My two cents after playing for 300 hours.

[Ankha]

This is my favorite game.  It has some issues that I'd like to talk about, as I decide to stop playing on my main save in 1.20, and hold for a stable ocean world 1.21. Most of my problems can be fixed with just starting a new world and adjusting the settings so the worst part is beginning at the start.

1. The default game is too damn cold at default temperate settings.  

2. Food spoilage and hunger rates are a huge obstacle when you're doing story content. 

3. Boss fights are more difficult than they need to be.  

4. The healing during combat needs more options.  

I feel that 7 months or more of snow on the ground is unrealistic. I enjoy a cold winter, but I feel spring and fall seasons don't have enough clarity. Setting the game to "warm" is an ok fix I think, not sure. 

I recommend changing the setting to the minimum distances for story locations.  On my world I traveled 30k blocks to my destination, and finding out the difficult part was the 2nd boss 10k blocks further away was defeating since my supplies were depleted. 

I fully understand that nothing easy feels rewarding, its why I love the progression of this game, but I cant help but feel that even with the best you can do to prepare, the bosses just have too much advantage.  I believe that the game needs some balance tweaks allowing players to feel their game time was well spent and most of all fun.

If I can't bandage myself with armor on, than the armor should be the thing damaged, not the player.   Wearing steel plate mail armor with 5k durability should keep me from needing bandages while it holds.

In conclusion I want to pinpoint my overall opinion that this game suffers from two halves that don't make a whole.  The cottage core, hunter-gather, exploring/building block game doesn't prepare you for the overly difficult story quests properly, and the results is wasted time and progress.  I've not lost the fact that this game is still a work in progress and I know many changes are to be expected.  Some people are happy to die 10 or 20 times in the course of a boss battle to finally succeed, and others want a winnable challenge on a single life that feels obtainable and rewarding.

I love Vintage story, and I am going to miss playing daily for hours as I wait for 1.21 but I will return hopefully to an ocean world seed more tuned to my skill level and difficulty.

[Zane Mordien]

6 hours ago, Ankha said:

1. The default game is too damn cold at default temperate settings.  

2. Food spoilage and hunger rates are a huge obstacle when you're doing story content. 

3. Boss fights are more difficult than they need to be.  

4. The healing during combat needs more options.  

1. I agree to an extent, but then I've just gotten used to it over time. It doesn't bother me anymore and is just part of the game. Like you said, it can be changed with little effort.

2. I starved my first trip to the RA and then the 2nd story location I brought extra food and somehow still ran low on food. 

3. The RA wasn't that bad to me pre 1.21. The 2nd boss fight was beyond frustrating for me. I died over and over in 1.20 and then it's not even an gratifying fight. The way it ends just .. .sucks.  I also haven't check if the fight is any different in 1.21 pre 3. 

4. This may be worse now with the new delayed healing where you can't move during the application of the healing item. TBD.

6 hours ago, Ankha said:

Wearing steel plate mail armor with 5k durability should keep me from needing bandages while it holds.

This sort of explains why the first boss fight was so hard. Steel plate is trash at least until 1.21. I haven't tested it with the new healing mechanic, but not being able to heal and a boss with AOE damage was rough. I agree with your sentiment though. Offering steel plate armor and then making it a death trap is sort of annoying. It lead many players down a frustrating path where they thought they had made the best preparation possible for the RA and then they got owned by the boss because it does AOE damage and you can't heal yourself. Yes, you can beat the boss in plate armor, but it is a lot harder than just using chain or any other armor that gives decent protection and you can still heal yourself. 

Edited July 28, 2025 by Zane Mordien

[Echo Weaver]

Is the delayed healing mechanic something that can be turned off in the world settings? I'm not the most combat-focused player, and this sounds like extra challenge I wasn't looking for.

FWIW, I haven't used plate armor because the extra protection brings a huge reduction in healing rate and moderate movement reduction. Chain has been my go-to, though scale looks like it might be worth it for a boss fight. (I haven't actually attempt to make scale.)

[Steel General]

It is historically accurate that armor hinders healing. A suit of full plate takes several minutes to put on or take off with at least one helper, preferably two.

