“Say pal, you don't look so good. You better find something to eat before night comes!”
–Maxwell, when greeting the character
Maxwell (William Carter) is an NPC that appears during the beginning of the game, telling the player to start gathering food to not starve, before disappearing into smoke. He looks very tall and sinister, wears a dapper tuxedo, and holds a cigar while talking to the player. He is the main antagonist of the game, and is the one who transfers all Characters to the world of Don't Starve. During exploration, players can find Maxwell Statues or Chess Biomes themed after him. He seems to be a part-human, part-demon being. This becomes more and more apparent as Adventure Mode goes on.
In 1901, a tall and nervous British man named William Carter boarded a ship from London to the US, with hopes of pursuing a career as a magician in New York City. Three years later after his career appeared to be a flop and was in debt from unpaid props for his shows, William decided to move west to San Francisco, California. After his train crashed into a circus wagon, William went missing and was presumed to be dead. After escaping from the accident still alive, William discovers a book named Codex Umbra, which contained knowledge of powerful dark magic involving shadows. While he was deciphering what it read, his mind was opened up to new possibilities for magic. He took this new knowledge of magic and began to incorporate it into his magic shows, and went under the new stage name "The Amazing Maxwell".
After settling down with his newly found alter ego and knowledge, Maxwell met a woman named Charlie who applied to work as his assistant for his magic shows. Their magic shows appeared to be successful, creating very convincing acts using the knowledge Maxwell acquired from the book he discovered. Later in 1906, Charlie went to Maxwell's apartment after not hearing from him in a few days, but instead of finding Maxwell, she discovers his hidden "study room", with various symbols and incantations crudely scratched on the walls. Among these, the phrases "Enough", "It's them", and "Charlie" were also scratched on. She ran away terrified after seeing this, but came back to slide a letter under Maxwell's door acknowledging the room and suggested they take a break after their next big act.
Later that night, Maxwell and Charlie were to perform their big final act, wherein Maxwell would pull a shadow from the mysterious book. After making the book appear out of nowhere in his hands, Maxwell reached inside a page, but instead of pulling a shadow out, something inside of the book was pulling him in. After breaking free, a glimpse of the Shadow Watcher appears, the book turns to a blank page, and Maxwell and Charlie are grabbed by shadow hands and pulled into the realm of Them. It's unknown exactly what happened right after they were captured. Ultimately, Maxwell was put on the Nightmare Throne and would transform into the part-human, part-demon creature he is today, pulling people into the DS world. Charlie would become the monster of the night, killing unsuspecting people in the darkness.
Adventure Mode
This section contains plot central information and thus contains spoilers.
Maxwell will only appear again in Adventure Mode. Maxwell will come to greet players at the beginning of each world, like in Sandbox Mode, but now he is wearing a dapper cloak instead of a tuxedo. He will say different things in each World and will get angrier and angrier as the player progresses. Maxwell's anger seems to weaken him; as he becomes more furious, he starts to deform.
In the last Chapter of Adventure Mode, "Epilogue", players will finally confront Maxwell. They will be teleported to a dark and dead wasteland, with a hallway in the center. At the end of the road, players will reach Maxwell's Hall. A deformed Maxwell is sitting in a large chair with a phonograph nearby playing music. When meeting Maxwell, he will start talking, telling the player that when he got here there was nothing but dust, and "them" and that he doesn't know what they want, that they are just watching. If the player attacks Maxwell, then the throne protects him (a lightning bolt will strike the player and destroy their weapon), and Maxwell tells the player that the throne will not allow it. He then tells the player that he has been around here for a long time, and that the player can either put the key in the lock or stay around and keep him company.
Speech
When players approach Maxwell in the throne, he will say a line. Players have to click on him to read all the lines. Once he says all the lines listed below, excluding the Gramaphone ones, all he will say is "...".
"Is this what you were expecting?" / "Is this how it ends?"
"Forgive me if I don't get up."
"You've been an interesting plaything, but I've grown tired of this game."
"Or maybe They've grown tired of me."
"Heh. Took them long enough."
"They'll show you terrible, beautiful things."
"It's best not to fight it."
"There wasn't much here when I showed up."
"Just dust. And the Void. And Them."
"I've learned so much since then. I've built so much."
"But even a King is bound to the board."
"You can't change the rules of the game."
"I don't know what they want. They... they just watch."
"Unless you get too close... Then..."
"Well, there's a reason I stay so dapper."
"What year is it out there? Time moves differently here."
"Go on, stay a while. Keep us company."
"Or put the key in the box. It's your decision."
"Either way, you're just delaying the inevitable."
"Reality is like that, sometimes."
"I think I've said enough."
