Salem

So I dabbled a bit with Salem last night but with a bit of a misunderstanding - I would need to start over again. I've been reading more about the game today and I am starting to wonder if I should really try getting into this game - I was hoping some players could help me decide one way or the other.

What really intrigues me about this game is the crafting system - it seems to be a nice blend of challenge, mystique and fun. The skill system w/ proficiency and humors seems really cool too. The exploration, building, hunting creatures all look like great fun!

What is worrying me is permadeath & getting raided. Basically the pvp stuff. Yes, I am a carebear when it comes to games, unless it is a FPS style game where losing doesn't cost you anything. The amount of time you can lose as a result of dying or getting raided in this game seems to be dramatic. And being a casual player not able to spend multiple hours every day would leave me very disadvantaged and open prey throughout my entire playing life.

So, based on my concerns above are you rolling your eyes and thinking I really don't belong in your game? I should go back to playing Minecraft? (actually, I never did play that game, I hate retro graphics!)

P.S. anyone recommend any other similar-ish sandbox crafting games which have less pvp?

should try to join a town, increases your protection.

Pvp can be avoided for the most part if you are with a town and pay attention. Spreading you time on multiple characters for different jobs will also make a loss less painful. Example you crafting valuable character doesn't leave the protection of you village and you make another character for hunting and foraging that will leave the base and be exposed to danger. If that character is killed then you just use the crafting character to make a new hunter very quickly.

If you are really worried about dying than this might not be a game for you. That said not everyone is out to kill you and is you play on providence the chance of being found and harassed is fairly low. Give it's shot and see how you like it.

Personally, I play for the crafting, forging, exploration, and base building. Through careful use of defenses, hiding, and multiple characters, I can say I've never had a significant loss. So, it really can be done. And yeah, if you can manage to get into a town and get along with your townmates, you can be a lot safer. Or in a lot more danger because of politics and backstabbing, depends on the town.

I also play for the crafting. I'm not sure where on the map my claim is setup but I RARELY see another person. There are a few claims a short distance from mine but I haven't seen any activity on them in a long while. There used to be a guy that would walk by my place pretty regularly. We would chat for a bit, he would be his leftover beaver meat in my fish traps, then he would leave. I haven't seen him in quite a while. Needless to say, I now have a stone fence and a couple torches setup...just in case.

Hmm, okay these responses sound very promising!

So using alts are a big part of this game? I have read some stuff on the wikis about 'alt vaulting' to store items safely but I also see other places mention you cannot do this anymore as of pretty recently?

If I am out in the wild and I encounter another player who appears to be intent on attacking me, how can I reach safety? From what I read it seems my only option is to drop all by belongings (is there a hot key that does this at once?) and then fast travel somewhere. Logging out will leave you at their mercy since your character persists, right? No other options if you cannot outrun them?

When I have my leanto, someone can steal anything I store in it - but can they also kill my character? How would I keep any of my characters safe from murder while I am not playing the game?

Finally once I may establish an actual settlement (pclaim) I was worried that if I invested some time into developing my infrastructure, someone could come along and plant a town next to my claim and then simply absorb my whole claim at a measly 2s per tile, without even having to negotiate any defenses I may have built by then - is that true? Is it better then for a player to make a town instead of a pclaim?

strawman wrote: How would I keep any of my characters safe from murder while I am not playing the game?

Well,if you dont leave any scents you cant be murdered if you are offline.So as long as you dont leave scents you are fine.

Alt vaulting is not safe anymore since our inventory can be stolen through the leanto. So stuff stored on your alt are accessible whereas before that, i guess those items were untouchable.

When you will settle your claim you can eventually (after some time and silver wealth accumulated), turn it into your own town , to avoid being "claimed" by a stranger town bell.

But keep in mind it costs 8500s, so it's not the random guy who will put a bell on top of your claim. Unless you pissed him off real bad, or your claim looks very juicy (probably cheaper to break in anyway), or you are just really unlucky.

If u meet a guy in the wild...well you can still pray that it's me or another peaceful player . Otherwise, run, maybe he's current phlegm will be lower than yours and you will be able to outrun him.
But if you're deep in the wild, it's unlikely you meet someone randomly (not impossible though).
You can still prepare a backup alt, in case your main get killed. And of course plan your estate, so your heir can inherit 30-35% of your biles and proficiencies (maybe i m a bit wrong on those numbers).

Thanks for the really helpful info folks!

So I see that there is a delay in when you travel from your homestead to town, so that won't be a good way to escape danger as I thought it might. But then I wonder, I notice once I made a bed I can instantly sleep - what happens if I go sleep by a leanto (no claim)? Do I safely log out instantly or am I going to be killed in my sleep tonight?

I don't think you will be killed in your sleep. But stolen from is possible.
Although, if you're already engage in combat (you have special icon on top right of screen, i believe you will not be able to sleep/log off instantly.


And if you committed a crime, and a guy follows the scents you left behind, he can summon you while you're offline and kill you.