Hushed River Valley


vta4ever

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To me, hushed river valley does not really impact me as a player because I have no intention of traveling there, as there is no real good loot. I for one believe that when the Devs implement a new region that hushed river valley should be one of the ways to get to it, therefore enticing the player to make the trip.

What do y'all think?

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As an Interloper player, Hushed River Valley is one of my favorite regions because of its scenery and difficulty.  I don't know what level you're playing or what your idea of "real good loot" is, but HRV has some pretty good things for my game.  HRV is a great Interloper spawn location because of some guaranteed items that are helpful to a new character.   Otherwise, HRV is a terrific place later in the game, after finding or crafting warm clothes.  I think it's the most beautiful region and one of the most challenging to survive for long periods at a time.

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One thing that I dislike about HRV is that in Stalker games that are over 500 days the bedrolls that I find are ruined and unusable, and that I am almost certain to be attacked by a wolf or bear and have the bedroll that I am carrying destroyed. I find it important to place spare bedrolls in caves in various oparts of the region. 

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I almost always put Hushed River Valley on my list of essential locations for an Interloper game.

The big draw is the guaranteed spawn locations for a mackinaw jacket (best non-crafted in slot), a pair of combat pants (best under-layer in slot), and wool ear-wraps. These are very rare otherwise, and subject to RNG. Therefore, I typically hit HRV after forging, while I'm waiting for hides to cure for crafting.

Overall, the location is extremely generous with calories, since wildlife and cattails are plentiful. The ice caves offer shelter and safety, plus abundant coal. There's even a chance at finding a moose carcass for massive amounts of calories and a free hide!

In short, a great region. I just hope it doesn't become infested with timberwolves in the future!

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6 hours ago, Jimmy said:

Overall, the location is extremely generous with calories, since wildlife and cattails are plentiful. The ice caves offer shelter and safety, plus abundant coal. There's even a chance at finding a moose carcass for massive amounts of calories and a free hide!

Have you found the moose carcass in Interloper lately?  I've only encountered it once, the very first time I visited HRV soon after it was released.  That was awesome.  I've been there dozens of times since and there's always a wolf or deer carcass in that spot.

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In addition to what others have pointed out, there is also an abundance of caches (if you take the time to search).  I will usually make HRV my last zone to visit because by the time I do visit, I'm geared up.  Besides, I just like the place.

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10 hours ago, MrWolf said:

Have you found the moose carcass in Interloper lately?  I've only encountered it once, the very first time I visited HRV soon after it was released.  That was awesome.  I've been there dozens of times since and there's always a wolf or deer carcass in that spot.

Not recently, though with the global situation I haven't had much time to relax so I've not been playing much. It seems the moose carcass spawns mostly around the Monolith Lake area, though I've also seen screenshots of it spawning in the little nook around the corner from the cave at Pensive Vista.

To my best knowledge, the game randomly replaces a potential deer carcass spawn with the moose instead in this region. It's not guaranteed, so I treat it as a bonus if I do find it, though if I'm in the market for moose, Bleak Inlet is now my go-to location to find one on-the-hoof.

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HRV is the most underrated location in the game by far. If you play on interloper this place has the BEST loot in the game: bed rolls, moose carcass, lots of coal, rare clothing etc. There is also a LOT of wildlife and cattails so food is plentiful. Also the weather is among the best of any map. The only complaint i could ever have is there is no workbench. I usually have to leave eventually to craft arrows(personally i feel that crafting the simple arrow once you have the head, feather, and shaft should not require a workbench) and fishhooks(also maybe shouldnt need a workbench).

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4 hours ago, bad94 said:

HRV is the most underrated location in the game by far. If you play on interloper this place has the BEST loot in the game: bed rolls, moose carcass, lots of coal, rare clothing etc. There is also a LOT of wildlife and cattails so food is plentiful. Also the weather is among the best of any map. The only complaint i could ever have is there is no workbench. I usually have to leave eventually to craft arrows(personally i feel that crafting the simple arrow once you have the head, feather, and shaft should not require a workbench) and fishhooks(also maybe shouldnt need a workbench).

I agree not having a workbench is a drawback,  especially with crafting an new arrow shaft, since you do find broken arrows and feathers are abundant.  same with fish hooks, but since there isnt any fishing area in HRV that is kinda a moot point.  As I recall back when the game was first introduced we were able to craft arrows, (memory is fuzz) but I if I recall correctly you could do without the need for a workbench.  Shouldn't need a workbench to make things like snares or arrows or even the survival bow.  

 

On 4/19/2020 at 9:36 PM, vta4ever said:

To me, hushed river valley does not really impact me as a player because I have no intention of traveling there, as there is no real good loot. I for one believe that when the Devs implement a new region that hushed river valley should be one of the ways to get to it, therefore enticing the player to make the trip.

What do y'all think?

