PEAK Beginner Guide: Stamina, Campfires and First Climb Tips

PEAK drops you and up to three friends on an island after a plane crash, and the only way out is up. You climb through five biomes to the summit, light a flare and catch the rescue helicopter. This guide covers what new scouts need to know to get there: how stamina works, what to pick up, when to eat and how to bring friends back.

Last checked: November 9, 2026.

What you're trying to do

Every run follows the same shape:

1. Start on the Shore and grab what you can from the luggage scattered around.
2. Climb through each biome to the campfire at its top.
3. Rest and regroup at each campfire, then keep climbing.
4. Reach the Peak, light a flare and get everyone onto the rescue helicopter.

The island changes once every 24 hours, so you can retry the same map as many times as you like that day. Our PEAK biomes guide shows which biomes can appear and in what order.

Choose your difficulty

For a first run, pick Tenderfoot, the easier setting. Zombies, for example, never appear in the Roots on Tenderfoot. Once you reach the Peak, harder Ascents open up. The game now has eight, and they add rules like cold nights from Ascent 5 and starting the run cursed at Ascent 7. Clearing Ascents also unlocks new sashes for your scout's passport.

If you'd rather tweak things yourself, the Boarding Kiosk in the airport has Custom Runs, where you can switch off hazards like zombies or scorpions. Badges are disabled in custom runs, though.

How stamina works

Everything in PEAK revolves around your stamina bar. Climbing drains it, and it refills when you stop on solid ground.

The catch is that status effects take up space on the same bar. Each one fills part of it, so the more you have, the less stamina you can actually use. If statuses fill the whole bar, you pass out.

Some items also give extra stamina on top of your normal bar, and a few, such as the Lollipop, briefly stop your stamina from draining.

The lunge

When you're about to run out of stamina on a wall, press Sprint to lunge upward. It's an easy move to forget, and it often saves you right below a ledge. Use it when you're one push away from safety.

Climbing basics

• Rest often. Stand on ledges and flat spots to let your stamina refill before the next wall.
• Plan your route. Look up before you climb and aim for ledges where you can rest. Long walls with no breaks are where most falls start.
• Help each other up. Crouch and a friend can climb onto your shoulders, or boost a friend from below to get them up a ledge.
• Use climbing gear for the group. Ropes, pitons (climbing spikes) and other gear stay on the mountain once placed, so the scouts behind you can use them too.
• Watch your falls. Fall damage depends on how long you fall, so even a short slip can turn into a big injury.
• Ping things. Point at a ledge or item to show your friends where to go.

Items worth picking up

Luggage cases are scattered all over the island. Open them for food, healing items and climbing gear. There are several types, including regular climber luggage, rarer Ancient Luggage and, since August 2026, Clown Luggage full of wacky items.

Don't carry everything. Most items add weight to your stamina bar, so split gear across the group and drop what you don't need.

Food and cooking

PEAK is full of "questionable" food. Luggage holds packaged food such as Trail Mix, Granola Bars and Airline Food, while wild berries and mushrooms can help or poison you. Shroomberries in the Roots even change their effect every day. If you're unsure, let one scout taste-test while standing somewhere safe.

Cooking makes food better. Cooked food reduces more hunger, and since the Roots update in November 2025 cooking also makes poisonous berries safe to eat. It doesn't work on mushrooms, which stay poisonous. Cook at campfires or with a Portable Stove, and don't leave food on the fire too long, because it burns after reaching Well-Done.

Campfires and reviving friends

Each biome ends at a campfire. Lighting it gives everyone nearby a Morale Boost, lets you cook and roast marshmallows, and pauses the fog and hunger for as long as everyone stays there. It's also where the game autosaves, so you can quit and continue the run later.

When a friend passes out, you have a short window to save them. Heal them with an item such as bandages or a first aid kit, which wakes them up. If you take too long, they die and become a ghost who can only watch.

Dead scouts can still come back:

• Revive statue near a campfire. Using it brings back all dead scouts at once, but it only works once, so wait until everyone who might fall has made it up.
• Scout Effigy. A rare item that brings a friend back. It doesn't appear in solo runs.
• Checkpoint Flag. Scouts can respawn at a flag a friend has placed.

Stay together

Two dangers punish groups that split up:

• The fog. In the lower biomes, fog rises from below, so scouts who dawdle get caught by it. If you pass out inside it while badly hurt, your death timer runs faster.
• The Scoutmaster. If one scout climbs far ahead of everyone else, a giant figure appears and throws them off the mountain. You can't fight him. The best defense is to wait for your friends.

Quick tips for your first runs

• Play your first runs with friends if you can. Many rescues and items only work in a group, and our guide on how to play PEAK with friends explains invites, room codes and crossplay.
• Read the guidebook you find on the island, and check the controls page in the pause menu.
• Keep at least one healing item in the group at all times.
• Open the luggage you pass on the Shore. Early gear makes the harder biomes much easier.
• Ask Bing Bong. Squeeze the plush and he'll give you a yes-or-no answer, which is about as useful as it sounds.
• Check the PEAK badges list for goals beyond simply reaching the top.

Frequently asked questions

How do you win in PEAK?

Climb through every biome to the summit, light a flare to call the rescue helicopter and get on board before the countdown ends. Scouts who don't make it in time are left behind on the island.

How do you get more stamina in PEAK?

You can't raise the bar itself, but you can free it up. Heal injuries, eat to reduce hunger, cure poison and carry less weight. Some items, such as cooked food, Energy Drinks and Lollipops, give extra stamina or briefly stop it draining.

How do you revive someone in PEAK?

If a friend has only passed out, heal them with an item like bandages or a first aid kit. If they have died, use the revive statue near a campfire, a Scout Effigy or a Checkpoint Flag to bring them back.

Is PEAK hard for beginners?

It can be, because one bad fall or poisonous berry can end a run. Start on Tenderfoot, stick with your group and rest at every campfire. Only about a third of Steam players have the badge for reaching the Peak, so don't worry if your first runs end early.

Can you play PEAK alone?

Yes. PEAK has an offline single-player mode. A few group items, such as the Bugle of Friendship and Scout Effigy, don't appear in solo runs, and you won't have anyone to revive you.

What happens when you die in PEAK?

You become a ghost and can watch your friends. They can bring you back at the next campfire's revive statue or with certain items. If everyone dies, the run ends.

PEAK is developed by Aggro Crab and Landfall. mgame.gg isn't affiliated with or endorsed by them.