What's your favorite forge ?

[turtle777]

Discuss pros and cons.

[turtle777]

I am 90%+ a FM guy.

BR is too far off, and the wolves are too unpredictable, especially in early IL game w/o weapons.

For some reason, I have never forged in DP. I think I always hated to be "boxed in" (i.e. DP being a dead end). Yes, coal is not an issue, but scrap metal is.

FM is great because of easy access to ML. ML becomes a staging area for collecting wood, coal, scrap metal (unlimited supply in Carter Dam) etc. 

-t

[SpanishMoss]

47 minutes ago, turtle777 said:

I am 90%+ a FM guy.

BR is too far off, and the wolves are too unpredictable, especially in early IL game w/o weapons.

For some reason, I have never forged in DP. I think I always hated to be "boxed in" (i.e. DP being a dead end). Yes, coal is not an issue, but scrap metal is.

FM is great because of easy access to ML. ML becomes a staging area for collecting wood, coal, scrap metal (unlimited supply in Carter Dam) etc. 

-t

+1

[piddy3825]

Seems to me that DP offers the most resources when it comes to forging.  
Consider the huge abundance of scrap metal that can be harvested from all the metal shelving in the trailers and the fish processing plant.
Then the abundance of crates for fuelwood and there's also plenty of fuel wood not to far away from the Riken near the stone church.
Let's not forget the reoccuring coal deposits in the nearby cave system and the transition cave.  All these resources allow for maximum forging 
output without having to travel very far from the forge making subsequent sessions quick and easy.  The only downside I see is not having a workbench near the forge as you find in FM.

Comparatively, Forelorn Muskeg typically only has enough resource materials available to produce a few items.  Coal production is minimal, scrapmetal resources
are minimal.  A player pretty much has to bring their materials to the site after the initial supply has been used.  The only upside as I see it, is the workbench.

That being said, I do enjoy a trip to FM if I am currently based in ML.  Proximity being the primary motivating factor.  You don't have to travel as far in that case.
Going to Broken Railroad, yeah that's a one time only trip.  Unless you wanna bring your own coal supply.  Might as well just stay in FM if you are gonna do that.

@turtle777, I can't imagine that your 90%+ an FM guy when you state you've never forged at DP.  
If you play Voyager or Stalker mode then spawning into DP on a new game is kinda like hitting the survival lotto jackpot.  This isn't the case for Interloper players obvioulsy.  The map is relatively small and you can just about gather every weapon and tool available in the game in the first few hours.  From a bow and arrow to a rifle and ammo, not to mention you'll probably also find a revolver in some instances.  There are even some birch and maple saplings available as well as carcasses so harvesting those resources and allowing them to cure while you gather the necessary materials for forging is a bonus.  Nothing is better than being able to easily craft dozens of arrowheads, improvised axes and knives with relatively little effort. 
At the very least, the food loot in DP is a lot better than the cans of dog food you find in FM!  

If there is one thing that I find disappointing about DP, is that there isn't a single two liter pot to be found!  

 

[turtle777]

Mostly play IL these days. I used to visit BR in Stalker (which is crazy unless you have some sort of weapon).

TBH, I don't know if you can spawn in DP when playing IL. Don't remember if my spawns there were IL or Stalker. But if I were to spawn in DP in IL, I would certainly try to use the forge. Can you find a hammer and hacksaw in DP in IL ? If not, I'd hate having to travel to other regions to collect it first, just to return to DP. I probably would move on to ML and then use FM.

In most games, I don't get to DP until I'm fully equipped, and at that point, there's no need to forge.

-t

[piddy3825]

2 hours ago, turtle777 said:

Mostly play IL these days. I used to visit BR in Stalker (which is crazy unless you have some sort of weapon).

TBH, I don't know if you can spawn in DP when playing IL. Don't remember if my spawns there were IL or Stalker. But if I were to spawn in DP in IL, I would certainly try to use the forge. Can you find a hammer and hacksaw in DP in IL ? If not, I'd hate having to travel to other regions to collect it first, just to return to DP. I probably would move on to ML and then use FM.

