Dwarf Fortress is often a game about losing, but that’s all part of the fun. The sometimes short journey to failure is what gives the game its reputation for creating memorable and entertaining stories. As you learned to manage your settlement full of moody dwarves, you probably had plenty of learning experiences along the way. Fortunately, you’re not alone.
Accidentally starving your animals or digging too deep into the earth are just a few things that everyone has been through. For a game that can simulate just about any wild scenario you can imagine, it’s always fun to learn about the shared triumphs and disasters that everyone shares in Dwarf Fortress.
7 Get Trapped By Statues
Building statues is a nice way for dwarves to practice self-expression and bring some creative flair into the fortress. However, you likely discovered the hard way that statues have the same impassable properties as a wall. This means that a carelessly placed statue in the middle of a hallway can accidentally turn sections of your base into a closed-off dwarven tomb. Dwarves have the ability to climb over almost every other kind of furniture, so it should stand to reason that statues follow suit, right?
It’s a common mistake and something we’ve all assumed in Dwarf Fortress. When your fortress dwellers seem to randomly starve to death because a nice statue sits in the way of the tavern, don’t feel alone in your confusion. Also, remember that while statues may be able to block dwarves, they will do nothing to stop a flood of water.
6 Dig Too Deep And Find The “Circus”
Dwarves are naturally greedy, and the promise of glittering gems or valuable minerals is always a strong incentive to mine. Deeper into the earth they go, but as every player eventually discovers, the depths don’t always reward you with riches. The Dwarf Fortress community lovingly refers to what waits below as the “circus,” and in order to avoid spoilers for this important area, the specifics will stay light.
Meeting the circus “clowns” is a rite of passage for any Dwarf Fortress player, and whether you come prepared or not, it’s a wonderful place that every player visits eventually.
5 Go Necromancer Hunting
Imagine this: things are going great in your fortress; there is an abundance of food, the booze flows freely, and every dwarf has their own comfy bed. A miner dies in the lower levels, but you think little of it since it's just an occupational hazard. Then before you know it, a now undead miner starts running rampant in your fortress and tearing everything apart. All this because you forgot to check for a sneaky necromancer.
Staying vigilant for necromancers is just a day on the job in Dwarf Fortress. The introduction of graphics in the Steam version makes things easier, but it’s still easy to lose sight of a necromancer in the crowd. Having to monitor your mountain folk for signs of agelessness or a sickly complexion is all part of the experience.
4 Forget About Water
Dwarves are completely content to drink alcohol till the end of their days. It keeps them in good spirits and fulfills their thirst needs. With so much going for alcohol, you probably made the mistake of neglecting water. After all, you have many more important things to focus on than a well. Those workshops aren’t going to build themselves.
Since alcohol can be brewed without water, it's easy to forget that finding a sustainable water source is still a necessity. Injured dwarves require the life-giving liquid to recover successfully. One moment your battered dwarf will be dehydrated, and the next, you'll find them dead on top of a barrel full of mead. With so many dwarves to take care of, it's easy to see why forgetting about water can become a common problem.
3 Neglect Strange Moods
As you know, dwarves sometimes get into strange moods. Your mighty axedwarf will suddenly decide that the most important task of their lives is to build a statue of a crying goblin. With having to juggle so many different issues in your fortress, you have probably failed or chose not to deal with one of these moods at least once. Unfortunately, that one moment is when disaster strikes.
The moody axedwarf snaps from their inability to create their artistic masterpiece. They go berserk and hack away at everyone they find, and your fortress spirals out of control. Failing to deal with strange moods appropriately is a learning experience for every Dwarf Fortress player.
2 Become A Goblin Slayer
Goblins are the mortal enemies of the hardy dwarves. They are frequently aggressive and at war with nearly every other race. With an onslaught of goblins constantly trying to harass your fortress, doing battle with them is an inevitability for every player. Goblins are immortal creatures who revel in violence. As twisted counterparts to the dwarves, you will be at war with them the moment they notice your settlement.
Every player has a story of a goblin baby snatcher who manages to infiltrate their fortress and make off with their little beardlings in a bag. Forging your dwarves into goblin-slaying machines is par for the course of any playthrough.
1 Embrace The Entropy
All fortresses eventually fall to ruin one way or another. Whether it’s a result of dangerous wildlife, nefarious forces, or even your own dwarves, stability eventually turns to disorder. It’s a lesson that every Dwarf Fortress player learns to love as they boot up another attempt.
Oftentimes, the funniest moments in the game are the circumstances that lead to the demise of your settlement anyway. Such as the grieving wife of a fallen soldier aimlessly wandering around until she opens a magma floodgate and exposes a fatal design flaw in your fortress. With chaos only being a stone's throw away, embracing what makes the game so unique completes your journey into the Dwarf Fortress community.