Originally posted by blprice61:

For purposes of my own, somewhat questionable, sanity I'm dividing scouting into three sub-types using terminology from military articles and wargames. The three sub-types I'm using here are Strategic, Operational, and Tactical.

Let me start with the last one first. Tactical scouting is what you do prior to exploiting a resource or fighting a boss. It is done before enemy suppression and ground preparation. It seems pretty clear and simple, go in and see what is there that might interfere with your intended exploits.

The first one, strategic scouting, is likewise fairly straightforward; more or less just locating and getting a rough idea of the size/characteristics of each biome in the 'nearby' area. Some of this type of scouting gets done automatically when searching for a Trader or exploring the current biome.

The tricksy one, and the one that has tripped me up more than once is operational scouting. I'm defining operational scouting as finding points of interest and exploitable resources within the target area. It isn't as cut and dried as it sounds as it can be divided into two distinct phases; the preliminary scouting and the full in depth scouting.

The preliminary operational scouting phase occurs at a time when you are just barely capable of surviving in the target area. The full in depth scouting comes more towards the end of that phase in the progression where you are generally comfortable operating in the target biome, well on your way to considering the biome 'conquered'.

The preliminary scouting is the point where I have made my biggest mistakes in scouting. Either I'll be too optimistic and forget that even a large swamp, for instance, may have zero crypts; or I'll get too bold and go too far in, too quickly, and die horribly. For me the 'trick' is to be patient, scout out multiple areas instead of just deciding the first one is 'good enough', or not scouting enough to realize that 150 meters from the point where I decide to set up my 'exploitation' camp is the beginnings of a hidden but large chunk of much higher level biome.

So I'm interested in how other players approach this problem. I know about doing the 'suicide run' thing but that's just not my style.

How did you scout out your last biome entry point; what made you decide that was *the* place?

Set up a base in the closest safest place (meadows for example) and then scout the Plains nearby, if no safe biome, then elevate ground or build on trees/rocks to keep base safe.

Scouting, by keeping distance from spawn points (not engage in heavy combat), have the T marker on map selected and full zoomed in, quickly open map-double click- name point with start letter (c for copper for example, usually going with d or dung for any dungeon etc) to keep it short and fast.
Typically, I will scout the general area, measure enemies and safety/risk percentages and then if its risky, approach either stealthy or make a clear-out run, fall back to regen and then venture again to mark spots (dungeons, herbs etc).

Of course, scouting becomes rather obsolete if you are on the max gear of that biome, with full maxed bronze gear, black forest becomes a joke. Swamp with full max iron and a poison res is just fun, mountain drakes are easy as heck to avoid and wolves are only dangerous at night with full silver. Plains however, yeah I have a more strategic scouting tactic before engaging a village (I will either find nearby water/elevations/rocks etc or create elevations/trench) and then engage, while I have also marked/memorised nearby lox/squitos/blobs. Plains, even with my almost max blocking in Vanilla playthrough (85) are still a challenge, 2-star goblins and goblin berserkers are painful, even with Bonemass power...so kiting is important, which makes scouting beforehand even more important.

My most extreme scout-ahead and preparation was with the 1st goblin village where I even marked the rocks I can use to stay safe, I made a few wooden walls to fall back to and a trench to halt their advance if I need to fall back (and I marked the spots), cuz in those 1st encounters, you expect (from experience) that you won't be thinking straight during the fight, so you plan ahead, to counter that *irrationality*.

*Small edit.. Of course as the previous commenters mentioned, the small forward base always has a portal.. in my 1st Vanilla run, I had a tight portal hub (yeah not very spatious, but portals right next to each others) of about 40 or smt... Made portals in base, named them, so I can always have extras and I brought with me mats for 2 portals, 1 for the 1st safe forward base and 1 for a new further in base (for example a mountain or deep in plains). My wife (we played together on that 1st playthrough) can verify that I am THAT cautious lol, while she is like "let's charge in", tho fun.. can be punishing...
I am a strategist by nature, so it does pay off in such games.

I want to thank everyone for their replies, I'm still digesting :) Plenty of food for thought so far.

PS: yeah it is true, I do over-analyze - hazard of my former career.

Valheim plays well with being overly cautious. There's a lot of powering up that can be done through mining, farming, and hunting monsters for drops. Boss arenas are great places to terraform, to remove obstacles and make fights easier.