In most games, I don't get to DP until I'm fully equipped, and at that point, there's no need to forge.

-t

If you're playing interloper you don't get to choose where you spawn. It's always random. 
But even if you did randomly spawn into DP, the tools you'd need aren't guaranteed spawns either on interloper mode, so you'd probably have to leave the region anyway in order to gear up.  That's pretty much why i prefaced my opinion when I wrote, "This isn't the case for Interloper players obviously." 

As far as playing Interloper difficulty only,  I think your point is well made that Forelorn Muskeg is most likely the best forging location considering that your most likely to find a hammer and hacksaw your necessary forging tools in the regions that surround it.  Probably a lot easier to quickly transition from an adjacent region like say from Trappers in ML and hit the forge in FM, than to cross the ravine, CH, the crumbling highway connector and the transition cave to go to DP to forge!  Yeah, DP, that's a long long way to go trekking only to find out there's no hammer in DP on interloper difficulty.  like you said, "In most games, I don't get to DP until I'm fully equipped, and at that point, there's no need to forge."   But if and when you do go there you will find a shload of materials, so if you did want to set an interloper record on the most improvised axes forged in a single session, you could do that!  Now you got me curious how many arrowheads could you craft if you scrapped every bit of metal in Desolation Point?  

 

[turtle777]

This gave me an idea: playing IL, starting in DP, and only allowed in DP, CH and Crumbling Highway until you have a bow, arrows, hatchet and knife. I will try that.

-t

[Leeanda]

Even though I like forlorn being less of a trek I think mine is broken railroad. It has indoor beds so saves the bear roll wear. Convenient food sources on the doorstep ,literally.  keep you well fed for when you need to make larger amounts of arrowheads etc. Plus it's a great place to just chill out.

 

[turtle777]

8 minutes ago, Leeanda said:

Even though I like forlorn being less of a trek I think mine is broken railroad. It has indoor beds so saves the bear roll wear. Convenient food sources on the doorstep ,literally.  keep you well fed for when you need to make larger amounts of arrowheads etc. Plus it's a great place to just chill out.

 

Sure, but it's a chicken-egg issue.

For your first time forging, it's a real dangerous place to go to, at least on IL.

Plus, brining all the coal and scrap metal is an issue. It's just such a long trek.

-t

[UpUpAway95]

11 minutes ago, turtle777 said:

Sure, but it's a chicken-egg issue.

For your first time forging, it's a real dangerous place to go to, at least on IL.

Plus, brining all the coal and scrap metal is an issue. It's just such a long trek.

-t

There is plenty of scrap metal in Broken Railroad... both in the maintenance shed and in the basement of the hunting lodge.  Coal is in short supply, so yeah, that has to be brought in; but let's be frank, interloper players really don't go very far without some coal on them and you only really need 4 to get the forge to temp if you get it as high as you can using wood first.  I'd say it is my favorite forge later in the game when I have a way to clear out the wolf gauntlet on my way in.  Once you're there and you've got a means of clearing out the wolves regularly, passing your days in the hunting lodge is actually pretty sweet.

The best first run forge is probably Forlorn Muskeg since you're more likely to spawn in a zone closer to it and be able to find a hammer on the way to it.  With DP, there's no hammer there if you spawn there, so you have to leave it and come back anyways to forge.  By then, you might as well make your way towards Forlorn Muskeg.

[Leeanda]

1 hour ago, turtle777 said:

Sure, but it's a chicken-egg issue.

For your first time forging, it's a real dangerous place to go to, at least on IL.

Plus, brining all the coal and scrap metal is an issue. It's just such a long trek.

-t

The problem with forlorn for me is the lack of food ,the deer are never there since the update and there's only one wolf which disappears almost instantly.  And the only bear I get is near the ML end.   

To be honest though it's not my favourite place on the map and I'd rather carry all the coal and scrap metal laying around there and go to Broken.  At least there I can shoot the bear from up at the lodge!lol🙂

[RandomPlayer]

3 hours ago, turtle777 said:

This gave me an idea: playing IL, starting in DP, and only allowed in DP, CH and Crumbling Highway until you have a bow, arrows, hatchet and knife. I will try that.

