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Difference between revisions of "40d:What should I build first"

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Try to link to "main articles" instead of recapping them, or this will become loooooooong.-->
 
Try to link to "main articles" instead of recapping them, or this will become loooooooong.-->
  
{{L|Dwarf|Dwarves}} have basic needs similar to {{L|human|humans}} - {{L|food}}, {{L|drink}}, and somewhere secure to {{L|bedroom|live}} & {{L|workshop|work}}. Even with just 7 dwarves, you will have to multi-task to get it all done in a timely manner. If you don't fulfill these requirements your dwarves will become {{L|mood|unhappy}} and eventually go {{L|insane}}.   
+
[[Dwarf|Dwarves]] have basic needs similar to [[human|humans]] - [[food]], [[drink]], and somewhere secure to [[bedroom|live]] & [[workshop|work]]. Even with just 7 dwarves, you will have to multi-task to get it all done in a timely manner. If you don't fulfill these requirements your dwarves will become [[mood|unhappy]] and eventually go [[insane]].   
  
The article on {{L|your first fortress}} has some great suggestions on how to get your feet under you before you try to run, but really it's up to you how you build your fort.  See {{L|starting build}} for a discussion on what you should take with you, before you "strike the earth!"
+
The article on [[your first fortress]] has some great suggestions on how to get your feet under you before you try to run, but really it's up to you how you build your fort.  See [[starting build]] for a discussion on what you should take with you, before you "strike the earth!"
  
  
 
== A quick checklist ==
 
== A quick checklist ==
  
It may seem like a lot, but each one is simple, and Dwarf Fortress is always more complex than it looks - there's always "one more thing" that you can do to delay {{L|losing|the inevitable}}.
+
It may seem like a lot, but each one is simple, and Dwarf Fortress is always more complex than it looks - there's always "one more thing" that you can do to delay [[Fun|the inevitable]].
  
These are, perhaps, in some sort of rough order.  But if you delay starting one while you finish another, you may find yourself in bad shape on that front.  There is no one "best" way - the environment of the map ({{L|weather}}, resources and {{L|creature|creatures}}), luck, and your playstyle will all influence what is "more important" and "what comes next".
+
These are, perhaps, in some sort of rough order.  But if you delay starting one while you finish another, you may find yourself in bad shape on that front.  There is no one "best" way - the environment of the map ([[weather]], resources and [[creature|creatures]]), luck, and your playstyle will all influence what is "more important" and "what comes next".
  
:*'''Break down the {{L|wagon}}'''
+
:*'''Break down the [[wagon (embark)|wagon]]'''
::{{k|q}}, {{k|x}} and the {{L|carpentry}} {{L|labor}} for 3 free logs.
+
::{{k|q}}, {{k|x}} and the [[carpentry]] [[labor]] for 3 free logs.
  
:*'''Get food supplies into a {{L|stockpile}}'''
+
:*'''Get food supplies into a [[stockpile]]'''
::Food can rot quickly if not in a stockpile. Underground is better than above ground. Designate a stockpile for each type of item, and/or use the {{k|q}}, {{k|s}} keys to customize a single stockpile for multiple item types. Time to do some {{L|hauler|hauling}}.
+
::Food can rot quickly if not in a stockpile. Underground is better than above ground. Designate a stockpile for each type of item, and/or use the {{k|q}}, {{k|s}} keys to customize a single stockpile for multiple item types. Time to do some [[hauler|hauling]].
  
 
:* '''Dig shelter for your dwarves'''  
 
:* '''Dig shelter for your dwarves'''  
 
::Out of the weather, where they can seal themselves in from danger. Dig down or in, but start digging.  
 
::Out of the weather, where they can seal themselves in from danger. Dig down or in, but start digging.  
  
:* '''Designate a {{L|Zone#Meeting area|zone}} for a meeting area'''
+
:* '''Designate a [[Zone#Meeting area|zone]] for a meeting area'''
 
::Dwarves will be happier if they have recreational space, starting with a meeting area for your animals and idle dwarves. If you don't, they'll use the location of your wagon - and that may or may not be desirable.  Put it somewhere where idlers will be safe, but close to food, drink and work.
 
::Dwarves will be happier if they have recreational space, starting with a meeting area for your animals and idle dwarves. If you don't, they'll use the location of your wagon - and that may or may not be desirable.  Put it somewhere where idlers will be safe, but close to food, drink and work.
  
