Dwarf Fortress: A Comprehensive Guide to Acquiring Bones

Bones are a vital resource in Dwarf Fortress, serving a multitude of purposes, from crafting bone bolts for your marksdwarves to creating valuable bone furniture and decorations. They can also be used in more macabre applications, depending on your fort’s needs and your dwarves’… eccentricities. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the various methods of obtaining bones, ensuring your fortress has a steady supply for all your skeletal requirements.

## Why Bones Matter in Dwarf Fortress

Before diving into the methods, let’s understand why bones are so useful:

* **Ammunition:** Bone bolts are a common and readily available ammunition type for marksdwarves, especially early in the game. They’re a good alternative to metal bolts until you can establish a reliable metal industry.
* **Crafting:** Bones can be crafted into a variety of items, including bone crafts (which can be quite valuable!), bone furniture (beds, chairs, tables), and bone decorations (statues, engravings).
* **Trade Goods:** Bone crafts and furniture can be traded with caravans, providing a valuable source of wealth.
* **Soap Production:** Rendering bones (and other animal products) yields tallow, a crucial ingredient in soap production. Soap is essential for preventing infections in your hospital.
* **Strange Moods:** A dwarf in a strange mood may demand bones as a material for their artifact. Meeting their demands is crucial for avoiding madness.
* **Necromancy (Potentially):** While not explicitly detailed here, bones are obviously quite important for any fortress dabbling in the forbidden arts.

## Methods of Obtaining Bones

There are several ways to acquire bones in Dwarf Fortress, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a breakdown of the most common methods:

### 1. Butchering Animals

This is the most straightforward and reliable method for obtaining bones. Whenever you butcher an animal, you’ll receive bones (and potentially skulls) as a byproduct.

**Steps:**

1. **Designate Animals for Slaughter:** Open the Stocks menu (z), go to the Animals tab (a), and select the animals you want to slaughter. You can select individual animals or groups of animals.

2. **Ensure You Have a Butcher’s Shop:** You need a butcher’s shop to process animals. If you don’t have one, build one (b, w, b).

3. **Assign a Butcher:** Make sure you have a dwarf with the butchering labor enabled. You can check this in the Units menu (u), select a dwarf, and then check their labors.

4. **Issue a Slaughter Order:** Open the Orders menu (o), go to the Kitchen tab (k), and select “Slaughter Animals”. Choose the animal type you want to slaughter. You can also set a minimum and maximum number of animals to slaughter.

5. **Wait for the Butcher:** Your butcher will then begin slaughtering the designated animals, and bones will appear as a byproduct. Ensure there are empty bins to store the meat and bones.

**Tips for Efficient Butchering:**

* **Farm Animals:** Breeding and raising farm animals like pigs, turkeys, and chickens is an excellent way to ensure a constant supply of bones (and meat, leather, and other resources).
* **Hunting:** Designate hunters to hunt wild animals in the surrounding area. This can provide a good source of bones, especially early in the game. Be careful, as hunting can be dangerous.
* **Pet Management:** Be mindful of your pet population. While you likely don’t want to slaughter your beloved war dogs, overpopulation can lead to food shortages. Culling the herd can provide a significant boost to your bone supply.
* **Automated Slaughter:** Set up standing orders to automatically slaughter animals when their numbers exceed a certain threshold. This will ensure a constant supply of bones without requiring constant micromanagement.
* **Prioritize Breeding:** Before setting up slaughter orders, ensure you have enough breeding pairs to maintain a healthy population. Otherwise, you’ll quickly deplete your livestock.

### 2. Cleaning Skeletons and Corpses

This method involves using dwarves to “clean” skeletons and corpses, recovering bones in the process. This is particularly useful for dealing with the aftermath of battles or sieges.

**Steps:**

1. **Enable the “Clean” Labor:** Ensure that at least one of your dwarves has the “Clean” labor enabled. You can check this in the Units menu (u), select a dwarf, and then check their labors.

2. **Designate Corpses or Skeletons:** Open the Orders menu (o), go to the Stocks tab (s), and select “Clean Corpse” or “Clean Skeleton”. Then, designate the corpses or skeletons you want to clean. You can designate individual items or drag a box to designate multiple items at once.

