Hello and welcome fellow adventures to Dwarf Fortress: Adventure mode. This anomalous collection of scribbles aims to help you accustom yourself to the gameplay within this game. This guide is intended to go hand and hand with this (
http://dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Adventure_Mode_quick_reference) reference guide. If you have further questions, please ask them here and I or another poster will answer them. So enough of this, lets set out.
For help with playing other races or any other mod based questions, please check here (http://www.bay12games.com/forum/index.php?board=13.0) and Here (http://dwarffortresswiki.net/index.php/Modding_guide)
The Basicsa. Your raceWhen you start your adventure you’ll be asked to choose a race between human, elf and dwarf. Humans are all around good, with no real advantage other then their ability to wield any weapon. Dwarfs are restricted in weapon choice, because of their small stature, but have higher natural armor. Elves are the whiney, fleet of foot tree hugging bastards they always are. They have low natural armor and wooden equipment. There one good point is that they’ll never be ambushed by animals and can indeed talk to the half beast races. If you’ve played any sort of fantasy game before, this should all be pretty standard.
b. Choosing your skills Now you have to choose your skill set. All the skills you see CAN be improved through use in game, so don’t worry about spreading them out completely evenly. In general, pick the skills you think you’re going to use. The skills are pretty self explanatory but its recommended that you put at least a few points into shield / armor and into a type of weapon. Be warned that weapon skills generally take a while to level up, so placing a good deal of points into a singe weapon may be to your advantage. Also keep in mind that your skills determine what kind of equipment you have in the beginning, ie high sword skill means you’ll start with a sword. For information on the weapons and the other aspects of combat, please check the combat section. It might also be a good idea to use a point or two for swiming, otherwise you might end up drowning in a puddle.
c. Survival.Congratulations, you’ve created a character and are now about to embark on your fantastic adventure! For now, lets focus on the bare bones of staying alive shall we? First things first, you need food and water. If you’re a human you start with some, but baring that you may need to find a waterskin. These can be bought in human towns, specifically at the shop. DO NOT STEAL THESE OR ANYTHING ELSE. Do not pick anything up and walk outside the store before you trade for it. Why? Because you are currently weak and your neck is currently arrow bait. After getting the water skin, simply find a water source and hit (Shift+I) to interact with the object. Press the letter of the Water skin and you should be able to fill it from the water source. After it’s full simply press (e) open the Eat menu and select the water. Food can be acquired from stores or from killing animals and is eaten in the same way.
Now that you know how to work your mouth we can move on to miscellaneous tips for survival. Firstly, you are very tasty and chances are (unless you’re an elf) the wildlife will soon be attempting to eat your face. A bear or cougar isn’t too much of a problem because there’s only one, the real problem will be wolf packs.
A single wolf is easy to dispatch, but a dozen or so can prove very problematic indeed. Beware large packs until you’ve gained a little experience. Secondly, do not piss off the towns folk, as they tend to have guards. Lastly, beware of taking quests or attempting things before you’re ready, as you will more then likely have tons of fun
2. Combat.a. The weaponsWeapons are basically divided into ax, sword, spear, pike, mace, whip, bow and hammer, with various versions of these taking up the gray area. Swords are your jack of all trades weapon, doing reasonable slashing damage. They come in short, long and two handed varieties, with the two handed doing the most damage and the short doing the least. Axes are similar to swords and do slashing damage as well. They come in 3 types, battle ax, great ax and halberd. The battle ax does slightly less damage then the long sword while the halberd does the same damage as a two-handed sword. The Great ax is generally too large to use, but it does slightly more then the halberd in damage. The spear does piercing damage and is ideal for damaging internal organs and causing heavy bleeding and unconsciousness. It has no variations. The spear is much more likely to become stuck in its target, which can be a great benefit if used right and a curse if not. The Pike is, for all intents and purposes, the same as a spear. The mace and the hammer are generally the same thing, simply a big metal thing to club your enemies over the head. As expected, they do high damage but their bludgeoning attacks tend to be slower and less effective , if more hilarious, ways to dispatch your foes. The Maul, a hammer, is the highest damaging weapon in the game. The last weapon is the whip, which does gore damage. Its relatively weak but has its uses. The bow throws arrows, which act as tiny spears. Basically, a bow and crossbow is like having a very slow, long range spear.
b. Weapon Tactics.Sword: Once again, your general fall back weapon. It’s good against almost everything, if not being that great against almost anything. Works well against both living and non-living enemies as it actively dismembers them.
