FM or DP to forge on Interloper?

[Etilord]

Situation: Interloper player is on Mystery Lake and already has bedroll, hammer, hacksaw, cured saplings, and cured guts. Which is safer? Going to Forlorn Muskeg or Desolation Point to craft knife, hatchet, and arrowheads?

[JAFO]

The general consensus seems to be that FM is riskier. On the other hand, it's a lot less travel to reach. Good luck!

[SnowWalker]

1 hour ago, JAFO said:

The general consensus seems to be that FM is riskier. On the other hand, it's a lot less travel to reach. Good luck!

To me DP is just as dangerous as FM is and I like DP for forging though because you're a bit more protected inside of the Riken. But, if I were already in ML I definitely would go to FM, definitely. Straight down the railway and then up to the fallen tree bridge and over to the Spence homestead. That to me is safest way, but not fastest.

[dmbjt]

DP is way safer, however you wont find any cattails there

[LucidFugue]

FM if you have everything you need and are already in ML. Lugging all that equipment through CH and the 2 transition zones on interloper is no small feat. I used to avoid FM as well, but you'd be better served learning how to deal with it. 

 

Just watch the skies and always be thinking of exactly what your plan is if you see signs of a storm. FM is uncomfortable because there is no shelter or windbreaks on the muskeg. In a blizzard it's death. You can't even stick to the edges. You'll go mad backtracking once you realise you're surrounded by weak ice and have to turn back. Basically you nerd visibility. On a clear day you're golden. 

 

Make the journey often enough and it'll become a more comfortable zone. 

[JAFO]

@LucidFugue, those are all good points. I've only done the one FM run for arrowheads, and made out all right. Stuck to the edges as much as possible, and had a fairly trouble-free run. But I know I was lucky.. I've seen how easily it can go wrong.

Think I might go hang out there for a bit, get used to the place.

[Lrrr Ruler of OP8]

I just back into the game after a hiatus, and I am currently in a similar situation at ML, although I am playing on stalker. Can anybody give me a quick rundown of what to expect in FM? I'm hearing about no wind cover and crazy blizzards. 

[JAFO]

Too many wolves.. too many patches of weak ice.. no wind cover.. crazy blizzards..

Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.

I like @Thrasador's description too.

Quote

It's a big map, with lots of shallow caves, cattails, mushrooms, and lichen, but not much loot. Once you loot those five or so main areas, most people decide the wolves are not worth the risk of just hanging around there for funzies...if you get what I'm saying.

Edit: Notwithstanding, @Ahatch has been able to survive in FM for 56 days and going strong.. you'd have to ask him though, if it's actually been fun.. the wolves kind of drove him nuts until he learned how to handle them.

[happybjorn]

FM is massively safer.  If you know what paths you can take it is just a matter of figuring out if you have to sneak or turn back on one of them to avoid wolves.

[JAFO]

1 minute ago, happybjorn said:

If you know what paths you can take it is just a matter of figuring out if you have to sneak or turn back on one of them to avoid wolves.

And once you learn how to make the wolves go where you want with rocks, as Ahatch did, it gets even easier to deal with them.

[lostsole]

Hello all,

My first post concerning The Long Dark. As far as using FM for forging my personal evaluation is it is better now with the addition of the Broken Railroad

region.  Seems to be a safer trip than from ML and BR has a ton of scrap metal.  Coal however may become a concern as far as acquiring and transporting

as it is more abundant in DP.  I am only an old wimp as I play on Pilgrim for now and am into exploration without the risks of being attacked. I really

get lost easy  so kind of prefer straight lines.

Wonderful forums to view terrific information, between here, reddit and steam.

Thanks, lostsole

[happybjorn]

Coal isn't an issue, it only requires 4.  There is more than enough near the FM forge, some near the rail car (poacher's camp) and several caves with it, the best being waterfall cave.  Getting fuel for enough fire duration for sleeping and forging can be an issue, but is mostly about planning the trip well to give yourself a few hours of daylight to collect sticks and harvest the new-ish stick pinatas.

By the time you are ready to forge you can easily have around 8 scrap metal just from picking it up off the ground (1 outside dam on winding river side, 2 by rail car above ravine, 1 or 2 at FM rail car, another 3-4 near FM forge).  If you've found a few in containers or some blue tools to breakdown you'll have more than enough.  The OP has a hacksaw, so it is just time to get as much as needed (and makes crafting a hatchet optional).

The easiest path is to follow the tracks to the rail car, then go south to hunter's blind (as you go south there will be a tree you can go under, you can either do so and take the direct path, which requires running over some weak ice, or go east of the tree and go around a little before heading almost due west to reach the blind).  From the hunter's blind go south and continue past the big fallen tree and over a patch of open ice (which is completely safe if you know where to go). From there take the fallen bridge tree and skirt the edge of the map west until you reach the homestead.  This last part should be the only real danger, since wolves can be about (you should be able to sneak or run past if they are).

