What each map is known or good for

[GIJoefish]

I'm making this topic because I'd like to know what you guys think each map is good for, either it be for resources, living, hunting, crafting, or role playing. What is your opinion of each map? If I want to find saplings where should I go? If im out to get me some wolf skins where should I go?  If im looking for a specific role playing envirnment where should i go. What do you guys think each map is known for??

[EricTheGreat12]

Desolation Point: Has a forge and minimal shelter, but is otherwise a bad location in the long term. A few rabbit spawns can be found near the Stone Church, but otherwise this area isn’t sustainable in the long term due to the small size of the map and very little resources. 

 

Coastal Highway: Has a high diversity of wolves, deer and fish while having a decent amount of shelter spread across the map. The resources available allow for easy survivability in the long term, but the downside is that if you want to go to other maps such as Mystery Lake and Pleasant Valley, you will most likely encounter wolves or possibly even a bear or two. 

 

Mystery Lake: The main junction of the island (you have to pass by Mystery Lake if you want to go to various maps spread around), it has spread out shelter and loads of resources as well as multiple animals. Possibly the most balanced map of all. 

 

Forlorn Muskeg: It has a forge and some good hunting spots, but is otherwise a bad map to play on; very little resources available to find. 

 

Broken Railroad: It has two large shelters, but is otherwise lacking. It has a couple of good hunting spots but only connecting to Forlorn Muskeg, it’s a rather uninteresting map to play on. 

 

Mountain Town: Abundant in resources in the village makes this a great map for beginners, but unfortunately is only accessible via climbing ropes. Wolves are quite common, but there are very little deer spawns. Overall, it has great man-made shelter and resources but it’s difficult to access and there is little passive wildlife. 

 

Pleasant Valley: A map with a lot of forest, perfect for hubting wolves and deer. The weather here often turns to blizzards, but it’s otherwise a great map to play on. Good animal spawns, with the obly exception that there tends to be a lot of bears in the area. 

 

Timberwolf Mountain: The only reason players come here is to reach the summit, so don’t expect to stay here permanently. A lot of wolves and a couple of bears are to be found, as well as a lot of rope climbing. 

 

River Valley: Not yet released, but it might just be the best map to be made in the Long Dark 

[MarrowStone]

Dont forget:

Some transition zones are worth exploring and at least one has proper shelters, no wolves, and quite a few deer all in one spot!

[Fuarian]

Mystery Lake: Balance of all resources, good for new players, rural shelters, The Dam, Trapper's.

Forlorn Muskeg: High winds, fog, weak ice, open areas, limited shelters, forging. 

Broken Railroad: Literally nothing, should be something. 

Coastal Highway: Hunting, wolves, looting. Coastal Townsite.

Desolation Point: Coal, mines, forging. 

Pleasant Valley: Hunting, exploration, campcraft, crafted clothing, cartography. Farmstead, Barn, Signal Hill. Also bears.

Timberwolf Mountain: Hardcore survival, looting, plane wreckage, getting to the summit, flare gun.

Mountain Town: Looting, exploration, storytelling (kinda), beginner starting area. 

[EricTheGreat12]

2 hours ago, Fuarian said:

Forlorn Muskeg: High winds, fog, weak ice, open areas, limited shelters, forging. 

Broken Railroad: Literally nothing, should be something. 

I’m surprised that you value Forlorn Muskeg over Broken Railroad. Forlorn Muskeg is useless and has very little hunting spots, whereas Broken Railroad has 2 major shelters and good hunting spots. 

[GIJoefish]

What are the structures? Haven't been there was planning on just passing through on my way to CH.

[EricTheGreat12]

5 hours ago, GIJoefish said:

What are the structures? Haven't been there was planning on just passing through on my way to CH.

If you are talking about Broken Railroad, it has a maintenance yard and a hunting lodge. Nothing special  really, it’s just shelter with good resources and the Hunting Lodge is in a comfortable position on the map; the maintenance yard tends to be sorrounded by wolves. 

[jerry486]

Mystery Lake: This is where it all began, nicely designed and thought through. Easy living.

