Self Preservation

Self Preservation is the hardest badge in this group at 3 difficulty stars, yet it pays only 4 diamonds — proof that you earn it for the challenge, not the loot. The requirement is to reach the 99-day mark without ever bringing a single Missing Child back to your camp.

What makes this brutal is that rescued children are normally one of your biggest survival boosts, so this badge forces you to go the full distance with fewer hands and fewer resources. You must survive nearly the entire 99-night campaign solo-style on the helper front, all while ignoring the very rescues the game pushes you toward. One slip — picking up or escorting a child to camp even once — voids the whole run.

The winning strategy is a fortress mindset: invest heavily in walls, a strong food and healing economy, and powerful gear so you can outlast the escalating night waves without extra survivors. Play conservatively, avoid risky expeditions late, and never let curiosity tempt you into a rescue. Because it demands a clean 99-day discipline run, treat it as a long-term goal you commit to from day one, not something you stumble into.