Answers for Daily #26

The starting word was

First moves

7 words are one letter away from METE.

FETE: noun A festival open to the public, the proceeds from which are often given to charity.
MATE: noun A fellow, comrade, colleague, partner or someone with whom something is shared, e.g. shipmate, classmate.
MITE: noun Any of many minute arachnids which, along with the ticks, comprise subclass Acari (syn. Acarina).
MOTE: noun A small particle; a speck.
MUTE: adjective Not having the power of speech; dumb. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}
MERE: adjective Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected. .mw-parser-output .defdate{font-size:smaller}

Also: META

METE → MATE → DATE → DATA

Once the words before it are used, nobody can change DATA: a dead end, worth 3 extra points.

Every Daily hides one golden word a few moves from the start. This one was MILL.

From METE, 2,140 words can be reached one letter at a time.

2 players. Best: 52 words and 87 points. Average: 26.5 words.

Definitions from Wiktionary