:* '''Designate a {{L|garbage dump}}'''
+
:* '''Designate a [[garbage dump]]'''
::Your cats will kill vermin, but they'll rot and {{L|miasma|stink up}} the place.  Put this outside or on the other side of a diagonal passage.  Alternately/additionally, you can have a {{L|refuse stockpile}} that accepts (only) remains and other rot-able items.
+
::Your cats will kill vermin, but they'll rot and [[miasma|stink up]] the place.  Put this outside or on the other side of a diagonal passage.  Alternately/additionally, you can have a [[refuse stockpile]] that accepts (only) remains and other rot-able items.
  
:* '''Put a {{L|door}} on that shelter'''
+
:* '''Put a [[door]] on that shelter'''
::An open tunnel is not secure.  A door, a {{L|hatch}}, something. A {{L|mason's workshop}} can make one out of any stone that might be lying around behind your miners, or a {{L|carpenter's workshop}} out of wood. Both are equally strong.
+
::An open tunnel is not secure.  A door, a [[hatch]], something. A [[mason's workshop]] can make one out of any stone that might be lying around behind your miners, or a [[carpenter's workshop]] out of wood. Both are equally strong.
  
:* ''(at least)'' '''One {{L|bed}} and a {{L|bucket}}'''
+
:* ''(at least)'' '''One [[bed]] and a [[bucket]]'''
::Injured dwarfs cannot care for themselves - they must rest in a bed, and must be brought water in a bucket. A bed must be made out of 1 {{L|wood}} log at a {{L|carpenter's workshop}}; a bucket can be as well, or out of a bar of metal at a {{L|forge}}.
+
::Injured dwarves cannot care for themselves - they must rest in a bed, and must be brought water in a bucket. A bed must be made out of 1 [[wood]] log at a [[carpenter's workshop]]; a bucket can be as well, or out of a bar of metal at a [[forge]].
  
:* '''Deal with immediate {{L|creature|threats}}'''
+
:* '''Deal with immediate [[creature|threats]]'''
::If you see a problem nearby, it might be better to organize a group attack than wait and hope. If the threat is too dangerous or numerous, detouring labor to construct a quick {{L|moat}} or {{L|wall}} might be a painful solution, but the only one. Or just dig in faster.
+
::If you see a problem nearby, it might be better to organize a group attack than wait and hope. If the threat is too dangerous or numerous, detouring labor to construct a quick [[moat]] or [[wall]] might be a painful solution, but the only one. Or just dig in faster.
  
:* '''Secure a {{L|water}} supply.'''
+
:* '''Secure a [[water]] supply.'''
::Make sure you can designate a {{L|zone}} for drinking, for emergencies and any wounded.  If you're in a hot environment with no {{L|river}}s, you will have to jump on a {{L|cistern}} project to save what water there is before it's gone forever.
+
::Make sure you can designate a [[zone]] for drinking, for emergencies and any wounded.  If you're in a hot environment with no [[river]]s, you will have to jump on a [[cistern]] project to save what water there is before it's gone forever.
  
:* '''{{L|DIY|Do it yourself}}'''
+
:* '''[[DIY|Do it yourself]]'''
::~''If''~ you chose to be bold, save money and not buy an {{L|axe}} or {{L|pick}}s at {{L|embark}}, and instead brought the material to make your own, now is the time to do it.  Depending on what you brought with you, you may need a {{L|forge}} to make the item, a {{L|smelter}} to turn the ore into bars, and/or a {{L|wood burner}} to create the {{L|fuel}} you need to power both.
+
::~''If''~ you chose to be bold, save money and not buy an [[axe]] or [[pick]]s at [[embark]], and instead brought the material to make your own, now is the time to do it.  Depending on what you brought with you, you may need a [[forge]] to make the item, a [[smelter]] to turn the ore into bars, and/or a [[wood burner]] to create the [[fuel]] you need to power both.
  
