I call ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ on "listen and don't climb". Yes climbing is dangerous because you can't see your way back down, but 90% of the infected mines I found were up high. As for sound, that sound could be coming from any direction within render distance - sound location in mistlands just doesn't work.

As for food: health for block/parry, stam for dodge roll. For some reason health doubles as block armour/stagger prevention.