Kenshi - open-ended sandbox RPG set in a desert world

[polo]

For best frogmen experience come with your late game skeleton party equipped with heavy weapons and just watch limbs and bodies fly everywhere. Doesn't matter how many come at you.

Yeah a very high level char with falling sun destroying several fogmen with a swing is priceless.

 

[Fedora Master]

Everyone's like "wow use that one plateau in the Fog Islands for a base!" but I think I found a much better spot:
View attachment 22685

Enough fertility to grow everything except rice, 2 copper, tons of iron and most importantly: Only two easily defendable entrances. I walled off one side and placed a tiny gate at the other end. Plop a watchtower next to it, install a few crossbows and BAM, you're safe and sound.

Its quite small

Never found the need for much space. 4 or 5 buildings, a few farms and such fit easily in there.

 

[Delterius]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=816282176

kinda wish this mod worked. hopefully kenshi 2 will do it.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

i always go full D U N C and create a base in the shem desert

Yes, except that Shem has an ample water supply, and the Venge is an effective eastern boundary.

 

[Delterius]

Yes, except that Shem has an ample water supply, and the Verge is an effective eastern boundary.

the perfect holy land, possibly based around the flooded desert in northern brazil

 

[Zariusz]

This is my squad from 2019, my original (and current, i came back to it after few years of break) and only run.

From left to right:
- Zariush Sobieshchevich and Bony, spreader of police brutality and his loyal bone doggo, main heroes from man and the dog start.
- Maktub the Manlet/Dwarf/Black Jew of the squad. First addition to the team, he trades, makes research and builds. Together with him, Zariush was mining Copper and Iron near Heng, they started with 0 labouring and had to fill every large backpack with ore, then Zariush had to carry him back to Heng, later doing circles around the town walls until he got like 50 strength and made 100 000 Cats (together it took me like a 1 full day of playing Kenshi. Yes, for like a few real days every time when i was playing Kenshi, i was only mining, and it was fun somehow). Once to grow in strength even more, Zariush carried Maktub and backpack full of stones from north eastern border of continent to the south western beaches and then again but in opposite direction. Now Maktub is building my city on border between Shem and Burning Forest.
- Kaji the desert samurai who is as reliable as he is generic. Third companion, i added him because it was weird to not have giant katana wielder in asian inspired setting, tank of the group.
- Alden the badass, i dont even remember how i get him to join but i can't imagine my team without him.
- Sand the silent and mysterious Hive Prince, i spent a lot of time editing him in character creator, probably too much.
- Pia the tits healer of the group, she joined during my long journey to north western parts of the continent, i think she was from that Holy Nation women renegade village. It was a dangerous but an awesome adventure, from that island near leviathan coast to flooded ruins, cannibal lands and Holy nation mountains and some mountain outpost of that science faction.
- Toshiba the crash tester, he crashtests his fists on the enemy heads. Last addition to the main squad, next companions were there only to fill my future settlement. Before i found final place for my city i tried to create settlement in Flats Lagoon, i build few things but i didnt like it there so i ventured forth to find a real place for my new home. And what a journey it was, lots of acid rain, black ninjas, desert and loot, shitton of loot.

And when i built city walls and my little stormhouse base (and removed some annoying giant stone foliage with in game tools) i paused the game for a long time. But like a week ago i finally came back to this game and now im going to finish my Carrodunum.

 

[Skdursh]

Everyone's like "wow use that one plateau in the Fog Islands for a base!" but I think I found a much better spot:
View attachment 22685

Enough fertility to grow everything except rice, 2 copper, tons of iron and most importantly: Only two easily defendable entrances. I walled off one side and placed a tiny gate at the other end. Plop a watchtower next to it, install a few crossbows and BAM, you're safe and sound.

Yeah, that's a great spot if your intention is to the play the game like a bitch. Personally, I want my citizens to revel in the euphoric taste of their own blood. I won't rest until everyone's limbs are replaced with robotics and it's going to be hard to do that if they're snuggled up cozy in bed playing with their ding-dong while the hordes outside get picked off by obese brainlets on mobility scooters lazily flinging crossbow bolts from air conditioned safety ramparts.

 

[Zanzoken]

The only time I've ever made a base was in the Floodlands, and it was a cakewalk. Rainwater and wind power are unlimited, so all you need is hydroponics and you can make enough gohan to feed an army. The only raids I ever got were from cannibals.

I wonder where is the most difficult / dangerous place to build a base? Not just getting it started, but a real struggle to defend even if you're well fortified.

 

[mondblut]

I won't rest until everyone's limbs are replaced with robotics and it's going to be hard to do that if they're snuggled up cozy in bed

Make it "snuggled up cozy in peeler machine". Science is amazing!

 

[mondblut]

I wonder where is the most difficult / dangerous place to build a base? Not just getting it started, but a real struggle to defend even if you're well fortified.

Build on the mountain just west of the Ark, and you'll have an infinite stream of crab raiders, skeleton bandits, blood reavers and south hivers coming in (and battling each other all over the place).

Skimmer's roam is also pretty nasty due to sheer size of starving bandit swarms. Especially when you get 2-3 swarms coming in. Not even 3 gates can hold them.

 

[Zariusz]

Is there a mechanic that settles npcs in your buildings? And if yes will they pay taxes?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Is there a mechanic that settles npcs in your buildings?

Prisons

 

[Grampy_Bone]

I wonder where is the most difficult / dangerous place to build a base? Not just getting it started, but a real struggle to defend even if you're well fortified.

Build on the mountain just west of the Ark, and you'll have an infinite stream of crab raiders, skeleton bandits, blood reavers and south hivers coming in (and battling each other all over the place).

