Originally posted by kgeddes8:

Just finished my run...finish line was silver gear...thoughts are as follows :

1. It throws up some interesting logistical problems.
2. Knives are good fun....just make sure you have it equipped...lost count of the number of times I sneaked up on a troll only to kick it in the butt.
3. Spears are also good fun...just make sure you throw them up hill keep 1 upgraded for melee and 2-3 level 1 for throwing...you will loose some especially up the mountains.
4. Bases - you move around a lot so mine tended to be basic...never got beyond comfort level 5. Reused a lot of existing structures. When you leave dismantle anything hard to get like iron and queen bees...otherwise just leave..you never know if you will be back
5. Food - is key. Meat Turnips Carrots and Bees will do.
6 Ore - Copper-Tin... Trolls for bronze pick axe
Iron....can be tricky( explored about 3-4 biomes).
Best technique by far is to find a steeply sloping biome and hoe
for the win...took a bit of finding..you only get 6-9 ore per pile. Prioritise Iron pick
axe and/or nails for longboat.
Silver...use the stagbreaker to find with the "too hard" message or hoe. I usually
find silver around existing structures although in the first biome did not find any.
7. Armour - just troll armour upgraded..you will spend a lot of time running away,
8. Enemies - Avoid any Draur with a star or stars and any more than 1 wolf.
9, When out sailing - any landing is a risk...make a bed asap.

Cant say I missed the portals and enjoyed using weapons I would not normally use. Still have not found the merchant. Fish would have been handy as would the the abyssal razor knife...never got enough of the stuff to craft.

Suggest spear fishing and/or crafting a fishing rod would be a useful addition to the game .

The fishing rod is obtainable through the merchant/trader you can find him in the Black Forest biome outside the starter island, it is possible to find him in the starter island but most of the time he's outside the island. That's what coins for, to purchase stuff at the merchant/trader also you can sell Amber, Ruby and Emerald for coins.
If you really frustrating in finding the trader, you can use the map generator website it will reveal all the bosses locations, trader locations, burial chambers, troll cave, sunken crypts etc.
https://valheim-map.world/