Things I wish I had known...

[Maelstrom]

Every so often it seems good for us experienced players to pass on some well earned wisdom gained from the School of Hard Knocks so the less experienced *cough*newbies*cough* don't go through the same pain.   So.   Add to this list of things you wish you had known as a new player.

• Consider absolutely EVERYTHING in this game as a resource to be managed.  Not just items you gather, but more importantly, time, inventory space, that hunger meter.  Use those things wisely.
• Target an item with the crosshairs and pressing "h" brings up the handbook entry for the item.
• Target a block with the crosshairs and pressing "shift-h" brings up the handbook entry for that block.
• Be sure that no flammable blocks or items are within 1 block, horizontally or vertically, of a pit kiln; lest it get destroyed (like tools in a tool rack above the pit kiln).

[LadyWYT]

That when an NPC or item in-game is warning you something is dangerous, you should heed that warning. In Vintage Story's case, it's not just a cute plot device meant to flavor the setting.

It's worth building a set of metal lamellar armor and fighting through the first temporal storms, if you can. The early storms have fewer and weaker monsters, on average, and the rusty gears will be a big advantage at this point in the game since you can use them to buy all kinds of resources from the traders. 

Basic lamellar armor is also great for tending the bees, if you wish to avoid the stings.

Flint can be cooked in a bloomery, which is more efficient than the firepit.

8 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

Consider absolutely EVERYTHING in this game as a resource to be managed.  Not just items you gather, but more importantly, time, inventory space, that hunger meter.  Use those things wisely.

In keeping with this one somewhat--armor is meant to keep you alive and fighting for a longer period. It's not meant to make you utterly invincible to enemies, as many videogame armors tend to do. You'll need to allow yourself respite every now and then in order to heal, especially when fighting tough monsters. 

Likewise, just because you can pick a fight with something, doesn't mean that you should. The game doesn't really have "safety rails" and will happily toss you more than you can handle. Be aware of your limits and plan accordingly.

[blindstitch]

9 minutes ago, LadyWYT said:

Flint can be cooked in a bloomery, which is more efficient than the firepit.

That's a good one!

[Rainbow Fresh]

Not quite the type of "veteran" knowledge to pass down as I learned it about 10 minutes later and maybe doesn't even affect most new players - but the game didn't tell me so I am telling you: Yes you can interact with those weird people in the carts/houses, no you cannot hold anything in your hand to do so, and most certainly don't hold a rock when trying to right-click.

[Zane Mordien]

8 hours ago, LadyWYT said:

Flint can be cooked in a bloomery, which is more efficient than the firepit.

I keep forgetting this one.

[Teh Pizza Lady]

You will never truly escape copper even when you have steel. Basic tools that you use once in a lifetime should be made from copper before you make them out of iron or steel, but it's also a good source of cheap material for making lanterns.

If you are cold, you will burn through food quicker. Eat hot meals by warming them up first and warm yourself up and make the food last longer. Steel-making is a good task for winter since the forges and furnaces keep you warm and thereby lower your food consumption as well.

Don't sleep on those quartz veins. They often contain gold!

Meteors are easy to find by looking for circular divots in the ground. Suevite is the indicator stone for meteoric iron and will do in a pinch as a ready substitute for making weapons and whatnot before you can make steel.

Make more than one spear. Their strength is their longer reach and ability to be thrown. You'll be using them a LOT before you get your first copper weapons.

[hstone32]

58 minutes ago, Teh Pizza Lady said:

If you are cold, you will burn through food quicker. Eat hot meals by warming them up first and warm yourself up and make the food last longer. Steel-making is a good task for winter since the forges and furnaces keep you warm and thereby lower your food consumption as well.

Does being near a heat source reduce hunger rate (when past 100% due to cold)? I was under the impression that the hunger-rate debuf remains in force, no matter your internal temperature, but depends only on whether or not the game considers your current position to be indoors or out. The magnitude of the hunger rate debuf does depend on outside temperature, but in my own testing, it seems being near a heat source doesn't alleviate it at all. The only thing that puts a stop to it is going inside a building.