[lostsole]

Thanks for the reply. I also noticed it would be best to completely fill my comments line to the end of the box to avoid my broken sentences.  I have fallen thru the ice many times which even makes Pilgrim a risky set of circumstances to deal with. I am assuming that the directions are from ML not BR?

lostsole

[happybjorn]

Directions should work from either direction.  In case it wasn't clear I meant the poacher's camp when I said rail car.  If I were coming from the Broken Railway region I would probably just hug the map edge S from the zone transition and see if I could make it safely (this is crazy dangerous, with multiple possibilities of wolves showing up directly in your path with little room to get around them.  Be ready to backtrack or try for a daring escape running across weak ice).

It's also worth noting that the OP was referring to Interloper difficulty.  Wildlife spawn locations and amounts are different on other difficulties.

[June]

I´d say it depends on where you find the hammer. In Interloper you have to plan your routes and consider how much your health can go down until the next shelter/food source. So if the hammer is in CH, sure go DP. Find it in ML, go for FM. If you find it in TM or PV of course, you must decide. I found myself choosing FM lately, because the way to reach it seems far less dangerous in the end. (or maybe I just like the map^^)

[Thrasador]

Coming from ML....stay on the tracks, especially if visibility is poor and you already have a bedroll. 

If you stay on the tracks:

You will eventually come to red train cars. This is the Poacher's Camp. One of the train cars is enterable and has some loot including matches, and there is a fire barrel in the train car. With a bedroll it is livable. There are some cattail stalks on the way there and some on the waters edge around the cars. Not sure about Interloper, but on Voyager there can be some assorted pieces of junk outside around the train cars. Including sticks, cattails, maybe some coal, scrap metal, and perhaps cloth.

From ML if you are facing the cars standing on the tracks and make a 90° right turn, I call that North. A 90° left turn would be South. ML is behind you and to the East. Eventually the tracks end in a colapse and nothing else....that's West.

About due North maybe a little Northwest you should be able to see a radio tower on a hill on a clear day. Under that tower is some crates and boxes and maybe a dead guy or two nearby. There CAN be a wolf nearish the radio tower so eyes peeled. Just to the west of the tower is a river that leads to a waterfall and has a large enclosed cave to the left of the waterfall when facing it. The cave is a good place to run from the wolf that may be up there. Maybe even go in there first to save your game before searching the tower. Bring a light source, there is some dead deer and corpses and other stuff in there. Also I believe a rope. It comes out on a plateau further to the west. On the far Southern end is a rope tie off, but don't forget the 30 kilo climbing restriction. There is also a shallow cave in the back of the plateau and maybe a dead guy. There are lots of rabbits, sticks, and birch bark up there. I haven't seen a wolf up there yet. There are usually some saplings, most near the cliff side of the plateau but further west than the rope tie off.

South of where you descend is the low blind and all the way south/southeast is the Farmstead. I believe there are some shallow caves with coal if you hug the far west wall of the map after the low blind, and another shallow cave along the southern edge of the map near the farmstead. There are basically a lot of shallow caves with coal along the outskirts of the entire map.

There is also another shallow cave if you go south from the farmstead and travel east back in the direction of ML, like in the southeastern corner of the map. Nort/Northwest of that corner cave and on the water on an island with a little snow hill is the high blind....but there is some thin ice if you go directly diagonally there. You may need to go North from the cave till you are parallel to the blind and then go left twords it....or approach it from the North by traveling southeast from the Poachers Camp. There may be one last shallow cave on the eastern side of the map after the one in the southeast corner area....

Due North and also to the East of the Farmstead are some outbuildings. West of the Northern out building with the wooden path and all the oil barrels are a few large islands....sometimes with dead guys and hollow trees with backpacks....especially on lower difficulties one guy on an island may have a bow and another a rifle I believe.

That's really about all there is other than wolves all over the damn place, often in the middle of the ice and all around the western edge of the farmstead....often 3-4 by the farmstead, so have fun with that...Oh and there's often a bear in the Northeast area....Northeast of the Poacher's Camp, sometimes you'll see him on your right as you walk there....he has a shallow bear cave somewhere over there.

Lastly apparently there is a snowshelter that moves around and can be in like one of four different spots, like a Bunker or Preppers Cache....except it's not a bunker full of stuff...just a snowshelter, campfire, maybe a little wood and food lying on the ground. I don't feel it is worth the hunt....but you may pass by it if you hit all those spots I listed in a loop. Two of the spots are South/Southwest of the radio tower....or in the fields around the low blind...

[LucidFugue]

3 hours ago, happybjorn said:

Directions should work from either direction.  In case it wasn't clear I meant the poacher's camp when I said rail car.  If I were coming from the Broken Railway region I would probably just hug the map edge S from the zone transition and see if I could make it safely (this is crazy dangerous, with multiple possibilities of wolves showing up directly in your path with little room to get around them.  Be ready to backtrack or try for a daring escape running across weak ice).

It's also worth noting that the OP was referring to Interloper difficulty.  Wildlife spawn locations and amounts are different on other difficulties.