Full plate keeps the blood in really well, but it's still possible to punch a hole through it, and the wound thus delivered cannot be bandaged with the armor in the way. There is no stuff-through or reach-under: that wound is going to kill the wearer by blood loss until they aren't wearing that armor anymore. In general, if a person survives such a wound, it's because someone else cut the armor off them to get to it. The straps are the first to go, but the deformed metal might have to get removed with metalworking tools - many a noble died while his squires desperately hammered and pried armor panels so they could save him with just a strip of cloth and a quick knot.

Full plate really is a death trap - that's why in later eras they went to just a breastplate, helmet, and some chain on the limbs.

[Kiko]

The story content really has me burnt out. It was especially frustrating to get to the village expecting to be able to purchase supplies only to find out that the inn only sells goats and ore, and that despite every other villager telling me I can rent a room there the inn keeper says to come back in a week. I know I can just sleep wherever i want, but still, it's kind of stupid. I had to spend a day hunting in the woods nearby before going to Tobias. By the time I got there I didn't want to continue because there's a bossfight that I need to prep for, which means i need to go aaaaaalll the way back home to resupply, then aaaaalll the way back to the boss fight. This game really needs some kind of airship or something because spending 10 hours playing walking simulator is not fun. In the early game it's not a big deal because I can always map out valuable resources, but getting to story locations feels like I'm playing the first elder scrolls with no fast travel. Honestly the worst part is thinking "holy shit i have to walk back." I think it would be more engaging if the store items in the village were more consistent. If I could cash out loot and items I got elsewhere then I could avoid having to go back to my base to by trading in the village for additional supplies. Right now the trading system is very limited in terms of what you can sell. Maybe something like the runescape general store would be a good idea. A guy who buys things at low prices but he'll buy practically anything of value.  

1 hour ago, Zane Mordien said:

This sort of explains why the first boss fight was so hard. Steel plate is trash at least until 1.21. I haven't tested it with the new healing mechanic, but not being able to heal and a boss with AOE damage was rough. I agree with your sentiment though. Offering steel plate armor and then making it a death trap is sort of annoying. It lead many players down a frustrating path where they thought they had made the best preparation possible for the RA and then they got owned by the boss because it does AOE damage and you can't heal yourself. Yes, you can beat the boss in plate armor, but it is a lot harder than just using chain or any other armor that gives decent protection and you can still heal yourself. 

It's still trash. It'll increase the time it takes for you to heal and the boss is guaranteed to cancel your heal by doing a ground pound in that time. Extremely annoying mechanic overall

[LadyWYT]

Welcome to the forums!

8 hours ago, Ankha said:

1. The default game is too damn cold at default temperate settings.  

8 hours ago, Ankha said:

I feel that 7 months or more of snow on the ground is unrealistic. I enjoy a cold winter, but I feel spring and fall seasons don't have enough clarity. Setting the game to "warm" is an ok fix I think, not sure. 

Warm climates will cool off in winter, but won't see snow. However, I'd also note that for the default temperate start, there shouldn't be snow on the ground for 7 months either. Snow tends to arrive late November and doesn't start melting off until late March/early April. 

If you travel very far north or settle at altitude, the weather will be colder, so that could be a factor.

8 hours ago, Ankha said:

I recommend changing the setting to the minimum distances for story locations.  On my world I traveled 30k blocks to my destination, and finding out the difficult part was the 2nd boss 10k blocks further away was defeating since my supplies were depleted. 

The default distance is fine, in my opinion. It really sets the tone for the world and story, and it's a lot easier to take both seriously as a result. However, to my knowledge, the devs already accounted for players wanting to adjust the distances and added an option to do so.

 

8 hours ago, Ankha said:

If I can't bandage myself with armor on, than the armor should be the thing damaged, not the player.   Wearing steel plate mail armor with 5k durability should keep me from needing bandages while it holds.

1 hour ago, Echo Weaver said:

FWIW, I haven't used plate armor because the extra protection brings a huge reduction in healing rate and moderate movement reduction. Chain has been my go-to, though scale looks like it might be worth it for a boss fight. (I haven't actually attempt to make scale.)