[Maelstrom]

11 hours ago, Teh Pizza Lady said:

You will never truly escape copper even when you have steel. Basic tools that you use once in a lifetime should be made from copper before you make them out of iron or steel, but it's also a good source of cheap material for making lanterns.

Chutes and hoppers:  Am I a joke to you???

[Rainbow Fresh]

23 minutes ago, Maelstrom said:

Chutes and hoppers:  Am I a joke to you???

Who?

[LadyWYT]

18 hours ago, Rainbow Fresh said:

Yes you can interact with those weird people in the carts/houses, no you cannot hold anything in your hand to do so, and most certainly don't hold a rock when trying to right-click.

Oh you can, it's just not the best idea if you're prone to tabbing out or misclicking. I smacked one with a torch once and the gesture was less than appreciated.

 

13 hours ago, hstone32 said:

Does being near a heat source reduce hunger rate (when past 100% due to cold)? I was under the impression that the hunger-rate debuf remains in force, no matter your internal temperature, but depends only on whether or not the game considers your current position to be indoors or out. The magnitude of the hunger rate debuf does depend on outside temperature, but in my own testing, it seems being near a heat source doesn't alleviate it at all. The only thing that puts a stop to it is going inside a building.

To my knowledge, it does not. Being near a heat source only raises one's body temperature. Unless the player is in an insulated space or far enough underground to escape the elements otherwise, they're still going to be burning those calories trying to stay warm.

[Teh Pizza Lady]

On 5/27/2026 at 6:52 AM, Maelstrom said:

Chutes and hoppers:  Am I a joke to you???

I have never used them aside from keeping a pulverizer fed. They have potential, but their inability to sort items prevents me from caring about them beyond the basics.

[LadyWYT]

10 minutes ago, Teh Pizza Lady said:

They have potential, but their inability to sort items

Ahem. 

 

[hstone32]

I think I've decided to make a compilation of all my favorite sound effects from VS. Definitely one of those things is the sound chutes make when they pass an item.

[Rainbow Fresh]

9 hours ago, LadyWYT said:

Ahem. 

 

Ah yeah, Minecraft hopper sorters but the chests have built-in filters.

[Maelstrom]

Alright, digression on hoppers, chutes and associated mechanics aside.   Let's get back on topic.  Things we think newbies should know to help them in their first few (dozen) hours of the game...

[LadyWYT]

You're going to die quite a lot in this game, and that's okay! Vintage Story subscribes to some older game design, where the player is taught the basic controls but otherwise left to figure out the actual game on their own. This means a lot of trial and error and learning from the mistakes, even for players who are quite experienced with the game.

In keeping with the above--there's no shame/issue with playing the game on easier settings for a more relaxed learning environment. Most settings can be adjusted after world creation without issue, so it's possible to turn the difficulty back up once you feel ready for it.

[7embre]

Coming from the other block game, the most important thing in building a house for me was the knowledge of how dangerous can firepit be (or rather — how safe it is) — for some reason I thought it's analogous to a real fire, not to MC's firepits, and I was really obsessed with the idea of making a stove very fireproof. Which did hold me back considerably. There was no rammed earth nor daub when I started playing, so the idea of building out of dirt was thrown out of the window. I guess that's partially an outdated concern now 

[OBAMFSpike]

Dont overlook ruins. The possibilities of torch holders, vessels, and crates are welcomed and of great use. 

My #1 is collecting cattails AND their roots AND I never eat the roots. Plant them around base so I have all around access for skeps, chests, torches, rope, and on and on. Crates needed to hold the overstock. Yep. 

[Stralgaez]

On 5/26/2026 at 5:40 PM, Maelstrom said:

Every so often it seems good for us experienced players to pass on some well earned wisdom gained from the School of Hard Knocks so the less experienced *cough*newbies*cough* don't go through the same pain.   So.   Add to this list of things you wish you had known as a new player.

