qbradq wrote:It seems like metal is an essential mid-game ingredient. I can't even make locks for my stick fence
Do I really need to buy bars of iron for silver to bootstrap metalworking? It seems I have to for the mine and smelter.
Yes, you can buy them cheap at stalls... Farm some squirels for theyr skins, arrow points and other resources from stumps/logs/world and you might be able to buy it. Problem is, there is no Anvil at prov anymore, so you wont be able to craft a lock now. I'm at work now, or i'd give you one or 2 for free, no worries. When i started playing i found an abandoned mine with some resources inside, one of them was an anvil. Maybe if you're lucky exploring you can find one too!
Best of luck!