The Perfect Start (Island)

[Logan96]

Hello, a few posts have been made about everyone's favorite starter tames, and it inspired me to post my favorite way to start the game, as well as a few thoughts on each one. Would love to hear your own replies on how you all prefer to start a new game as well, or how you would change my own strategy. Maybe I'll even steal a few ideas for the upcoming remaster!

 

Step 1: Note run to level 70ish

-I honestly wish this wasn't a thing. Every experienced player does this and it completely destroys the early game, as well as the variety of choosing different starting locations. Notes should be a lore thing only, that does not reward xp.

 

Step 2: Build a 3x6 crafting/taming raft (Stone & No Power)

-I usually see people go straight into a 3x3 crafting, or 2x3 taming raft. Well after many years of building rafts, I've designed my own that manages to fit all of the crafting stations up to a fabricator, along with a generator and turret coverage and still have room for a 2x6 section for taming. It's a significant time investment to get this raft fully operational, but once its assembled it allows leeds immunity and in the early stages, very few tribes have the capability of raiding a turret raft stationed in deep water. 

 

Step 3: Low level Ptera Tame

-Thats right, my first tame these days is almost always a ptera. It's crucial to getting the next set of tames, without wasting time slogging around in your bus of a raft.

 

Step 4:  Anky Tame & 2x2 Den

-After taming the PT I like to take it straight to the northern spawn zone and score an early ankylo. Many people opt for a stego instead, but I find that the versatility of the anky is much more useful, and its berry collection is more than adequate for the initial starter tames. Now don't forget we are a long way from home, so I also take the time to set up a 2x2 square to protect the anky, along with a bed, storage bin and some morter and pestles, before setting off. 

 

Step 5: The Argentavis

-The argy in my opinion is the number one pound for pound most useful tame in the game. I have only waited this long to tame one because I have a notoriously bad record of getting both myself and the half tamed argy murdered. At this point our anky den is right in argy territory so we can safely store our PT in the taming raft and fast travel back to the den, where we have gear, a bed and the means of quickly accumulating narco berries. After 2-5 failed attempts I finally land myself an argy.

 

Step 6: Tame Frog & Gather Dinos

-This step is a breeze with an argy, I quickly haul my anky back to the raft and tame a frog. I'm now set up to secure my raft. 

 

Step 6: Metal Conversion & Turrets

-I can now use my anky and argy combo to make quick efficient metal/obsidian runs. As the furnaces roar I can hit up a few beaver dams and/or take the frog out to the swamp to secure some CP. After that I'll go for a dive and grab myself a decent haul of pearls and oil. I now have everything I need to fabricate turrets and convert my primitive raft into a mobile fortress. This usually marks the end of a late night for me, so I'll move my raft out to deeper water for safekeeping and then I tend to risk the first night uploading my dinos. Finally, I can get some sleep feeling relatively secure. 

 

Step 7: Open Field

-From here your options are open. I usually prefer to spend the next morning crafting up some more metal while using the taming section to tame up a small army of useful tames. I then will return to the den I built for the anky and convert it into my new home. With 2 metal spawns a short flight away, and a plethora of argy/anky spawns, my mid game is very powerful in this location. I will need to act quick though, for the raiders are usually quick to arrive by this point. My success from here will largely depend on my ability to make allies with the rest of the server. 

 

That sums up my own personal method of starting out. Curious to hear your thoughts, or your own strategies. Thanks for reading!

 

[CervantesMor]

hello, in your topic title I would add "PVP" because it is clear that your sequence refers to PVP, I act differently in PVE but not because you are doing something wrong, I know because there is a substantial difference...

[Logan96]

12 minutes ago, CervantesMor said:

hello, in your topic title I would add "PVP" because it is clear that your sequence refers to PVP, I act differently in PVE but not because you are doing something wrong, I know because there is a substantial difference...

I'm still interested in PvE starts as well. Don't want to exclude anybody. 

[RoyalTea]

Interesting topic. I recently started playing island LDL to get some practice in playing the island again before ASA. 
Here is how I started:

 

Step 1:

I used my levelled character and went straight to tame a mid level PT but got really lucky and found a 140 quickly and tamed it.

 

Step 2:

From there I build a hidden 1x1. I fit a smithy, forge, pestle and bed it in and use it to make a few grenades and stuff to tame another PT. Often I’ll make two or three 1x1 stone bases like this incase one gets raided. The key here is to stay hidden. My motto is that I don’t need turrets if they can’t find me. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t

 

Step 3:

Whilst looking for a high level PT or Argy I like to fly low through the dense forests incase I find a hidden base to raid as this can help me snowball if I get lucky. At the least I can get some quick gunpowder and narcotics out of it. Sometimes I get lucky and find cryo’d dinos. Like a PT or Argy.

 

Step 4:

once I have a couple of PTs/ argy I prepare to tame a low level Quetz. The Quetz will be my base as I can usually stay hidden for long enough to progress. I should have said this is as a Solo.

 

Step 5:

I grind out the basics that I need to start my quetz base and once it’s done I can start looking at progressing more. I can now raise babies, pre fab items for a bigger base and make C4 to go raid more tribes. Usually I’ll make taming a good Stego a priority and breed it so I have something to soak or rocket run turrets.

[wildbill]

On 8/9/2023 at 9:48 AM, CervantesMor said:

hello, in your topic title I would add "PVP" because it is clear that your sequence refers to PVP, I act differently in PVE but not because you are doing something wrong, I know because there is a substantial difference...

Right. I read this thinking it might apply to something I would do, but once I read turrets, then I knew it was all about PvP.

Really, no need for a perfect start in PvE. You can do it however you feel like doing it. No one is going to come along and show you what a fool you've been

[Joebl0w13]

Perfect start in PVP:

1. Note run
2. Pop a few bobs, tame a few basics
3. Offline raid some other bobs
4. Find a place to hide your loot (or spend your time up/down loading everything)
   1. Optional: Put up a base with turrets (lol)
5. Realize you can't hide anything because of .ini changes
6. Get raided by someone on a 450 (insert dino of the month here), lose all your loot and dinos
7. Start over, play PVE or go play a game with better PVP

Edited August 23, 2023 by Joebl0w13