-t

Since you can't control where you spawn on a newly launched Interloper run, I'm curious how many launches would it will take before you actually spawn in DP?

[Valuable Hunting Knife]

DP, purely as it my interloper forge run of choice, and that's the only difficulty I really bother much with forging.

[RandomPlayer]

3 hours ago, Leeanda said:

Even though I like forlorn being less of a trek I think mine is broken railroad. It has indoor beds so saves the bear roll wear. Convenient food sources on the doorstep ,literally.  keep you well fed for when you need to make larger amounts of arrowheads etc. Plus it's a great place to just chill out.

 

I like Broken Railroad too, but not for the forge.  There's only a one time use supply of coal on the map, otherwise you have to leave the region in order to replenish the supplies.  There's probably more than enough scrapmetal to be had between the hunting lodge and the maintenance yard to last for multiple crafting sessions but definitely a severe shortage of coal comparatively.

[Leeanda]

4 minutes ago, RandomPlayer said:

I like Broken Railroad too, but not for the forge.  There's only a one time use supply of coal on the map, otherwise you have to leave the region in order to replenish the supplies.  There's probably more than enough scrapmetal to be had between the hunting lodge and the maintenance yard to last for multiple crafting sessions but definitely a severe shortage of coal comparatively.

Yes it's a shame about the coal  but I usually start by picking it up from forlorn. When that's gone I just go into the FM/bleak cave on the way round. It's a bit out the way but it's not like I go there a lot to use the forge cos I make at least 20 arrowheads at a time.   

Just wish that moose would show up there occasionally so I could actually use the arrows! Lol🙂

[RandomPlayer]

Just now, Leeanda said:

Yes it's a shame about the coal  but I usually start by picking it up from forlorn. When that's gone I just go into the FM/bleak cave on the way round. It's a bit out the way but it's not like I go there a lot to use the forge cos I make at least 20 arrowheads at a time.   

Just wish that moose would show up there occasionally so I could actually use the arrows! Lol🙂

Ok, that makes sense, but if you go all the way to the BI/FM transition cave to collect coal, why dont you just use the forge in FM?  
I mean your practically right on top of Spencer's when you exit the transition cave?  why hump all that coal back to Broken Railroad?  

No disrespect intended, But I think as Pilgrim player, since you don't have to worry about being jumped by predatory wildlife, you are able to indulge yourself by making the long journey.  You do primarily play Pilgrim difficulty, right?  Obviously nothing wrong with that, but I am wondering if your opinion would be different were that not the case?

[UpUpAway95]

1 hour ago, RandomPlayer said:

Ok, that makes sense, but if you go all the way to the BI/FM transition cave to collect coal, why dont you just use the forge in FM?  
I mean your practically right on top of Spencer's when you exit the transition cave?  why hump all that coal back to Broken Railroad?  

No disrespect intended, But I think as Pilgrim player, since you don't have to worry about being jumped by predatory wildlife, you are able to indulge yourself by making the long journey.  You do primarily play Pilgrim difficulty, right?  Obviously nothing wrong with that, but I am wondering if your opinion would be different were that not the case?

It's not a lot of coal.  To bring the forge up to heat after you've hit the max temp with wood takes only 4 pieces, which can easily be carried from anywhere.  It's just a matter of not using those 4 pieces up when lighting your other fires along the way.  At FM, you have to contend with the crappy weather, the weak ice, and, most recently, the lack of deer and there really isn't a lot of scrap metal to be had on the way there.  If you're getting it at the Carter Dam, you're hauling it all the way across the ML map and the FM map to get it to the forge... and scrap metal weighs more than coal.

In Broken Railroad, once you've cleared out the wolves, you often have an easy shot at a moose and a bear and several deer and rabbits.  There's also a great lodge (with a ton of reclaimed wood and cloth available) and a great cave up top, if you don't like sleeping in the maintenance shed or office just outside it.

