In the retro-style indie horror RPG Camp Whittlewood, Turpentine is one of the most critical progression items you can discover. Whether you are trying to bypass the Day 3 fire-starting trial without consuming your wet moss or aiming to unlock specific storylines such as the Scion ritual or the Firestarter conclusion, locating this chemical is mandatory.
This Camp Whittlewood turpentine guide covers every step required to bypass camp security, access the northern clear-cut forest, and utilize Turpentine across different game routes.
Prerequisites: Unlocking the Cellar and Bolt Cutters
The container of Turpentine is sealed behind a barbed wire perimeter near the archery range. To cut through the wire, you must first access the basement underneath the Dining Hall to obtain the Bolt Cutters.
- Shoot Down the Wooden Squirrel: Head to the Archery Range on Day 3. Complete the target practice activity to shoot the Wooden Squirrel carving down from the tree branch, then pick it up.
- Distract Ms. Star: Take the Wooden Squirrel to the Administration Room (camp office). Drop the squirrel figurine directly into the office aquarium. Ms. Star will panic, believing the squirrel is drowning, which pulls her away from her station behind the counter.
- Grab the Basement Key: Step behind the unattended front desk and collect the large key hanging from the key box.
- Enter the Basement: Walk outside to the cellar entrance below the Dining Hall. Use your Lantern to see inside the dark room.
- Collect the Tools: Inside the cellar, pick up the Bolt Cutters from the workbench and the book titled Botany and Esoteric Propagation from the shelf.
Step-by-Step: How to Get Turpentine
Once you have the Bolt Cutters in your inventory, you can breach the restricted clearing where the Turpentine is stored.
- Return to the Archery Range: Walk to the northwest corner of the campgrounds where the archery practice targets are located.
- Cut the Perimeter Fence: Locate the damaged section of the barbed wire barrier. Interact with it using your Bolt Cutters to cut an opening.
- Pick Up the Wire: When cutting through the fence, collect the loose segment of wire that drops. You will need this wire later if you plan to craft the Grafting Kit.
- Head North into the Deforested Lot: Pass through the newly cut opening into a barren field filled with tree stumps and machinery tracks.
- Collect the Turpentine: Approach the industrial storage tank leaking acrid chemical fumes. Interact with the leak to fill your container with Turpentine.
If you use your initial supply of Turpentine to craft an item, you can return to this leaking tank to collect another can.
How to Use Turpentine in Camp Whittlewood
Turpentine serves three distinct purposes depending on which objectives and story paths you pursue during Day 3 and the final night.
1. Alternative Solution for the Fire-Starting Badge
On the Steam forums, the game's developer confirmed that there are alternate methods to clear the fire-starting challenge at the Dining Hall without consuming the wet moss. Using Turpentine on the fire pit provides an immediate fuel source to ignite the flames and earn your badge. Conserving your wet moss is vital if you did not win the tug-of-war magnifying glass, as wet moss is needed to soften the ground in the hidden cave.
2. Crafting the Grafting Kit (Scion / Ritual Ending)
The basement book, Botany and Esoteric Propagation, explains that combining Turpentine with Beeswax and Wire creates an elastic grafting wax used to join plant tissue.
- Turpentine: Softens wax, kills microbes, and retains moisture.
- Beeswax: Smoked out from the beehive along the hiking trail using dry moss.
- Wire: Collected when snipping the fence at the archery range.
Combining these three items in your inventory produces the Grafting Kit. On the final night, after softening the dirt with wet moss and digging up the roots in the secret cave with your Shovel, applying this Grafting Kit triggers the Scion ending (unlocking the "Botany Badge" achievement).
3. Incinerating the Old Mill (Firestarter Ending)
If you want to achieve the Firestarter ending (granting the "Fire Safety Badge" and "Irresistible" achievements), Turpentine serves as an accelerant:
- During the final night, lure the creature to the old logging mill along the hiking trail using a saved S’more as bait.
- Once the monster enters to eat the treat, step outside and barricade the door shut with the Shovel.
- Pour your Turpentine outside the entrance.
- Ignite the fuel with your Flint to burn the structure down.
Turpentine Recipes and Tool Breakdown
The following table outlines where each related item is sourced and how it interacts with Turpentine:
| Item | Location | Primary Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Turpentine | Leaking tank north of Archery Range | Accelerant for fires; component for Grafting Kit |
| Bolt Cutters | Dining Hall basement workbench | Cuts barbed wire fence and playground trampoline |
| Wire Segment | Dropped when cutting the archery fence | Binding material used in the Grafting Kit recipe |
| Beeswax | Beehive along the hiking trail | Protective wax base for the Grafting Kit |
| Grafting Kit | Crafted via Botany Book menu | Used on exposed roots in the cave for the Scion ending |
| Shovel | Old logging mill window barricade | Digs softened roots or traps the monster inside the mill |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I get Turpentine without triggering the squirrel distraction?
No. The fence blocking the northern clearing requires Bolt Cutters, and the Bolt Cutters are locked inside the cellar. Ms. Star guards the cellar key until you distract her by throwing the Wooden Squirrel into the office aquarium.
Does the Escape ending require Turpentine?
No. Escaping via the camp's main front gate requires cutting the playground trampoline free with the Bolt Cutters and moving it to the gate. Turpentine is not consumed during that route.
What happens if I use my Turpentine to start the camp badge fire?
If you burn your Turpentine to pass Counselor Green's fire-starting challenge, you can walk back through the cut fence to the industrial tank and collect another batch before advancing the day to the final night.
