Torches Are Not the Best Idea in Dungeons

Torches, these are easy to make, and we’ve done it! They suck. The fire itself blinds you, in fiction, they always have the person in the lead carrying the torch, but it should be the person in the back, though it does get passed around a lot. The torch-bearer really can’t see very far, you can’t even see the ground which is a problem, and it is harder than you think to hold a torch above your head and out of your eyes. Even a lantern will do the same thing unless it is fixed with a shield, you don’t want the light to be too bright, just bright enough….

In regards to cave exploration, torches aren’t the best idea. The best option is a candle, low levels of light to highlight your surroundings. They told you more than just your surroundings, the flame is sensitive to changes in air quality, professional miners preferred candles to lanterns, it wasn’t just budget concerns….

— Torches: We are doing them wrong – Advanced Gaming & Theory