I appreciate everyone's help here.

Insofar as freezing vs cold goes: first world I ever spawned in it must have been mountains. I didn't know any better and kept freezing. I hadn't figured out how to find small rocks to make a fire yet in that go.

The following worlds probably were NOT mountains, one was kind of field like with streams, but when I would get the cold message, I'd have a panic. Beehives keep poisoning me, and those wildlings like to sneak up on me when my hands are full of things I can't punch them with. I have found ruined buildings, but typically they're small and also full of poison. Mostly I find them in the woods.

My last death, though, was because a boar cornered me in my own house (no door). Haha.

I did figure out that eating is a darned good thing to do. Even if it is just a handful of berries.

Are dandelions good for anything?

I am thoroughly enjoying this game for all of the train wreck I have been whilst playing it. :)

It is impossible to spwan in mountains. They actually cannot be generated to close to the spawn point.

In a way, you shouldn't worry. You are learning the game. There is intentionally very little guidance. I would say try to not get frustrated and learn what you can with each run.

Originally posted by GeekGirl717:

Are dandelions good for anything?

I am thoroughly enjoying this game for all of the train wreck I have been whilst playing it. :)

This game is unforgiving, so you seem to have that certain something it takes to keep playing. Good on you.

Dandelions make mead. It comes later in the game. For now, just get rid of them, they are very common and easy to find in meadows as-needed.

My only advice is to check you tube for videos about valheim. So many good players, with amazing help and ideas. I look forward to seeing your creations there too, someday.

Good hunting, until then.

Stick to the green grass areas with the beech trees at first. Difficulty scales by biome. Forest (fir and pine trees) is second, swamp is third (difficult to get used to), mountain is fourth, plains with the brown grass is fifth. Don't go out of order until you know what you are doing.

You always spawn in the meadows, but mountains or forest might be close by.

Dandelions are used in a few recipes but aren't food.

You get the cold message anywhere at night, but it only means that your stamina regens slower, which makes it harder to run and fight. It's better to stay inside at night anyway because harder monsters can spawn.

I can recommend my mains seed as the starter continent is practically a huge meadows continent, so there's not much danger. Black Forest is reasonably close, as is good sized mountain, but meadows is the dominant feature.

Seed is: Pct2NspXkR

Edit: I now realize that I was extremely lucky with this seed, as I've experienced other seeds now that are not so easy and forgiving and where things are not so conveniently located.

If game says you're cold, build a nearby fire ... Just make sure inside fires have room to vent out the smoke!

You can also look into debugmode to practice building with limitless life and resources.

For the very first shelters I usually just repurpose houses/villages that I find in the world. I like to explore my 1st island as much as possible to really pick well my true base location. If you use villages to get started it may be easier to just expand instead of starting from scratch.

I didn't know villages even exist... I typically die before I get too far. I guess I will try exploration vs. immediate building?

It's usually better to always explore a little bit before deciding where to build your first proper base. Until then I usually build temporary shelters untill then, in a 3x3 or 2x2 space ( One 2m wooden floor as one unit) with a campfire outside and a roof piece above it to help protect it from any rain.

I don't think the seed is your problem. If you're freezing while building your first home, you're in a biome that is four levels above any place you have any business being. The only place you can freeze is the Mountains. Your trying to build there at the beginning of the game is like trying to build a space station before you have a spacesuit. You're likely to die before you get there. Build your first base in the Meadows and move from there when you're ready. Nothing says you have to stay in your first base for the whole game.

She (I'm assuming that) may be just "cold" and says she's freezing. Not sure, though. :P

Originally posted by GeekGirl717:

I didn't know villages even exist... I typically die before I get too far. I guess I will try exploration vs. immediate building?

Villages are just small collections of the ruined buildings you see scattered about. There may not be any villages near your start point but any of these ruins make a good first home since you can just throw down a bench and repair them without it costing you any materials. Then you just replace the missing bits, add a fire, a bed, maybe a chest or two and you're good to go.

Pick up all the sticks and rock and, of course, any berries and shrooms. You're going to need it all. Usually I head downhill to the water and collect all the flint I find to make a stone ax as soon as I have a roofed workbench.

When you're not being attacked knock down the saplings growing all over. This will get you wood and build up your unarmed skill so you can better deal with the greylings that keep pestering you. Make a club or stone ax soon, though. Either of those are much more effective than your dukes.

Originally posted by electricdawn:

She (I'm assuming that) may be just "cold" and says she's freezing. Not sure, though. :P

Yeah, that could be. That hadn't occurred to me. OTOH, being cold only slows health regeneration but doesn't actually hurt you.

Originally posted by GeekGirl717:

I didn't know villages even exist... I typically die before I get too far. I guess I will try exploration vs. immediate building?

Villages or farms often exist at the edge of the meadows close to a black forest(pine trees). They have several houses and berry patches with fences. They are a good place to set up a base after you kill the first boss. Then dig a ditch with steep sides around the whole thing, and space workbenches or campfires around inside, to defend against invaders

But, if you're having trouble staying alive in the meadows you might want to avoid those for now because higher level things can wander out of the black forest. If you are dying in the meadows, it's probably because you aren't eating. Meadows food includes berries, mushrooms, honey and three kinds of cooked meat. Food will give you more health and stamina, and very importantly, health regeneration. If you don't eat, then you can easily die to a boar or two. If you do eat well, then nothing in the meadows can hurt you very much. You don't even need a house to put a couple cooking racks over a fire.

Speaking of fire, the smoke needs a full square of open space to vent outside. Those smoke particles are huge apparently. You will end up with it venting sideways because you need one roof piece above the fire to protect it from train. Or, you don't even need to put it inside. Outside the wall close to your bed with one piece of roof to shelter it from rain will work.