The wolves are not a problem... just kill them all on your way into the zone, along with the 3-4 on the pond and the pair up top and then leave the carcasses to rot.  You'll get about 4 days before they respawn to do whatever you like.  Also, there is very little chance of ever losing your arrows since they really can't run very far before they drop.  The same goes for the bear.  He usually winds up dying right in his cave or in clear view in the middle of the pond.

ETA:  Because it is a small map, it's also one of the best maps in the game to get "twofers" - that is, to shoot wolves just after they've taken down a deer, allowing you to harvest both, if you wish.

Edited January 30, 2022 by UpUpAway95

[Leeanda]

32 minutes ago, RandomPlayer said:

Ok, that makes sense, but if you go all the way to the BI/FM transition cave to collect coal, why dont you just use the forge in FM?  
I mean your practically right on top of Spencer's when you exit the transition cave?  why hump all that coal back to Broken Railroad?  

No disrespect intended, But I think as Pilgrim player, since you don't have to worry about being jumped by predatory wildlife, you are able to indulge yourself by making the long journey.  You do primarily play Pilgrim difficulty, right?  Obviously nothing wrong with that, but I am wondering if your opinion would be different were that not the case?

I do use it but very rarely and depends on the weather and what mood I'm in at the time. But I do like broken railroad  ,it's one of my favourite maps . 

Yes I do play on pilgrim but if I played on a harder level then I would be more likely to pick desolation point I think.

And the reason for the doubt is that I don't really know the specific spawn sites of wolves on those levels.

[UpUpAway95]

1 hour ago, Leeanda said:

I do use it but very rarely and depends on the weather and what mood I'm in at the time. But I do like broken railroad  ,it's one of my favourite maps . 

Yes I do play on pilgrim but if I played on a harder level then I would be more likely to pick desolation point I think.

And the reason for the doubt is that I don't really know the specific spawn sites of wolves on those levels.

To get to Desolation Point, you still have to run a bit of a wolf gauntlet through Crumbling Highway, along with getting by some wolves by the lighthouse and avoiding the bear, who regularly patrols right close to the Riken.  There's also a lot of really foggy days where you can find yourself exiting the Riken right into that bear's arms.

One thing I give to Forlorn Muskeg is that the workbench and the forge are both outdoors - making cabin fever of no concern there.  DP really doesn't have a great cave to sleep outdoors.  The stone church is about the best, but it's a little too open for me.

ETA:  Link to a video that shows just how easy it can be to kill off all the wolves circling the maintenance shed:

 

Edited January 30, 2022 by UpUpAway95

[RandomPlayer]

1 hour ago, UpUpAway95 said:

It's not a lot of coal.  To bring the forge up to heat after you've hit the max temp with wood takes only 4 pieces, which can easily be carried from anywhere.  It's just a matter of not using those 4 pieces up when lighting your other fires along the way.  At FM, you have to contend with the crappy weather, the weak ice, and, most recently, the lack of deer and there really isn't a lot of scrap metal to be had on the way there. 

I pretty much just play Stalker level difficulty mostly because I like using the guns in the game and let me say that I consider myself to be intimately familiar with all the maps, with the exception of the newly added region and maybe HRV, both of which I haven't spent hundreds of hours playing on as compared to the rest of the regions that make up GBI.  That being said, I don't find navigating FM to be overly difficult provided a player does not try to cross the extremely wide patches of ice which almost always result in breaking through and getting wet!  ouch!   I also find that there seems to be ample deer nearby Spencer's and that ole bear does like to come fairly close as apparently he can cross the thin ice with impunity!  

The one thing I find intriguing is your ability to bring the forge to temp with only 4 lumps of coal.  I don't think I've ever been able to do that without using a minimum of 6 lumps of coal and most often for me it's at least 7 pieces.  I suppose laying a better base using fir as the primary heating source before adding coal makes the difference?  

I do like Broken Railroad and all the amenities it has to offer, but still don't think it will ever become my first or even second choice as my favorite forge.  For all the reasons you mentioned, ie map size, two-fers, the bear and the moose, DP in my opinion still beats out BR.  I do like that fact that BR has the workbench right next to the forge.  That in itself is a handy feature!

