A guide to early housing in Wurm

There are many housing guides on the Wurmpedia, some of which are out of date, some of which are still very helpful. This is one written by Wurmpedia staff, so we will try and keep it up to date.

A Newbie in Search of a Home

You just started in Wurm, and you need a place to put your 1 ql pumpkins and that pig you managed to tame. Before you start chopping and digging, it's good to ask yourself a few questions. Did you start in Wurm to build? Do you want to spend your quality Wurm hours sawing planks right now? Maybe you'd like to join a village first, to get a feel for your new server and find the good spots. Some villages have premade houses to use or will let you build. Some don't but will let you drop a tent, until they know if you'll stick around. Ask around in server and global chat. You could also forgo any housing and just use your newbie tent for a few days. Some players only ever live with others and love that. Some are eager to found a deed, build a house, and start their own farm, compound, or castle.

No More Talking, How Do I Build?

Great, you know you want to build a house. First, you need to find a spot! If you just landed in a starter town, you're probably surrounded by established villages and what we in Wurm call "newbie shacks". Head away from the starter area. This is where asking in server chat can help. Some servers are more active than others, and someone may be able to direct you to an empty spot. At very least, you want to look for a more open area.

In Wurm, it's considered rude to build or deed up against another deed without asking that neighbor. These will be your new neighbors and it's an MMO, so it's best to try and befriend them. Look in local chat for people in the nearby area and right-click on ground tiles to see if you're in the perimeter of an established village. Those neighbors may save you from a troll or help you with your deed some day. There are also game rules about actions like gating off or moving highways or blocking another's deed. You're also not able to build a house in a someone else's village or perimeter of that village. Ask around, be kind, act towards other players how you'd like to be treated.

You'll want a spot with access to water, trees, and ideally some exposed rock to make a mine (eventually). To build your first newbie shack (a 1x1 building) you'll also need a flat, dirt area. A larger flat spot is a good idea, since you'll likely want to extend your shack, as well as farm or raise animals. You might luck out and find a spot abandoned by a previous owner and preflattened.

You might need to do some digging of your own, which can be hard at a low level. Activate your hatchet (double click in inventory) and chop down any trees or shrubs on the tile you want to flatten. Take your shovel and activate it. All Wurm digging is based on corners, so you want to make sure all the tile borders are even. You may need to dig one dirt on one corner and walk it over to another corner, then drop it. There are options to flatten and level on tiles, but you may not have enough skill yet (This is where those neighbors might be able to help!). You can check the digging page if you see warnings when you try to dig.

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