What is the Best/Worst Biome currently for resources and base building? (Pre-Ashlands)

[Seal Darklight]

I made few years ago a post about the best and worst biomes to build before mistlands came out. Nowadays since mistlands came out, things have changed. Not sure what the community thinks which biome is the best or worst, but to me i judge based on which biome is the best biome to build with and what resources are *the most important*.

From my own ranking and experience, i list 6 biomes that are clearly the most important to build in and biomes that are not. Surprisingly every biome seems to be very important to place a base nowadays (due to mistlands) but there are biomes that are just better than others due to getting the most important resources. I'll list all of them and explain my reason why its important to build. Most of which is also farm able. Half of them are important while other half are less but still small importance.

I also judge based on end game as all of them are judged before Ashlands comes out. I also don't judge based on biomes being near other biomes as its more about invidual biome than 2 biomes near eachother and i do not list the current Ashlands or Deep North as there not developed yet. Also i'm not sure of the ocean as it is not possible to build a base there though i rank it between #3 and #4 as Serpent meat is a pretty valuable food source. Overall this is my ranking which biome is the best and which is the worst.



#1. Plains (black metal, being almost farmable with all the foods ingredient (aside mushrooms from mistlands, Lox farm which might be important later, tar. It's pretty much the better meadows. Its pretty much the best biome to be in.)

#2. Meadows after defeating all the bosses (Mushrooms and potentially boars if it becomes important later, also becomes the safest and best farm place once all the bosses have been killed as seekers, fulings, ticks, greydwarves and broods become available at night, you get all the best items in this biome without going to the other biomes at late game though not as many quantities as other biome gets).

#3. Mistlands (Annoying biome but pretty much important for mushroom farm, sap farm and getting the gjall drops. Seeker drops can become trash but overall is a good biome to build. Also potentially angler fish, hare meat and soft tissue farms. If you can handle the annoying Gjalls and Seekers then this biome can potentially be a really good resource place to be in)

#4 Swamp (used to be ranked high for bloodbags and thirstle, now is ranked bellow due to bloodbags not being the important resources. Though the most important resources are Ooze ironically which can be gotten from blobs and Oozes to create Ooze bombs for both hildirs dungeon quests, goblin camps and infested mines from the mistlands. Also iron scrap is farmable by Oozes at night which is the most important metal in the game. Swamp doesn't have anything going outside Ooze and iron scraps and is generally a poor biome for farm. Also surtling farm for coal and surtling cores.)

#5. Mountain (Probably the strangest one at that on this list but you have less raids, having both obsidian and freeze gland for frost arrow farm and getting silver for the silver arrows against ashland enemies, though otherwise silver is the least useful metal in the game right now. Also wolf farms as potential food recipe for the potential future. Otherwise not a good biome for plant farms).

#6. Black Forest (The only reason why you want to build in the black forest is mainly for quantities of greydwarf eyes, Otherwise it is the least important biome to place a base as most other biomes have very important resources to make up for. It is similar to meadows in a sense that you can farm a lot of food items and trees yet Meadows is much safer and easier due to trolls not being around, the uneven ground levels and greenery (which makes finding mushrooms harder) are what ranks it bellow it. You can also get greydwarf eyes in meadows but its easier in black forest as they spawn at day. Otherwise its the one biome that's the least important for base building and resource wise but still enough for the eyes).



What's others ranking opinions for the biomes are currently for base building and resources? Leave a comment for your own ranking.

[Tangoblue]

I'm not creative enough to be a builder so functionality is my main goal. The Plains has been, and still is, my #1 goto for a main base. I like the visibility and the space available. I try to have one close to another biome. I do have a small farm in the Mistlands but no desire to build a base there.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2717946378

[Dave the Spooder]

Meadows, i like the vibes on that biome, it's safer as well, greydwarfs do little to none damage to my building since im not a big fan on building a wall, i like to keep it open.

If i need any resources i either make a portal to go to specific biomes or go on a voyage across the sea.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3170316862

[knighttemplar1960]

I build a main base in the Meadows. I look for a large mostly flat spot with easy access to the ocean and, if possible, not too far from black forest.

I only set up temporary portal bases in the black forest, usually in a reclaimed ruin.

When I locate Bonemass I build a small forward base in an adjacent safe biome, preferabley close to water so I can sail iron scrap back to the main base.

Mountains gets a permanent but small outpost with a taming pit for wolves usually at the base of a large mountain.

Plains gets a 2nd main base usually larger than the base in the Meadows.

Mistlands gets a small farming outpost. I spend as little time there as possible.

[vinyblaster]

I would say meadow or plains.

The black forest has a nice ambiance, but clearing a large area for a main base is tedious.

Mountains are nice but I hate how blizzards kill my fps.

[Seal Darklight]

So far plains and meadows seems to be a popular place for base building. Not seeing many mistlands, Swamp, mountain or black forest bases yet.