For some players, HRV is a scary deadly place.  I'm not a big fan for randomly spawning into HRV, but it's full of resources.  You can find a 2 liter cook pot in HRV, but you wont find one on TWM.  Same goes for the moose satchel.  That's worth making the trip to the mysterious fire, 'cause who wouldnt like to be able to carry 5 more kilos of gear.  Once you get your bearings, you'll find that there are plenty of caves very conveniently spaced about so you're never too far from potential shelter spots.  If you want to approach it from an easier perspective, in order to study the lay of the land, launch a custom game and dial down the complexity from changing the weather to almost always nice and adjusting the wildlife settings to making the animals practically ignore you or run in fear when they see you!  

 

Here's a couple of pics of my current lair in HRV

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you'll find caves like this one scattered all about, especially near waterfalls.  If and when I get lost in the fog or snowstorm, I just listen for the roar of the falls.  Chances are you will find a suitable place to hunker down in a pinch.  I'd say that looks pretty cozy and inviting, dont you?

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I did walk in here carrying a pistol, my bow and a pot, but I did find or acquire the rest of these goodies here in HRV.  To be honest, I actually accidentally found my way up to the signal fire while getting disoriented in a raging blizzard, but that's story for later...

Here's my "ManCave," I'm living pretty posh as I got my bag laid out on my moose hide rug.  I've got the coveted satchel to help carry all the goodies I've found scouting the area.  I've got three axes, a couple of knives, the rifle and an additional pistol.  a ton pistol ammo and of course a 2 liter pot.  

Edited by piddy3825
added pics
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HRV is one of my favourite regions to start in because it can be difficult to get to a state where you aren't at risk of imminent death (especially with low baseline starting equipment). Once you've oriented yourself, you have to quickly work out a strategy of how to survive and how to get to possible spawn points of the items you need. The only problem with it for me is it's next to MT which IMHO is the worst region in the game and is your only escape route should things get a bit too spicy in HRV.

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I've never really explored HRV until today. There's a moose that spawns on a lake right by a cave. And I mean, right outside the cave. It *is* on the very opposite end of where you enter HRV from Milton, but what this means is, if you can make it to that cave and the moose is there, you've got yourself an excellent base with heaps of meat from which to branch out.

Not to mention there are caches here and there, and the loot at the signal fire.

HRV *is* like a maze, but it honestly isn't nearly as bad as TWM.

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On 4/20/2020 at 6:52 AM, MrWolf said:

As an Interloper player, Hushed River Valley is one of my favorite regions because of its scenery and difficulty.  I don't know what level you're playing or what your idea of "real good loot" is, but HRV has some pretty good things for my game.  HRV is a great Interloper spawn location because of some guaranteed items that are helpful to a new character.   Otherwise, HRV is a terrific place later in the game, after finding or crafting warm clothes.  I think it's the most beautiful region and one of the most challenging to survive for long periods at a time.

I just recently started playing the game and you seem like you know a lot about it, I decided to give myself a challenge and load up my first survival on Interloper and spawned in HRV. My main concern with the combination of this map and the game mechanics was dying of exhaustion because I couldn't find a bedroll. I think it's silly to die like that because I need a workbench, which are in predetermined areas not in HRV. Also as a beginner player it was hard to know which way to travel to leave the region without any cardinal direction mechanics or natural indications of direction such as moss growth. I feel like map knowledge to know where a bedroll spawns shouldn't stop someone new who has less knowledge from surviving when all other needs are met. Definitely discouraging, and certainly I think some items should be craftable without a workbench

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On 4/20/2020 at 6:36 AM, vta4ever said:

To me, hushed river valley does not really impact me as a player because I have no intention of traveling there, as there is no real good loot. I for one believe that when the Devs implement a new region that hushed river valley should be one of the ways to get to it, therefore enticing the player to make the trip.

What do y'all think?

Think your right.🙂 It would be cool and make sense to have another region behind HRV.  While some loot are there (not much you can't get other ways) it always seemed counterintuitive to the games "survive at all cost" -aspect to go to this region.  In late game saplings are of some importance, however, delaying the fishing/rabbit/herding-time.

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11 hours ago, Hockness_Monster said:

My main concern with the combination of this map and the game mechanics was dying of exhaustion because I couldn't find a bedroll.

There is one in one of ice caves

Interloper is supposed to be punishing and it requires some meta knowledge. Lower difficulties don't nearly as much. If you want to explore new regions, but still have a survival experience play on Voyageur

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3 hours ago, Serenity said:

There is one in one of ice caves

Interloper is supposed to be punishing and it requires some meta knowledge. Lower difficulties don't nearly as much. If you want to explore new regions, but still have a survival experience play on Voyageur

Yes I'm sure I was in over my head but didn't realize the extent map knowledge is needed to survive on the hardest difficulty. I did find a fire, matches and other good stuff in a cave but not enough luck to keep going. Was hoping I could live out my first ever survival but was not meant to be.

