Settling in

[Zajmer]

What are in your opinion the most important factors when searching for the best spot to settle in?

[Sevenless]

As a beginner:

Grassland: for easy horses/sheep to clover, and chickens for feather trinkets. You will want a study desk for studying stuff, so bones from chickens is nice too.

Water: Not so much for drinking, but for boat foraging/travelling. Using a road to teleport to water isn't viable anymore. There's no point trying to hide, with horses people travel inland a fair bit so having proper defense is the most important.

Forest: Forest forageables make up your bread and butter as a beginner. String, mushrooms, berries are all important in the early stages.

Swamp: This doesn't need to be nearby but within tolerable walking distance if possible. Candleberries for wax (minehole to reach L2) and dragonflies/toadstools are critical to a beginner progressing nicely. Arguably still a luxury, but not entirely.

Cave System: Lots of caves at least nearby will facilitate early metal mining, very important to progress towards the end of early game faster. Tools, weapons for hunting, lots of useful stuff from metal. Make sure if you have a cave inside your claim, it must be walled like it's "the outside", gates pointing towards it and not left open.

Space: You will want 100x100 tiles of space even as a hermit. Make sure it's terraformable, and that you're far back enough from water that you can add another layer of wall (~5 tiles away from water where you would put your wall). Better to make sure you have space than ending up cramped and being unable to expand.