Perfect base... Now?

[thekillergreece]

I stopped playing The Long Dark since Summer 2017 because I wanted to allow more and more updates to be released it which would make the game all new and refreshing. They added Moose but I did not play to try it at all. They added new cooking system and I decided to restart my whole running session starting from yesterday and I am happy that I did that. I would spend hte whole summer playing this beautiful game.

Now. They added Broken Railroad (I do know it has some good shelters but is it worth it?), Mountain Town and Hushed River Valley.

They added moose, new cooking system which means a house with a stove up to 6 cooking slots is now recommended. So, I need your help guys which region should I form my base? I used to form my base at Waterfront Cottages in Coastal Highway. But they added the new cooking system so its probably not worth it anymore. Not to mention it only has a fire place and no stove. Oh, not to mention I might as well feel "repetitive" by forming same base again, again and again. (1st run which lasted like 200+ days, my base was at Waterfront Cottages. Second run which lasted 60+ days my base was at the same location, same house. I dont want my third run to be the same lol).

 

Suggestions please as I gather supplies. <3

[MarrowStone]

All of this is subjective: TLDR at bottom

Broken railroad is a deathtrap of wolves, amazing loot though. If you really want, the hunting lodge is absolutely gorgeous on the outside, especially during Auroras. (It is a dark, dusty, mess on the inside however with all the storage containers not even on the 1st floor.)  Don't live in the maintenence shed, you WILL get eaten.

If you can brave sleeping outside, Forlorn Muskeg has a great forge to sleep in. You can also find a cave somewhere nearby if you dont have good clothes yet. hard to get cabin fever on that map.

Mystery Lake, Trapper's Cabin is a classic and will always be one of the top base locations, there's a forge closer to mystery lake than you think as well, but if you cant find it, the trip to the forlorn muskeg one is the least dangerous and doesnt require a lightsource or climbing to occupy. (At a trade off for requiring warm clothing)

An Interesting base in Mountain Town(Milton) is the cave by Rocky Refuge, wolves aren't in your face, there's rabbits, not sure about deer. the muskeg forge is close too. The problem is that its a long climb to a crafting table by Paradise Meadow Farms, aka the Barker Homestead (wolves own it and the mailbox says barker, So I refer to them as The Barkers).  The trailer shed between the plane crash in the church is great but not very pretty, it is probably the best base in the map, (has a crafting table I believe). Everywhere else in milton spells death by wolves. havent scoped out much past the orca gas station though.

Ive yet to find a place I can craft in Hushed River Valley, but those caves are real attractive. Not to mention plenty of secret spots, I spent the afternoon in a blizzard on a cliff while sitting next to a dead guy who had an improvised hatchet in one hand and a book in the other. Pretty Unique. No definitive base found yet, so many options! Such a cool map...

The Ravine tansition zone is awesome, no wolves, cave, close to crafting, a forge, and plenty of food.

Burned/Abandoned Harris' Home in Crumbling Highway is one of the most homey and pretty maps, but it is way too wolfy.

Lonely Lighthouse in Desolation Point is great for roleplay, and easy essentials,  but has a wolf problem. 

You cant Forget Pleasent Valley Farmstead (wolves are actually easy to avoid on that map). quite a few other places there actually are good.

Timberwolf Mountain has Mountaineer's Hut (wolves but crafting table), and Deer Clearing (further wolves, but nothing)

Coastal Highway has Fishing Village, and Misanthrope's/Jackrabbit's, Idk how people setup in Quonset and stay sane and stocked on bullets.

Winners: (subjective) 

Safety and Survival Needs: Ravine Cave, Trapper's, Pleasent Valley Farmstead,

Beauty: Crumbling Highway, Hunting Lodge, Fishing Village, a lot of places

Loot: Quonset/Cottages, Maintenence Shed, Dam, Milton

Roleplay: Lonely Lighthouse, Signal Hill, Trapper's, Quonset, Prepper's, 

Hardy Living: Mountaineer's Hut, Muskeg Forge, Deer Clearing, Any Fishing Hut

Fun: Dead Guy, Car, Tree, Rock, Snow Shelter, 

*Grunts*:  Cave.