Ax: Pretty much the same as a sword, though some people believe it hacks off limbs more commonly. Good against organics, acceptable against anything else.
Spear/Pike: Ok, here’s where we get a little bit more advanced. The spear is most effective against organic creatures because of two abilities, pierce damage and stick ins. Piercing damage does major harm to internal organs, causing pain, bleeding, vomiting, unconsciousness and death. Stick-ins are when the weapon becomes stuck in the target, allowing it to be twisted. Twisting increases bleeding and causes extreme pain. Because of these two factors spears and pikes are ideal for single combat against organic targets. The are less effective against multiple enemies (because of the stick-ins lowering kill-to-turn ratios) and are even less effective against non-organic enemies (ie bronze colossus).
Mace/hammer: These weapons rely on their ability to turn your opponent into a tasty pulp through repeated wacking. They break bones and bruise flesh, meaning that aside from a critical hit they generally are less likely to mortal wounds quickly. They are great for crippling organics and non-organics alike, but when it comes to a swift, efficient death they are generally less then perfect. The exception to this is high strength and mace/hammer skill which allows for instant head crushing.
Whip: The whip uses gore damage, which is similar to a cross between slash and pierce. It can cut off limbs but is more likely to slice up organs and cause extreme pain and bleeding. A few hits will generally render an opponent unconscious and perhaps even badly injured enough to eventually bleed to death. However, the whip is a slow outright killer, sometimes needing dozens of blows to actually finish its target.
Bow (and arrows): Arrows are much like spears, because of their piercing damage and all the benefits it has. The benefits it has however are its range and its ability to target multiple enemies. They are most effective against organic targets. You, unfortunately, are organic, which makes archers one of your biggest problems.
c.Non-weapon tactics. Besides your weapons you have two other major forms of attack: Wrestling and throwing.
Wrestling: Wrestling can be preformed by standing next to an enemy and pressing (Shift+a) and then (enter) to switch to wrestling. You can wrestle any enemy, however things such as wolves, bears and big cats do not allow you to perform the more advanced moves. After catching hold of a body part you can perform a lock, which allows you to further sprain, break or cripple an opponent. With a free hand you can perform even more advanced moves, such as gouging out eyes or stealing weapons. To gouge eyes grab a head with an open hand, to steal a weapon, grab the weapon and then check your inventory with (Shift+I). press the button corresponding to the weapon and then press a to gain possession of it.
One of the best tactics for fighting high level weapon masters is to either break his weapon hand or to steal his weapon, essentially making him no more dangerous then a normal peasant.
Throwing: Throwing is the skill of…well basically throwing shit. And vomit. And bugs and spears and rocks so on. Just about anything can be thrown, sometimes with devastating results. While it seems like weapons (and arrows) tend to be more reliable in their damage causing abilities when thrown, just about anything can potentially be lethal. Picking up a worm and hucking it right through a dragon’s skull is not only possible, but has been done on multiple occasions. A warrior with a high throw skill is often times more dangerous with an arrow then a trained archer is.
3.WoundsYou or your enemy are going to get hurt in the course of your adventures and its pretty useful to know exactly what’s happening when you are. Here’s a quick guide to the various aspects of wounds.
a.Wound indicators.Wounds come in several colors and are indicated on the status screen (press z to see your own status screen while pressing (l) to look at your enemy’s). The status screen will list your body parts in different colors to indicate how damaged they are.
White-unhurt and feeling fine
Light gray-slightly damaged, think a nasty scrape or cut.
Brownish yellow-moderately damaged, such as a mild sprain or the like
Yellow-Broken. Applied to joints it means literally broken, while applied to upper and lower body it generally means organ damage.
