What to do against constant attacks?

[Dedmoin]

I started to build my second base this time in black forrest. I checked to not have spawn points close to the base (as far as I can tell at least).

After some building the attacks get worse and worse. Each day there are two groups of 3-4 dwarves, sometimes more. Often they come with a 1star guy and sometimes also with shaman.
During the night it becomes crazy. There is a constant inflow of dwarves. 1-2 brutes, 2-3 shamans, some 1star guys, and the usual trash mob.
When I ported somewhere and ported back, there was a troll in front of my base (and it was not NPC raid time).

It got really annoying with those attacks. I can kill normal NPC with 1-2 hits, bigger ones with 2-3 hits. There is no challenge, it is just annoying.
Even when I don't cut tries but do some things in my base they keep coming.

Is there a way to prevent those constant annoying attacks?
I have placed additional workbenches to increase the no-spawn area but it does not help.


I already rage quit when I first played Valheim (long time ago) because I was not able to do much else but to fend off trolls spawning every other day close to my base.

I hope the NPC don't spawn when I am not there because even if they are not strong they come in numbers and could do serious damage while I am away for some days doing some exploring.

There aren't even objects to defend the base or are there some kind of traps, spikes, turrets?

[Zombits]

make a base in meadows, but close to black forest and ocean.

build earth walls or smth. most raid or atk types can be ignored that way

nothing will hurt your base when far enough.

[esbenmf]

Dig a moat or make an earth Wall by raising terrain

[jonnin]

early game enemy (and some others too) will avoid fires. The game tells you this. So as idiotic as it seems putting down a ring of fire will help when you do things like chop trees or mine rocks / ore. Your base, there are about 5 things that you mix and match depending on location:
- elevated base (raise terrain and build it up high or build it in a tall tree, rock, etc that can't be accessed. Building off normal trees is asking for it to get knocked down eventually.
- moats (or just a deep trench) prevent most enemy from jumping across and they can't get at you. A few things can jump and a few things can fly, but it helps with the riffraff.
- base stuff. Fires, and a number of other constructed items prevent spawns in a radius around them. Strategic placement of the pieces that have the effect stop spawns.
- isolation. an island, usually, once established will have enough stuff to block spawns and the water does the rest for keeping stuff away
- defenses. you get some base defense tools, more as you level up. These are things you can build that kill enemy that try to get at your stuff.
- ring of dirt. Raised walls are indestructible to low level enemy (the new ashlands content has ways to wreck these) so you can raise a ring(shape can be anything closed) and either build inside that or even use it as the walls for your base.

with a good mix of the above ideas your home will be safer than the spawn point where the crow dropped you on day 1. Nothing will bother you until at least the mistlands biome era.

[Zombits]

simple palissade walls are more than enough for early game meadow base , much longer if you don't mind kiting troll raids.

greydwarves would need a month to break it

I usually raise earthen walls only for berserkers or mini boss raids

[Dedmoin]

Thanks for the usefull and helpful tips.

It is sad though that raids and attacks are core mechanics of the game but the game does not provide mechanics to cope with it.

The linked video gives very useful hacks but they are just hacks, using unintended behavior cause by artificial situations (eg reverse stairs).

[Zombits]

brother... you can set raid off in settings , or much fewer. build that base in peace

[.:[Double Helix]:.]

someone had the best option above.
use the Hoe to create a wall or platue.
the terraforming can be janky at first but once you get the hang of it you can create large fortifications that the enemy wont attack.

Pro tip. create your base on an intersection between black forest and PLAINS.. the NPC battle between goblins and ent people every night nets you free Wood, Resin, Dwarf eyes, coins and black metal. some spike walls take care of the deathsquitos

[drorbedrack]

Originally posted by Zombits:

make a base in meadows, but close to black forest and ocean.

build earth walls or smth. most raid or atk types can be ignored that way

nothing will hurt your base when far enough.

yes, just build the base in meadows next to the black forest and ocean. Black Forest is tough in the begining
and sleep at night, no need to go outside

[SimplyGnome]

Originally posted by Dedmoin:

Thanks for the usefull and helpful tips.

