With Wurm Unlimited having been released on Steam some time ago, it is also available as a standalone version suitable for single-player, of the sandbox MMO Wurm Online. A more complex Minecraft for adults.
What is Wurm Unlimited anyway? You can best think of it as a Minecraft. However, it is somewhat more complex, especially since every activity needs to be skilled. Catching a fish raises Fishing. Filleting involves both Butchering and Carving Knives (slaughtering and carving). And cooking ultimately falls under Cooking. More points mean better quality, higher work speed, and maybe even new recipes.
In its original form, the game is very time-consuming. You don’t just build a house. The tree must be cut down to be processed into logs. These are then sawn into planks. Next, a mine must be built to obtain iron ore. That ore is smelted into iron. Nails are made from it. In combination with the planks, a wooden wall can be erected. Even a tiny 1×1 field will take several hours.
But that is precisely what makes the charm of the game. You can enjoy small progress, like the first tools made. At the same time, the game is never unfair; you feel a constant progress, no matter what you do. And you have to make decisions. Do you upgrade the anvil or build a forge to smelt the ore faster? Maybe it is more sensible to expand the mine, hoping for better quality iron ore. Time is a valuable resource here.
Lonely and Alone
But let’s jump back to the beginning. We have just created our character and choose one of the three kingdoms. The choice is only relevant if we are playing on a server and want to engage in PvP. Once we are a member of a realm, we start in the corresponding city and a short tutorial awaits us. However, it is so brief that you don’t even notice whether and when it started or ended. If you want a really detailed introduction, you should play the free-to-play offshoot Wurm Online.
After leaving the city, we can choose where we want to settle. An area by the sea is ideal for water, which has a mountain for ore and a watchtower of the kingdom for protection against native creatures like trolls.
Fortunately, we start with basic gear. Included is a tent, which we immediately place. It is meant to demonstrate our settlement in this area. Also available is a poor pickaxe to establish our first mine shaft. So we energetically strike at the mountain. This action takes about 15 seconds. Slightly disappointed, we notice that nothing has happened. Maybe we just need to strike a bit more often? And indeed, after just 10 minutes, we succeeded in establishing an entrance. With that, we can now take a few steps forward and – right – strike the next wall.
After 3 hours, a small mine shaft has been established. Just to find out that we had not previously examined the mountain for ores. Of course, there is no iron vein nearby. All the work was for nothing, or was it? No, because we gained experience. Both the character and ourselves. Now we might only need half the time to establish a shaft. And we know what to pay attention to before starting the tunnel. Of course, it won’t be the last mistake.
A Mine Rarely Comes Alone
Fortunately, we are surrounded by mountains, so we can easily start anew at another location. Before that, we check with Prospecting to confirm that ore is indeed present. And lo and behold, iron is nearby. So let’s build another mine. A few hours later we stand before our first iron vein. Of course, our Prospecting skill is too poor to recognize the quality of the ore. But that doesn’t interest us at the moment. Let’s just mine some; the vein is good enough for a long time. So we pick up the iron and transport it to the tent. Unfortunately, the weight slows us down so much that we would lose a race against a snail.
What feels like an eternity later, we have arrived. We build a campfire and throw some iron ore in. Eventually, it melts and we can process it into a makeshift anvil. But what should we create first? Missing tools, such as a hammer? With this, we could build a house; however, we need to make nails. But said nails would also be needed for a cart, which would allow for greater ore transport. Or we could make armor with weapons to go hunting.
We decided on a cart. By now, you should visit the Wurmpedia to find out how to build one. Because for that, you need wheels, planks, rods, and nails, among other things. After we have put everything together, we want to head to the mine with it. However, we find that the mountain was too steep. With the cart, we cannot climb that far anymore. What to do? We can build a new mine, this time better placed, or try to make the existing path less steep. Or we can have a crying fit.
Shaping a New Earth
We are not that desperate yet. Therefore, we shape the entrance to be a bit flatter. This is called terraforming. Something we have to do quite often. We take some soil, transport it to where we want it, and throw it on the ground. The activity sounds simple, and it is indeed. It just takes a long time. Fortunately, the cart helps us to transport more.
