s enough to light the entire path and mark loot chests for the whole group.
Practical Uses for Candles in Your Enshrouded Playthrough
Candles are way more versatile than most new players realize. They’re not just for decoration, though they do look great in most base builds. The first and most obvious use is for exploration. Lighting up dark cave tunnels and Shrouded areas with candles means you don’t have to waste inventory space carrying stacks of torches, and you won’t have to fumble to switch your torch out for a weapon when a mob jumps you.
Candles don’t expire or burn out, so you can place them anywhere and leave them permanently without needing to restock fuel. That makes them perfect for marking paths through confusing cave systems or marking the entrance to loot chests you want to come back to later. You can also pick up placed candles any time with your construction hammer, so you can reuse them for future exploration runs if you don’t want to leave them behind.
Another huge benefit of candles is the base comfort bonus. Each candle you place inside your base adds +1 to your overall comfort score, which directly increases the amount of rested XP you earn when you log out or spend time in your base. If you have 15 candles placed around your base, that’s a 15% XP boost for all your skills, which adds up fast when you’re grinding to level up mining or carpentry. Placing candles in Shrouded zones won’t clear the corruption, but it will reduce the chance of Shrouded mobs spawning directly next to you while you’re mining or looting. I’ve tested this myself, and I went from getting jumped every 2 minutes in the first Shrouded mine to only running into mobs near the corruption core after I lit the whole tunnel system with candles.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Making and Using Candles
For such a simple item, there are a few common mistakes that most new players make when they first start crafting candles. The first mistake I made was using all my beeswax for candles right after I found my first hive, then I needed beeswax to make healing salves for a boss fight and had to run all the way back to the Spring biome to get more. Now I always split my beeswax stock: 60% for healing supplies, 40% for candles. That way I never run out of either when I need them most.
Never harvest beehives without wearing at least basic cloth armor, as bee stings can take out half your health bar in 2 hits if you’re unarmored. I learned this the hard way when I ran up to a hive in my starting tunic and got swarmed before I could even swing my axe. If you don’t want to fight the bees at all, you can hit the hive once to knock it down, then run about 20 feet away and wait 10 seconds. The bees will lose interest and despawn, and you can pick up the beeswax without taking any damage.
Another common mistake is placing candles too close to flammable building materials. Enshrouded’s fire spread mechanic is no joke, and I once lost half my early-game base because I placed a candle on a wooden shelf next to a stack of hay bales I was using for decoration. Always leave at least one full block of space between candles and wood, thatch, or hay, or place them on stone or clay surfaces to eliminate fire risk entirely. You should also avoid placing candles on narrow ledges if you’re building a base in a windy area, as there’s a small chance they can fall off and start a fire on the ground below.
Even after 70 hours of playing, I still keep a stack of candles in my inventory for every exploration run and base build. Learning how to make candles in Enshrouded is such a small, simple task, but it makes a huge difference in every part of the game, from exploration to base building to survival. Even if you’re only a few hours into your playthrough, it’s worth taking 10 minutes to track down a beehive and craft your first batch. You’ll save yourself a lot of frustrating deaths and make your base feel a lot more like home in the process. If you have your own favorite candle hacks, feel free to share them in the comments below.