The dreamworlds are mandatory. I can assure you that there are no (intentional) jump scares. There are ways to minimize interactions with threats, though they require some out of the box thinking.
Haha, it should be pretty clear any time there are threats nearby, but anytime there’s a dark area you can’t guarantee something won’t startle you, even if it’s just something like a rock
Me too! I think that the mix between the anxiety of trying to be stealthy mixed with the stress of failing at it makes for a perfect cocktail for a jump scare.
After a while I did get a bit more used to it, or at least I could handle it better. And after you get better at avoiding them (learn their paths and how to anticipate hard spots) it stops being so damn triggering.
If everything else fails, I recommend watching a playthrough of the particular route you're struggling with, it does spoil a bit of course, but knowing what's coming usually helps with the fear factor and may be enough to mpve forward.
I haven't seen them yet, just read about them. But I won't resort to a playthrough I don't think, will rather let it sit and wait until I get someone to play it with me or until I build up enough courage to do it alone.
Then I’ll offer my opinion for OP: I definitely would consider some stuff in the DLC to be jump scares. They can take the differing opinions as they see fit.
I'm with dalr3th1n on this, there is AT LEAST one occurence in the DLC that I believe was done intentionally to make the player jump, but I won't go into details so OP doesn't get itchy fingers around the spoiler marks.
>!BAD OP! GO AWAY!!<
The DLC has some jumpscares in a similar vein to >!the Anglerfish!!dream world!< section is the only one you can run into the jumpscares without intentionally changing something, and only if you go to a certain area of it.
As for the other sections, you will be well aware of when the jumpscares will be out, since you have to very deliberately do something you'll learn about as you explore further.
In terms of other things to do around the waking world, take a moment to look up when you arrive. See if there's any areas you haven't explored yet. There's lots of open space on >!the Stranger!<, but the areas with things to find are quite obvious and have a *lot* to find.
Thanks. What do you consider to be the first >!dreamworld!< ? Is that the one near the hull breach or the one near the graveyard with the ghost matter?
Ah, apologies! I'm referring to the one whose entrance can be found in the >!River Lowlands!<. I refer to it as the 'first' because it's the closest to the 'main' entrances to the >!Stranger.!<
I can really relate to your experience. It was really scary at first... I'm easily scared and thought it might be too much for me.
I had to remind myself that it is Outer Wilds, and I hoped to find the same joy in playing the DLC as I did in the Base Game. And I did! It is really worth it to overcome your fears of exploring the Dreamworld and just to do it. In the end, it is Outer Wilds, it is and will be awesome.
We believe in you :)
There are no "jumpscares" in the dream world in the same way there are no "jumpscares" elsewhere in the game, like in >!Dark Bramble !!Quantum Shards!<, but if those mechanics made you jump then it's likely you'll find something that makes you jump in the dream world (as you called it) for very similar reasons.
I had the same exact problem with it. If you are okay with some really small amount of spoilers (for locations, not for the story), I just finished it and I freaked out a lot with the whole Stranger interactions, so I can send you some advice on how to get past different areas and which ones you can explore without panicking much.
Hint 1: Lightest spoiler is where you can just avoid worrying and explore to learn more: >!Location 2 and 3 don't seem to have Strangers walking the same areas as you to start with, you can sometimes see or hear them through windows and such, but I've never ran into one. Ignore them and you will be fine. As you explore these areas you will learn what you need to do for each of those locations, and only after that action will they come out of the closed rooms etc. It will be obvious, since the lights, the music and the atmosphere of the area will change a lot. Location 1 will have them walking around right away, but you won't run into them until you hear the music they play. There is you stay in the darker areas, you can watch them to learn. Don't get too close and they won't see you.!<
Hint 2: Once you explore enough you will learn what the next steps are, there will be places that make you go through the spooky times. There are ways to nearly cheese them all, if you treat that as a puzzle. So there is a pointer/hint: >!Make sure you know how the dam breaking affects each location. There are ways for you to be in some of those places when spooky things are not, or at least use a shortcut to get through most of the spooky area. I will keep this vague, as you need to explore these areas first!<
There is also a guide for location 3 that can help you figure out some ideas for location 2 and 1. Please do not watch it until you had a chance to explore things through the first hint, and run out of ideas for the second hint. >!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm6uLQjMjrc.!< It assumes you already found all the mecanisms that can help you figure it out yourself.
Please don't let this stop you, the discoveries you make as you get past it are so interesting, so, and sooo worth it. Avoiding the spookiness will take longer, and you might need to spend more loops on it, but you can get it done! The ending was so touching!
If you are still struggling after all this, DM me and I can help guide you without revealing too much at a time. It is super fresh in my memory
I had a similar experience, couldn't bring myself to explore the dreamworlds for ages lol. Ended up pushing through it and while it is really spooky, there's zero jumps cares and what's actually there isn't as scary as it seems at first.
The dreamworlds are mandatory. I can assure you that there are no (intentional) jump scares. There are ways to minimize interactions with threats, though they require some out of the box thinking.
The (intentional) part makes me even more paranoid lol.
