Greenhorn seeking combat skill advice

[Pyre]

Starting to get into close ranged combat, or trying to. Now that food, shelter, and slinging is taken care of. Few questions before I waste points needlessly if anyone would care to indulge.

Keep in mind I lack any form of metal whatsoever as most newer players do, and with minimal stats a little hesitant to trade dodging through bandit hordes (contemplating a sacrificial alt; kinda like the first monkey fired into space).

Mainly what I'm wondering is if it's more prudent to go unarmed, melee with a stone axe and shield, or split the diff and go unarmed with a shield. Just trying to figure out the pros and cons of each option.

Also to go with the above query, is it possible without smithing to get higher ql stones. Or is it like trees and the only way to get higher q is to grow (except of course with stones they're a byproduct).

[Pansy]

It's probably best to go with only melee for close quarters combat, or only unarmed so that you can rely on that one having a decent amount of skill. In the early stages melee is better but after a few days/weeks of play I believe unarmed is better. This is assuming you are using marksmanship for hunting to avoid getting wounded.

Higher q stones are a debris by product of smith so they should be available quite cheaply. Miners end up throwing them out after they have paved the entire minimap. So it is worth asking about trading these if you meet anyone. However if you find a mountain and you dig, the same way you dig for soil or clay, you will get stones. And just like soil ranges in quality, so does the ground stone in a mountain. You probably won't find a mountain with decent q stones, but if you do find a mountain it is worth checking. The soil quality carries on into the mountain so if the chanterelles are all q10 and no higher the stones will be q10 and no higher. If you are really lucky you will find q30 blueberries beside the mountain and find the centre spot is q40 and in the mountain itself.