In an effort to combat repetitious and unnecessary threads, please ask just about any simple gameplay questions you have here. Frequently asked questions that are not covered by other bodies of data will be added to the main post.
Please check the invaluable resources we have at our disposal before asking questions whenever possible.
http://ringofbrodgar.com/wiki/Haven_and_Hearth_Wiki - Haven and Hearth Wiki
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3196 - Jackard's Welcome Readme
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=19114 - Sevenless' Beginner's Guide
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6518 - Dataslycer's Combat Guide
search.php - Forum Search Function
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=13216 - Forum Rules
http://www.seatribe.se/bt/ - Bug Tracker
Q: Is there any way to view your coordinates easily?
A: Nope~! Your best bet is to locate distinctive features around your area, in my opinion lakes and mountains are ideal, then scan through Alg's map until you locate yourself. The more of your area the better off you'll be. If you're using a custom client such as ender's, you also have auto mapping which will generate a map based on your minimaps automatically. You can utilize this to better find yourself on the world map:
http://sabinati.com/HavenMap/
Q: How do I join my friend without having to spend hours traveling?
A: In the character creation room there is a fellow in the top left corner, type in your friend's hearthsecret there and a staircase should appear. Your friend can set a hearthsecret in the kin list.
Q: Why can't I craft a certain item if I have the necessary skills?
A: You need to discover the materials first. This is true for all items and constructions. Items must be discovered in different manners, for some you must be the first person to pick the item up, such as woodblocks, straw, plant fibers, and metal bars. For other items you must be the one to harvest the material, such as meat, bones, crops, and foragables. If the item was in the inventory of someone else before you then you did not count as discovering it. Items bought from a barter stand, even your own, count as being discovered.
Q: I'm digging for clay but not getting any, why is this?
A: There are invisible resource allocators known as 'nodes' in the world. Not every location has a node and nodes that do exist are circular/ovular in shape. Nodes determine how much of a resource is at a location and at what quality. Nodes produce the highest qualities at the center of the node. If a mudflat or shallow shoreline does not have a clay node, then digging it will produce only 1 piece of quality 10 clay or no clay at all. Nodes deplete as they are used and produce lower and lower quality products. Nodes will heal in time if not used but will never exceed their original maximum quality. Some resources do not need a node to be used, such as water, stone, sand, and soil. Without a node you cannot dig for clay, fish for fish, or mine for metal ore though.
Q: How do I get my first seeds for farming?
A: From the wiki, "Wild Windsown Weeds begin to appear when you have a Perception * Exploration score of 80. They can be found all terrain types except for mudflats and mountains." Get your exploration skill to 8 or above with at least the base 10 perception and you will begin to see plants known as Wild Windsown Weeds. Place these forageables on drying racks or herbalist tables and they will turn into a random seed after 16 real life hours on the drying rack or 2.6 real life hours on a herbalist table.
Q:I can't extend my claim.
A: Update your custom client. Fresh downloads are not up to date. Read the respective custom client thread to find how to update your client.
Q: When I try to run the game, I get an "Application Blocked by Security Settings". Where do I go to fix this, and how do I fix it?
A: This is an issue with a recent Java update. To fix this please refer to this link: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=35081