:* '''{{L|Table|Tables}} and {{L|chair|chairs}} for eating'''
+
:* '''[[Table|Tables]] and [[chair|chairs]] for eating'''
::Dwarves will sit on a barrel while they drink, but they want a table to eat at. And they'd rather have a chair as well.  They don't share tables or chairs while eating.  Like sleeping, they don't all eat at the same time - a nice little square of 4 tables and chairs should be plenty. Designate a {{L|dining room|Dining Room}} as large as you care to.  If you want, you can make your Dining Hall into a {{L|Zone#Meeting area|Meeting Area}} as well.  
+
::Dwarves will sit on a barrel while they drink, but they want a table to eat at. And they'd rather have a chair as well.  They don't share tables or chairs while eating.  Like sleeping, they don't all eat at the same time - a nice little square of 4 tables and chairs should be plenty. Designate a [[dining room|Dining Room]] as large as you care to.  If you want, you can make your Dining Hall into a [[Zone#Meeting area|Meeting Area]] as well.  
  
::You can make tables and chairs from wood or metal, but stone is usually laying around from your miners, begging to be used up.  It's cheap, and it's there. Build a {{L|mason's workshop}}.   
+
::You can make tables and chairs from wood or metal, but stone is usually laying around from your miners, begging to be used up.  It's cheap, and it's there. Build a [[mason's workshop]].   
  
 
:* '''Traps for defense'''
 
:* '''Traps for defense'''
::Not everyone uses {{L|trap|traps}}, but they're quick and easy and get the job done, especially when you're starting out.  You'll need stone and a {{L|mechanic's workshop}}.  Build some {{L|mechanism|mechanisms}}, then designate them as {{L|Trap#Stone-fall_Trap|stone-fall traps}}, the simplest. The other trap-types are fine if you have the other requirements (a cage, some spare weapons), or they can wait for now...
+
::Not everyone uses [[trap|traps]], but they're quick and easy and get the job done, especially when you're starting out.  You'll need stone and a [[mechanic's workshop]].  Build some [[mechanism|mechanisms]], then designate them as [[Trap#Stone-fall_Trap|stone-fall traps]], the simplest. The other trap-types are fine if you have the other requirements (a cage, some spare weapons), or they can wait for now...
  
:* '''{{L|Food}} for the future'''
+
:* '''[[Food]] for the future'''
::Not everyone {{L|farm|farms}}, but most do. The sooner you plant, the sooner you harvest.
+
::Not everyone [[farm|farms]], but most do. The sooner you plant, the sooner you harvest.
  
 
:* '''Enough beds for all.'''
 
:* '''Enough beds for all.'''
::Not critical, but still important.  Dwarves will first {{L|sleep}} sometime in the second month (Slate), mid-Spring.  If they have to sleep on the ground, that will give them a bad {{L|thought}}.  Different dwarves will sleep on different cycles, but those can be close the first time around - 5 beds will usually be enough, 3 is certainly adequate once the cycles have staggered themselves. If they have no bed, whether or not they survive their first "night" without throwing a {{L|tantrum}} depends largely on how the rest of your operation is running.
+
::Not critical, but still important.  Dwarves will first [[sleep]] sometime in the second month (Slate), mid-Spring.  If they have to sleep on the ground, that will give them a bad [[thought]].  Different dwarves will sleep on different cycles, but those can be close the first time around - 5 beds will usually be enough, 3 is certainly adequate once the cycles have staggered themselves. If they have no bed, whether or not they survive their first "night" without throwing a [[tantrum]] depends largely on how the rest of your operation is running.
  
  
 
===Food and Drink===
 
===Food and Drink===
You should have started out with a plentiful supply of food and drink at your {{L|wagon}}. But depending on where you build your fort, this could be quite a walk back and forth for your dwarves when they get hungry and thirsty - you'll probably want to create a food {{L|stockpile}} near the entrance of your fort, preferably an underground a store room inside the fort to protect both your food and dwarves from threats and the weather.
+
You should have started out with a plentiful supply of food and drink at your [[wagon (embark)|wagon]]. But depending on where you build your fort, this could be quite a walk back and forth for your dwarves when they get hungry and thirsty - you'll probably want to create a food [[stockpile]] near the entrance of your fort, preferably an underground a store room inside the fort to protect both your food and dwarves from threats and the weather.
  