[turtle777]

4 hours ago, UpUpAway95 said:

ETA:  Link to a video that shows just how easy it can be to kill off all the wolves circling the maintenance shed:

 

Are you sure this still works ?

video is from 3 years ago. 
Pathfinding for wolves has been improved a lot, they will follow you on some tree trunks. 

[UpUpAway95]

1 hour ago, turtle777 said:

Are you sure this still works ?

video is from 3 years ago. 
Pathfinding for wolves has been improved a lot, they will follow you on some tree trunks. 

Then just throw a torch down at the base of that trunk and they won't be following you up it through the fire.  There are also a number of other choke points where you can line up shots as they run towards you.  You can also sometimes pick them off from the rock faces above the maintenance yard.  The main point is to kill them as you work your way into the zone, leave the carcasses to decay over the next 3-4 days and you'll have enough time to forge and get back out of the zone without being unduly harassed.

[UpUpAway95]

5 hours ago, RandomPlayer said:

I pretty much just play Stalker level difficulty mostly because I like using the guns in the game and let me say that I consider myself to be intimately familiar with all the maps, with the exception of the newly added region and maybe HRV, both of which I haven't spent hundreds of hours playing on as compared to the rest of the regions that make up GBI.  That being said, I don't find navigating FM to be overly difficult provided a player does not try to cross the extremely wide patches of ice which almost always result in breaking through and getting wet!  ouch!   I also find that there seems to be ample deer nearby Spencer's and that ole bear does like to come fairly close as apparently he can cross the thin ice with impunity!  

The one thing I find intriguing is your ability to bring the forge to temp with only 4 lumps of coal.  I don't think I've ever been able to do that without using a minimum of 6 lumps of coal and most often for me it's at least 7 pieces.  I suppose laying a better base using fir as the primary heating source before adding coal makes the difference?  

I do like Broken Railroad and all the amenities it has to offer, but still don't think it will ever become my first or even second choice as my favorite forge.  For all the reasons you mentioned, ie map size, two-fers, the bear and the moose, DP in my opinion still beats out BR.  I do like that fact that BR has the workbench right next to the forge.  That in itself is a handy feature!

You have to add each piece of wood making sure to let the temperature climb until it stops before adding the next piece.  Depending on what wood you're using, you may have to let the time of the fire burn down a little so you don't max out on time before you max out on temp.  After you reach max wood temp (80C), then each piece of coal will raise the fire by 20C.  Adding each coal one at and time and waiting for the temperature to climb those 20C before adding the next piece will get the fire above 150C in 4 pieces.

[piddy3825]

8 hours ago, Leeanda said:

And the reason for the doubt is that I don't really know the specific spawn sites of wolves on those levels.

If I'm not mistaken, I do believe that the wolf spawn points are pretty much the same for every map regardless of difficulty setting.  
Meaning that, the same places where you may come across wolves in Pilgrim difficulty setting is gonna be the same places you'd encounter them on the map even if you played on a higher difficulty level.     They seem to have the same patterns on all the maps, the only difference being passive vs. aggressive depending on difficulty selection.  Seems to me, each increase in difficulty level merely serves to amp up the wolf patrols ability to detect your presence at a distance but their patrol pattern remains predictably the same. 

Except when they chase you of course!

 

 

 

[Leeanda]

13 minutes ago, piddy3825 said:

If I'm not mistaken, I do believe that the wolf spawn points are pretty much the same for every map regardless of difficulty setting.  
Meaning that, the same places where you may come across wolves in Pilgrim difficulty setting is gonna be the same places you'd encounter them on the map even if you played on a higher difficulty level.     They seem to have the same patterns on all the maps, the only difference being passive vs. aggressive depending on difficulty selection.  Seems to me, each increase in difficulty level merely serves to amp up the wolf patrols ability to detect your presence at a distance but their patrol pattern remains predictably the same. 

Except when they chase you of course!

 

 

 

Well I did wonder about that but I hardly see any wolves to be certain.  For example in coastal on this run I have seen only 3 wolves, one that covers the gas station/pier area ,one on the island and one near the PV mine exit. 

Im sure there should be more spawn  areas  than that,Or am I wrong?