Coastal Highway: Very difficult to get lost here, plenty of housing and resources.

Forlorn Muskeg: Isolated, not much tech and housing can be found here, almost none in fact. It's a very rewarding map once you've learned how to live on it. Contrary to above opinion this place has plenty of hunting spots and even a deer/bunny haven amongst a beautiful birch forest. Could be richer on coal though.

Broken Railroad: Unfinished map. We should be able to enter the locomotives - perfect emergency spot. A possible flare gun / med kit inside could add to the value of the place. Adding to the fact that you have to cross FM (or partially) to get here even more people tend to complain about this place. That is why I think the new region should be connected to this map, to make them even more angry and veterans more happy.

Desolation Point: "too small to live in / not sustainable" - say what? Pleanty of coal, a bear that is easy kill if you know the trick (you can even warm yourself up next to a fire as you wait for him to come). I guess adding fishing capability on this map would make it more long run (for some, it is a coastal region afterall). One big con: lighthouse does not light up during the aurora, this is a HUGE dissapointment as it simply SHOULD. 

Pleasant Valley: This place I consider home, I have a special relationship with this place (after my first ever play through at this game, locked out of Carters, lost in the winding river cave for days, attacked at comms tower by a bear - 5% life left after.. The farmstead welcomed me and wrapped in warm clothes, arming me to the teeth. I later took my revenge on that bear. This map I respect, I have been cocky around all regions, but each time I do something silly (recently I tried to sleep at the collapsed end of the road) - this map quickly puts me into my place by reminding me: "mofo, do you wanna die?". After years of playing, 1k+ hours this place still manages to make me pee my pants once in a while (near death experiences). And it's huge.

Timberwolf Mountain: Isolated, you can defo feel that. A map to be left for last I think, and so I did. TWM came out late 2015 and I summited late last year. Don't regret doing so - it refreshed my whole experience. It's designed in a non-flat fashion, so you have to think multi-level. Multiple ropes and entrances, takes time to figure out how to get to the summit, and then another long time to learn how to move around all possible combinations. 

Mountain Town: Massive loot, Beautiful after-image of a once functional town. Remote farm, remote crash site and cave, even a separate bottom level lake with it's own eco system. This map was well thought through but still needs some polishing work. Also the barricaded houses feel kind of cheap - if w can crowbar our way into Orca Gas station, we should be able to break into all the houses.

The Ravine: This should be a proper map, not just a transition zone. They should work on some steep and dangerous paths so one can reach the bottom of the bridge without having to navigate crazy routes (yes, it is doable). Peaceful, no wolves, deer and bunnies, caves. Nice place if you just need a break and relax.

[Khan_Drichthyes]

Yeah, there's nothing wrong with Desolation Point.  I'm prospering just fine on the Rikken.

[TerribleSurvivor]

1 hour ago, Hawk said:

Maybe it's an oil based lamp (petroleum or whale), as opposed to electrical.

Would make sense since there are many hints (Riken and whale hunter station) of whale hunters who used to live there before the silent apocalypse occured.

[Carbon]

22 hours ago, jerry486 said:

One big con: lighthouse does not light up during the aurora, this is a HUGE dissapointment as it simply SHOULD.

[Khan_Drichthyes]

I should try to do that scene in my next painting.

[Doc Gonzo]

23 hours ago, jerry486 said:

The Ravine: This should be a proper map, not just a transition zone. They should work on some steep and dangerous paths so one can reach the bottom of the bridge without having to navigate crazy routes (yes, it is doable). Peaceful, no wolves, deer and bunnies, caves. Nice place if you just need a break and relax.

Quoted to agree and to ask for a point of clarification.  I love The Ravine.  It's just a great map.  I wasn't aware that the you could reach the area below the bridge?  Well let me amend that, I've heard to players going over the edge using pathing bugs but thought they wound up finding quite literally nothing at all.  Is that incorrect?

I'm loving hearing everyone's opinions of the zones in this thread.  Fun read!

