40d:Sand desert

Sand deserts are large areas of sand. They can be difficult for a beginning player to found a fortress in, due to the fact that there are usually few trees and plants to be found (although camels are likely to be found in abundance) and it may require digging several Z-layers deep before any stone is found.

However, considering that the main ingredient for glass can be found in abundance, it should be easy to make a profitable fortress if some stone can be found (or imported) to build a glass furnace with.

Deserts are most likely to be warm or cold, but may be scorching or freezing as well. They are always arid, so it is advisable to find a reliable source of water before embarking; additionally, cold deserts may only have flowing water for a few months of the year, and warm ones might have rivers that evaporate during the summer months.

In real life, deserts tend to be very dry places that vary between the two temperature extremes - usually scorching during the day, and freezing at night. Although they are much drier than other locations, most deserts do get a small amount of rain - usually a few centimeters' of it, during the winter or spring; the exception to this is the Antarctic desert.