• Consider absolutely EVERYTHING in this game as a resource to be managed.  Not just items you gather, but more importantly, time, inventory space, that hunger meter.  Use those things wisely.
• Target an item with the crosshairs and pressing "h" brings up the handbook entry for the item.
• Target a block with the crosshairs and pressing "shift-h" brings up the handbook entry for that block.
• Be sure that no flammable blocks or items are within 1 block, horizontally or vertically, of a pit kiln; lest it get destroyed (like tools in a tool rack above the pit kiln).

Pressing a number key while hovering your mouse on a item in your inventory will apply it onto the selected hotbar slot.

Also, when having your mouse icon at the crafting grid, you can transfer items from your hotbar to the specific crafting grid slot by pressing the corresponding number on your keyboard (for example, when having the mouse icon on the top right corner, and pressing number 4 with the coal in it, the coal will be placed on the top right corner of the crafting grid).

[Vratislav]

7 hours ago, OBAMFSpike said:

Dont overlook ruins. The possibilities of torch holders, vessels, and crates are welcomed and of great use. 

- Some (again more valuable) vessels are burried by one layer of dirt.

- Most "village" ruins have one or two buildings with a cellar, where more valuable loot can be found. Can be found by digging holes by ruin walls, if the walls go deeper than 2 blocks, there is good chance of cellar to be found. It is usually accessible without pickaxe.

 

[dakko]

- If you don't have quite enough copper for your first pickaxe and hammer, try panning sand or gravel.

- Cooked meals are much more sustaining than raw food. Prioritize finding clay so that you can make a cooking pot and bowl(s).

- Fencing is needed to keep critters out of the garden. High ground outside of the fence can act as an entry route for animals getting into your garden.

- Some animals spawn in grass growing on untilled soil, making it possible for them to spawn inside of your garden fence.

eta: I once had a 2-high fence in an "L" shape, and was surprised that some frightened/panicked animals running into the corner were able to pile up and jump over the fence (bunnies, iirc). There have been so many changes since then, I do not think this is still possible, but I have noticed that some deer/goats are jumping higher than I would expect when they are frightened. I would consider a corner pointing towards the interior of the garden (as you would see with an "L" shape) to be a weak spot where this might be more prone to happen.

Edited Wednesday at 04:14 PM by dakko

[OBAMFSpike]

On 6/3/2026 at 4:11 AM, Vratislav said:

- Most "village" ruins have one or two buildings with a cellar, where more valuable loot can be found. Can be found by digging holes by ruin walls, if the walls go deeper than 2 blocks, there is good chance of cellar to be found. It is usually accessible without pickaxe.

 

Accessible without a pickaxe AND the crafted blocks (such as cobblestone) dont require a pick to break them. Excellent point. 

[Kolyenka]

Learning how to use the propick (if playing with propick enabled) will save you many hours of fruitless mining. And when you are using the propick, you pretty much always want to be above ground until you think you're right on top of the ore.

If you're struggling for sticks, make a pair of shears (requires an ingot, anvil, hammer, fuel, and tongs). It makes stick harvesting much faster.

Rot is valuable. Especially if you only have low fertility soil. You can make terra preta with it but you can also use it as a nitrogen rich fertilizer to beef up any low fertility soil. Collecting food/hides just to rot them can be a good way to improve your farmland. But you'll need a lot of rot !

You can make a lot of nice warm clothes using mostly pelts, which are just hides + rendered fat + time. They'll get you through most winters.

You can combine a chest with a sign in your crafting grid and make a chest that can be easily labeled.

Edited Friday at 04:05 AM by Kolyenka

[vinnland]

shift+h - very nice! I should have known that with the hours i've put into this darn game!

[Maelstrom]

9 hours ago, Kolyenka said:

Rot is valuable. Especially if you only have low fertility soil. You can... use it as a nitrogen rich fertilizer to beef up any low fertility soil.

No!   Just no.   If one has a huge expanse of low fertility soil, just run in a single direction until you get some medium fertility soil.  It may be a few hundred blocks, but you'll eventually get there.   Even fertilizer enriched low fertility soil is obnoxiously slow in growing crops.

I know this as I have had multiple starts where medium fertility soil is a long way off.  Just take a stack of shovel heads (4 stone heads) and dig up a couple stacks of medium fert soil and take it home to the nearest pond/lake for farming.