TLDR, sometimes the "best" places are the most boring. pick anywhere and roll with it. I left out a TON

[thekillergreece]

Thank you for your long list! I think I will either set my base in Mountain Town or Pleasant Valley Farmstead. Mystery Lake has a LOT connections unlike before. Connected to Forlorn Muskeg (which is then connected to Railroad), Mountain Town (Which is then connected to River Valley), Pleasant Valley (From Dam which is connected to Coastal Highway, Desolation Point and Timberwolf Mountains) and finally, Coastal Highway which is connected to Pleasant and Desolation Point.

[bighara]

56 minutes ago, MarrowStone said:

Mystery Lake, Trapper's Cabin is a classic and will always be one of the top base locations, there's a forge closer to mystery lake than you think as well, but if you cant find it, the trip to the forlorn muskeg one is the least dangerous and doesnt require a lightsource or climbing to occupy. (At a trade off for requiring warm clothing)

Curious as why you choose TC over CO for ML. Not that Trapper's a bad base, I just like being closer to the fishing option. The cave up the hill is a nice place to fight cabin fever as well.

 

 

[MrWolf]

1 hour ago, MarrowStone said:

Broken railroad is a deathtrap of wolves, amazing loot though. If you really want, the hunting lodge is absolutely gorgeous on the outside, especially during Auroras. (It is a dark, dusty, mess on the inside however with all the storage containers not even on the 1st floor.)  Don't live in the maintenence shed, you WILL get eaten.

Broken Railroad isn't a bad place, once you reach the maintenance shed.  The hard part is getting there... narrow canyons don't give much room to see a wolf coming and getting attacked is likely.  And being at the end of the map, there's only one place to go when you leave, back through Forlorn Muskeg.  It's a long trek from Broken Railroad's maintenance shed to any shelter in Forlorn Muskeg.

I'm currently hanging out in the maintenance shed, been back and forth between there and the lodge for 40 or 50 days in Interloper.  The maintenance shed is not the warmest place, you have to have a least a few decent clothes to stay warm at night.  A while back, you could sleep in the truck that's up on the lift, but can't get into it now.  You have to pay attention to the time of day and possibility of an aurora because of some red wires in a few key walkways.  One nice thing is you can exit into the open room where you can see outside and wolves don't come in there.  It's easy to see if wolves are around, or walk out of the open door to check, and step back in if you hear barking.

The Hunting Lodge is beautiful, and I agree that the lack of any containers on the main level is a bit annoying.  But, there is a lot of wood available.  Kill the two wolves that hang out near the lodge and you'll have free reign around that area for quite a while (you'll soon have to venture back down toward the maintenance shed for food though).  A nice cave is not far from the lodge, good for keeping cabin fever away.  With the deer near the maintenance shed, quite a few ravaged deer around the region, and quickly respawning wolves around the maintenance shed and the lake, there is never a shortage of food.  And, the lake near the maintenance shed has a lot of cattails.

I think there are a number of better base locations, but Broken Railroad is certainly a place where you can survive for a long time.  

 

[cullam]

there's a forge closer to mystery lake than you think as well, but if you cant find it, 

Are you talking about a THIRD forge? I've never heard tell of such a legend... 

[Moonraker]

9 hours ago, thekillergreece said:

They added moose, new cooking system which means a house with a stove up to 6 cooking slots is now recommended.

There are some really good, detailed responses here for the various potential bases, especially the list from @MarrowStone.

But the point made in the OP about the new cooking system will impact quite a bit I imagine now on base choice.

For example Trapper's Cabin is a great, compact spot. However, with a pot belly stove (one cooking slot)  it will only allow cooking one item at a time inside, which means otherwise having campfires outside for any multiple cooking with the vagaries of cold and high winds blowing out fires etc.

On the other end of the scale, I just got to the Hunting Lodge which has a Stove inside providing six cooking slots. That is potentially a really important consideration now; factoring in, along with the other, relevant pros & cons mentioned above.

Or, consider that in the Maintenance Yard, it's possible to light campfires in the external office, with no issues of high winds and multiple camp fires.

Just some quick examples but the revamped Cooking system has the potential to become a larger factor on base choice now.

I can see maps with a breakdown of stove types being a useful addition to the Journal.

[thekillergreece]

10 minutes ago, Moonraker said:

There are some really good, detailed responses here for the various potential bases, especially the list from @MarrowStone.

