Dwarf Fortress Starters Guide (Steam Edition)

Dwarf Fortress has made its debut on Steam. The game is now many years old, but the new version of this classic colony management game has attracted a crowd of curious players. A challenge awaits you. With this Dwarf Fortress Starters Guide, however, we will try to make it fairly painless.

• Don't fiddle with the settings
• Go through the tutorial
• Location is important
• Manage people and space
• Don't build too much at once
• Remember about needs
• Use the pause

Don't fiddle with the settings

At the beginning of your adventure with the game, it's rather not worth fiddling with the settings. Unless, of course, you want to make game easier for yourself to get to grips with the mechanics in a relatively painless way.

Go through the tutorial

The game will offer you the opportunity to go through a tutorial. If you are new to the world of Dwarf Fortress it is worth taking advantage of this.

Location is important

It goes without saying that location of your fortress is important. For starters, look for a quiet place (not marked as sinister) and far from enemies. Also keep an eye out for various metal deposits and make sure you have access to trees. Avoid the aquifer!

Manage people and space

If you have ever played RimWorld then you know what I mean. You can assign different roles to dwarves, and manage space by setting up different zones. Furthermore, in Dwarf Fortress you can appoint nobles and administrators to support you in your struggles.

Don't build too much at once

Start building modestly, remember that your dwarves need time to dig everything out, you don't want them to start too many things and not finish them. Start by creating a storehouse, a farm, a drinking source (Still) and a place where your people can rest.

Remember about needs

Your people have needs that must be met in order for the colony to thrive. Obviously these basic ones will be to provide them with food, drink and a roof over their heads, but over time their demands will increase.

Use the pause

You can pause the game at any time - take advantage of this. This will give you time to think about what to do next. It will also give you time to familiarize yourself with the interface.