Safely Exploring or Accessing Caverns

[Black_Sod]

So, I've had some funny deaths because when I breached into a cavern I walled off an area to use for farming. Seems some guys who had joined on to monster hunt had, well, gone off to hunt monsters before the wall was finished, got trapped outside and then died of thirst... oops? In my defence they weren't dwarfs.

My question is: can I just set up a door with a lever to allow access or is there some other good way to allow access to the caverns but also prevent it being the breaching point for things to get into my fort?

Thanks in advance, just been playing for a few hours but loving it, a lot of time has just been spent reading up on most of my members, finding them good jobs to keep them busy. and I have got them through their first winter and now have 20 bedrooms for them all. Lots of beer too this is just my one glaring question or fear at the moment!

[The Trashman]

I think you want a drawbridge. They behave as a wall when raised, so nothing can get through. You would link it to a lever in the same way as a door. Some creatures cna break furniture like doors, but nothing can break a raised drawbridge.

If you do want to use a door, putting it at the end of a trapped corridor can dissuade cavern dwellers from getting through

[Black_Sod]

Originally posted by The Trashman:

If you do want to use a door, putting it at the end of a trapped corridor can dissuade cavern dwellers from getting through

Ok, thank! So I was right assuming a door wouldnt suffice haha, I will get a drawbridge in then and try not to flatten anyone with it.. I mostly ask as well as I do want to retrieve the bodies eventually also! (if for nothing else than that they had weapons and armour)

[Black_Sod]

This will be handy also as I need to build more security on the surface also as currently it's just a stairwell in the middle of the field.

[The Trashman]

Do you have any traps? They're great for fort defense. Cage traps are extremely effective, but weapon traps can be a lot of fun too

Originally posted by Black_Sod:

I will get a drawbridge in then and try not to flatten anyone with it..

The important part is not flattening your own guys - nothing wrong with squishing an enemy!

[Black_Sod]

Originally posted by The Trashman:

Do you have any traps? They're great for fort defense. Cage traps are extremely effective, but weapon traps can be a lot of fun too

Originally posted by Black_Sod:

I will get a drawbridge in then and try not to flatten anyone with it..

The important part is not flattening your own guys - nothing wrong with squishing an enemy!

I will look up how traps work as well! Just not wanting to ignorantly blunder into some situation where I get my own guys killed in traps or something haha

[The Trashman]

Originally posted by Black_Sod:

Originally posted by The Trashman:

Do you have any traps? They're great for fort defense. Cage traps are extremely effective, but weapon traps can be a lot of fun too


The important part is not flattening your own guys - nothing wrong with squishing an enemy!

I will look up how traps work as well! Just not wanting to ignorantly blunder into some situation where I get my own guys killed in traps or something haha

Yeah, that's fair! Your own guys don't really set off your own constructed traps, outside of some rare cases. Cage traps are definitely safe to try, though, worst case scenario you can just release the captured dwarf

[Black_Sod]

Originally posted by The Trashman:

Originally posted by Black_Sod:

I will look up how traps work as well! Just not wanting to ignorantly blunder into some situation where I get my own guys killed in traps or something haha

Yeah, that's fair! Your own guys don't really set off your own constructed traps, outside of some rare cases. Cage traps are definitely safe to try, though, worst case scenario you can just release the captured dwarf

I really appreciate the help! Have been consuming beginner content like crazy and I'm gonna sink so much time into this game hahaha

[Helios]

Originally posted by Black_Sod:

Originally posted by The Trashman:

Yeah, that's fair! Your own guys don't really set off your own constructed traps, outside of some rare cases. Cage traps are definitely safe to try, though, worst case scenario you can just release the captured dwarf

I really appreciate the help! Have been consuming beginner content like crazy and I'm gonna sink so much time into this game hahaha

to be save just build a line with 10 weapontraps execpt cavedwellers and forgotten beast 99% of hostile enemy will die on them my favorite is the giant axe head but you can also use any old weapons left from raids your dwarfs dont use.

[Black_Sod]

Originally posted by Helios:

Originally posted by Black_Sod:

I really appreciate the help! Have been consuming beginner content like crazy and I'm gonna sink so much time into this game hahaha

to be save just build a line with 10 weapontraps execpt cavedwellers and forgotten beast 99% of hostile enemy will die on them my favorite is the giant axe head but you can also use any old weapons left from raids your dwarfs dont use.

I've a fairly long 2 wide corridor leadint to the cave from the stairwell so I may just fill that with traps and then slowly expand the farming area, not fully Ideal but its a backstop in case something does get in despite the drawbridge

[The Trashman]

Originally posted by Helios:

to be save just build a line with 10 weapontraps execpt cavedwellers and forgotten beast 99% of hostile enemy will die on them my favorite is the giant axe head but you can also use any old weapons left from raids your dwarfs dont use.

Yeah, stacking traps is a good way to stay safe.

The trap components are something else - spinning serrated disks are a favourite of mine, I had one chop a giraffe in half last night, haha. You can make spiked wooden balls at a carpenter's as a cheap trap component in the early game

I also love building defenses that make use of game mechanics, like using enemies dodging weapon traps to make them fall in pits. I live for that split second of hang time they get before plummeting

Originally posted by Black_Sod:

I really appreciate the help! Have been consuming beginner content like crazy and I'm gonna sink so much time into this game hahaha

No worries - have Fun!