1 hour ago, Steel General said:

It is historically accurate that armor hinders healing. A suit of full plate takes several minutes to put on or take off with at least one helper, preferably two.

Full plate keeps the blood in really well, but it's still possible to punch a hole through it, and the wound thus delivered cannot be bandaged with the armor in the way. There is no stuff-through or reach-under: that wound is going to kill the wearer by blood loss until they aren't wearing that armor anymore. In general, if a person survives such a wound, it's because someone else cut the armor off them to get to it. The straps are the first to go, but the deformed metal might have to get removed with metalworking tools - many a noble died while his squires desperately hammered and pried armor panels so they could save him with just a strip of cloth and a quick knot.

Full plate really is a death trap - that's why in later eras they went to just a breastplate, helmet, and some chain on the limbs.

Pretty much these, in a nutshell, regarding plate armors. They're very protective, resisting higher tier damage than what other armors in their tier could withstand. However, the trade-off is that you'll be slower and not able to heal as quickly, so you'll need to be a lot more careful with your actions and positioning. I would also say that plate is a much stronger choice in multiplayer overall than in singleplayer, since in multiplayer you can have friends cover for you while you take a moment to heal. In singleplayer, plate is still good for defending your base during a temporal storm, but it's not a great choice for just going out and adventuring given the drawbacks.

52 minutes ago, Kiko said:

I think it would be more engaging if the store items in the village were more consistent. If I could cash out loot and items I got elsewhere then I could avoid having to go back to my base to by trading in the village for additional supplies. Right now the trading system is very limited in terms of what you can sell.

In all fairness, the village isn't quite finished yet either and some systems are still missing, though that should be getting resolved in 1.21 to my knowledge. It's why you can ask the innkeeper for a room, or the barber-surgeon for a haircut, but can't actually have either.

8 hours ago, Ankha said:

2. Food spoilage and hunger rates are a huge obstacle when you're doing story content. 

Depends on your settings and playstyle, really. I would say perhaps the most important thing to focus on in the game is food supply, above all else. If you have a handle on your food supply, then everything else comes easily enough in time. 

[Michaloid]

4 hours ago, Echo Weaver said:

Is the delayed healing mechanic something that can be turned off in the world settings? I'm not the most combat-focused player, and this sounds like extra challenge I wasn't looking for.

This isn't a game breaker like most try to paint it. It's supposed to be used when you're safe. Not when you are in the middle of a battle. But it does makes the bosses harder, and i think that with this change, bosses need an actual indicator of their attacks, because the hits occur when the animation is still playing, except the ground pound. So hopefully the devs work on boss improvements in the future.

[Krougal]

I agree for the effort it takes to make it, steel armor is rather disappointing.

I think it should be made tier 5, yes, I know that makes it higher tier than all the mobs. Bosses should be t5 then.

That would also make other metal armor more worthwhile, since copper could be made 2 and bronze 3.

Honestly bronze is superior to iron, especially early iron. Iron was just more plentiful and readily available.

Bronze weapons will actually hold a better edge.

Bronze is harder (although I am not sure if it is less tough because of it; usually hardness and toughness are at odds with each other).

It could be argued that it should be T3. Then copper could even be T2. As it stands now I don't even bother with metal armor until steel, and from reading the forums it seems I am not alone.

 

While all the penalties make sense for realisms sake, for gaming it just sucks.

Remember the game hour is only 2 minutes and so we don't have time for every little action.

I have found https://mods.vintagestory.at/stripper#tab-files alleviates some of the pain at least (because you're still tying up 3 or 4 inventory slots)

 

I'm thankful for the distance settings for the story content, because some of us don't have the time or inclination to spend hours and hours traveling, especially since the autorun key still doesn't work and sailing until 1.21RC1 also really sucked. There are too many mind-numbing and RSI inducing things in this game. I have still yet to experience any of the story content, especially since by the time I get myself well-established, it is time to wipe the world for a new version. It starts to get tiresome.

Edited July 28, 2025 by Krougal

[LadyWYT]

5 minutes ago, Krougal said:

I think it should be made tier 5, yes, I know that makes it higher tier than all the mobs. Bosses should be t5 then.

