Dwarf Fortress is now out on Steam and this new paid version is already proving to be a smash hit over the free version. A complex game that was lovingly crafted, this game simulates thousands of personalities for the people, creatures, and inanimate objects that inhabit this world, all of whom have a rich history and lore for you to discover.
It’s the predecessor of Rimworld in many ways, not least because any number of wild and random things could happen for seemingly no reason at any time. You could be infiltrated by vampires, or rampaged by crocodiles, or everyone in your colony could fall into a 2-inch deep puddle and drown in it. You know, dwarf stuff.
This is the kind of game where you’re supposed to learn by failing over and over again, so you’re not expected to build something thriving on your first go. However, we’ve put together these tips for beginners, so you can head into the game with some idea of what’s going on.
Location, location, location - Dwarf Fortress
When you’re looking around the map and choosing where to create your home, there’s information thrown at you left and right, so you should know what’s most important. The “find embark location” button will filter out unsuitable areas, which is a good place to start.
If you’re looking for an easy ride, then the first thing you need to filter out is aquifers. These layers of water will eventually flood your base no matter how hard you try to avoid it. You’ll also want some Flux Stone nearby, as you’ll need it for Steel, which is one of the most vital resources in the game. Aside from that, make sure you have a decent amount of each material and you’ll be good to go.
The right tool for the job - Dwarf Fortress
When it comes to building a fortress, there are all sorts of jobs that need doing, and you want to make sure the right person is doing them. Once you’ve started digging your staircase down into your future base, you’ll want to double check who’s doing the digging. If it is anyone other than your miner dwarf holding the pickaxe, correct this.
Not only does the pickaxe make things go quicker, but dwarves improve in skills the more they use them, so you always want to ensure the right dwarves are doing the jobs they’re good at. You can lock them into certain job categories from the “citizens” menu.
Interior design - Dwarf Fortress
The layout for your base is important, especially in the early game. You want things to run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. We’ve created a recommended layout pictured above.
The 4×4 staircase (white) should be roughly central and branch out immediately into a large storage room (red) to keep your goods stashed away underground, but still easily accessible.
Next you’ll want to set up various workshops (yellow) connected to the storage room so they grab what they need and work very quickly. Ideally, you want at least a Carpenter for wooden stuff, a Stonecutter for stone stuff, a Crafter for export products, and a Distillery so everyone has a drink to come back to at the end of the day.
You should also have a decent-sized dining hall (blue), and you can use the zoning tool to assign it as a meeting place for simplicity’s sake. At the start you can bunk all your dwarves together in a single dormitory (green) and you’ll need an office (purple) or two to start creating more complex orders.
Speak to the manager - Dwarf Fortress
Once your offices are set up, there are two administrative jobs you’ll want to assign: A manager and a bookkeeper. You can see who might be the best fit for the jobs in the menu. A basic office will be fine for them to start off, but as they start to grow into nobles, they’ll want something a bit fancier.
This will unlock a bunch more work management features which are very important. This is where the complexity of this game starts to show itself, as you’ll get a lot of fine-tuning options. You’ll want to look at Work Orders on the clipboard and familiarize yourself with how everything works, then set up orders. For example, you can request 20 match chairs to be made. The workshops will do everything they can to fulfill an order.
The bookkeeper will let you see a definitive tally of all the goods in your fortress. Before you assign one you’ll only be able to see estimates, so getting a bookkeeper is essential for keeping track of everything coming in and out of your fortress.
Trade - Dwarf Fortress
Something you should build up on the surface is a trade depot. This will allow caravans to travel to your fortress and establish trade connections. You’ll need to appoint a broker to trade there, and it’s a good idea to always have some sort of Work Order producing items for export.
These caravans will also be able to bring stuff in for you. At the start of the game seeds and cloth are the most important. You’ll also get a hint as to what the caravan is likely to want next time they visit, so try to produce what they’re asking for. You’ll need to negotiate carefully when making a deal as if the trader doesn’t turn enough profit they won’t want to trade. There’s no harm in being a bit generous to grease the wheels early on.
Food and drink - Dwarf Fortress
Dwarves are only productive as long as their bellies are full. Food is always a priority, but when it comes to dwarves, alcohol is just as mandatory. You’ll find good soil for farming in caves, so dig in there and create some farms. 5×5 is the typically recommended size, but it’s not too important. Plump Helmets are what you should be growing at first. As your fortress grows in size and quality, you’ll need to install things like a kitchen to make nicer food and drink.
Down and down into the deep - Dwarf Fortress
Stone is all well and good, but you’ll need metal eventually. Metal advances your equipment and exports, as well as supplying weapons that you’ll need to defend your fortress. As you dig underground you’ll find different types of rocks that can carry things like gemstones, coal, iron, or silver. Use the auto-mining function once you’ve found what you’re looking for and mark the ore that you want to dig up. Your miners will then get to work.
Steel is what you should be aiming for and you’ll need coal, iron, and Flux Stone to create it. Finding these shouldn’t be too difficult if you started in the right place, and you should use a smelting furnace to process them into steel. If the metal is flowing freely then your dwarven society should survive for a long time.
Written by Marco Wutz and Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
