Metal and melee woes

[Jubal_Barca]

So, metal. I can't find any of the stuff. I've been wandering around prospecting, including both near and ages away from my base. I'd hoped to look on lower levels but I can't see how - I've built and fired a mine pyre in my cave but it looks like maybe I need metal to build the actual minehole because I can't seem to work out how to get any further with it. Lots of people must be managing to find the stuff because there are several bases with proper palisades in my broad area (which I think need metals IIRC), but right now it feels like metal is gating all the things I need to have a good shot at obtaining metal, which feels like a catch-22. I can't just up an move a long distance because I'll end up treading on the toes of players who DO have metal and that might be bad for my health. Any advice?

My other problem is combat. I've been trying to build strength and unarmed on the ability scores to make it do-able, but I still even can't raid ant nests without gaming it by kiting the ants ages away then running back too fast. I'm on 25 UA and 24 strength, and I can't seem to kill ants faster than they can respawn (generally punching them a bit, running into water to get openings down, rinse and repeat). Similar story with bats, despite putting the points into unarmed etc they seem to rip my openings miles faster than I can open theirs, meaning I spend tons of time closing openings, ducking in and out of caves, and struggle to get enough damage in. Is the most likely problem just that I need to grind fighting ants the slow way a lot more to improve my available cards' values (I'm still not far beyond just having the starting player deck), or am I doing something else wrong?

[noindyfikator]

this game is not really a game where you fair fight animals.

you need to learn how to cheese them, bug abuse and kill.

watch some yt videos

[Hrenli]

You don't need metal for a palisade, only leather, ropes, glue and wood. And yeomanry skill. As to how find metal - well, better rustroot or luck I suppose.

As for melee combat - don't fight ants. Just kite them away and raid the anthill before they return. To learn combat better train on bats. FInd a cave and try a bat not too far from the entrance. If you can't keep up with it -get out of the cave, get your openings down and then continue. Your UA/STR shoould be enough for bats (just fight them one at a time).

Edit: had been corrected and edited the post for clarity, no need for wax.

[Grobble]

For early combat, my suggestion is to get a shield (2 boards & 2 leather) because it gives 2.5x your Melee for defense. Get about 20 in STR, AGI, Melee and UA and punch bats until you have Sideswipe. Then sideswipe bats until you get to about 35 in combat stats and do foxes.

[cb111]

For early combat, my suggestion is to get a shield (2 boards & 2 leather) because it gives 2.5x your Melee for defense. Get about 20 in STR, AGI, Melee and UA and punch bats until you have Sideswipe. Then sideswipe bats until you get to about 35 in combat stats and do foxes.

To add to this I would say most unarmored critters can be killed with sideswipe via rowboat without access to metals. Just make sure you have a large shallow water area, lead them into it, and sideswipe. Retreat out of shallow range to keep your openings below 20-30. Once they flee you can cut them off with your boat. It will be tedious and take some practice but you'll get it.

[terechgracz]

Ants are stronger than fox and bats...
You can defend against fox and bats with quick dodge alone, while for ants you need to also use sidestep.
You should be able to ez kill bats with 10 ua and punch. Punch once, leave cave to use quick dodge, go back to cave and repeat. After you get some chop+ip generating move go into mc and fuck everything you see. Buy or make yourself a sword and you will snowball very fast with spitroast and sausages.

[wolf1000wolf]

In case Op missed it in the advise, STR alone is not good enough. You'll want AGI too.

[TwentyThree]

In case Op missed it in the advise, STR alone is not good enough. You'll want AGI too.

Very much so. CON is also incredibly valuable, so you dont have to wait quite so long between unfortunate fights.

[Miss_Min]

You don't need metal for a palisade, only leather, wax (for hardened leather), ropes, glue and wood. And yeomanry skill. As to how find metal - well, better rustroot or luck I suppose.

Nope, you don't need wax for a palisade either. You *do* need wax for a minehole, and yes, to make a mine down to L2 or deeper you need other things including metal.

Give up on this idea that it's right and proper to fight things toe to toe. Punch things and run away. Specifically, do this to four bats, make a bat cape and then wander round caves without being eaten (until you encounter slime or boreworms or rats of course). Give up on prospecting and just hit cave walls with an axe until you find something interesting. Make sure you have enough masonry to find a better stone and make a better axe. Plant some trees while you are recovering from the inevitable concussion when you hit the wrong wall and rocks land on you. Get more con. DO NOT try and get candleberries while you are still injured from that cavein.

Or just make a bow and some stone arrows and try and shoot foxes from a boat. You'll still get some moves.

[Procne]

Ants are stronger than fox and bats...
You can defend against fox and bats with quick dodge alone, while for ants you need to also use sidestep.
You should be able to ez kill bats with 10 ua and punch. Punch once, leave cave to use quick dodge, go back to cave and repeat. After you get some chop+ip generating move go into mc and fuck everything you see. Buy or make yourself a sword and you will snowball very fast with spitroast and sausages.

... What?
Ants stronger than bats or fox?

Ants hit for less, have less hp, lower combat skills so its faster to make openings on them and they make less openings on you. And you can run from them using walk speed. And they don't attack you on their own.
To run away from fox or bats you need to sprint.
Bats can be cheesed with leaving/entering the cave, but not always you will be near cave entrance.
You can't defend from bats with dodge alone, as they gather initiative points, make yellow openings and do stronger attacks using IP

Please do not troll in "How do I" section of the forum