That would also make other metal armor more worthwhile, since copper could be made 2 and bronze 3.

This is already somewhat a thing--plate armor. The material still determines the equipment tier, however, plate armor specifically is resistant to incoming damage that is one tier higher. So steel plate armor is resistant to tier 5 damage, despite being a tier 4 armor. Likewise, copper plate will resist tier 2 damage, despite being made out of a tier 1 material.

Of course, just being resistant to a higher tier attack is not quite as good as matching the tier level of the incoming attack, but it's worth bearing in mind that matching the tier level doesn't mitigate all the damage either, especially from high tier monsters. Players will still need to plan appropriately when engaging such creatures, since they can't rely on just outgearing every encounter.

[Kiko]

2 hours ago, LadyWYT said:

In all fairness, the village isn't quite finished yet either and some systems are still missing, though that should be getting resolved in 1.21 to my knowledge. It's why you can ask the innkeeper for a room, or the barber-surgeon for a haircut, but can't actually have either.

I figured that was the case when i saw them selling creative mode items lol

[Echo Weaver]

37 minutes ago, Michaloid said:

This isn't a game breaker like most try to paint it. It's supposed to be used when you're safe. Not when you are in the middle of a battle. But it does makes the bosses harder, and i think that with this change, bosses need an actual indicator of their attacks, because the hits occur when the animation is still playing, except the ground pound. So hopefully the devs work on boss improvements in the future.

Well, it's currently possible to use poultices in the middle of a fight or, perhaps more relevantly, a temporal storm. Moving them to something you primarily used after danger is past is a big change.

[Krougal]

12 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

This is already somewhat a thing--plate armor. The material still determines the equipment tier, however, plate armor specifically is resistant to incoming damage that is one tier higher. So steel plate armor is resistant to tier 5 damage, despite being a tier 4 armor. Likewise, copper plate will resist tier 2 damage, despite being made out of a tier 1 material.

Of course, just being resistant to a higher tier attack is not quite as good as matching the tier level of the incoming attack, but it's worth bearing in mind that matching the tier level doesn't mitigate all the damage either, especially from high tier monsters. Players will still need to plan appropriately when engaging such creatures, since they can't rely on just outgearing every encounter.

Kinda proves my point, even if it was made tier 5, it still wouldn't make one invulnerable, but it would be more reward for the level of effort.

Some of you can't be bothered to make steel. Interestingly, it also seems to be the same crowd who doesn't think the default amount of travel for the story mode is excessive. That alone says something is wrong.

[Zane Mordien]

2 hours ago, Krougal said:

Some of you can't be bothered to make steel. Interestingly, it also seems to be the same crowd who doesn't think the default amount of travel for the story mode is excessive. That alone says something is wrong.

Making steel is a waste of time in my opinion. Its not that much of an upgrade for the time it takes.  Not sure how that makes me feel about distances to the story locations. 

 I think the RA is about right on distance. It's a good trip, without being a burden. The 2nd story location is a bit much to me as well, but didnt they change that in 1.21? I haven't checked yet. I guess I'll do that later tonight.

[Krougal]

2 minutes ago, Zane Mordien said:

Making steel is a waste of time in my opinion. Its not that much of an upgrade for the time it takes.  Not sure how that makes me feel about distances to the story locations. 

 I think the RA is about right on distance. It's a good trip, without being a burden. The 2nd story location is a bit much to me as well, but didnt they change that in 1.21? I haven't checked yet. I guess I'll do that later tonight.

Well the 2 have nothing to do with each other, but it is just a general observation, granted the sample size of this community is really small lol.

 

I don't know about 1.21 since it seems to have bugged out on me, I have to try the reset command, but the trader dialogue shows completed and I have no red X.

I also make use of the distance setting to set it to minimum, and I also use custom world sizes to make it a 50k planet, 25k to equator.

[Thorfinn]

3 hours ago, Krougal said:

Some of you can't be bothered to make steel. Interestingly, it also seems to be the same crowd who doesn't think the default amount of travel for the story mode is excessive. That alone says something is wrong.