[EricTheGreat12]

On 6/7/2018 at 11:42 AM, jerry486 said:

The Ravine: This should be a proper map, not just a transition zone. They should work on some steep and dangerous paths so one can reach the bottom of the bridge without having to navigate crazy routes (yes, it is doable). Peaceful, no wolves, deer and bunnies, caves. Nice place if you just need a break and relax.

The issue is that the Ravine is squeezed in between Coastal Highway and Mystery Lake, making any expansion of the region awkward and unecessary. And considering that there's a possibility that River Valley will be connected to the Ravine, making the Ravine an official map seems very unlikely.

[Pillock]

I've always liked Crumbling Highway.

It's probably best known for being a narrow gauntlet of wolf jaws to be traversed as quickly as possible (usually in a blizzard) when you want to get between Desolation Point and Coastal Highway. But there is a stark beauty about that section of coastline, and resources to be found there. I find it a tranquil and homely place to spend time; the enclosing nature of the cliffs and rock formations give a feel that you are in your own private corner of the world. 

And the resident wolves are also a lot less off-putting once you've shot them dead.

[cullam]

I've actually found TWM a pretty good long term survival spot. You need to keep an eye on temperature in the hut, but having a near by fishing hut, with wolves who you can mostly clearly find from your door is useful. Plus, the huge amounts of gear, once you clear all the crates. 

[MarrowStone]

@Pillock, just the other day in crumbling highway I had those exact thoughts. It is one of the most beautiful areas in the game, it really shows off the newer grass models and rock textures too. (I still miss the coal black rocks though)  its secludedness registers as cozy.

On 6/10/2018 at 10:16 PM, Pillock said:

I find it a tranquil and homely place to spend time; the enclosing nature of the cliffs and rock formations give a feel that you are in your own private corner of the world

Don't forget the ocean's expanse stretching out the other way into nothingness also playing into that feeling.

If I could remove the wolves more effectively than we can now (gives me an idea for a custom game mode) I would most definitely live there, I don't know if there are deer in that zone though..

[omoon66]

And now: Hushed River Valley (HRV). Death. Timberwolf mountain with less resources, and no human-made shelter. Which means no workbench, forge, or fishing. Although there is one spot similar to the summit of TWM, but not as plentiful of loot. 

[Stone]

I think the game's description of player fit for each of the areas ring true (i.e. Mystery Lake: beginner, TWM: advanced). But there the ever controversial Wolf is a hazard on its own level. It matters not how good an area is for anything if a wolf charges you. So IMHO, I'll rate the areas (mines/caves/Carter Dam aside) in terms of Wolf risk:

• No risk: Ravine - zero wolves
• Low risk: FM birch plateau, north/east TWM - now you can't say any map with wolves is "low" risk but these are notably large safe zone (others, smaller safe zones are widely discussed elsewhere).
• Medium risk: Forlorn Muskege; Mystry Lake; Timber Wolf Mountain; Winding River
• High risk: Mountain Town; Coastal Highway; Desolation Point; Broken Railway; Hushed River

You might disagree and theres definately grounds to but let me say this: I see the difference between Medium and High risk as being the extent to which you can manage wolf situations / spot wolves early / escape easily. Argueably you can or can't do that in any map with Wolves.

TL:DR - maps that mix buildings/blind corners with wolves are deadly. The other maps are a less deadly.

[EricTheGreat12]

On 6/18/2018 at 5:03 PM, omoon66 said:

And now: Hushed River Valley (HRV). Death. Timberwolf mountain with less resources, and no human-made shelter. Which means no workbench, forge, or fishing. Although there is one spot similar to the summit of TWM, but not as plentiful of loot. 

You're really making this region sound a lot worse then it really is: the River Valley is a great place for hunting and is close to the workbench in Mountain Town

[omoon66]

3 hours ago, EricTheGreat12 said:

You're really making this region sound a lot worse then it really is: the River Valley is a great place for hunting and is close to the workbench in Mountain Town

True, but for me it’s not appealing at all. And for a new player, you’re not going to want to be there. But if you know what you’re doing you can thrive. I just think there’s better places out there.