Resources for Getting Started with Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress is famously difficult to get into. To help newcomers get started the community has created many useful resources that pare down the difficulty curve significantly. Here I will collect a selection of the best of these resources to hopefully help those of you who are looking to get started with DF but don't know where to start. I have used all of the resources here at some point in my DF journey and can attest to their quality.

Firstly I will say that the thing most important to keep in mind when starting DF is that you will lose. Since DF has no set win condition it is guaranteed that you will lose eventually. With this in mind it is imperative that you follow the community's motto of "losing is fun" and learn to enjoy this inevitable collapse of all your hard work. I still fondly remember when my first fortress only a few months in was brutally dismembered by a vicious werehorse.

-----

For your very first fortress I would suggest following along with either a video tutorial or a written walkthrough, several of which I have collected below.

Kruggsmash Youtube Tutorial

Kruggsmash's beginner walkthrough is an excellent, brief overview of the absolute basics that is only 1/2 hour long. While it was made 2 years ago it is not out of date as all the gameplay areas it covers have been relatively unchanged in recent updates. I watched this tutorial myself when I was getting started and highly recommend it for its high production quality and easy to follow structure.

Nookrium Youtube Tutorial

This video tutorial by Nookrium is a bit more recent having been released this year. It runs a bit longer than Kruggsmash's tutorial at just under 45 minutes and is thus slightly more in depth.

DF Wiki Quickstart Guide

The quick start guide on the DF wiki covers almost every important topic you will need to know starting out. It describes everything from how to defend against sieges to trading with merchants. This is a good place to look if there is a specific area you are struggling to understand. In general the wiki is your best friend when getting started with DF and will likely remain so even when you are a seasoned veteran. You should always have it open when playing DF, as it details pretty much everything there is to know about the game.

PeredexisErrant's Walkthrough

This walkthrough which I think we can safely assume was written by PeridexisErrant is a great alternative for someone looking for detailed explanations of a variety of Dwarf Fortress' mechanics and systems.

-----

In the process of learning to play DF you will inevitably come across a specific question that cannot be answered by these sources. There are two main places where you can ask questions regarding DF; the subreddit and the forums.

DF Subreddit

The DF subreddit hosts a bi-weekly question thread that is the perfect place to ask any and all DF related questions. In my experience the community surrounding the subreddit is very helpful and welcoming to newcomers.

DF Forums

The DF forums have been around since the game first began development and are frequented by many knowledgeable DF veterans. The gameplay questions forum is teh prefect place to ask your question, just remember to check if a previous thread has already answered it.

-----

Hopefully you found this set of resources helpful. If you think that this post could help someone you know get into DF direct them this way. If you have any questions, suggestions, or criticism don't hesitate to comment.

What is Dwarf Fortress?

    Dwarf Fortress, the focus of this blog, is a videogame developed by Bay 12 Games and available for Windows, Linux, and Mac. From here on I will refer to Dwarf Fortress as its common abbreviation "DF." It heavily features procedurally generated content that allow for a huge amount of variety. DF takes place in a recognizable fantasy setting that nevertheless has many intriguing peculiarities and unique elements. DF is known as one of the most complex and mechanically deep games of all time, and its difficult to understand default appearance of pure ASCII text contributes to this reputation.

    The motto of DF is "losing is fun," a footnote originally added to the games instruction section by its creator Tarn Adams, also known as Toady One. This attitude has been wholeheartedly adopted by the community and is now an essential component of DF.

    The game is played in three different modes. These modes are adventure mode, legends mode, and fortress mode. All three of these game modes can be played using the same procedurally generated worlds, and each allows you to explore and interact with these worlds in unique way. They do share one similarity, in that there is no set story or hard-coded path that you must follow. DF is one of the purest examples of an open-world game available, and it is all about creating your own goals and finding the stories that arise naturally from its complex interlocking systems.

    Before I go into detail on DF's various playable modes I will first explain the worlds these games take place in. Prior to playing you must first generate a world. You can select various parameters that will guide the creation of your world such as the amount of minerals present, the size of the world, the amount of history that will be simulated for the world, and the worlds level of savagery. Once you have made these decisions DF takes over and generates the world, simulating it for hundreds of in game years and developing a rich, interconnected far reaching history. Each world will have its own uniquely fascinating characters, locations, and events. Once the world generation is complete you are ready to start playin whichever game mode you wish.

    Adventure mode is a turn-based rpg where you control one or more characters that you have designed or encountered in game. Adventure mode offers you a vast degree of freedom, allowing you to travel through your world and discover its every secret. A core component of adventure mode found in all rpg's is character progression. As you adventure you will improve your skills by practicing them. DF's detailed skill system includes everything from mace-wielding to swimming to cooking. Adventure mode has seen less development than the more popular Fortress mode, but I still feel it has a lot to offer. I would say that adventure mode offers the most intimate perspective to explore DF, and I would definitely suggest that every DF fan try it at least once.

    The least game-like of the three game modes is legends mode. Legends mode primarily serves as an interface to view the places, characters, artifacts, and events of your world.  Personally I rarely use legends mode as is, I find it to be too clunky to comfortably use, and so I prefer the third party utility "legends viewer." It offers a far more streamlined experience and accomplishes the same goals.

    The third game mode, fortress mode, is what DF is known for. In fortress mode you run an entire settlement of dwarves, starting with only seven brave colonizers and potentially growing to a population in the hundreds. You must construct a fortress to house your dwarves and provide for their needs by assigning them to various duties such as farming, mining, and crafting. You will also need to defend your fortress from invading armies, forgotten beasts, and other types of fun. This game mode, like adventure mode, offers a near-infinite range of options. You can construct wonderful underground palaces, create historic artifacts, muster powerful armies, or simply get to know your dwarves and their unique personalities. This is my favorite DF game mode and the one I will most likely focus on in this blog.

    Thank you for reading this post, I hope you found it informative. I welcome any suggestions or criticisms.