If the Gramaphone is turned off, then Maxwell will say... "Thank you, I've been listening to that song for an eternity."
If the Gramaphone is then turned back on, Maxwell then states... "I suppose I deserve that."
If the player activates the hidden Teleportato, Maxwell will say... "Don't you think I've tried that?"
If the player attacks Maxwell he will say... "The throne won't allow that. I've tried."
Don't Starve Together
In the multiplayer version, Don't Starve Together, chronologically the events in the game happen after the completion of Adventure Mode. Because of this, Maxwell is surviving in the world with all the other characters and does not appear at the start, instead characters spawn from the Florid Postern.
Trivia
Maxwell's name is a reference to the scientific thought problem "Maxwell's demon".
If the player examines Maxwell (NPC), each character has a quote.
Given his past as a magician, his name may be a reference to Charles Carter, a stage magician who performed in the early part of the 20th century.
In the William Carter puzzles, twins are mentioned. It is theorized that Abigail and Wendy are these twins. This theory is supported by what Wendy says when she examines Maxwell.
As of the "All's Well That Maxwell" update, upon exiting the game, a popup says "Maxwell will miss you!", instead of "Wilson will miss you!".
In the game's Alpha, Maxwell shared the same voice as Wilson, except with a lower pitch.
The rose that Maxwell wears on his lapel is the same one that Charlie used to wear in her hair. This is reinforced by the scene in which the two are pulled into the Don't Starve world ("grand finale") and directly after ("resumptus"). This may be inaccurate, as a William Carter Puzzle shows Maxwell wearing a rose while Charlie also wears one.
Gallery
A saddened Maxwell with a picture of his former self and Charlie in the background.
Maxwell and Charlie in their final act.
Wolfgang and Maxwell in the first chapter of Adventure Mode
Maxwell greeting the player at the beginning of Chapter 2 in Adventure Mode.
A shocked Maxwell at the beginning of Chapter 3
Maxwell appearing weak in the "Two Worlds" chapter.
An angered Maxwell at the beginning of Chapter 4.
Maxwell weakened and angry at the beginning of the "Darkness" chapter.
Maxwell on the Nightmare Throne.
Maxwell's "death".
A poster of Maxwell the Great.
Another poster now featuring Charlie.
Maxwell's silhouette as seen in the Origin video for Wilson.
Maxwell's face as seen in the Shipwrecked trailer.
A statue of Maxwell as found in the world.
A picture of Maxwell playing chess with Wilson from the Turf! update newsletter.
Maxwell in the background of a promotional image for Don't Starve.
A hidden image of Maxwell offering an apple to Wilson.
A portrait of Maxwell from a hidden page on the Klei website.
Maxwell, as seen in the The End of the Beginning trailer.
Maxwell (AKA William Carter) is one of the two playable Characters that are not unlocked via Experience in the Don't Starve base game. The de facto antagonist of the game, if freed at the end of Adventure Mode, returns to his dapper human form, being sent to one island of the Don't Starve world.
In addition to his journal on "Them", which allows him to fragment his mind, Maxwell starts off with his own fighting gear and valuable items. Being a dapper fellow, his Sanity constantly increases over time. To make up for that, Maxwell only has a maximum Health of 75 points. Maxwell's playstyle revolves around his Sanity, being able to manage it very easily, and the aid of his Book.
Players can only unlock Maxwell by completing Adventure Mode. After beating five consecutive Chapters (escaping from five randomly-ordered and themed Adventure Worlds), the player will find themselves in the Epilogue Chapter. Once there, if the player chooses to take pity upon Maxwell, they can attempt to release him from imprisonment in the Nightmare Throne by inserting a Divining Rod into the throne's Nightmare Lock. Once this happens, Maxwell becomes a playable Character.
Codex Umbra acts similar to Wickerbottom'sbooks, but has an infinite durability. Upon reading it, a Shadow Puppet with the silhouette of Maxwell will appear. Using the Book costs 15 , 2 Nightmare Fuel and 55 maximum Sanity . Due to this the player may have up to 3 puppets, at which point Maxwell will have 35 Sanity and will be unable to spawn more. The Shadow Puppets will live up to 2.5 days before dying off. They will aid Maxwell in combat, and assist him in mining and chopping down Trees. Upon death of a Puppet, Maxwell's maximum sanity will be restored by 55 points.
Disadvantage
Maxwell's maximum Health is only 75, making fights very dangerous if the player doesn't have good armor available. His Sanity regeneration bonus can also make it hard to stay insane and reap the benefits of that state.
Downloadable Content
In the Shipwrecked (SW) DLC, Maxwell's Puppets will aid him when hacking things with a Machete and they will have their own shadow version of the Row Boat making it possible for them to follow him across islands, unlike other Followers.
