Salem

So far it seemed almost impossible. There doesn't seem to be a way to teleport until we have a claim, which seems to take quite a bit of silver for a new person. I was thinking of just walking outside city limits but then we wouldn't have a homestead or anything to get back to town teleporting. We also tried one of us making it, being in a party and going to the arrow, however after 30-50 minutes of walking we came across a large hill, and after about 10-15 minutes of walking down we gave up. A second try was very similar, except with deep water.

Is there any way I can just be put with a friend? It seems like this would be a bit important for something so simple to add, seeing I'm sure I'm not the only one that would enjoy the company of a friend.

Thanks.

they need a claim so you can teleport to them. next best thing is a long walk. I've walked a few hours on multiple times on many characters to get to places. It gives you ALOT of time to get skills and collect stuff.

You need a claim before teleportation can work. The only way to do that for a new character is if both you and your friend rush the Indian Tracking skill
(Foraging -> Lore of the Lumberwoods -> Hiking -> Exploration -> Indian Tracking http://salemwiki.info/index.php/Indian_Tracking)

So head out of town in a random direction, pick up items as you go and study, and you'll eventually get it; then you can start finding Indian Feathers with which you make Savage Charms. These sell for 35s at the market (white stalls) and if you find snake skins in old trunks you can sell those too for 4s. It isn't much of a cash flow, but as a new player every little helps! Plus, with two of you it should go twice as fast, yay math!

Don't feel overwhelmed - Salem is one big game, and I've found that if you try to rush too many things at once you end up giving yourself a headache

can they teleport to your claim even after they've accidentally gotten a lean-to from the wilderness guide? I have a claim but when my friend goes to the wilderness guide it is just a shop and not a teleport option.

No, they can't. The only way to fix this is to make the long trek between locations. It is early enough in the game starting a new character wouldn't be a huge pain, so that could be considered an option, too.

Just remember, there's a lot of walking in Salem. I just wish there was less cliff climbing Also, you might want to look at the World Maps. You and your friend could pick a known location out in the wilds to walk to together, then strike off into some unknown (or at least unreported) lands and make yourself a home.