Skimmer's roam is also pretty nasty due to sheer size of starving bandit swarms. Especially when you get 2-3 swarms coming in. Not even 3 gates can hold them.

I went with an Outlands base between Ark and Black Scratch and that was easily my best most successful game, training a strong squad just from local mobs.

 

[Zariusz]

Ehh after finishing my last expedition into the wilds i started to miss old days of traveling from place to place, hauling prisoners to sell from city to city, barelly dying from hunger and surviving badly planned assaults on new mysterious ruins etc... now i just circle around my town selling and buying shit and repelling bandits. Also i cleaned swamp ninja base, besides sword on their leader there was literally nothing to loot, everything was empty

 

[Zanzoken]

Ehh after finishing my last expedition into the wilds i started to miss old days of traveling from place to place, hauling prisoners to sell from city to city, barelly dying from hunger and surviving badly planned assaults on new mysterious ruins etc... now i just circle around my town selling and buying shit and repelling bandits. Also i cleaned swamp ninja base, besides sword on their leader there was literally nothing to loot, everything was empty

Personally I think the game is at it's best when you play it more like an RPG and are free to explore and murderhobo.

Some people really like basebuilding, but I could never get into that part of the game. My "base" was just a building stashed out in the middle of nowhere, used only as a place to rest and resupply between adventures.

 

[thesecret1]

Yeah, whenever I start basebuilding, I end up spending dozens of hours with just that, and do no adventuring

 

[Joggerino]

One of the last things I did before venturing into the Ashlands was a little expedition to kidnap the Bugmaster. Kept him in a cage in my base and used as a training tool. He also managed to escape multiple times.

 

[Zariusz]

Is there a mod that adds shoulder armor to holy plate?

 

[Gumsmith]

Is there a mod that adds shoulder armor to holy plate?

You made me curious so I ran a google search and found this: https://www.nexusmods.com/kenshi/mods/606?tab=description

Heavier and lighter armor for the Holy Nation forces it seems. It's got some shoulders but the style of it is not quite to my taste.

Spoiler

 

[Zariusz]

Is there a mod that adds shoulder armor to holy plate?

You made me curious so I ran a google search and found this: https://www.nexusmods.com/kenshi/mods/606?tab=description

Heavier and lighter armor for the Holy Nation forces it seems. It's got some shoulders but the style of it is not quite to my taste.

Spoiler

Yeah those shoulders look kinda weak. But i found on this thread screenshot of some bandit wearing version with much better looking ( or atleast from this perspective) pauldrons.

Perkel do you remember what mod did you used? Or maybe it was already in vanilla?

Also what is better Reactive World or Living World?

 

[Kruyurk]

My lady, I don't know about pauldrons but this is not an appropriate outfit for our Holy Nation.

 

[Perkel]

Perkel do you remember what mod did you used? Or maybe it was already in vanilla?

Also what is better Reactive World or Living World?

That was reactive world. But after spending 100+ hours with game i suggest either:

- Living World - it is very minimal stuff that focuses on world states after you do something
- Kaizo - Similar to above but makes world slightly harder and rebalances some stuff.

Reactive world or other definitely make game more "alive" but the problem is that Kenshi is the best when you have lonely world and you explore it finding bits and pieces of civilization. Stuff like Reactive world could be used well after you are done with vanilla game as it completely changes game from post apocalypse explore world to effectively borderlands where everyone fights with each other and everywhere is "bussy"

I also definitely advice you to not buy buildings or start your outpost from get go. Explore world first and then you can start stuff. Game is definitely the best when you explore stuff. When you build stuff it becomes really boring game.

 

[Galdred]

I don't agree about the building stuff: I really felt exploration more purposeful when it was about getting advanced books to advance my settlement, but it works better if you don't have to babysit your settlement too much, so I would advise to put it in a spot that is not too highly contested so that you can strip it of the best fighters and keep exploring whenever you feel like it. I like planting some "outposts" when exploring (just a few walls, bedrolls and turrets). It makes it much easier when you have a spot you can fall back to (it really helped me against the Bugmaster spiders).

 

[Perkel]

I think the issue is that people think basebuilding is "duh" part of game from start. As in you start game start settlement basically from first minute and then play exploring world. But game is constructed in such a way that you will get annihilated from start regardless where you build. Moreover it is mostly bussy work that doesn't lead into anything worthwile as whole base aspect of kenshi is most unfinished. Yes you can make an outpost but you will never be able to make proper shops etc, game also doesn't have any economy to begin with as items are spawaned not made so it is kind of pointless to begin with.

On other hand Kenshi is strongest when you explore world and find weird stuff or try to change status quo. You find city in mist ? It is surrounded by fogmen ? Maybe you can try to help that city trying to solve fogmen issue ? Not strong enough ? train on those fogmen. Oh shit your guy got caught and now they are eating him alive ? RESCUE HIM !!! and so on.

 

[Hag]

I don't agree about the building stuff: I really felt exploration more purposeful when it was about getting advanced books to advance my settlement, but it works better if you don't have to babysit your settlement too much, so I would advise to put it in a spot that is not too highly contested so that you can strip it of the best fighters and keep exploring whenever you feel like it. I like planting some "outposts" when exploring (just a few walls, bedrolls and turrets). It makes it much easier when you have a spot you can fall back to (it really helped me against the Bugmaster spiders).

Biggest issue I had with splitting the team between explorers and base-builders was performance-wise. Keeping focus on one area is ok, but when I need to move between two regions the performance drop quickly kills all fun.