Don't Starve Together
In Don't Starve Together, he starts the game only with his Codex Umbra and 6 Nightmare Fuel. His Sanity boost has been reduced from 20/min to 6.67/min. The Shadow Tab was added, in which one can craft the Codex and different types of puppets. Puppets cost 2 Nightmare Fuel, a tool matching their action, and 20% (worker) or 35% (duelist) of Maxwell's maximum sanity. Maxwell is also able to read Wickerbottom's books.
Tips
Maxwell's starting items are some of the most powerful and rare in the game giving him an easier start than most. The Armor and Sword provide a great deal of survivability and allow him to keep his Sanity regeneration in check.
Summoning multiple Puppets to reduce the maximum Sanity is a good way to get Maxwell to stay almost insane for long periods of time, which is not easily obtained normally due to his Sanity regain buff. Coupled with the fact that when equipping his Sword and Armor he loses 10 /min, it is possible for him to become insane and sane back at will and very easily since there's only 5 points of sanity between the two thresholds.
Going insane during Daylight and kill Shadow Creatures for Nightmare Fuel is a good way to keep his Puppets up 24/7 during the early days of the game. Killing Beardlings (or bearded Crabbits in SW) is also an option but Nightmare Fuel from them is not guaranteed.
Due to Maxwell's low max Health, it is recommended to use his starting Night Armour when fighting dangerous creatures such as Hounds or Boss Monsters early on, reducing damage against him by 95% when worn.
Maxwell also has the advantage of being capable of building a Shadow Manipulator quicker than other characters, as he starts with a Purple Gem and Nightmare Fuel, shortening the time needed for gathering materials. This can allow players to quickly rebuild Night Armour and Dark Swords early in the game.
Normally the Shadow Puppets stop aiding with their Tools after Maxwell stops doing the act, but if they are close to the target and the player quickly cancels the action by moving or quickly switching to another hand slot item, the Puppets will still carry it out, essentially getting the resources without using the durability of the Tool. This means that it is a waste of resources to craft better versions of those Tools when playing as Maxwell.
Due to the low maximum Health and the cost of the Codex Umbra it is advised to only rely on Life Giving Amulets to revive from death instead of Meat Effigies as the latter will leave him at only 45 maximum Health. This means that Beard Hair is largely useless to Maxwell.
In DLCs, thanks to his Sanity regeneration, Maxwell will not lose Sanity even with 100 Wetness while holding wet Items.
In Don't Starve Together, Maxwell can read Wickerbottom's books. This can be helpful for when Wickerbottom is not present to do so.
Trivia
Maxwell's voice is played by a harmonium.
Seeing as Maxwell's real name is William, all playable characters technically do start with W.
Maxwell's playable character appears to be named "Waxwell" in game's files. This suggests that he was likely named Waxwell in the game's files to avoid any file conflicts between the NPC Maxwell and the playable Maxwell.
The playable version of Maxwell was also nicknamed by fans "Waxwell" prior to his release.
Maxwell is currently one of five characters that can not be unlocked by gaining Experience, the others being Wes, Webber, Wilbur and Woodlegs.
Maxwell is not greeted at the start of new world. Instead he'll wake up by himself and claim "Freedom, at Last!". This may imply that the character who rescued him from the Nightmare Throne doesn't yet have as much control over the world as Maxwell previously did.
His Curio Cabinet description from The Forge beta is "Formerly the Shadow King, lately Maxwell finds himself reacquainted with life among the commonfolk.".
Maxwell breaks the fourth wall by talking about Don't Starve itself; for example, he comments on "game logic" when examining an Opulent Pickaxe.
Maxwell examination quote for Tallbirds reveals that he created them by accident through a failed experiment.
At the end of the trailer for the End of the Beginning update, Maxwell has a rounded chin, but in the game version, he has a flat chin.
After the All's Well That Maxwell update the Codex Umbra was added to the game as Maxwell's perk and his sound when engaged in a fight is different.
When struck by Lightning in DLCs, Maxwell is shown to have bones in his sleeves.
He is one of the only five characters that have no skull in the game files, the others being Wigfrid, Walani, Warly and Woodlegs.
Maxwell is noticeably shorter than his NPC version, for gameplay reasons.
When Maxwell is rebound to the Nightmare Throne, he will revert to his NPC appearance.
If one dies to the Night Monster while playing as Maxwell, the Morgue will show the cause of death as "Charlie" rather than "Darkness".
Maxwell's perks description used to be: Is dapper but frail; Can fragment his own mind; Brings his own sword. His starting items and perks were kept though.
Origin
Origin
Adventure Mode
Don't Starve Together
Gallery
Unlocking
Downloadable Content
Tips