 
For replenishing your food you have several options:
 
For replenishing your food you have several options:
:*{{L|Farming|Grow food}} from {{L|seed|seeds}} at a {{L|farm}}
+
:*[[Farming|Grow food]] from [[seed|seeds]] at a [[farm]]
:*{{L|Gather plants}} from the surroundings
+
:*[[Gather plants]] from the surroundings
:*{{L|Fish}} from {{L|river|rivers}} (not edible until process at a {{L|fishery}} - see below)
+
:*[[Fish]] from [[river|rivers]] (not edible until process at a [[fishery]] - see below)
:*{{L|Ambusher|Hunt}} {{L|creature|wild animals}}
+
:*[[Ambusher|Hunt]] [[creature|wild animals]]
  
If you are {{L|Ambusher|hunting}} now, you also need the following right away:
+
If you are [[Ambusher|hunting]] now, you also need the following right away:
  
:* '''{{L|Refuse}} {{L|stockpile}}'''
+
:* '''[[Refuse]] [[stockpile]]'''
 
::Set to accept corpses (and body parts, if you want).
 
::Set to accept corpses (and body parts, if you want).
  
:* '''{{L|Butcher's shop}}'''
+
:* '''[[Butcher's shop]]'''
 
:: Dead animals rot quickly.  Put this near the above.
 
:: Dead animals rot quickly.  Put this near the above.
  
:* '''{{L|Tanner's shop}}'''
+
:* '''[[Tanner's shop]]'''
::If you want {{L|leather}} from the skins of the butchered animals - raw skins rot quickly too. Put this near the butcher.
+
::If you want [[leather]] from the skins of the butchered animals - raw skins rot quickly too. Put this near the butcher.
  
 
:And a '''food stockpile''' that accepts meat, and a '''leather stockpile'''.
 
:And a '''food stockpile''' that accepts meat, and a '''leather stockpile'''.
  
If you are {{L|fishing}} right away, you need to:
+
If you are [[fishing]] right away, you need to:
  
:* Designate a {{L|Zone#Fishing|fishing zone}}
+
:* Designate a [[Zone#Fishing|fishing zone]]
 
::Somewhere safe(ish) where your defenseless fisherdwarves can swap lies and slack off in peace.
 
::Somewhere safe(ish) where your defenseless fisherdwarves can swap lies and slack off in peace.
  
:* Designate a {{L|stockpile}} for the raw fish
+
:* Designate a [[stockpile]] for the raw fish
 
:: Put it near the fishery (unless the fishery is right there. Fisherdwarves will drop the fish next to them, so the fish needs to be processed before they rot. Fisherdwarves ''are'' lazy.)
 
:: Put it near the fishery (unless the fishery is right there. Fisherdwarves will drop the fish next to them, so the fish needs to be processed before they rot. Fisherdwarves ''are'' lazy.)
  
Dwarves like to eat their food in a {{L|dining room}}, so you will need to create {{L|table|tables}} and {{L|chair|chairs}}, and build them inside. Once you've built at least one table you can select it and define a dining room from it.  
+
Dwarves like to eat their food in a [[dining room]], so you will need to create [[table|tables]] and [[chair|chairs]], and build them inside. Once you've built at least one table you can select it and define a dining room from it.  
  
Tables and chairs can be made from any material, but {{L|stone}} is (generally) readily available. So you'll need a {{L|mason's workshop}} and a dwarf with the {{L|Masonry}} labor enabled.  
+
Tables and chairs can be made from any material, but [[stone]] is (generally) readily available. So you'll need a [[mason's workshop]] and a dwarf with the [[Masonry]] labor enabled.  
  
The food you brought, creatures that have been {{L|butcher|butchered}}, and many plants can be eaten raw, but to brew more alcohol you will need a {{L|still}}, the appropriate raw plants, and a dwarf with the {{L|Brewing}} labor enabled.
+
The food you brought, creatures that have been [[butcher|butchered]], and many plants can be eaten raw, but to brew more alcohol you will need a [[still]], the appropriate raw plants, and a dwarf with the [[Brewing]] labor enabled.
  
If your alcohol ever runs out, your dwarves will drink {{L|water}} from any pool/stream in the surrondings - you may want to designate a drinking zone at the nearest pond, but they'll be will be <s>happier</s> less upset if they have a {{L|well}} to get their water from.) If you chose site with a hot environment and no {{L|river}}, you may want to dig a {{L|cistern}} immediately, before the heat {{L|evaporate|evaporates}} all the water on the map!)
+
If your alcohol ever runs out, your dwarves will drink [[water]] from any pool/stream in the surroundings - you may want to designate a drinking zone at the nearest pond, but they'll be will be <s>happier</s> less upset if they have a [[well]] to get their water from.) If you chose site with a hot environment and no [[river]], you may want to dig a [[cistern]] immediately, before the heat [[evaporate|evaporates]] all the water on the map!)
  
