Questions about setting up my Hermit farm

[reolys]

Hi guys,

The whole thing on purity and alchemical values is very confusing to me.
However, it seems that purity is more than just some min/max thing, and I should get into that matter.

So, I am currently setting up my hermit farm, as in the farming guide sugested I've created 4*4 fields that I will be splitting into the 4 elements, giving me 4 fields per element.
As I've understood I'd need 4 compost bins one for each element, to get that I'd have to grow trees for each element, remake a new compost bin rince and repeat.
Plus, I could get some worms (are pythons better or is there no difference between those two?) and feed them good element food to increase the outcome a tiny bit more...

Is all of this even worth it?
At the end of the day all I really want/need is to have decent food (mainly phlegm and bb) to be able to do other stuff around my camp. (and some gluttony)
Currently I use mushrooms, but I don't want to run around searching mushrooms anymore.

[Potjeh]

Just do one element, whichever has the best foragables in your area.

[reolys]

Well, as the trees around me are all 25,25,25,25 what alement should I pick then?

[Potjeh]

No, I mean you should try to match your crops with plants you forage for cooking (toadstools mostly), locally available water and of course lime, clay and granite since you need those to make the gardening pots.

[reolys]

I'm sorry, but I don't get what you are trying to tell me.
Since I'm still new to the game I'm completely lost when it comes to elements, purity and the likes. I've read several threads about the topic but still don't quite get it completely I guess...

Could you give me an example?

[Potjeh]

OK, you might have local water that's 35 20 25 20, clay that's 25 15 40 20, lime 30 20 25 35, granite 25 25 30 20 and toadstool 20 25 25 30. Looking at all these resources you see you've got the best matches in salt and sulphur, with sulphur being a bit better. With these resources, you should focus on raising primarily sulphur, and salt as a secondary. You primarily do that by growing trees, which you'd go about by making gardening pots with that clay, lime and granite and picking the saplings with highest sulphur and salt from each generation to plant the next one. Trees transfer their purity to crops via compost bins. Worms in bins matter too (and pythons are better), so you'll want to feed those with plants that are high in sulphur and salt. Those toadstools wouldn't really work here, but if you forage around you should find *something* that has the right elemental makeup.

[DemonEyes]

You should go find the nearest water source, map out what purity levels it has, (if you have several, map them all) pick the best element that you can find (I have 6% merc.. so I chose mercury).. you can follow the purity to the peak by watching the numbers (if the highest one rises from one spot to another move in the same direction rinse and repeat)

As a starter I would forget completely trying to do 4 elements.. it will drive you mad, MAD, MAD I TELL YOU.

Water is pretty much the driving force for a starting player so pick your best water element purity and go with that. After you have planted your first crops you are best mapping your foraging to find the best spots to collect grass, granite and lime (all other forageables can wait but it wont hurt) These spots.. unforunately are unlikely to be in the same area, for me NW was pure granite, NE was pure grass and SW was pure lime (up to 5-6%)

You will need to force feed worms/pythons to help your humus, put them in a container with a piece of grass (ANy plant really) of purity of the element of your choice. the worm will then eat it and become purer in that element (watch the element values) you will need to do this at least half a dozen times before you get a 1% (unless you get higher purity stuff) then put these worms in a compost bin (open it and drag drop.. NOT right click the bin!) and voila your bins now produce a tiny bit purer humus. ( Pythons are better than worms, the worm efficiency in the bin screen tells you that a python is 16% efficient and a worm is 4% (or something like that) the efficiency tells you how much of the worms elements are affecting the humus, not sure but if it was 50%, you worms were 20/30/25/25 you would get 22.5/27.5/25/25.. but dont quote me on this.. there are cleverer people than I looking into this exact thing but it follows that sort of response)

The main gain in purity you will get is from your gardening pots and water.. this is still miniscule.. but perseverence will show rewards as it will get faster and faster as you get higher purity stuff.

You need 1 compost bin for 12 pots (I think) so I would reccommend a tree nursery of 12 pots, however many successes you get, plant one aside for cutting down and use the rest for tree walling your base. If you have a lot of successes use less pots, (if you have another use for them).. once the trees are full grown, take all the cuttings, chop down the one planted aside and make a compost bin (you seriously only need to change 1 until you have significant results), use the cuttings for 2 attempts at 2nd gen trees which will be more pure, plant one aside.. yada yada yada.. until you throw up out of frustration at waiting for the trees to mature for those juicy cuttings! Dont expect any miracles.. from scratch on 3rd gen trees I get 32-33 merc humus.. (roughly 1%)

[reolys]

thank you guys for your detailed descriptions!
I will try what you sugested and hope I get some good results.

So it doesn't matter what element I boost for purity when it comes to food and inspirationals? All that matters is the purity % that I gain by working on increasing a certain element?

[iotuegli]

thank you guys for your detailed descriptions!
I will try what you sugested and hope I get some good results.

So it doesn't matter what element I boost for purity when it comes to food and inspirationals? All that matters is the purity % that I gain by working on increasing a certain element?

insipirational purity --> matter only the power of purity
food--> certain foods are better with certains purities... but as i know we can have only crap 10% ( ) max purity so i think that a bit negligible

[Potjeh]

Exact element matters for food, but you can get decent humours with just one element. And you might be able to find a trade partner who's raising a different element, so you can trade him food that's good in your element for food that's good in his element.