Once we have managed that, we can drive into the mine with the cart, mine ore, and transport it to the campfire. That it has since gone out is perhaps the least of our worries.
Problem. We ignite it, melt the ore, and ask ourselves the same questions as before. Do we want to build a house? Or needles? Admittedly, the latter is perhaps not as warm and cozy, but they increase the Blacksmithing skill most efficiently. After just a thousand needles, we are already a decent toolsmith. Then we can create our first tool. Because unlike the starting equipment, this can be upgraded. With better tools, we can work faster. And thus, for example, mine more ore, which in turn can be of higher quality, allowing us to improve our tools even further. Or we build the forge.
For now, let’s not care about that. We don’t want to spend the rest of our lives in the mine; let’s find another activity. After all, we still have no food supply. And we don’t want to live only on found berries. Here, too, the question arises of where to start. We could build a fishing rod and catch fish. Or we build a rake and cultivate a field. Alternatively, we can fence an area, gather cows and other livestock, and keep them there. The choice is entirely ours. The only limiting factor is the time we are willing to invest.
Endless Possibilities
Once the food supply is secured, we can turn to other topics and achieve our personal goals. There’s always something to do. The mine wants to be expanded, and to illuminate it, we need lamps. A larger house with a bed should be built. Because by sleeping, we gain an experience bonus. We should skill in Weapon Smithing for better weapons or Armor Smithing for improved armor.
A second mine for other ores would also be sensible. Or perhaps a palisade or even a stone wall to protect our territory. While it’s not strictly necessary if you’re playing alone, it certainly has aesthetic value. Or we could pilfer to an altar and become a follower of one of the gods. Through regular prayers, we can eventually become a priest.
Or we go on an adventure and search for the so-called tomes. This way, we gain magical abilities. We can also undertake missions from the gods. Maybe we can even become a demigod or even a god ourselves. But until then, it’s still a long road ahead.
Together Instead of Alone
Especially because of all these possibilities, it makes sense to play together with others. This way, many can work together on a real settlement where everyone has their own tasks. The mountain miner collects ores for the smith, who then makes tools for everyone else. Thus, the farmer harvests his fruits, from which the cook prepares better meals with the angler’s fish.
Or even several different settlements can be created, so that trade can be conducted among them. One village might have a mine with high-quality iron, while another settlement has excellent shipbuilders and many ships. Or one might have spread across several kingdoms and wage wars against each other. At the latest then, stone walls become significantly more important. And here too, the question arises as to what should be within the city walls. The fields, which can be easily destroyed? The mine, which then represents a vulnerability? After all, besiegers can simply dig into the mine and circumvent the wall.
If you absolutely want to play alone, you can change the settings to collect skill points faster, for example. This allows you to adjust the game to your own pace.
Conclusion
Wurm Unlimited is a very complex game. With many possibilities and numerous decisions to make. Especially in multiplayer, it is fun despite the seemingly many repetitive tasks. The same applies to the single-player variant. There is always a sense of progress. You feel the development and notice how it speeds up.
At first, you may be frustrated and make many mistakes. But you learn from your mistakes and get better. And soon, you can rejoice in the first successes. The first iron vein you found. The first tools you forged yourself. The first house you built. Or simply surviving the long, arduous journey to an altar and back.
It is important to have perseverance. If Minecraft is already too monotonous and tedious, then perhaps Wurm Unlimited will not be enjoyable. If you generally like these types of games and want to experience something new, Wurm is a good choice. Wurm Online can also be played as a demo; it only differs slightly. It is free-to-play, but many restrictions apply without a subscription. However, for testing the game, this is perfectly sufficient.
Anyone interested will naturally face the problem of finding a suitable server. A recommendation is the server Zwergenbucht (Gerugon). The password is obtained via Teamspeak (IP: gerugon.de, no password), after a brief introduction. The server is quite active with 30-50 players in the evening. Furthermore, there are people specifically for beginners and their questions.