Dwarves who are injured (they only drink water) must drink water - build at least one {{L|bucket}}, and early on.
+
Dwarves who are injured (they only drink water) must drink water - build at least one [[bucket]], and early on.
  
 
=== Sleeping arrangements ===
 
=== Sleeping arrangements ===
You need to construct {{L|bed|beds}} for your dwarves and build them inside. Beds can only be made out of wood, and hence you will need a {{L|carpenter's workshop}}, logs, and a dwarf with the {{L|Carpentry}} labor enabled.  Because dwarves' sleep-cycles will not be the same, a starting fortress can ''usually'' get away with 3-5 beds for the starting 7 dwarves, if you're looking for ways to cut corners.
+
You need to construct [[bed|beds]] for your dwarves and build them inside. Beds can only be made out of wood, and hence you will need a [[carpenter's workshop]], logs, and a dwarf with the [[Carpentry]] labor enabled.  Because dwarves' sleep-cycles will not be the same, a starting fortress can ''usually'' get away with 3-5 beds for the starting 7 dwarves, if you're looking for ways to cut corners.
  
A bed is first constructed by the carpenter, then built/placed by a {{L|Hauling#Furniture_hauling|furniture hauler}}. Although at first they can all just sleep in a {{L|barracks}}, it is worth planning the placement of bedrooms as dwarves are greatly bothered by {{L|noise}}, and poor placement of bedrooms will result in a very inefficient fortress.
+
A bed is first constructed by the carpenter, then built/placed by a [[Hauling#Furniture_hauling|furniture hauler]]. Although at first they can all just sleep in a [[barracks]], it is worth planning the placement of bedrooms as dwarves are greatly bothered by [[noise]], and poor placement of bedrooms will result in a very inefficient fortress.
  
 
== Phase 2 ==
 
== Phase 2 ==
Line 109: Line 110:
  
 
:* '''Animal sentries'''
 
:* '''Animal sentries'''
::{{L|Restrain}} a wardog or one of your {{L|domestic animal|draft animals}} near your entrance, so they can warn you of any {{L|thief|thieves}}. They usually don't come earlier than first Summer, and {{L|trap|traps}} are not adequate.
+
::[[Restrain]] a wardog or one of your [[domestic animal|draft animals]] near your entrance, so they can warn you of any [[thief|thieves]]. They usually don't come earlier than first Summer, and [[trap|traps]] are not adequate.
  
:* '''A chair for the {{L|bookkeeper}}'''
+
:* '''A chair for the [[bookkeeper]]'''
::If you have 10 or more of an item type, you can't see them in the z-{{L|stock|stocks}} screen unless you improve your {{L|Stocks#Bookkeeping & precision|bookkeeper's accuracy}} - and that requires a chair, designated as an {{L|office}} and assigned to that dwarf. This can be one of the Dining Hall chairs.  Give the guy a table, too.
+
::If you have 10 or more of an item type, you can't see them in the z-[[stock|stocks]] screen unless you improve your [[Stocks#Bookkeeping & precision|bookkeeper's accuracy]] - and that requires a chair, designated as an [[office]] and assigned to that dwarf. This can be one of the Dining Hall chairs.  Give the guy a table, too.
  
:* '''{{L|Trade Depot}}'''
+
:* '''[[Trade depot]]'''
::First {{L|caravan}} come in early fall.  Maybe build a {{L|craftsdwarf's workshop}} so you can start making goods to trade.  
+
::First [[caravan]] comes in early fall.  Maybe build a [[craftsdwarf's workshop]] so you can start making goods to trade.  
  
:* '''{{L|Metal}} Industry'''
+
:* '''[[Metal]] Industry'''
::Build one or more {{L|wood burner|wood burners}}, {{L|smelter|smelters}}, and {{L|forge|forges}} for making metal items.
+
::Build one or more [[wood burner|wood burners]], [[smelter|smelters]], and [[forge|forges]] for making metal items.
  
 
::...and a big part of that is...
 
::...and a big part of that is...
  