If you are talking about me, I make steel. I just don't use it. Usually I don't bother with anything after improvised. Of course, as a result of not being slowed, it's just not all that far. I imagine the elk is intended to offset the armor movement penalty.

[Pervy]

7 hours ago, Steel General said:

It is historically accurate that armor hinders healing. A suit of full plate takes several minutes to put on or take off with at least one helper, preferably two.

Full plate keeps the blood in really well, but it's still possible to punch a hole through it, and the wound thus delivered cannot be bandaged with the armor in the way. There is no stuff-through or reach-under: that wound is going to kill the wearer by blood loss until they aren't wearing that armor anymore. In general, if a person survives such a wound, it's because someone else cut the armor off them to get to it. The straps are the first to go, but the deformed metal might have to get removed with metalworking tools - many a noble died while his squires desperately hammered and pried armor panels so they could save him with just a strip of cloth and a quick knot.

Full plate really is a death trap - that's why in later eras they went to just a breastplate, helmet, and some chain on the limbs.

While plate armor is the main defense, that dont mean it as the only 1. A gambeson or similar were always underneath, for a few reason such as:
To shock absorb, and to prevent the metal from grinding against the skin/body. Gambeson depending on its amount of layers are more then a valid form of armor.

Yes been wounded in any reality with any armor is still a wound, like how there was special arrows for chainmail, that would slide right in, and break off once you tried to pull it out, and the arrow heads were toxic(think it was bronze). But depending on the era, the armor is either easier or harder to put on or off.
Over the ages plate got heavier and heavier and sure did make them slower, and was indeed later replaced with Cuirass, that could protect well against bullets. They were also lighter as you said, and was not a full plate. Back to plate, back when plate armor was still used, they didt prevent you from standing up once fallen(old myth)... The movies did plate armor dirt with making it out to be so heavy you could not move well at all. Medieval knights were quite mobile on foot, with fine agility compared to todays modern soldiers(depending on the age/era).

Full plate was not a death trap, given how OP they were befor hand cannons, or accurate ones.

 @LadyWYT 

Plate armor been that much slower, is bit of a movie/video game troupe, same goes for 2 handed weapons been slow.
I know its for balance reasons, but the real life comparison as to why its like this ingame, is not a good argument.
And removing too many of the down sides, would make all other armors obsolete.


TL;DR historically accurate or not, is not a good argument for why anything is how it is, when it dont work in reverse(spears been limited). 
 

[Krougal]

2 minutes ago, Thorfinn said:

If you are talking about me, I make steel. I just don't use it. Usually I don't bother with anything after improvised. Of course, as a result of not being slowed, it's just not all that far. I imagine the elk is intended to offset the armor movement penalty.

I don't count you in any statistics; you are just too much of an odd duck.

Making steel and not using it, that's pretty pointless.

[LadyWYT]

2 hours ago, Pervy said:

 @LadyWYT 

Plate armor been that much slower, is bit of a movie/video game troupe, same goes for 2 handed weapons been slow.
I know its for balance reasons, but the real life comparison as to why its like this ingame, is not a good argument.
And removing too many of the down sides, would make all other armors obsolete.

Oh I know  If the in-game plate armor was absolutely realistic regarding the movement speed, there'd be absolutely no reason to use any of the other armors in most cases. Could it be better than it is? Probably, but I also don't think it's quite as bad as others say.

 

2 hours ago, Thorfinn said:

I imagine the elk is intended to offset the armor movement penalty.

I agree, plus you can use the elk to stow all your luggage too. You can currently make the entire trip on foot in roughly the same time as it takes on elk, however, you're going to need a LOT more food if you do that given all the energy you'll burn while sprinting. Likewise, if you're on foot, wearing armor will slow you down, but not wearing it makes you much more vulnerable to accidental death.

[ifoz]

11 hours ago, Kiko said:

It was especially frustrating to get to the village expecting to be able to purchase supplies only to find out that the inn only sells goats

7 hours ago, Kiko said:

I figured that was the case when i saw them selling creative mode items lol

It sound like you ran into a certain bug where the villager trades get messed up, I've seen it happen to quite a few people actually.

