I am a hermit crab and I feel no shame

[Twitchiopolis]

I am a hermit crab.

I as I play Valheim, one of my favorite things to do is to "restore" ruins.
I like to find interesting remnants of old buildings and fix them up, maybe remodel them slightly to prevent weather decay or fit my needs.
Sure, I build original structures, but I just love reclaiming places that have fallen derelict.

For example, I was working on my Tree Fortress in the Swamps, when I happened by a stilt platform house on the edge of the water. It reminded me so much of the oyster fisher houses at Chincoteague Island that I just had to reclaim it as a little fishing hut, even though I was building a massive fortress high in the trees just a little ways off.

I also like to take the old Dwarven ruins that surround The Queen's dungeon and turn them into a functional base for easy resurrection.

How about you? Do you have a particular favorite area to do reclamation work?
Are you a hermit crab too?

[BloodRed]

I don't
But Good luck to you
If You Enjoy it do it.

[Val Heimershmidt]

I'll "repurpose" existing structures early game for a quick and easy base while I seek out my permanent home. I'll also on occasion take residence in one of those hard to find "complete" stone towers, especially the extra large ones.

[Lacrimosa]

Oh, it's my favorite thing. First thing I do after setting up temporary camp is to find nice Draugr village with a ocean view and turn it into "bustling" town. If there are multiple villages on an island, I connect them with the pave road and also build lots of buildings that make no sense or serve no function apart from aesthetics, for example the pub. I also usually build tall lighthouses on the beach but as a draw distance is not that big and it's not visible until you already come close enough to your base, you can say it's also pointless from the technical point of view, but I like it.

Ah, only if we could have NPCs that settle your little village... but not happening in this game

[Humpenstilzchen]

As long as you are having fun you are not doing anything wrong.

Happy gaming

[Vortex]

I personally don’t repurpose abandoned structures just for fun. I only repurpose abandoned structures for strategic reasons. For example if I am exploring a new area I try to find an abandoned structure to place a portal in. But do what makes you happy, as long as it aligns with God’s law.

[knighttemplar1960]

I don't usually restore old structures but I will re-purpose some of them. In the very early game before I have portals. I'll refurbish abandoned cabins and plunk down a fire and a bed to sleep in before going on and I'll stay in them on the way back too.

I'll refurbish an abandoned stone tower at the foot a of a mountain to use as a wolf taming pit. I'll put a work bench and portal inside an abandoned tower in the swamp that is close to Bonemass' altar and I'll do the same with an abandoned cabin or tower in the mountains.

Fuling towers and forts tend to be on or near large flat spots so I'll take over one after I clear it to use as an outbuilding for my farm in the plains.

[J-96]

Those A-Frame wooden shacks that look like a tent. Yep, just living simple life. Hunting deer and chopping wood. Used to be situated beside the Black Forest Trader that had this stone ruin that was made into a sorts of hall... but the stone work vanished, and my brother dug out a massive hole underneath it. I did so like that place we constructed. The stone was the friggin' cake and now I've turned sad grieving its dismantlement.

[Exodite-Dragon]

Periodically, OP, i'll get the urge to seek out the little ruined villages and spruce them up, too. It can be a fun exercise, mainly because when my wife and I first began playing this game that's what we assumed you were meant to do, and at this point there's a little nostalgia in it for me, too. It's kind of nice to have more rustic enclaves dotted around the landscape to stop and rest at, vs. just the one big main base we usually build.

[jonnin]

I will turn existing houses into small waystations, but most are too small to even think of anything serious. This from a guy who designs micro homes ... I don't see how the previous people could live like that; even my first home was bigger than all but the meadhall building in those draghr camps. The mistland buildings are a bit better except.. its the mistlands and I won't live there.

[Delle(DK)]

Some of the ruin citys in the start are quite cool and look like real viking citys.
Els i personaly also like the look of the ashland ruins and my plan it to repair and improve them.

[Soma]

My favorite are the circular, silo type POI's found in swamp, mountains and sometimes in other biomes close to (swamp/mountain) borders. Finding one in the black forest is rare but when it happens it is 100% becoming an extensive build on our servers and solo play.

[leaferreefer]

sometimes i'll fix up an abandoned stone house if it's not too much work to do, just for it to be a comfort regaining/ teleport house

[Vincitore Becchi]

Yup, count me in. Bad illness this one, it's nice it has a name now "hermitcrabism", i both like fixing and evolving ruins to build bases and restoring the most well conserved ones to their original shine, just for the sake of it and not even leaving a storage box inside, i mark on the map when i find a well preserved one to repair it later.. totally guilty

[1100011]

What are you doing here? Check out Another Crab's Treasure here on steam.

[Frozztastic]

To the OP: I do the same thing.

Even at the start, my first base is always a reclaimed building. Saves a ton of time building shelter.

My favorite reclaimed base was the Plains - taking over a Fuling town and making it into a farm area.

Always fun!