Hi! My name is Júlia, and I’ve been playing Dwarf Fortress since 2016. The Steam version launched a bit later, in 2022. I started playing because I heard it was the hardest game that exists, so I took it as a challenge.

When I first downloaded the game, wow, I couldn’t understand anything at all. So, I embarked on my long journey into Dwarf Fortress. I remember watching 74 hours of tutorials by Das Tactics, learning how to use the tilesets, but always appreciating the charm of the ASCII design.

I craved mastery and explored each new addition to the game. I learned about the mechanics, the crucial manager, the other seemingly useless nobles, the happiness system, the machinery, and the exploits.
Eventually, I became skilled enough to drain and plug heavy aquifers, pump lava through a hundred z-levels, use minecarts, pressure plates, pumpstacks, mist, and create infinite water wheel generators. Legendary Marksdwarves wore tinted dimple-cups cloaks and steel, guarding the entrance behind magma-safe fortifications. Pure adamantine Axe Lords squads fought in the nefarious depths of the world.

Nowadays, I take a different approach. While understanding the mechanics is essential, my average playthrough feels more like roleplaying. Sometimes I gather a bunch of peasants to create a little village by the road, complete with a big tavern. Other times, I assemble scribes to build a marvelous library. I might establish a stronghold in a disputed area of the world, or create an enormous boat docked on a beach. Perhaps I’ll construct a volcano lair, using magma for traps, or build a high tower reminiscent of an upside-down fort. The possibilities are infinite.

The beauty lies in letting these elements become part of a grand story. There’s no specific objective or pressure — just one fort in a vast world and losing that fort is the fun of the game. Sometimes your fort will be overrun by a Forgotten Beast, a siege, a werebeast infection, necromancers, titans, a distressed animal, hunger, thirst, the rain itself, lava, drowning, greed, a dwarf in a crazy mood trance, or even FPS issues. Letting a fort resume its daily routine is fine too; it will persist in that world. The unpredictability keeps the game exciting.

Paying attention to your dwarves reveals the depth that the game offers. Each dwarf has individual likes and dislikes. Their thoughts are charming, as are the items they carry and their overall health and feelings. Even the tears in their eyes are depicted as a “coating of dwarf tears” in both left and right eyes. These dwarves are your people, and you should care for them—or perhaps demand more blood for Armok; both approaches are valid.

The music and songs in Dwarf Fortress are simulated, with unique rhythms generated for each instrument in the world. The dances are vividly described, filling pages with the lively scenes unfolding in the tavern. The world responds as well—the arrival of caravans each year brings news and interaction. And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can embark on missions to neighbouring settlements, recovering missing artifacts, spreading haze, or even conquering other lands.

Having said all that, everything carries over to the Steam version, with some considerations about this version:
-The game is much easier than the classic version. Rarely can’t I make a fort self-sufficient using Steam, even in haunted biomes. Turn economy and enemies to hard and minerals to sparse for a FUN experience.
-Unfortunately, I can’t find a reliable way to set training and live ammunition, so they kept using steel bolts for training. The Squads menu could be a little clearer.
-Stairs were weird and changed to be even weirder, but they’re okay once you get accustomed to them.
-A mouse is necessary. The shortcuts were changed, but it’s very easy to work with the mouse.
-The game loses FPS faster; mega projects can lead to earlier FPS deaths.
-Sadly, the sea doesn’t show waves.

Concluding everything, I can only recommend this great game. It’s not a difficult game, but it does require an interest in learning some mechanics in depth, as well as understanding production procedures, including the manager. Additionally, always play with the Wiki open.

Júlia out!