Red-Badly damaged. If you got this then chances are you’re in bad shape. Severely broken bones or ruptured organs. If this status is effecting anything even remotely vital you’re more then likely on your way to the grave.
Gray-lopped off or cut out. This is when you completely lose a body part. Effects include massive pain and bleeding along with ruining your promising juggling career.
b. Wound effects Hands-damage to the fingers or wrists can cause you to drop your held items, but usually only with yellow level damage. Losing a hand entirely gives you a serious handicap, which will more then likely lead to fun in the future.
Feet-Causes slowed movement and falling. If removed can cause permanent slowed movement. Removing both can cause a continuous on ground effect.
Legs-similar to feet, though often has increased bleeding and pain effects. Loss of one will usually result in death by bleed out. Even if you survive you’re more then likely on your way to death. Severed legs do make a lovely club though.
Arms- Damage to almost any part of the arm can cause items to be dropped. Loss of an arm is perhaps even worse then the loss of a leg, due to the loss of weapon and wrestling capabilities. Loss of both arms is both tragic and hilarious.
Head-Contains the brain, ears, mouth, nose, eyes and throat. Ears, nose and mouth are officially useless and can be cut off in an effort to appear cool. The brain, eyes and throat are however less disposable. Damage to the eyes results in loss of vision, permanent if the eyes are removed, and terrible pain. Its usually not possible to bleed to death from the loss of the eyes though. The throat is highly sensitive and damage causes both extreme bleeding and suffocation effects. The brain is the most important thing you’ve got and damage to it is an almost instant death. Any wound it receives will more then likely cause instant unconsciousness and severe bleeding.
Upper body. Contains the heart, lungs, upper spine and liver and kidneys. Both the kidneys and liver have similar effects, namely heavy bleeding and pain upon injury. The spine causes nervous system damage, which can have several, sometimes permanent effects. The lungs control breathing, so piercing them can cause suffocation. The heart is the main organ of the circulatory system and damage to it is almost always fatal through bleeding.
Lower body: Contains various organs like the stomach and spleen, all of which have the same effect of bleeding, pain and nausea. Nausea leads to vomiting, which make the wounded creature unable to attack. There is also the lower spine which has similar effects to the upper spine.
c. Attack types and their woundsPierce-dangerous to organic creatures, you included. Often times objects with the pierce effect will become lodged in their target. Removing the weapon from its lodged position causes both increased pain and bleeding but often times can alleviate certain symptoms the piercing has caused.
Bludgeon: Breaks bones and cripples joints. Generally less dangerous to the internal organs then other damage. The danger comes from its ability to incapacitate you and then turn your head to mush.
Slash: Dangerous for its ability to sever limbs and cause bleeding. Beware its habit of decapitation.
Gore: Shreds internal organs, causing all sorts of nasty side effects. Almost worthless on non-organic enemies but can cause severe problems for you living sorts.
d.Dealing with wounds.In adventure mode your wounds will heal if you travel (shift + t) and they’ll recover just about anything except a lopped off limb. If you can’t travel the best thing to do is try and run from battle if you’re badly wounded, since running will give you time to stop bleeding and suppress the pain. Beware dropping your weapon and make sure to pick it up before you make a run for it. If an arrow strikes you in the chest its best to leave it there while an arrow to the extremities can be removed.
4.The perils of the wild. You’ll face many creatures on your travels, several mega and semi-mega bests included if you’re taking quests. Heres a quick look at the more dangerous beasts (sentient or not) that you’ll meet.
Bronze Colossus: Probably one of the hardest beasts to combat due to its massive strength, impressive natural armor and complete ignorance of pain, fear and bleeding. Bronze Colossi are basically walking, dwarf crushing statues that will never stop unless beheaded or outright obliterated. They have no organs and do not bleed, making them impossible to knock unconscious. Their immense strength makes them unlikely to give in to wrestling moves (though if you can manage to lock and break a limb it will snap off rather then just becoming useless.) Because of these resistances all you can really do is hack / shoot and hope that it dies before you do.
