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Desert
| This article was migrated from DF2014:Desert and may be inaccurate for the current version of DF (v50.14). See this page for more information. |
v50.14 · v0.47.05 This article is about the current version of DF.Note that some content may still need to be updated. |
A desert is a very dry biome, with little to no rainfall each year. Deserts can be found in almost all climates except the most extreme cold regions. They are always arid, so cold deserts may only have flowing water for a few months of the year, and warm deserts might have rivers that evaporate during the summer months. The desert temperature is mostly on the far ranges of warm or cold, and can reach scorching or freezing temperatures in certain regions. Variable heat loss is not a feature in biomes, so very hot deserts will remain warm/hot in the night with only a small decrease in temperature.
Very few trees and plants are able to grow in these barren lands. There is a surprisingly decent amount of creatures however. Camels, for example, are very common to this kind of biome and provide an excellent food source (whether one or two humps). Breaching caverns for resources that deserts lack can make building a fortress a whole lot easier.
Types of deserts
There are three types of deserts: badlands, rocky wastelands, and sand deserts. The key characteristic of deserts is that they form in very low rainfall.
Badlands have soil but very little rainfall, and so have very little to offer in the way of plant life, both shrubs and trees. They are mostly hot or cold, but can also have another climate. Badlands form in areas with high drainage.
Rocky wastelands are arid, barren areas rich in stone. It may be difficult to find soil or an aboveground water source. Additionally, trees and other plant life are usually scarce at best in these areas. Thus, trees should be grown in subterranean tree farms. For pasture, the top layer of dirt can simply be channeled through; grass will grow in the resulting pit. Wastelands form in areas with medium drainage.
Sand deserts are large and dry 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, and it may require digging several Z-layers deep before any stone is found. However, similar to rocky wastelands, areas of the map can be channeled out for grass growth. The new grass tiles will even allow tree growth, with enough time. Deserts form in areas with low drainage.
Wildlife
All desert creatures and vermin can appear in any type of desert.
Creatures
bBarn owlbBobcatbBuzzardcCoyotetDesert tortoisedDingoeEagleeEchidnagGila monsterlGray languroGreat horned owlbHoney badgeriIbexJJaguarKKangarookKingsnakelLeopardCOne-humped camelOOstrichpPeregrine falconpPorcupinesRattlesnakerRavenCTwo-humped camelvVulturewWeasel
In savage deserts:
sBark scorpion manbBarn owl manbBat manbBeetle manbBobcat manbBuzzard mancChameleon mancCockatiel mancCoyote mantDesert tortoise mandDingo maneEagle maneEchidna manfFirefly manfFly manSGiant bark scorpionBGiant barn owlBGiant batBGiant beetleBGiant bobcatBGiant buzzardCGiant chameleonCGiant cockatielCGiant coyoteSGiant desert scorpion1TGiant desert tortoiseDGiant dingoEGiant eagleEGiant echidnaFGiant fireflyFGiant flyGGiant gila monsterGGiant grasshopperLGiant gray langurOGiant great horned owlHGiant hamsterBGiant honey badgerIGiant ibexJGiant jaguarJGiant jumping spiderKGiant kangarooKGiant kingsnakeLGiant leopardGGiant leopard geckoLGiant lizardLGiant louseMGiant mantisMGiant monarch butterflyMGiant mosquitoMGiant mothCGiant one-humped camelOGiant ostrichPGiant peregrine falconPGiant porcupineRGiant ratSGiant rattlesnakeRGiant ravenRGiant roachSGiant skinkSGiant slugSGiant snailSGiant sparrowTGiant thripsTGiant tickCGiant two-humped camelVGiant vultureWGiant weaselWGiant wrengGila monster manlGray langur mangGrasshopper manoGreat horned owl manhHamster manbHoney badger maniIbex manJJaguar manjJumping spider manKKangaroo mankKingsnake manlLeopard mangLeopard gecko manlLizard manlLouse manmMantis manmMonarch butterfly manmMosquito manmMoth manCOne-humped camel manOOstrich manpPeregrine falcon manpPorcupine manrRat mansRattlesnake manrRaven manrRoach mansSkink mansSlug mansSnail mansSparrow mantThrips mantTick manCTwo-humped camel manvVulture manwWeasel manwWren man
- 1 No longer appears since v0.42.04
In evil deserts:
Vermin
·Ant∙Bark scorpion∙Bat·Beetle·Bumblebee∙Chameleon∙Cockatiel∙Firefly·Fly·Grasshopper∙Hamster·Honey bee·Jumping spider∙Large roach∙Leopard gecko∙Lizard·Louse·Mantis∙Monarch butterfly·Mosquito∙Moth∙Rat∙Skink~Slug∙Snail∙Sparrow·Termite·Thrips·Tick∙Wren
In savage deserts:
In good deserts:
∙Fairy∙Fluffy wambler·Pixie
In evil deserts:
Vegetation
All desert plants can appear in any type of deserts.
Shrubs
| Name |
|---|
" Alfalfa
|
" Barley
|
" Blade weed
|
" Caper
|
" Fisher berry
|
" Hide root
|
" Lentil
|
" Longland grass
|
" Potato
|
" Prickle berry
|
" Rat weed
|
" Red spinach
|
" Rope reed
|
" Rye
|
" Strawberry
|
In savage deserts:
| Name |
|---|
" Whip vine
|
In good deserts:
| Name |
|---|
" Sun berry
|
In evil deserts:
| Name |
|---|
" Sliver barb
|
Trees
| Name |
|---|
╞ Saguaro
|
In savage deserts:
| Name |
|---|
¶ Highwood
|
In good deserts:
| Name |
|---|
♣ Feather tree
|
In evil deserts:
| Name |
|---|
┤ Glumprong
|
Grasses
| Name |
|---|
. Baby toes succulent
|
. Needle grass
|
. Pebble plant
|
In good deserts:
| Name |
|---|
O Bubble bulb
|
. Downy grass
|
In evil deserts:
| Name |
|---|
O Staring eyeball
|
≥ Wormy tendril
|
"Desert" in other Languages 
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