:* '''{{L|Weapon|Weapons}} and {{L|armour}}'''
+
:* '''[[Weapon]]s and [[Armor]]'''
::With 7 dwarfs, you may decide you don't (yet) have enough to set aside to train for real {{L|military}} - it takes at least 2 to {{L|spar}}.  But you can still make some good {{L|armor}} and {{L|weapon|weapons}}, so that even if they're untrained, they'll be well equipped and protected if and when trouble is spotted. (And it will come...)
+
::With 7 dwarves, you may decide you don't (yet) have enough to set aside to train for real [[military]] - it takes at least 2 to [[spar]].  But you can still make some good [[armor]] and [[weapon|weapons]], so that even if they're untrained, they'll be well equipped and protected if and when trouble is spotted. (And it will come...)
  
:* '''{{L|Created wealth}}'''
+
:* '''[[Created wealth]]'''
::CW influences the number of migrants - if you want migrants, pump out high-{{L|value}} items.  Statues from your mason, mechanisms from your mechanic, armor from your forge, prepared meals from your kitchens.  
+
::CW influences the number of migrants - if you want migrants, pump out high-[[value]] items.  Statues from your mason, mechanisms from your mechanic, armor from your forge, prepared meals from your kitchens.  
  
:* '''Prepare for {{L|migrant|company}}'''
+
:* '''Prepare for [[migrant|company]]'''
 
::Build up a surplus of food, booze, and beds, and build whatever workshops you think you'll want to fill.  If you build them, they will come... and they'll come even if you don't, so get ready now.
 
::Build up a surplus of food, booze, and beds, and build whatever workshops you think you'll want to fill.  If you build them, they will come... and they'll come even if you don't, so get ready now.
  
 
== First immigration wave ==
 
== First immigration wave ==
  
If your fortress is even moderately successful, you will get some {{L|migrant|migrants}} around first Spring or maybe before - maybe a couple, maybe a couple dozen.  
+
If your fortress is even moderately successful, you will get some [[migrant|migrants]] around first Spring or maybe before &mdash; maybe a couple, maybe a couple dozen.  
  
  
:*'''{{L|Hauler|Haulers}}'''
+
:*'''[[Hauler|Haulers]]'''
::While your skilled dwarfs do important work, unskilled {{L|peasant|peasants}} can haul the raw materials and finished goods to where they are needed.  Consider {{L|cross-training}}.
+
::While your skilled dwarves do important work, unskilled [[peasant|peasants]] can haul the raw materials and finished goods to where they are needed.  Consider [[cross-training]].
  
:*'''{{L|Military}}'''
+
:*'''[[Military]]'''
::Most forts need at least a small military to fend of various nuisances. Migrants with no useful {{L|skill|skills}} are the perfect volunteers.
+
::Most forts need at least a small military to fend off various nuisances. Migrants with no useful [[skill|skills]] are the perfect volunteers.
  
:*'''{{L|Defense}}'''
+
:*'''[[Defense]]'''
::More trouble is coming - believe it.  Beef up your physical defenses ''now'', so you can laugh at the puny efforts of your enemies - as opposed to them laughing at yours.  {{L|Mason|Masons}} to build more walls and towers, {{L|miner|miners}} to dig more tunnels and mine more stone for those masons.  Armorers and weaponsmiths, bowyers and bone carvers (for practice bolts), wood cutters, carpenters... whatever you lack, train your migrants to fill that need.
+
::More trouble is coming &mdash; believe it.  Beef up your physical defenses ''now'', so you can laugh at the puny efforts of your enemies &mdash; as opposed to them laughing at yours.  [[Mason|Masons]] to build more walls and towers, [[miner|miners]] to dig more tunnels and mine more stone for those masons.  Armorers and weaponsmiths, bowyers and bone carvers (for practice bolts), wood cutters, carpenters... whatever you lack, train your migrants to fill that need.
  
:*'''{{L|Mega construction|Mega-projects}}
+
:*'''[[Mega construction|Mega-projects]]
 
::Sure, why not?  Once you have the basics covered, any industry can be force-fed workers and trainees, and pumped up to absurd proportions to support whatever your warped little imagination can concoct.  (When in doubt, use more magma.)
 
::Sure, why not?  Once you have the basics covered, any industry can be force-fed workers and trainees, and pumped up to absurd proportions to support whatever your warped little imagination can concoct.  (When in doubt, use more magma.)
  
  
 
{{Starting FAQ}}
 
{{Starting FAQ}}

Latest revision as of 16:32, 26 July 2021

This article is about an older version of DF.

Dwarves have basic needs similar to humans - food, drink, and somewhere secure to live & work. Even with just 7 dwarves, you will have to multi-task to get it all done in a timely manner. If you don't fulfill these requirements your dwarves will become unhappy and eventually go insane.