Dragon: The main danger of these beasts is their massive fire breath, which can consume dozens of spaces. A high block still is recommended before you fight them. A spear is a great weapon here, as it allows you to potentially knock them unconscious within a few turns. Arrows are also good, though staying at a distance can be dangerous because of the fire breath. Beware their bite, as it can cause major damage.
Hydra: a joke really, as It seems to lack the regenerative powers of its mythological cousin. It has 7 heads, but damage to one is as serious as damaging the head of a one headed beast. More then likely you’ll have it unconscious in a few turns regardless of what you use.
Titan: basically an organic bronze colossus. It is essentially a larger, stronger human, with all the weaknesses being the same. Piercing and goring damage can quickly weaken and incapacitate these beasts, but keep an eye out for its wrestling, which can cause some bad joint damage.
Cyclops: A weaker, smaller titan with one eye. Eye+arrow=win
Ettin: A two headed giant. Basically a stronger human, usually unarmed. Just hack it until it dies.
Giant: Just a giant human like thing. Stab it in the neck or break its limbs for massive damage.
Minotaur: Only thing really dangerous about this guy is his horns. Pretty good wrestler but nothing that should give a reasonably prepared adventurer any problems.
Humans: Should you wander into battle against a human force its in your best interest to disable their archers first. The only real danger humans have is their numbers and their use of items. Disarming or crippling dangerous guards or weapon maters is highly recommended, since as soon as they are weaponless they are essentially as good as dead.
Elves: They have wooden equipment, making them laughable most of the time. Once again, the only real threat is their archers and even then they are less dangerous then humans. Elves are generally known for being annoying dicks so its recommended that you slaughter the lot. If you are an elf its recommended that you have tons of fun.
Dwarves: Their advantage is their steel weaponry and crossbows. Their disadvantage is that their mountain homes are generally so large that you’ll only rarely fight more then one or two. Disable their weapon masters and archers then throw their own axes at them. Juggle their heads in front of their children.
Goblins: Like weaker dwarves, with less armor and less skill. They have a feeble sense of morals, meaning that they will only sometimes attack you after you hurt one of their friends. You can basically cleave right through them with ease.
Other Humanoids: These are creatures that in shape resemble something human, but have no society.
Antman: A half man half ant hybrid which lives in chasms. They have higher natural armor then a man, but rarely use tools. As long as you’re armed they should pose no problem.
Batman: Half man, half bat that lives in caves and chasms. They can fly and use weapons, though they rarely do. Attacks with punches and bites; the bites are the most potentially damaging because they cause gore damage. He is the night.
Blizzard man: Frosty’s asshole brother. Blizzard men are creatures of pure ice that strangely still have organs. They can bite and punch, with biting doing the most damage. They will melt in normal temperatures so they are only found in freezing areas.
Dark gnome: Mischievous mountain folk who enjoy hard liquor. They‘re basically dwarfs but smaller and no where near as dangerous. Its rare that you’ll even find them, but if you do they should pose no threat to you. They punch and bite but neither is noticeable.
Fire Imp: Little gremlin like things that are either constantly on fire or made of fire. They’re found only in subterranean lava pits, meaning that you’ll have to go searching for them if you’re ever gonna see one. They only bite (does burn damage rather then gore), but their real danger comes from their ability to set you on fire. Ranged combat is recommended, though darting forward, attacking and then jumping away might be effective if you have no other choice. They can also breathe fire at you though, so its again recommended to stay back.
Firemen: Like the fire imps, but better. They have the bronze colossus syndrome of having no organs, not bleeding, feeling pain or being able to have weapons stuck in them. They too can set you ablaze, but they’re much harder to kill before they do it. Bludgeoning can break and hence sever their limbs. Recommended that you fight from a distance. Luckily these things only live in underground lava, so you’ll never find them without going into very specific places.
Frogman: No not those things Race Banon was always killing, but half man half frogs that live in underground water. They can’t equip weapons and are very small, making them almost completely non-threatening.
Iron man: Millionaire Tony Stark puts on his…oops wrong one. Ironmen are like firemen but less dangerous because they aren’t on fire. They are basically smaller, less dangerous Bronze Colossi. When killed they leave a valuable iron statue. They appear only in chasms.