The innkeepers are supposed to sell bread, cheese and alcohol.

[Irulana]

1."/worldConfig classExclusiveRecipes false" there is nice winter outfit locked by tailor trait. 

2. I use merchants to store food, put few stacks of salted meat/cheese/sunflowers seeds/apples/bread etc then cancel action. I can spend many months far from base like that. We spend more time doing wide road to story location then exploring it XD.

3.Yes Boss fights are made very bad, they should be reworked completely.

4. During combat I always hide dig a hole then just block myself by ladder or dirt, remove armor and then heal. It is very effective as I can preserve my healing items. In 1.21 healing is much worse you can walk or run but when you step one block it resets WTF? It shouldn't reset after walking down or up, when you can run while helaing.

[ifoz]

17 minutes ago, Irulana said:

1."/worldConfig classExclusiveRecipes false" there is nice winter outfit locked by tailor trait. 

You can actually obtain the minmaxxwed warmest outfit in the game without being a tailor.

Head: Nadiyan fur hat (bought) [+1.5]
Shoulders: Prince fur (found in ruins) [+3]
Coat: Nadiyan fur jacket or reindeer herder coat (the first one is bought, the second one is found in ruins or crafted as a tailor) [+4]
Shirt: Nadiyan fur shirt or chateau/pastoral shirt (the first one is bought, the second ones are crafted as a tailor) [+2.5]
Legs: Nadiyan fur pants or woolen leggings/pants (both are bought) [+3]
Feet: Reindeer herder shoes (found in ruins or crafted as a tailor) [+4]
Mask: Barber surgeon hood (found in ruins) [+1]
Hands: Nadiyan fur mittens or fur gloves (the first one is bought, the second one is crafted) [+1.5]
Belt: Any of the belts that give +0.3 warmth (found in ruins, bought, start the game with one depending on class) [+0.3]

All in all that's a total of +20.8 degrees.
In 1.21 you can also make bear armour for even more warmth, polar bear armour is +1.5 extra per piece.
That means that in 1.21 the warmest possible outfit is +25.3 degrees.

Edited July 29, 2025 by ifoz

[TeaJay]

Even if you have the elk the distances in chapter 2 are way too much. There was talk of adjusting it in the next patch and you can also use the worldgen option to change to distance. Minimum is 25%. 

[Facethief]

3 hours ago, ifoz said:

You can actually obtain the minmaxxwed warmest outfit in the game without being a tailor.

Head: Nadiyan fur hat (bought) [+1.5]
Shoulders: Prince fur (found in ruins) [+3]
Coat: Nadiyan fur jacket or reindeer herder coat (the first one is bought, the second one is found in ruins or crafted as a tailor) [+4]
Shirt: Nadiyan fur shirt or chateau/pastoral shirt (the first one is bought, the second ones are crafted as a tailor) [+2.5]
Legs: Nadiyan fur pants or woolen leggings/pants (both are bought) [+3]
Feet: Reindeer herder shoes (found in ruins or crafted as a tailor) [+4]
Mask: Barber surgeon hood (found in ruins) [+1]
Hands: Nadiyan fur mittens or fur gloves (the first one is bought, the second one is crafted) [+1.5]
Belt: Any of the belts that give +0.3 warmth (found in ruins, bought, start the game with one depending on class) [+0.3]

All in all that's a total of +20.8 degrees.
In 1.21 you can also make bear armour for even more warmth, polar bear armour is +1.5 extra per piece.
That means that in 1.21 the warmest possible outfit is +25.3 degrees.

Leave me alone with my fur and rawhide set with straw hat!

[Thorfinn]

15 hours ago, Krougal said:

Making steel and not using it, that's pretty pointless.

Agreed. So is making any house other than packed/rammed earth. But I build something attractive anyway, albeit without anything more than utilitarian chiseling. It's just one of the personal goals I set for a playthrough.

[Thorfinn]

5 hours ago, ifoz said:

That means that in 1.21 the warmest possible outfit is +25.3 degrees.

Wow! I thought I was doing pretty well with about half that.