Salem

I am trying to figure out how to know whether a camp is abandoned.

When I started the game I let a guide take me to a random location in the Darkness. As it turns out, there is a basic personal settlement near where I started that does not have a claim on it. I found it when looking for a spot to put a claim on, as it is in an excellent location for that. It has a few farm plots, a dozen storage boxes, some hide racks, a kiln, a tanning tub, an ore smelter, a cabin, and a turkey coop with a few dead turkeys.

I have checked back a couple times over the past couple weeks and the contents of the chests do not seem to change.

So my questions:
1.) Is there anything you would do to determine if someone has been visiting a camp site that they built?
2.) Would it be rude to take over someone's camp with a p-claim if they have not visited it for a few weeks?


I would appreciate any advice. I know it's possible to do whatever you feel like but I would like to be considerate here if I can.

Sure signs of activity are growing fields, drying hides, undried timber piles, so you could check for that. In general, I'd say it's not rude to take over a previously claimed plot when it's not being used. You should, however, ask yourself if there could be a reason that claim isn't there anymore

On any other normal occasion an abandoned camp could mean that the owner have had a "visit" and left, or that they committed crime, got caught and killed. However, the new purity updates have resulted in players leaving the game, either temporarily or permanently.

I'd say settle at your own risk.

Thank you for the advice! Nothing is growing, there are no timber piles and nothing is on the drying racks. I agree that it is probably dangerous; if nothing else I can imagine a downside to building in a spot so logical that I accidentally ran across it twice. Nonetheless, I think I'll give it a try and plan to die for it eventually.

You could just use the claim infrastructure to raise your biles and proficiencies/skills before building your own base in a better location.

To all new players starting out I recommend 'inheriting' one of the hundred abandoned claims on each server instead of making your own.

If you want to settle down permanently and build your own base stockpile silver. Accumulated ~2k silver for a personal claim stone + expansion and another 2.5k silver for church in glass panes. Go to the darkness untill 40 elevation or lower and look for a habitable location. Establish your personal claim and church. You are now safe for eternity. Darkness is so big at the moment and populations so low that NO ONE will raid you unless you start dropping criminal scents everywhere.

Fairly sure with the purity nerf that every raider in Salem does not scout/adventure into darkness anymore unless a target is already in mind.