3. **Dwarves Will Do the Work:** Dwarves with the “Clean” labor enabled will then pick up the designated corpses or skeletons and clean them, producing bones (and possibly skulls) as a byproduct. They will likely take the corpses to a refuse stockpile.

**Considerations:**

* **Refuse Stockpiles:** Ensure you have a refuse stockpile designated to accept corpses and skeletons. This will prevent dwarves from leaving them lying around, which can attract vermin and spread disease.
* **Disease:** Handling corpses can be risky, as they can carry diseases. Ensure your dwarves have access to soap and water to wash themselves regularly.
* **Morale:** Cleaning corpses can be a depressing task for dwarves. Monitor their morale and provide them with plenty of amenities to offset the negative effects.
* **Prioritize Skeletons:** If possible, prioritize cleaning skeletons over corpses. Skeletons don’t carry diseases and are less likely to negatively impact morale.
* **Cave Adaptation:** Cave adapted creatures, such as troglodytes, will leave behind skeletons that can be cleaned for bones. These creatures are usually underground.

### 3. Trading with Caravans

While not a direct method of obtaining bones, you can trade with caravans for bone items or even raw bones. This is especially useful if you’re having trouble producing enough bones yourself.

**Steps:**

1. **Prepare Trade Goods:** Gather valuable items to trade with the caravans. This could include crafts, furniture, metal goods, or even surplus food and drink.

2. **Wait for a Caravan:** Caravans will arrive periodically throughout the year. The frequency and types of caravans depend on your civilization and the surrounding environment.

3. **Designate a Trade Depot:** You need a trade depot to conduct trade. If you don’t have one, build one (b, o, d).

4. **Initiate the Trade:** When a caravan arrives, a liaison will appear. The liaison will negotiate the terms of the trade. You can then select the items you want to trade and the items you want to receive.

5. **Look for Bone Items:** Check the caravan’s inventory for bone crafts, bone furniture, or even raw bones. These items will be marked as being made of bone.

**Tips for Successful Trading:**

* **Offer High-Value Items:** Caravans are more likely to accept trades if you offer them high-value items. Crafts and furniture made from valuable materials like gold or gems are always a good choice.
* **Negotiate Favorable Terms:** Don’t be afraid to haggle with the liaison. You can often get a better deal by negotiating the price of goods.
* **Be Aware of Demand:** Different caravans will have different demands. Pay attention to what they’re looking for and offer them items that they’re likely to want.
* **Establish Trade Agreements:** Trading successfully with a civilization will improve your relationship, leading to more frequent and profitable trade in the future. Also, setting up trade agreements can let you request specific resources.

### 4. Combat and Sieges

Battles and sieges are another potential source of bones. When enemies are killed in combat, their corpses will often leave behind bones (and skulls).

**Steps:**

1. **Engage in Combat:** Defend your fortress against goblin sieges, wild animal attacks, and other threats.

2. **Clean Up the Aftermath:** After the battle, use the “Clean Corpse” or “Clean Skeleton” order to collect the bones from the fallen enemies.

**Considerations:**

* **Danger:** Combat is inherently dangerous and can result in casualties. Ensure your dwarves are well-equipped and trained before engaging in combat.
* **Disease:** Enemy corpses can carry diseases. Take precautions to prevent the spread of disease among your dwarves.
* **Morale:** Witnessing combat can be traumatic for dwarves. Provide them with plenty of amenities to help them cope with the stress.
* **Efficiency:** This method is unreliable as it depends on outside factors, like sieges or ambushes. Use this in addition to the methods above, not as the only bone source.

### 5. Exploring Caves and the Underground

Venturing into the depths of the earth can sometimes yield surprising finds, including skeletons and bones. Exploring caves and other underground areas can uncover forgotten remains.

**Steps:**

1. **Excavate Deeper:** Dig deeper into the earth to uncover new caves and underground areas.

2. **Explore Carefully:** Be cautious when exploring new areas, as they may contain dangerous creatures or traps.

3. **Look for Skeletons:** Keep an eye out for skeletons and bones scattered throughout the underground.

4. **Clean the Remains:** Use the “Clean Skeleton” order to collect the bones.

