Dwarf Fortress: Best Embark Set-up

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Dwarf Fortress Best Embark Set Up

Having the right embark set-up in Dwarf Fortress is ideal for ensuring your base and colony thrive throughout the game.

It’s essential to choose the right settings and find the perfect starting location to make sure you won’t have to deal with any major-scale issues early on.

If you’re just getting started in the game, consider checking out our guide on how to dig down. It’s essential for layering your base and finding underground resources.

In this guide, I will showcase the best embark set-up for Dwarf Fortress to ensure you’re starting off on the right foot.

Best Embark Settings in Dwarf Fortress

Select options from the filters on the right side to change embark settings in Dwarf Fortress.
Select options from the filters on the right side to change embark settings in Dwarf Fortress.

There are many options to alter when searching for the ideal location. Thankfully, you don’t have to change every single one. Instead, we can focus on a few essential ones, which will help your base thrive in the new location.

  1. Dimensions: 3×3 (X/Y) – Aim for anything 3×3 or smaller. In general, the smaller the dimensions, the more accurate the search for each specific tile will be.
  2. Savagery: Wilderness – This affects the animals that will spawn around the location. Wilderness makes sure you can find enough wild animals for food and animal products while also avoiding dangerous wild animals.
  3. Flux Stone Layer: Yes – Flux stone is essential for getting steel and will be a key resource in the early to mid-game, so make sure to select a starting location with a flux stone layer.
  4. Aquifer (heavy): No – Aquifers are underground pools of water that may flood your base if you dig right into them. While light aquifers aren’t dangerous, it’s important to avoid heavy ones as they can do significant damage to your build.
  5. River: Yes – Having a river nearby is a great way of getting water early on.
  6. Soil: ≤Deep – Based on this setting, you’re looking for a location with any soil around it. Soil is a great way to ensure you’ll be able to set up a farm early on.
  7. Clay/Sand: Yes – Similar to soil, you can farm on clay and produce glass from sand, which are essential in the early stages of your playthrough.

Now select ‘Begin’, to start searching for the ideal embark location. All yellow areas are locations that only partially meet the set conditions, while green areas meet all the conditions.

The green tiles in the middle meet all our set conditions in Dwarf Fortress.
The green tiles in the middle meet all our set conditions in Dwarf Fortress.

Now click ‘Escape’ to remove the extra overlay and leave only the green areas. Focus

Other Details to Check Before Selecting Embark Location

While you don’t have to place these in the search filters above, it’s helpful to keep an eye out for certain extra parameters to ensure everything is perfect before starting out.

  1. Biome: Forest – While you can start in almost any biome, forests are the easiest as they will provide enough wood for starting out.
  2. Temperature: Warm – While you can deal with colder temperatures, it will cost extra resources. If you can, aim for starting out in warmer temperatures, far from the north pole.
  3. Neighbors: Elves – Keep an eye on the neighbors tab, as you’ll get an idea of how often to expect raids. Aim for Elves as neighbors, as they are friendly and won’t attack you.
  4. Choose Origin Civilization – This selects where your Dwarves originate from. After selecting your embark location, choose the origin civilization that is located the closest to your chosen location.

Wrapping up

To sum up, that’s everything you need to know regarding the best embark set-up in Dwarf Fortress.

With these settings, you’ll ensure your civilization starts off on the right foot and that you’ve got everything you need close by to ensure your success.

Now that you’ve set up your base, consider checking out our guide on how to find iron and coal in the game. These are key early-game resources that will help you progress through the game.

Did you manage to find the ideal starting location? Do you have any other filters to recommend that weren’t mentioned in this guide? Let us know in the comments below.

Harry
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