It is sad though that raids and attacks are core mechanics of the game but the game does not provide mechanics to cope with it.

The linked video gives very useful hacks but they are just hacks, using unintended behavior cause by artificial situations (eg reverse stairs).

Only some of those suggestions are unintended. Much of it isnt.

The game gives you PLENTY of ways to counter both the actual raids and incidental mobs.

[DarkEternal]

Originally posted by Dedmoin:

Thanks for the usefull and helpful tips.

It is sad though that raids and attacks are core mechanics of the game but the game does not provide mechanics to cope with it.

The linked video gives very useful hacks but they are just hacks, using unintended behavior cause by artificial situations (eg reverse stairs).

Ballistas help you cope with it. https://valheim.fandom.com/wiki/Ballista

[Rhapsody]

Cope...? I don't wanna shoot anyone down, but if you need to "cope" with forest-tier events, you should reduce difficulty or you won't like what the game will throw at you in the next five biomes.

[Dedmoin]

Originally posted by Zombits:

brother... you can set raid off in settings , or much fewer. build that base in peace

The issue is not the raids but every other hour between raids when constantly mobs are spawning.
I don't want 'peace' I just don't want to waste half of my time with one-hit trash mob.

Originally posted by SimplyGnome:

Originally posted by Dedmoin:

Thanks for the usefull and helpful tips.

It is sad though that raids and attacks are core mechanics of the game but the game does not provide mechanics to cope with it.

The linked video gives very useful hacks but they are just hacks, using unintended behavior cause by artificial situations (eg reverse stairs).

Only some of those suggestions are unintended. Much of it isnt.

The game gives you PLENTY of ways to counter both the actual raids and incidental mobs.

'PLENTY'?
Since I didn't progress so far, all I heard about are ballista and spikes. All other suggestions are unintended or side effects of game mechanics.
NPCs being able to destroy everything but cannot touch a 1 meter high earth wall does not make sense. Same with they are not able to cross a ditch.
In 7 Days to Die, NPC just fight their way through.

Fine for me to create defences preventing NPC to reach my base but that's not really 'countering' those events but more like preventing the intended situation of being attacked. Waiting on one side of the ditch and shooting arrows from savety until the raid/attacks are over, that does not sound like how those raids are supposed to work.


Anyways, thanks all for the hints and tips. It really helped!

[TheGreatDruid]

Another suggestion to help with the Black Forest bases (in case no one mentioned it above): Build a fire, put a roof over it, and keep if running while you are using the base. This will make the smaller greydwarfs retreat when they get too close. They fear fire. Unfortunately, though, the larger greydwarf types don't fear the fire, but at least part of a swarm is dealt with.

Likewise, if you find a spot to mine copper, build a fire and put a roof over it.

Also, be sure to clear out any greydwarf spawners in the area. Mostly this means the nearby tangles of wood with the moving purple misty effect that spawn them, but also nearby ruins and towers. These too will often have greydwarves (or skeletons), who will come after you if you have a base nearby or are mining or cutting down trees.

[NZ.Zero]

i think its been covered, but anyway
- build main base in meadows and live there til after the elder
- have only satellite bases in black forest
- try putting them on islands or out on the end of penninsulas - much easier to defend
- design it so they all get funnelled into one area and have a platform to fire arrows
- if trolls keep spawning, move somewhere else
- if youre really worried by dwarves, you probably need better weapons/ food/ armour anyway .. its not the dwarves that are the problem.
- put stake walls round and keep gates closed.
- if youre really serious about black forest (after a lot of hours) it might be worth having a big base there with a moat.

[Zombits]

huh ??

Main base has always been in meadows, even up to Ashland. Don't see a reason do do otherwise, unless you play no portal mode