The ocean is not really a biome you visit, it is the road between everything else. Since metal cannot go through portals, sailing is also how your whole economy works.
The three boats
- Raft. Slow and miserable. Fine for crossing a river, not for a journey.
- Karve. The real first boat. Quick, handles well, four cargo slots. This is your workhorse for a long time.
- Longship. Eighteen slots and seaworthy in bad weather. This is the ore hauler.
Wind is the whole skill
You cannot sail directly into the wind. You can sail across it, so zig-zag rather than fighting it head on. Raise and lower the sail with the movement keys, and drop to rowing when the wind is against you and you are close to shore.
Press the wind indicator into your habits: check it before you set a course, not after.
Serpents
Serpents attack in deep water, usually at night or in storms. If you are in a karve, run for shallow water. In a longship you can fight one, and serpent meat is excellent food.
Hauling metal
- Build a small dock at your main base.
- Put an outpost with a chest and a portal on the shore near your mine.
- Carry ore to the outpost, then do one boat run home with a full load.
Get a longship as early as you reasonably can. It changes how the whole game feels, especially once you are hauling iron home from distant swamps. Serpent meat, by the way, cooks into one of the better mid game foods.