[Leftcoast]

I have to agree on the plains. It's just too convenient later in the game.

However, I pretty much always keep a main starter base in the meadows and hub and spoke with portals. That said, back to the point above, I always wind up with a pretty fleshed out plains base for the reasons OP said. Also, plant some oak trees in the plains base and it reminds me of home.

[Aurumworks]

Border regions should not be discounted. I build a main base on a small patch of plains sandwiched between black forest and swamp. Standard crops, plains crops and a place to set up whisp fountains.

Another base I set up in plains reaching into Mistlands. More dangerous but you can build all crops there. Also easy to set up a trapping ground for hares with spike barriers.

[blprice61]

Using default settings, flat space and ocean access outweigh all other factors, so no surprise that meadows and plains are the front runners.

I have tried building main bases in the other biomes but have trouble finding a decent spot that has ocean access (not including kilometers of switchback cart roads).

Black Forest, Mountain, and Swamp all have great spots for special purpose outposts though. I almost always do the majority of my iron-smithing at crypt top outposts for example.

[jonnin]

My first thought on base building is none of the above. What I look for in a resource base is a place where several biomes come together so you can grab everything you need from one location. Also overlapped areas have lots of free stuff from the mobs killing each other.

past that it depends a lot on your gear choices. a staff/magic guy needs mistlands farming. People that like fishing want access to shores with multiple biome overlaps. If you grow a lot of wheat, plains becomes important -- bread is still the best stamina food for the lowest effort and fishing players want 3 good stamina foods for that. And so on... if you don't fish or use magic, the choices change.

for actual resources, its plains and mistlands right now. The other biomes are a once in a while trip to fish (meadows) or get something specific (bloodbags, ice glands, coal, etc) but for your daily food and building materials needs:

plains has wheat, tar, rock, fine wood, wood, lox meat, needle all of which are still useful in some quantity (needle isn't the best but its quick trash ammo, wheat and lox are not top tier either but bread is useful if you fish and lox meat is still good enough and easy to get).
mistlands has mushroom farm, seeker meat, easy iron!, wood/y-wood, sap, soft tissue, black rock, jelly, and all kinds of useful things.

check out the mini-map... this is sort of what I mean by an overlapped ideal location (old shot pre-mistlands)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2800797141


so If I had to make a most useful base today, ignoring ashlands, it would be a plains/mistlands overlap near the ocean. Extra points if it also overlaps meadows.

[vinyblaster]

I dont understand the "proximity of resources" argument. Unless you play no portals. Just put a few portals in all biomes and when you need something go get it.

[blprice61]

Originally posted by vinyblaster:

I dont understand the "proximity of resources" argument. Unless you play no portals. Just put a few portals in all biomes and when you need something go get it.

Some players are of the mindset "Must make everything at main base!" so... no remote manufacturing at resource site for metals. Given default settings, well that's a lot of ores/metals to move.

[Mörkö]

I built a big base on plains bordering on a black forest with troll armor. Come at me :masonfist

Denizens of both biomes do battle sometimes to leave me some nice loot. Not to mention there is also a mountain close by at north. Meadows would be too boring in comparison.

[Nerevar]

this question is pointless due to some simple facts:

plains wins. no contest.

the reason is simple : you dont have to transport lox anywhere and EVERY crops aside mistlands shrooms grows in the plains biome.
plains ALSO has the best WIND power for windmills. this is something alot of players dont know. you also get way less storms so less trouble with waves for ships.
you also get free black metal delivery with spawning fulings there.
all raids that stay active after the queen is slain can occur in plains which is good for an endgame base you want action to actually occur there.

only downside : FOG. plains has a higher fog frequency than any other biome in the game for some odd reason.

mosquitos are a non issue once you have a proper wall setup. mosquitos cannot dmg bases at all or rather they dont actively target them.

for early game its of course meadows.

the worst biome for a base is the swamp simply due to the permanent wet debuff by just beeing anywhere inside the biome. it is the best biome for a treehouse base tough.

mountain cannot grow ANY crops besides firs which sucks and ocean access for a mountain base to transport metal is.... PAIN. so its also pretty bad for a base.

mistlands and black forest fall somewhere in between.

[Faceplant]

Originally posted by vinyblaster:

I dont understand the "proximity of resources" argument. Unless you play no portals. Just put a few portals in all biomes and when you need something go get it.

What he said.

When I used portals, it was all about ambiance, which, for me was generally in black forest.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2631060620

I do have bases in the old Mistlands:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2616761985

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2889595324

(The last one is actually in the trunk of a tree)

With portals, you can just drop a bench and portal anywhere you want resources from.

These days I don't use portals, so my endgame base has to be on the border of Mistlands and Plains, with easy ocean access. It also has to have at least one root that I can tap. That type of base pretty much provides all the resources I need.

[Nerevar]

with portals you still need ocean access for metal transport by default. as metal is the one resource that will run out on your bases landmass sooner or later. especially iron on a larger project.