Leechman: Half man, Half leech, all sexy. They have no bones, but curiously do have arms (but no legs). They can suck blood, but considering they have no bones and every blow will almost always strike a vital organ its a lot more likely that blood will be coming out of it then you.
Lizardman: Half man, half lizard; lives in underground water. Punches and bites along with the ability to use items. Similar to many of the other half breeds, but with one notable exception. He’s a lizard.
Magma man: A man made of pure magma. Everything about this guy is the exact same as the fire man, with the exception that he can’t breathe fire. This makes him less dangerous at a distance. Stay back and throw stuff at him.
Merpersons: Tiny little mermaids and mermen. Not dangerous at all, and relatively rare to boot. They can equip items but you’ll probably never see one anyway.
Mountain Gnome: The same as a Dark Gnome, but less evil. Same things apply here.
Mud man: Like Ironman but made of mud. Can’t equip items and only has a weak punch as a form of attack, making it about as threatening as a mudpie. Lives in underground water.
Orge: The middle ground between giant and human. Their punches and bites do a surprisingly small amount of damage, though they can use weapons. As with any big, organic moron its recommended to try and damage their organs to quickly incapacitate and kill them. Piercing damage is very useful.
Olmman: Half man, half blind cave salamander. Think Golum but even more messed up and without eyes. Their bites are surprisingly strong. Found only in subterranean water and even then only rarely. (personal note: Olms are pretty damn awesome things (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olm) they’re even on the money in one country.)
Ratman: Seems to attack with 4 turtle men cronies, who are surprisingly good warriors. But seriously, they’re about as weak as actual rats. They only come from chasms so don’t worry about them too much.
Slugman: Do I even have to say? it’s a dang slug man, do you think its dangerous? Its not. Just stab it in its deformed face.
Snail man: Think slug man, but with a shell that doesn’t actually offer any protection.
Snakemen: The only real threat these guys pose is their ability to inject poison by biting. If it does bite you its your best bet to try and quickly kill the snake man before his poison takes effect, since it can incapacitate you.
Troglodyte: Small, reptilian creatures that live underground. Not dangerous unless they attack in swarms and even then they are easily beaten by even a novice adventurer. Use organic combating techniques to deal with them.
Troll: There’s no real difference between this thing and an orge. Kill them both the same way.
Werewolf: Or wolfman. Attacks alone and only bites with a goring attack. Bite can be dangerous but the fact that there is only one of him makes it a lot easier to fight. Fun to wrestle for experience.
Wildlife: Here’s the rundown of all the mundane beasties that you’ll run into
Beak dog: Basically what happens when parrot gets combined with Velociraptors. They’re a little smaller then a man but quick and use their beaks and claws effectively. Try not to get caught in the center of a group of them, backpedal and cut them down as they give chase.
Black Bear: These will only ambush you one on one, and given their relative small size and forgettable strength they should pose little threat unless you’re completely unskilled and unarmed. Because there’s only one they can be useful for wrestling practice since you can focus all your attention on them.
Bonobo: I’ve never seen one myself, though I’ve been told they’re ape like things. Considering their squishy organs it would be best to stab them in the groin.
Camel: Its…a camel. You’ll probably never see one.
Carp: BEHOLD, FOR ARMOK BREATHED LIFE INTO THE VERY ROCKS IN THE RIVERS AND COMMANDED THEM TO GO FORTH AND MUTALATE RANDOM PASSERS BY. TO HIS DWARVEN FOLLOWERS HE EXPLAINED IT THUS, “FUCK YOU”-the tome of Armok, chapter 2. In all seriousness though, while they may be freaking fresh water sharks in the fortress mode, carp aren’t too dangerous in adventure mode. Their biggest advantage is their environment, being water which you can not breathe.
Cat: IT’S A KITTY! Anyways, you’ll almost always have too many of these things in fortress and you’ll never see them in adventure. Even if you did, what would you do with them? You wouldn’t hurt them would you? Fucking Nazi.