The article on your first fortress has some great suggestions on how to get your feet under you before you try to run, but really it's up to you how you build your fort. See starting build for a discussion on what you should take with you, before you "strike the earth!"


A quick checklist[edit]

It may seem like a lot, but each one is simple, and Dwarf Fortress is always more complex than it looks - there's always "one more thing" that you can do to delay the inevitable.

These are, perhaps, in some sort of rough order. But if you delay starting one while you finish another, you may find yourself in bad shape on that front. There is no one "best" way - the environment of the map (weather, resources and creatures), luck, and your playstyle will all influence what is "more important" and "what comes next".

q, x and the carpentry labor for 3 free logs.
Food can rot quickly if not in a stockpile. Underground is better than above ground. Designate a stockpile for each type of item, and/or use the q, s keys to customize a single stockpile for multiple item types. Time to do some hauling.
  • Dig shelter for your dwarves
Out of the weather, where they can seal themselves in from danger. Dig down or in, but start digging.
  • Designate a zone for a meeting area
Dwarves will be happier if they have recreational space, starting with a meeting area for your animals and idle dwarves. If you don't, they'll use the location of your wagon - and that may or may not be desirable. Put it somewhere where idlers will be safe, but close to food, drink and work.
Your cats will kill vermin, but they'll rot and stink up the place. Put this outside or on the other side of a diagonal passage. Alternately/additionally, you can have a refuse stockpile that accepts (only) remains and other rot-able items.
  • Put a door on that shelter
An open tunnel is not secure. A door, a hatch, something. A mason's workshop can make one out of any stone that might be lying around behind your miners, or a carpenter's workshop out of wood. Both are equally strong.
Injured dwarves cannot care for themselves - they must rest in a bed, and must be brought water in a bucket. A bed must be made out of 1 wood log at a carpenter's workshop; a bucket can be as well, or out of a bar of metal at a forge.
If you see a problem nearby, it might be better to organize a group attack than wait and hope. If the threat is too dangerous or numerous, detouring labor to construct a quick moat or wall might be a painful solution, but the only one. Or just dig in faster.
Make sure you can designate a zone for drinking, for emergencies and any wounded. If you're in a hot environment with no rivers, you will have to jump on a cistern project to save what water there is before it's gone forever.
~If~ you chose to be bold, save money and not buy an axe or picks at embark, and instead brought the material to make your own, now is the time to do it. Depending on what you brought with you, you may need a forge to make the item, a smelter to turn the ore into bars, and/or a wood burner to create the fuel you need to power both.
Dwarves will sit on a barrel while they drink, but they want a table to eat at. And they'd rather have a chair as well. They don't share tables or chairs while eating. Like sleeping, they don't all eat at the same time - a nice little square of 4 tables and chairs should be plenty. Designate a Dining Room as large as you care to. If you want, you can make your Dining Hall into a Meeting Area as well.
You can make tables and chairs from wood or metal, but stone is usually laying around from your miners, begging to be used up. It's cheap, and it's there. Build a mason's workshop.
  • Traps for defense
Not everyone uses traps, but they're quick and easy and get the job done, especially when you're starting out. You'll need stone and a mechanic's workshop. Build some mechanisms, then designate them as stone-fall traps, the simplest. The other trap-types are fine if you have the other requirements (a cage, some spare weapons), or they can wait for now...
Not everyone farms, but most do. The sooner you plant, the sooner you harvest.
  • Enough beds for all.
Not critical, but still important. Dwarves will first sleep sometime in the second month (Slate), mid-Spring. If they have to sleep on the ground, that will give them a bad thought. Different dwarves will sleep on different cycles, but those can be close the first time around - 5 beds will usually be enough, 3 is certainly adequate once the cycles have staggered themselves. If they have no bed, whether or not they survive their first "night" without throwing a tantrum depends largely on how the rest of your operation is running.


Food and Drink[edit]

You should have started out with a plentiful supply of food and drink at your wagon. But depending on where you build your fort, this could be quite a walk back and forth for your dwarves when they get hungry and thirsty - you'll probably want to create a food stockpile near the entrance of your fort, preferably an underground a store room inside the fort to protect both your food and dwarves from threats and the weather.