But the point made in the OP about the new cooking system will impact quite a bit I imagine now on base choice.

For example Trapper's Cabin is a great, compact spot. However, with a pot belly stove (one cooking slot)  it will only allow cooking one item at a time inside, which means otherwise having campfires outside for any multiple cooking with the vagaries of cold and high winds blowing out fires etc.

On the other end of the scale, I just got to the Hunting Lodge which has a Stove inside providing six cooking slots. That is potentially a really important consideration now; factoring in, along with the other, relevant pros & cons mentioned above.

Or, consider that in the Maintenance Yard, it's possible to light campfires in the external office, with no issues of high winds and multiple camp fires.

Just some quick examples but the revamped Cooking system has the potential to become a larger factor on base choice now.

I can see maps with a breakdown of stove types being a useful addition to the Journal.

Yeah, because of the new cooking system, some base options are greyed out now due to lack of multiple cooking slots

As far as I know, Hunting Lodge and Pleasant Valley Farmstead got 6 cooking slots which are good enough. 

[MarrowStone]

@Moonraker ohhh, I havent checked any pot bellied stoves yet, only one? damn. I guess you can go into that transition cave to milton to place a campfire though, its very close.

@MrWolf, Once a climbing rope is deployed by the hunting lodge it becomes much easier to access food,  (and the bear killed in that cave) the wolves are much more avoidable at the lodge, There are also less aurora hazards. I do like the "outdoor" section of the maintenance shed, but I dont want to take a risk every time i step outside, not to mention if you want to drag meat or pelts there then sneaking into the base becomed that much harder with scent. (at the cost of having to climb a rope)

@bighara, I chose Trapper's cabin over camp office mainly because I do not fish often, I enjoy the secludedness of Trapper's , and It has plenty od storage all on one floor I can't get lost on. There also isnt a smelly dead guy there I cant get rid of. (Frozen ones are tolerable at least. lol), Also I've been jumped too many times there, just for exiting the office.

And remember, my list is definitely sbjective and has biases/innacurracies, and doesn't run down every base. I'd make a Steam Guide for that.

Thanks for the input though!

[Moonraker]

4 hours ago, MarrowStone said:

@Moonraker ohhh, I havent checked any pot bellied stoves yet, only one? damn. I guess you can go into that transition cave to milton to place a campfire though, its very close.

Yes, only one cooking slot for the pot bellied stove type. Quite a big problem for ice fishing huts and fishing options but also any other locations with one.

Also any location with a Fireplace, they donl't function for cooking just as a fire for heat.

[thekillergreece]

3 hours ago, Moonraker said:

Yes, only one cooking slot for the pot bellied stove type. Quite a big problem for ice fishing huts and fishing options but also any other locations with one.

Also any location with a Fireplace, they donl't function for cooking just as a fire for heat.

I think you are mistaken! There is a small stove upstairs with two cooking slots. I might be wrong.

[happybjorn]

3 hours ago, thekillergreece said:

I think you are mistaken! There is a small stove upstairs with two cooking slots. I might be wrong.

You are not wrong.  It also has the advantage of being right next a bed, so if you have a couple cooking pots and don't mind sleeping in 3 hour stretches you can probably boil a dozen liters of water without sacrificing much (aside from the enormous condition gain you get from a solid long rest).

[Drifter Man]

20 hours ago, cullam said:

there's a forge closer to mystery lake than you think as well, but if you cant find it, 

Are you talking about a THIRD forge? I've never heard tell of such a legend... 

 

22 hours ago, MarrowStone said:

The Ravine tansition zone is awesome, no wolves, cave, close to crafting, a forge, and plenty of food.

I am not aware of any other forge except the two that everyone knows. Perhaps can @MarrowStone clarify?

[MarrowStone]

8 hours ago, Drifter Man said:

 

I am not aware of any other forge except the two that everyone knows. Perhaps can @MarrowStone clarify?

My mistake, I could've sworn I used one down in the ravine.  I was mistaken, apologies. 

@cullam, sorry.

[Drifter Man]

4 hours ago, MarrowStone said:

My mistake, I could've sworn I used one down in the ravine.  I was mistaken, apologies.