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6 hours ago, Serenity said:

Interloper is supposed to be punishing ...

oh, how right you are!  I just recently launched a custom game based on Interloper criteria but upped the difficulty where I could to add a little danger and adversity.  Wouldn't you know it...  Randomly spawn into HRV, during a blizzard!  Wouldn't you know it, I'm boxed in a with no where to go but...  Wouldn't you know it, blocking my path is Bear!  

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HRV was designed probably because players wanted a whole, challenging new region completly without man made structures. It was meant as a Region for the extreme players having fun too :D I personaly love HRV, it's my favourite region so far (still haven't been in BI yet). So yeah, it's okay not to like it. I guess people can find it boring, because there is nothing "special" to discover?

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On 4/28/2020 at 9:02 PM, piddy3825 said:

oh, how right you are!  I just recently launched a custom game based on Interloper criteria but upped the difficulty where I could to add a little danger and adversity.  Wouldn't you know it...  Randomly spawn into HRV, during a blizzard!  Wouldn't you know it, I'm boxed in a with no where to go but...  Wouldn't you know it, blocking my path is Bear!  

yeahhhhhh this happened to me and turned me off of HRV for a long, long time lol.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm actually looking forward to the time when Hinterland launches their User Generated Content project for modding.  One of the first things on my wish list would be a hand tool craftable work bench. 

 12c92e19874a2b5600f68ab5a9241e56.jpg.d6da104534be3021ca4a16729b7dd2c4.jpg

This is something that you could build in a cave and then  use it to craft clothing and what not.  Simple  mods like this will add elements and function that will make this beautiful yet deadly region just a little more appealing and hospitable.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/2/2020 at 6:18 PM, reginaphalange said:

yeahhhhhh this happened to me and turned me off of HRV for a long, long time lol.

That's unfortunate. Similar happened to me. Interloper . . . spawn in on Timberwolf Mountain, surrounded by, you guessed it ... 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've finally started to explore HRV. It's really a very nice experience. The map is huge, at least that's my feeling right now after seeing maybe a third of it. However you have to stay calm,  as you know there is no houses there. You have to find a cave at some point or go back to security of the transition cave in time before the weather worsens.

It was an absolute thrilling moment to see the mysterious signal fire for the first time. I still were not able to get there as I didn't have a hatchet in my backpack. By the way there is also another point on the map where you absolutely need a hatchet.

It's after the first rope when you go down from pensive vista.

Damn, I nearly died there... Now, I'm sitting tight in the cave near pensive vista, before I go all the way back to the transition cave where I've left my hatchet.

 

The night ended with aurora so I took the chance and started my voyage. I've got rewarded by seeing the mysterious signal fire for the first time from very, very far away...

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I think this is after the first walk around HRV. I was quite surprised but also very relieved after seeing that I came back to the transition cave by chance :)

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Not a good idea to go for a walk in unknown territory when it's that foggy, I guess...

image.thumb.png.10c4513f4c0d31ccccfb18a1d3b77849.png

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On my current game I made it a point to explore HRV more. One of the things that stopped me before was the requirement of an axe to get around. I solved this by bumping loot up to medium so I could find one.

I must say it has an awful lot to offer in terms of loot and it's certainly a cool zone, but the bedroll situation is a problem as always. I really wish we could just sleep anywhere anytime, with the appropriate penalties. Even if you take 70% damage sleeping in the cold at least you could climb out of the canyon. Or die trying.

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I'm on the "Hushed River Valley is awesome" team. It is my favourite region in the entire game.

Why? To start, there are no man-made structures, making the entire region seem very much like it's just you vs. the wild. There's plenty of shelter available; in addition to the ice caves (which are toasty warm), there's plenty of small caves scattered around the map. Sure you might need a fire to spend the night there...but only if you've got poor quality clothing. There are loads of cattails, deer carcasses, and wolf carcasses scattered about, along with reshi mushrooms and rose hips (in addition to the food in the caves), so finding food is rarely an issue. The hunting's good too, although those who use guns (like myself) will have a bit of a walk to make more ammunition in Bleak Inlet. Nonetheless, from my experience, you should be able to go a good 30-50 days (depending on how good a shot you are) without needing to make more ammo. A moose-hide satchel is always a win, as well. Oh, and the caches... yeah. Probably the best loot you'll ever find on Interloper (even on lower difficulty levels, it's good stuff), and there are rare research books located inside some of the caves, too.

Another thing that I find convenient about this region: there are large outdoor areas where there are very few, if any, dangerous predators around. These include: the area encompassing Monolith Lake, Pensive Vista, and Peak Cave; the entire area between Twin Sister Falls and Landslide; Cloudtop Falls and area; and the southern plateau from which you can access Lonely Cave and Mysterious Signal Fire. Maybe this is because I was on Voyageur... but I spend days in all of these areas without ever seeing a wolf, let alone a bear.

The only two complaints I have with this region are: no workbench, and no ability to go fishing. If these two features were present, the Hushed River Valley would be the perfect region.

So yeah, my final verdict is: if you haven't visited the Hushed River Valley, do check it out. I have been there twice, and fully intend on going back in the not-too-distant future.

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