For replenishing your food you have several options:

If you are hunting now, you also need the following right away:

Set to accept corpses (and body parts, if you want).
Dead animals rot quickly. Put this near the above.
If you want leather from the skins of the butchered animals - raw skins rot quickly too. Put this near the butcher.
And a food stockpile that accepts meat, and a leather stockpile.

If you are fishing right away, you need to:

Somewhere safe(ish) where your defenseless fisherdwarves can swap lies and slack off in peace.
Put it near the fishery (unless the fishery is right there. Fisherdwarves will drop the fish next to them, so the fish needs to be processed before they rot. Fisherdwarves are lazy.)

Dwarves like to eat their food in a dining room, so you will need to create tables and chairs, and build them inside. Once you've built at least one table you can select it and define a dining room from it.

Tables and chairs can be made from any material, but stone is (generally) readily available. So you'll need a mason's workshop and a dwarf with the Masonry labor enabled.

The food you brought, creatures that have been butchered, and many plants can be eaten raw, but to brew more alcohol you will need a still, the appropriate raw plants, and a dwarf with the Brewing labor enabled.

If your alcohol ever runs out, your dwarves will drink water from any pool/stream in the surroundings - you may want to designate a drinking zone at the nearest pond, but they'll be will be happier less upset if they have a well to get their water from.) If you chose site with a hot environment and no river, you may want to dig a cistern immediately, before the heat evaporates all the water on the map!)

Dwarves who are injured (they only drink water) must drink water - build at least one bucket, and early on.

Sleeping arrangements[edit]

You need to construct beds for your dwarves and build them inside. Beds can only be made out of wood, and hence you will need a carpenter's workshop, logs, and a dwarf with the Carpentry labor enabled. Because dwarves' sleep-cycles will not be the same, a starting fortress can usually get away with 3-5 beds for the starting 7 dwarves, if you're looking for ways to cut corners.

A bed is first constructed by the carpenter, then built/placed by a furniture hauler. Although at first they can all just sleep in a barracks, it is worth planning the placement of bedrooms as dwarves are greatly bothered by noise, and poor placement of bedrooms will result in a very inefficient fortress.

Phase 2[edit]

While there are no fixed goals, general goals either develop with the location or are regarded as managing a growing, prosperous dwarven settlement. Achieving this will require industry beyond subsistence living.

  • Animal sentries
Restrain a wardog or one of your draft animals near your entrance, so they can warn you of any thieves. They usually don't come earlier than first Summer, and traps are not adequate.
If you have 10 or more of an item type, you can't see them in the z-stocks screen unless you improve your bookkeeper's accuracy - and that requires a chair, designated as an office and assigned to that dwarf. This can be one of the Dining Hall chairs. Give the guy a table, too.
First caravan comes in early fall. Maybe build a craftsdwarf's workshop so you can start making goods to trade.
Build one or more wood burners, smelters, and forges for making metal items.
...and a big part of that is...
With 7 dwarves, you may decide you don't (yet) have enough to set aside to train for real military - it takes at least 2 to spar. But you can still make some good armor and weapons, so that even if they're untrained, they'll be well equipped and protected if and when trouble is spotted. (And it will come...)
CW influences the number of migrants - if you want migrants, pump out high-value items. Statues from your mason, mechanisms from your mechanic, armor from your forge, prepared meals from your kitchens.
Build up a surplus of food, booze, and beds, and build whatever workshops you think you'll want to fill. If you build them, they will come... and they'll come even if you don't, so get ready now.

First immigration wave[edit]

If your fortress is even moderately successful, you will get some migrants around first Spring or maybe before — maybe a couple, maybe a couple dozen.


While your skilled dwarves do important work, unskilled peasants can haul the raw materials and finished goods to where they are needed. Consider cross-training.
Most forts need at least a small military to fend off various nuisances. Migrants with no useful skills are the perfect volunteers.
More trouble is coming — believe it. Beef up your physical defenses now, so you can laugh at the puny efforts of your enemies — as opposed to them laughing at yours. Masons to build more walls and towers, miners to dig more tunnels and mine more stone for those masons. Armorers and weaponsmiths, bowyers and bone carvers (for practice bolts), wood cutters, carpenters... whatever you lack, train your migrants to fill that need.
Sure, why not? Once you have the basics covered, any industry can be force-fed workers and trainees, and pumped up to absurd proportions to support whatever your warped little imagination can concoct. (When in doubt, use more magma.)