No problem - I was wondering if there is a secret that everybody missed

[Moonraker]

17 hours ago, thekillergreece said:

I think you are mistaken! There is a small stove upstairs with two cooking slots. I might be wrong.

I was referring to the Pot Belly Stove type generally, just using the one in Camp Office as an example.

Guessing there are other interiors/ locations with more than one stove to consider so a good point. Or close access to a cave for multiple campfires and avoid frigid winds blowing them out etc.

[MarrowStone]

http://www.hinterlandforums.com/forums/topic/12620-more-furnaces/

Found a post I made up a very long time ago with me suggesting a locomotive engine in the ravine that we could forge in as an alternative to Desolation Point's. I must've picked up a memory of it and believed it was true. Oops.

Now that we have Forlorn Muskeg the post has definitely lost its argument for an alternative forge at the cost of having to climb down a rope. 

On topic: The new update and longer cooking times have also made bases with abundant firewood preferable as well. Mountaineer's hut will see a jump in difficulty. The player must be even more careful now not to use the night's firewood up during a long day's cooking.

[thekillergreece]

41 minutes ago, MarrowStone said:

http://www.hinterlandforums.com/forums/topic/12620-more-furnaces/

Found a post I made up a very long time ago with me suggesting a locomotive engine in the ravine that we could forge in as an alternative to Desolation Point's. I must've picked up a memory of it and believed it was true. Oops.

Now that we have Forlorn Muskeg the post has definitely lost its argument for an alternative forge at the cost of having to climb down a rope. 

On topic: The new update and longer cooking times have also made bases with abundant firewood preferable as well. Mountaineer's hut will see a jump in difficulty. The player must be even more careful now not to use the night's firewood up during a long day's cooking.

Seems like if I reside in Misanthropes Island, I got to chop a lot wood and haul them in. Especially if I got 2 cooking slots stove/campfire.

[Ahatch]

Looking at the new cooking system one would have to say Pleasant Valley Farmstead would likely be the best in terms of safety and available game if not for the endless blizzards there. I always liked Jack Rabbit Island on CH but it looks more wolf infested on the last update before this one. I like Hibernia on DP after I rid it of wolves but looks less attractive with the update. The old standbys on ML remain solid with the update. The biggest winner though is the fish huts as one can fish and cook at the same time which is awesome. 

[bighara]

@thekillergreece I don't think Misanthrope's or Jackrabbit's houses have any fireplace/stoves. I may be confused, though.

[Erutor]

On 6/15/2018 at 9:45 PM, Moonraker said:

Also any location with a Fireplace, they donl't function for cooking just as a fire for heat.

This does not appear to be true as of the latest version. The fireplace in the TWM hut has two cooking spots.

[electricblue]

I just started a base on Barker's Farm, it has a 6 burner stove and i'll put up with wolves for that so long as they aren't ambushing me from around corners like they do in Milton and Quonset. At least give me a *chance* to shoot them lol

[Ruruwawa]

5 minutes ago, electricblue said:

I just started a base on Barker's Farm, it has a 6 burner stove and i'll put up with wolves for that so long as they aren't ambushing me from around corners like they do in Milton and Quonset. At least give me a *chance* to shoot them lol

I really like the barker farm.  You can craft in the barn (for outdoor hours to offset cabin fever risk), and the workbench has a firebarrel right next to it.  I move a couple cookpots from the house out there and boil water as I craft in 2 hour stretches.  Really convenient!

[peteloud]

On 6/15/2018 at 12:29 PM, MarrowStone said:

 

 

[Rumpo]

On 6/15/2018 at 8:28 AM, bighara said:

Curious as why you choose TC over CO for ML. Not that Trapper's a bad base, I just like being closer to the fishing option. The cave up the hill is a nice place to fight cabin fever as well.

 

 

I'm also a Trapper's Cabin over Camp Office player. It is very safe, has five deer in the yard sometimes, a bear nearby (maybe), a moose in the yard (maybe), more sticks than you need, instant access to Milton and same distance (about) access to Forlorn as the Camp Office. Mostly, though, it's fun to decorate. Feels more like home to me. I love to arrange all my gear in there. It just feels like home. I have a hard time living in other locations for long periods of time. I can't argue against Camp Office, there's just something about Trapper's.