The most important scouting tool is the portal. Keep an empty portal at home, and drop portals immediately after a long boat trip. Night time is far more dangerous than day. Portal home at dusk, do some base maintenance, and get a well rested bonus for next dawn.

i look for the biome i want then search for a good safe area on the edge of it. find a hill level the top and raise ground around straighten edges so they cant run up place a fob and portal , then start exploring so i have a base to re spawn at and a portal to go back for food etc. oh and fob is forward operating base fyi

Basically everything revolves around the search for metal.

First, the shore lines and their biomes are charted from the sea. This is done whenever current exploitable resources are exhausted. Second, a base camp with a portal is established on the shore. This serves as an ore collection point and hunting/forage lodge. Third, the biome patch is charted. Resource sites are marked, unlocked, and possibly cleared of hostiles. Finally, a cart is taken to each ore source, filled with ore, and hauled back to base camp. Ore is then shipped back home by the boat load. Much mead is drunk and dancing done as the ore smelts. Repeat as necessary.

I would add to that the first really critical item to succeed in your entire endeavour in Valheim:

Turnips.

Boy, are these hard to find sometimes.

Originally posted by Nefrarya:

I usually sprint towards any new shiny object and then run screaming from the occupant of said object. :lunar2019laughingpig:

I get distracted easily, but I'm trying to at least bring portal mats before I wander off.

Ain't that the truth... :D

I tend to a lot of scouting and setting up small camps with a bed so if I do die I am not far from the point and do not have far to reclaim my backpack.

Recon once! mark resources and shelters and objectives.. find Forsaken altar ..Build a Base thats defensible and convienient to Heavy resources..Repeat for next Biome.
Return to bed when "you get cold"
I mark type and quantities of berrys locations of Oak trees anything out of ordinary. I walk or sail biome borders so that main map shows neighbouring biome.. also mark visible land from coast.. even spotted levaithans once ( after i died swimming to see them the first time lol) ( damn that "shiny object attraction" @Nefraya ) then remember to build a bed and mark it @SgtBro46..

Very interesting, you have a much more organized style than me.

I've been always the more chaotic, slightly unorganized player when I first start. I don't really "think" on what to do next, I just go around and see how stuff works.

Later on, when I get more familiar with a game or have already been through it at least once, I get much more organized, but probably not even close to the same extent as you do.

There's certain things I know will bring rewards or are good to survive, but I will probably still try new things (mostly if I read about them here, as my imagination tends to run dry now), because I like exploring new things or ways to get killed (most of the time).

So, I never was the number cruncher type. I don't "min-max". I play because I want to have fun. I only do numbers or remember certain things that are very useful to me. Other than that, I'm more of a "let's find out!" guy.

Edit: Just realized I went way off-topic. That's me being chaotic... :P
I do try scouting along the edges of a swamp to find the best point where I can enter, but most of the time I just go in trying to map things as best as I can.

The swamps is pretty much the only biome where I do more extensive scouting, because, plainly, I just don't like to spend too much time in there.

Every other biome? Just head on in straight and see what comes up. Because I love all of them (but swamps).

I start by sailing up to a "safe" biome that borders the one I will be exploring. I drop a workbench and a portal then connect the portal. Then I will head directly into the new biome and look for points of interest and mark them on the map. When I'm starting to get uncomfortable I make a 90 degree turn, travel the map reveal distance, turn 90 degrees again toward the boat and portal and return. I'll go a bit more down the coast and repeat the process.

After that I deconstruct the portal and the work bench, sail a bit further down the coast, and repeat. Most of the time I can get the recon on the entire land mass done in relative safety and then decide where to begin exploitation.

I usually thoroughly explore my starting island and find a nice spot to start a main home base and start levelling up there. Portals are constructed ASAP and a smaller base is made in the Black Forest. These two bases are my mains until I hit the power levels to attack the Plains and then I build an endgame base on a cross section of meadows/black forest/plains for easy farming and staying relatively unmolested by bigger mobs. Generally scouting for new ground is done by ocean; we circle islands and then work our way inwards, farming as we go.

It seems senseless to me to define scouting to such a degree.

I scout and adapt to the situation at hand I don't suddenly become a different scout.

When exploring I will never leave enemy spawns or individuals be.. they die.

I don't scout into areas I am not ready for.

There isn't much thinking beyond making map markers at resources or key places.

I do change up from being a "light" scout to a "heavy" scout once I hit Iron.. feel much better with a banded shield against wolves.

I usually sprint towards any new shiny object and then run screaming from the occupant of said object.

I get distracted easily, but I'm trying to at least bring portal mats before I wander off.