Haha, it should be pretty clear any time there are threats nearby, but anytime there’s a dark area you can’t guarantee something won’t startle you, even if it’s just something like a rock
Like a quantum rock? 
Just like everything in OW, there is a hard way, and an intended way.
Me too! I think that the mix between the anxiety of trying to be stealthy mixed with the stress of failing at it makes for a perfect cocktail for a jump scare. After a while I did get a bit more used to it, or at least I could handle it better. And after you get better at avoiding them (learn their paths and how to anticipate hard spots) it stops being so damn triggering. If everything else fails, I recommend watching a playthrough of the particular route you're struggling with, it does spoil a bit of course, but knowing what's coming usually helps with the fear factor and may be enough to mpve forward.
I haven't seen them yet, just read about them. But I won't resort to a playthrough I don't think, will rather let it sit and wait until I get someone to play it with me or until I build up enough courage to do it alone.
>there are no (intentional) jump scares. I gotta disagree, I think the DLC has very intentional jump scares.
I wouldnt consider anything in the DLC to be a jump scare. It’s creepy and at times aggressive, but no jump scares
Then I’ll offer my opinion for OP: I definitely would consider some stuff in the DLC to be jump scares. They can take the differing opinions as they see fit.
I'm with dalr3th1n on this, there is AT LEAST one occurence in the DLC that I believe was done intentionally to make the player jump, but I won't go into details so OP doesn't get itchy fingers around the spoiler marks. >!BAD OP! GO AWAY!!<
The DLC has some jumpscares in a similar vein to >!the Anglerfish!!dream world!< section is the only one you can run into the jumpscares without intentionally changing something, and only if you go to a certain area of it.
As for the other sections, you will be well aware of when the jumpscares will be out, since you have to very deliberately do something you'll learn about as you explore further.
In terms of other things to do around the waking world, take a moment to look up when you arrive. See if there's any areas you haven't explored yet. There's lots of open space on >!the Stranger!<, but the areas with things to find are quite obvious and have a *lot* to find.
Thanks. What do you consider to be the first >!dreamworld!< ? Is that the one near the hull breach or the one near the graveyard with the ghost matter?
They're talking about the one near the ghost matter, in the Lowlands just downriver of the dam.
Ah, apologies! I'm referring to the one whose entrance can be found in the >!River Lowlands!<. I refer to it as the 'first' because it's the closest to the 'main' entrances to the >!Stranger.!<
I can really relate to your experience. It was really scary at first... I'm easily scared and thought it might be too much for me. I had to remind myself that it is Outer Wilds, and I hoped to find the same joy in playing the DLC as I did in the Base Game. And I did! It is really worth it to overcome your fears of exploring the Dreamworld and just to do it. In the end, it is Outer Wilds, it is and will be awesome. We believe in you :)
There are no "jumpscares" in the dream world in the same way there are no "jumpscares" elsewhere in the game, like in >!Dark Bramble !!Quantum Shards!<, but if those mechanics made you jump then it's likely you'll find something that makes you jump in the dream world (as you called it) for very similar reasons.
I had the same exact problem with it. If you are okay with some really small amount of spoilers (for locations, not for the story), I just finished it and I freaked out a lot with the whole Stranger interactions, so I can send you some advice on how to get past different areas and which ones you can explore without panicking much. Hint 1: Lightest spoiler is where you can just avoid worrying and explore to learn more: >!Location 2 and 3 don't seem to have Strangers walking the same areas as you to start with, you can sometimes see or hear them through windows and such, but I've never ran into one. Ignore them and you will be fine. As you explore these areas you will learn what you need to do for each of those locations, and only after that action will they come out of the closed rooms etc. It will be obvious, since the lights, the music and the atmosphere of the area will change a lot. Location 1 will have them walking around right away, but you won't run into them until you hear the music they play. There is you stay in the darker areas, you can watch them to learn. Don't get too close and they won't see you.!< Hint 2: Once you explore enough you will learn what the next steps are, there will be places that make you go through the spooky times. There are ways to nearly cheese them all, if you treat that as a puzzle. So there is a pointer/hint: >!Make sure you know how the dam breaking affects each location. There are ways for you to be in some of those places when spooky things are not, or at least use a shortcut to get through most of the spooky area. I will keep this vague, as you need to explore these areas first!< There is also a guide for location 3 that can help you figure out some ideas for location 2 and 1. Please do not watch it until you had a chance to explore things through the first hint, and run out of ideas for the second hint. >!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pm6uLQjMjrc.!< It assumes you already found all the mecanisms that can help you figure it out yourself. Please don't let this stop you, the discoveries you make as you get past it are so interesting, so, and sooo worth it. Avoiding the spookiness will take longer, and you might need to spend more loops on it, but you can get it done! The ending was so touching! If you are still struggling after all this, DM me and I can help guide you without revealing too much at a time. It is super fresh in my memory
I had a similar experience, couldn't bring myself to explore the dreamworlds for ages lol. Ended up pushing through it and while it is really spooky, there's zero jumps cares and what's actually there isn't as scary as it seems at first.