Cougar: Like a kitty, but bigger. Cougars are good wrestling practice and good shield training as well, what with the fact that Cougars suck so hard. If you get killed by this thing it was either insanely lucky or you have no arms.
Cow: It’s a cow. Kill it for free hamburgers. I’m actually not even sure if you can find the dang things in adventure mode.
Deer: You might see these running away from you in the woods. They’re harmless but good wrestling practice if you feel like strangling a defenseless animal.
Dog: WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF I’ve never seen one of these in adventure mode, but its pretty obvious what they are huh?
Donkey: Pulls wagons and things like that. You might see one but its not really worth attacking them.
Elephants: In prior versions elephants were murderous berserkers, but thankfully they’ve been made a little more realistic. They’re just as big and strong as you’d expect, but won’t bother you unless you walk up and stab’em a few times. Reasonably dangerous, so don’t poke them unless you’re ready.
Elk: Much like deer, though a little bigger and usually solitary
Fox: Another small animal that you’ll most likely never see. If you do however, its proper to light them on fire and scream “YIFF IN HELL”.
Giant bat: Bigger then a minotaur and more dangerous at times. Often encountered in low visibility areas where they can take you by surprise. Its best to avoid caves until you’re confidant in your blocking and combat skills.
Giant Cave Spiders: You’ll only rarely encounter these, because of their limited environment. You’ll know they’re near from the webs which hang around their homes. They are NOT to be meddled with. First and foremost, they do not feel pain and will never stop unless killed. Their high number of legs makes it likely that you’ll pointlessly hack away at the limbs while the mouth bites your head in half. Beyond these aspects the spider uses poison and sticky webs to ensnare you. Your best bet is to throw/ shoot it from a distance. If you can’t do that, use other piercing or goring weapons to damage its organs. Despite its ignorance toward pain, it still bleeds like any other animal, so a pierced heart is very effective.
Giant cave swallow: Pretty much harmless things, just big birds. If they harass you, break their wings and strangle them to death for wrestling points.
Giant Eagle: A major problem in fortress mode is little more then a pesky annoyance in adventure mode. If they are giving you trouble though, attempt to wrestle and break one of their wings. This should ground them and make them a much easier target.
Grizzly Bear: A little bigger then the Black Bear, though basically the same. Good for both wrestle and shield points. If they’re really giving you a hard time try catching both hands and its throat. This should not only make it impossible for it to attack, but also give you wrestle points.
Groundhog: Little rodent thingies. Zombie ground hogs are useful to strangle for wrestling experience. Besides that they’re only really good as golf balls for your putter (read Morningstar)
Hoary Marmot: A tiny forest dwelling creature. As harmless as it is delicious.
Horse: A beast of burden sometimes seen in human towns. They have an odd habit of going rouge and kicking children to death. Not to mention they’re some how smart enough to pull crossbow bolts out of their own legs. May cause random insanity if they attack a influential citizen.
Naked mole dog: Think enormous naked mole rat. Unless you’re both unarmed and unskilled these things are basically very bleedy shrubbery to hack your way through.
Mountain Goat: it’s a goat, that lives in the mountains. Likes to kill goblins and its not uncommon to find a few legends about goblin slaying goats. (On a personal note, I once found a goat named Bonecrusher or something like that, which only had one leg. One leg and 7 kills, including a Swordmaster. Don’t fuck with that goat)
Mule: Like a horse, but more inbred. Chances are you’ll never see them.
Musk Ox: Beasts of burden used by elves. Another thing you won’t see.
Pike: The fish, not the weapon. They’re nothing close to the carp and should be little more then particularly squishy speed bumps to you.
Raccoon: Forest rodents that you’ll never see. Make a nifty hat.
Rhesus Macaque :A nettlesome trickster in fortress mode, they are almost never seen in adventure mode. Even if you see them they’re very skittish and a single blow will send them running. Give’em a good strangle if you can catch one.
Unicorn: The random homicidal tendencies of the horse mixed with a dash of magic and a horn. They’re very aggressive for some reason, though not too hard to bring down. Watch out for that horn and stay away until you’re at least competent.