Coming from broken railway you cannot hug the edge. You need to go into the muskeg a ways and route back onto the path leading to the pier. 

The edge pathway leads to a dead end surrounded by weak ice. That said I'm not game to dash across weak ice too much. 

[Thrasador]

8 minutes ago, LucidFugue said:

Coming from broken railway you cannot hug the edge. You need to go into the muskeg a ways and route back onto the path leading to the pier. 

The edge pathway leads to a dead end surrounded by weak ice. That said I'm not game to dash across weak ice too much. 

You may be taking him too literally....Obviously don't go through broken ice zone....before you hit the spot you just mentioned....yes go twords the middle a little and island hop to the farmstead. He probably meant hug the edge till you are close to the farm and then head to the farm....

I kind of stated hugging the west edge in my post too, but I remember getting to a big wide open water part, but I could see the outbuildings from there and just B-lined to the farm area....

I mean I hug the west edge if I'm on the west side until I am pretty far south, and then I start heading east because I know the farm is more east and in the middle of the south end of the map. It isn't in the southwest corner of the map....

But yes, I agree don't go in the southwest corner of the map....it's no bueno...

[happybjorn]

I meant that you climb up the hill here and follow the edge of the map around.  There is a cave at the end of the trip S, the homestead is mostly E of the cave.  There should be no danger of anything except weather until you are on the part of the trip (from the cave to the homestead).

[LucidFugue]

Ah, sorry. I misunderstood. I'll give that pathway a try. I don't think I've been up that way. 

[Thrasador]

40 minutes ago, happybjorn said:

I meant that you climb up the hill here and follow the edge of the map around.  There is a cave at the end of the trip S, the homestead is mostly E of the cave.  There should be no danger of anything except weather until you are on the part of the trip (from the cave to the homestead).

Nice shot, BTW!

I can see the Low Blind from there!

[Mike in GA]

Thin ice can be traversed if you are not going to have to sprint an extended period. You've got about a second to hit one of those snow islands when you see that week ice red lettering. Usually from the railcars from ML and island hop over.  It's not always a direct shot, but if you do fall through close enough to the broken rail cars there is a fire barrel inside to warm up at. Fell through yesterday and thankfully had a fire already going in the train car. I would say FM over DP because of the distance. You can make the homestead in one day easily if the weathers good.

[Darkwater]

oh YES this is going to help a ton for when i eventually need more arrowheads since i live on timberwolf had nine when i first arrived down to 7 this will help a lot

2 zones and one transition in place of  2 zones and........ wait a minute if we only count the transitions that have exteriors (since wildlife doesn't appear in cinder hills) that makes it two zones and one transition for both of them hmm this needs more research what forge is closer to timberwolf ? (not counting cinder hills since the entire transition is indoors) 

[Etilord]

I can report a successful forge run at FM. I still don't have bedroll though.

I was stocked up with tools, 18 coal, 20 cattails, and 5 decoys. I waited 2 days at Camp Office due to wind and blizzards. A snowy, but calm morning came. I decided to take my chances instead of waiting longer.

From the camp office I ran to the FM train car. I had to drop 1 decoy still on ML. I lost about 20% condition getting there, but gambled on a cold but early start due to blizzard risk. A blizzard was just rolling in as I got to the FM train car. My gamble paid off I waited out the blizzard, and still had plenty of daylight and good weather to get to Homestead. I used happybjorn's directions to the homestead. There were 2 wolves at the bunk houses, that cost me 2 more decoys. I got to Homestead, I started crafting away, made a knife and 8 arrowheads. Slept, woke up late afternoon. I left about 10 coal at Homestead, it could be useful later. The weather was good, so I immediately started heading back. On the way back I took a more or less straight as an arrow route between the Homestead and High Blind, this allowed me to avoid the 2 wolves at he bunk houses. I took a chunk of meat from a deer carcass on the way so I had enough decoys again. The weather was so good, that I made it all the way back to the camp office without stopping to warm up and not even freezing.

Now I am back at Trapper's with a bow and 5 arrows on day 29. I'll need to kill my first deer, as rabbits are running low across all 4 accessible rabbit spawn areas.

After I am stocked up on food and water, I intend to face Fluffy. I need the access to coal in the cave, and the potential bedroll spawn in Winding River.

[ChillPlayer]

Well I died many more deaths in the Crumbling Highway than in FM so I tend to prefer FM. You don't actually need the coals from the caves in DP, there are enough lying around in FM to forge several sets and I think as a guaranteed spawn (at least I had it always in every run) there's a Heavy Hammer lying nearby. And FM has the advantage that if you go left (coming out from Train collapse in ML) it will lead you straight to Spencer's with the few wolves in you way in clear sight miles away. It's very easy to walk around them, I very rarely get engaged in any wolf situation on my way to the forge.

Not something I can say about CH, I had it on Interloper that two wolves were hiding between the hills and at the very least I often had to use Torch or run like hell. Often I got jumped though and there was nothing more left than to stand my ground and fight. So yeah, FM it is.