step outside the base or set up proper traps
dont stay inside your home unless you have set up some sharp stakes

imho its better to fight or kite them outside until the event is over
a spear, knife or axe works great for the incomming masses of greydwarfs

just make sure you take out the shamans first

Setting up defenses to protect your home is part of the game. Eventually these raids are a good thing.

When the forest is moving, I consider it that my bulk order of resin and greydwarf eyes has arrived.

It's one of the raids. There will be more and different ones the further you get in the game. I can see your frustration a little. But this is not necessarily a rare thing for these games to have. Although I guess in other games they can't always damage your structures.

Hello!
What helped me in my viking adventures in the beginning was creating a good fence line with pikes on the outside in spots. Fires on the outside of the base help to distract them and some will run over the fire and burns themselves.

Once you get a pickaxe you can make a trench around your base!

Goodluck!

You must remain inside the circle for two minutes for the timer to run out. You can just run around in circles during that time if you want to. If you kill them, more will come. They only destroy your base if they can't get to you.

Your base will need defenses. I usually place my starter cabin up on a rock. The fire can go on top of the rock. Later, I dig a ditch. Stake walls are another good choice, until the blue guys come knocking.

Digging a trench with the pickaxe... that's... an interesting idea... Maybe I'll try that too. :-D

So, what am I supposed to do? Run off till they completely destroy everything then come back and rebuild it with a moat? Start a new game and concentrate on all defenses first?

I usually murder them all. They will primarily aggro you. If you are around them, they wont attack your base.

Originally posted by gutlor:

So, what am I supposed to do? Run off till they completely destroy everything then come back and rebuild it with a moat? Start a new game and concentrate on all defenses first?

Greydwarfs in particular are also scared of fire. You can use a torch or nearby campfire to mess with their AI and try to bait more manageable numbers into a fight.

Each biom you visit has a chance to randomly spawn an attack event on your bases at random times. no matter where the base is located or what biom it is in. These events can happen multiple times throughout your play through. just use the raise ground tool to create walls around your base and the pick to make motes outside those walls and youll be fine. the forest is moving can be a pain early on if not prepared because the trolls can smash your wood and stone walls. which is why the mote is important keeps them away from your walls. or you can get really creative and build an island fortress like i did.

Originally posted by gutlor:

So, what am I supposed to do? Run off till they completely destroy everything then come back and rebuild it with a moat? Start a new game and concentrate on all defenses first?

You get 100% of your materials back so you won't have to chop trees all over again. The wood and whatever else you have will be on the ground waiting for you to pick it up again. So, yeah, rebuild after you run out the timer. It take a few days for items on the ground to despawn, and they never despawn when in range of a workbench. You lost time, but not materials.

Originally posted by gutlor:

So, what am I supposed to do? Run off till they completely destroy everything then come back and rebuild it with a moat? Start a new game and concentrate on all defenses first?

they target you first (unless there is another enemy they dont like)
the golden rule is like Ailes wrote

they come for you - if you stay inside a building they will wreck it until they can reach you

My island fortress. days and days of work.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2407100216

Originally posted by gutlor:

So, what am I supposed to do? Run off till they completely destroy everything then come back and rebuild it with a moat? Start a new game and concentrate on all defenses first?

rethink where your base is. is it a defensible position, or just out in the open? live and learn. build on a hill top, or island. this base started as a tower in the black forest on a little hilltop, and has grown to this. nothing can reach us up there, unless it can fly. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2906247711
raids run for 2 mins. & you have to be with in the red circle for the raid timer to run.

Originally posted by Zep Tepi:

You get 100% of your materials back so you won't have to chop trees all over again. The wood and whatever else you have will be on the ground waiting for you to pick it up again. So, yeah, rebuild after you run out the timer. It take a few days for items on the ground to despawn, and they never despawn when in range of a workbench. You lost time, but not materials.

I'm fairly sure you don't get the core wood from staked walls back. But since they are a dedicated defense structure I guess if you can afford to build too many of those you will want and are able to fight the enemies at least partly too.