Whale: Big aquatic beast. Not dangerous unless in skeletal mode.
Wolf: And last but not least, the humble and numerous wolf. This is what is gonna be attacking you from now till forever. They’re dangerous the first few ambushes, but they quickly become nothing but barely noticed time wasters. Great for training up armor and shield, as they attack in packs and hence hit you many times, often with no effect. Early on, just be careful not to get caught in the middle of a pack and you’ll be fine.
b. Modifiers
Zombie: Zombie animals are just like their normal counterparts, with a few major exceptions. Firstly, they are no longer effected by pain or bleeding and their organs no longer matter. They are also much slower. This combination of increased difficulty in killing and decreased speed about evens out their threat level. Not too dangerous, unless the creature they’re based on is already strong.
Skeletal: All of the advantages of Zombie with none of the bad effects. Skeletal creatures are all immune to pain and do not bleed, but they remain just as quick as their living counterparts. Large skeletal beasts, such as dragons or whales are truly a terror to face.
5.Exploration:a. Basic exploration tips. When traveling it’s a good idea to avoid evil areas until you’re reasonably powerful, as they tend to contain stronger enemies. Also avoid caves for this same reason, you never know when a dragon is lurking in the shadows. Remember that only human towns have shops, so don’t die of hunger wandering the dwarves mountain homes looking for that allusive Applebees. Water can be had from rivers and stagnant pools, though fast traveling (shift + t) makes thirst and hunger go away. If you are exploring caves, make sure to have some water and food with you, as some can be quite deep.
b. Fortress exploration tips. If you’ve abandoned a fortress in the world you’re now adventuring in then you can find that same fortress on the map. Ask townsfolk about the surroundings and eventually they’ll mention the fortress and its direction. From there you need only to follow the directions till the fortress shows up on your map.
The perils of fortress exploration
If your fortress was abandoned or destroyed their’s more then likely a reason why. Be it magma overflows, flooding, goblin sieges or perhaps digging a little too deep there are likely to be remnants of your downfall somewhere in the remains. Wild beasts and sentient invaders alike will more then likely be slugging it out in your once grand halls. Beyond this there is the danger of forgetting what lever does what and accidentally flooding the room with lava or collapsing the entrance.
The advantages of Fortress exploration
Depending on how advanced your fortress was it may contain extremely rare, powerful or valuables items. Raiding fortresses is the only way to get adamantine items and wafers, as well as the only way to get artifact weapons. Beyond this, you can read the engravings on the walls in order to fill your legends list.
Preparation:
Whatever destroyed your fortress is what is going to be squatting in it now. If a goblin siege took you down, then prepare to fight some gobbies. If the horrors of the deep raped your little dwarven ass then prepare to fight those. If they drowned then find some waterwings etc. Make sure you’re fully stocked on arrows (if you use them) as well as water and food. Leaving anything you don’t need back in the tavern in town is a good idea too, as it lets you carry more loot.
Plumbing the Deep
While wandering the halls of your old fortress its best to secure each floor one by one, to avoid being ambushed. Explore one entire floor then move on to the next. This isn’t a requirement but it can help in finding the best loot as well as insuring against surprise arrow buttsex. If you start to get overburdened with all the loot climb to a secure floor and dump it in a pile. You can come back for it after you’ve finished exploring. Also note that, while traps no longer work, their components (giants blades, spiked balls etc) remain just as lethal in your hands. Also note that you can pick up and throw ballista bolts.
What to do with all your newly acquired wealth.
Not much I’m afraid. While masterwork adamantine weapons are very useful and the raw chunks of adamantine are extremely valuable there’s nothing to really buy with them. The adamantine weapons you find are the strongest in the game and shops will never sell anything above iron so once you’ve got the weapons there’s pretty much nothing more you need. This will most likely be fixed in up coming versions (perhaps paying a blacksmith to make you weapons).
This concludes the guide. If you find inaccuracies or areas in need of expansion, please let me know and I’ll edit them right up. Hopefully helpful
Piecewise.
Author
Topic: An FAQ and Start up guide for Adventurers (Read 18354 times)