Dwarf Fortress 40_24 Tutorial: Part 3 - Embarking for the First Time

Phase 1 - Where to Settle?

What am I looking at and how does it work? 

Time to choose a location in the world to build your fortress. The embark screen you are looking at might be a little confusing at first. There are 3 maps in front of you, a local map, a regional map, and a world map. You can move around the regional / world map by using the arrow keys and you can move around the local map by using the 'hk/um' keys.

You will also notice a series of descriptions to the right of these maps that give you some basic information about the area you are currently looking at. You can cycle through different levels of information by pressing tab. Play around with these options for a while.

How do I find a good place to settle? 

Thankfully Dwarf Fortress has an 'site finder' function that highlights areas of the map which are favorable according to the criteria you give it. Lets use it now to find a good spot by pressing [f]

Here are the settings you will want to look for and a brief description of what they are.


X Dimension 

• Choose 4 
• Range is 2 to 16 
• This setting controls the initial size of the embark rectangle. The finder searches the world map for the selected features using a rectangle of the selected size. A larger rectangle will usually lead to a higher chance of finding all selected features due to the site being larger, but will impact game performance (the larger the rectangle, the lower the FPS). 

Y Dimension

• Choose 4 
• Range for either: 2 to 16 
• This setting controls the initial size of the embark rectangle. The finder searches the world map for the selected features using a rectangle of the selected size. A larger rectangle will usually lead to a higher chance of finding all selected features due to the site being larger, but will impact game performance (the larger the rectangle, the lower the FPS). 

Savagery (Lawful vs Chaotic) 

• Choose Low 
• How unruly is the natural wildlife. (Low = bunnies and deer, High = Giant Grizzly Bears and Insect men) We set it to 'low' so that you don't encounter dwarf eating monsters or early goblin raids until at least a few game years in.

Evil (Good vs Evil) 

• Choose N/A 
• Biomes can have alignments that are either Good, Neutral, or Evil. Good aligned biomes have delicious berries and unicorns. Evil aligned biomes have freakish weather and undead things. Neutral aligned areas are normal with normal animals. We set it to N/A because other settings mess up the site finder. 

Elevation

• Choose N/A 
• Low = Flat, Medium = Hills, High = Cliffs + Mountains. We set it to N/A because elevation doesn't make any difference to us. 

Temperature 

• Choose N/A 
• Low = Freezing / Cold, Medium = Temperate / Warm, High = Hot / Scorching. We set it to N/A because other settings mess up the site finder. 

Rain 

• Choose N/A 
• Selects the amount of rain / snow. We set it to N/A because we don't care about this. 

Drainage 

• Choose N/A 
• Can be used to determine specific terrain types. High = Deserts / Glaciers, Low = Swamps and Marshes. We set it to N/A because we don't care about this. 

Flux Stone 

• Choose N/A 
• Flux stone is used for the production of steel. We set it to N/A because making steel is an advanced feature and you are still learning the basics. 

Aquifer 

• !NO! NO NO NO NO NO
• Aquifers represent layers of underground water that are extremely difficult to work with. They will flood your fortress and they require advanced skills to break through. You do not want one. 

River

• N/A 
• Rivers can be nice but they are not required. They are an endless supply of water and a near-endless supply of fish. 

Shallow Metal

• Choose Multiple 
• Very important. You want multiple shallow metals. 

Deep Metal 

• Choose Multiple 
• Also important. 

Soil

• N/A 
• How deep the soil is. We don't care. 

Clay

• N/A 
• Is there clay here? We don't care. 

Once you have put in your desired parameters start it up and watch the map highlight areas that are ideal for settling. When it is done hit [esc] to browse the map.

Which Spot should I Choose? 

So you've run the site finder and you have some green X's flashing at you on the map. You are looking them over and now you have to choose one. Here are the sort of things you should be looking for and why.

Temperature

• Warm / Temperate 
• Temperature affects when water on your map either freezes or evaporates. Ideally you want either warm or temperate settings as this allows for access to overland water and is the nicest setting for your dwarfs. 

Trees / Vegetation

• Forest / Heavy 
• Trees are very useful to build furniture, storage barrels / bins, and trade goods. They are also useful as fuel for your metal industry. For your first few play-throughs you will want lots of trees and vegetation. 

Surroundings 

• Calm / Wilderness 
• This determines the types of creatures that will visit your fortress. Ideally you want calm surroundings for your first few fortresses. Also ideal (and quite rare) are 'Serene' and 'Mirthful' surroundings. 

No Aquifer

• As already stated above, you do not want to deal with an aquifer 

Shallow Metals 

• Very important 

Deep Metals 

• Also important 

Found a spot that meets your criteria? Awesome! Don't forget you can also use the [umhk] keys to move around the local map.

When you are ready, press [e] to enter the next phase of embarking

Phase 2 - What to Bring? 

Here you are given the choice to use a pre-built set of dwarves and starting resources or to plan it out manually. For the first few times please choose one of the pre-built packs (LazyNewb 2 mine 1 wood 1 mason/craft 1 broker 2 farmer] or something close to that name. After you have played for a long time and understand how the game works, then you can create your own specialized starting kit, but for now the pre-made loadouts are your friend.

Optional - Press [F] to name your Fortress
Optional - Press [G] to name your expedition Group

When you are ready press [e] to embark.