by Eslake » Mon Sep 21, 2015 1:34 pm
You really want to get to stone hedge as soon as you are able.
The thing to remember about fences and walls is that they won't actually Block a thief from entering, they only increase the phlem cost of doing so.
When you reach the point that most thieves will look at the time and effort it would take to enter your claim and the visible (or likely) loot for doing so is just not a worthwhile effort, you are as safe as you're going to be.
The bad news is that both of those first two tiers of fence are barely going to slow a thief down.
The good news is that breaking them will cause any torch-posts or braziers you have in range to start firing - which they will have to consider when they are deciding whether or not your claim is worth the effort.
You might consider that there is nothing preventing you having Both types of fence. But if you go that route, be sure to place the Makeshift on the outside and the split-rail inside. Any breaking fence piece causes so much splash damage to nearby fencing of the same (or lower) type that those additional pieces may as well not be there, but they don't damage Higher tiers.
So as long as the fences are layered from outside to inside, weakest to strongest, they will have to break through each fence in turn - all the while being attacked back by your torch posts.
Early on, having no valuables in view is as much prevention as strong walls.
Waiting out the crime debuff is boring and annoying, so most won't bother unless they see some reward for their time.