**Considerations:**

* **Danger:** The underground is a dangerous place, filled with hostile creatures and other hazards. Ensure your dwarves are well-equipped and trained before venturing into the depths.
* **Cave Adaptation:** Cave adapted creatures like troglodytes and blind cave ogres will be a major source of skeletons underground.
* **Forgotten Beasts:** Be wary of Forgotten Beasts, powerful creatures that can pose a significant threat to your fortress. These beasts often leave behind valuable remains, but the risk may not be worth the reward.
* **Resource Management:** Exploring the underground can consume a significant amount of resources, including food, drink, and light. Ensure you have adequate supplies before embarking on an expedition.

## Optimizing Bone Production

To maximize your bone production, consider the following strategies:

* **Prioritize Breeding:** Focus on breeding animals that produce a large number of offspring. This will allow you to slaughter more animals without depleting your population.
* **Automate Slaughtering:** Set up standing orders to automatically slaughter animals when their numbers exceed a certain threshold. This will ensure a constant supply of bones without requiring constant micromanagement.
* **Improve Butchering Efficiency:** Train your butchers to improve their skill. A skilled butcher will produce more bones per animal slaughtered.
* **Utilize Stockpiles:** Create dedicated stockpiles for bones to ensure they are stored efficiently and readily available for crafting and other purposes.
* **Manage Labor Assignments:** Carefully manage labor assignments to ensure that dwarves are assigned to the tasks they are best suited for. This will improve overall efficiency and productivity.
* **Strategic Cave Exploration:** Plan your cave explorations carefully, focusing on areas that are likely to contain skeletons and other valuable resources. Be prepared for potential dangers and have a contingency plan in place.
* **Consider a dedicated rendering industry:** If you intend to make soap, create a dedicated industry with enough butchering shops, tanneries, and asheries to keep your dwarves clean.

## Common Problems and Solutions

* **Bones are not being collected:** Make sure you have a refuse stockpile that accepts bones, and that dwarves have the “Hauling” labor enabled.
* **Butchers are idle:** Ensure you have animals designated for slaughter and that the butcher’s shop is not obstructed. Also, make sure the butcher has the “Butchering” labor enabled.
* **Corpses are rotting before they can be cleaned:** Designate a refuse stockpile closer to the location of the corpses to reduce travel time.
* **Dwarves are becoming depressed from cleaning corpses:** Rotate dwarves through the “Clean” labor to minimize their exposure to corpses. Provide them with plenty of amenities to help them cope with the stress.
* **Not enough animals:** Expand your pastures or pens to house more animals. Breed animals strategically to increase your population.

## Bone Uses in Detail

Let’s delve deeper into how bones are used within your fortress:

**1. Ammunition:**

* **Bone Bolts:** Crafted at a craftsdwarf’s workshop, bone bolts are a readily available and relatively inexpensive ammunition source. They’re especially useful in the early game before you’ve established a reliable metal industry. The damage they inflict is lower than metal, but they are enough for early threats.

**2. Crafting:**

* **Bone Crafts:** Crafted at a craftsdwarf’s workshop, bone crafts can be quite valuable, especially if the craftsdwarf is skilled. They can be traded with caravans for a good price. The material quality and the skill of the dwarf are the determining factors for the final price.

* **Bone Furniture:** Beds, chairs, tables, and other furniture can be made from bone at a carpenter’s workshop (with the bone carving labor enabled). Bone furniture is generally considered more valuable than wood furniture.

* **Bone Decorations:** Statues, engravings, and other decorations can be made from bone at a mason’s workshop (with the bone carving labor enabled). These decorations can be used to beautify your fortress and improve your dwarves’ mood.

**3. Trade Goods:**

* **Valuable Exports:** Bone crafts and furniture are highly sought-after trade goods. Stockpiling these items and trading them with caravans can significantly boost your fortress’s wealth.

**4. Soap Production:**

* **Tallow from Rendering:** Rendering bones (and other animal products like fat) at a butcher’s shop yields tallow. Tallow is a crucial ingredient in soap production.

* **Preventing Infections:** Soap is essential for preventing infections in your hospital. Dwarves who are injured and treated in the hospital need to be cleaned with soap to avoid deadly infections.

**5. Strange Moods:**

* **Demanded Material:** A dwarf in a strange mood may demand bones as a material for their artifact. If they do, you must provide them with the required number of bones to satisfy their demand.

* **Avoiding Madness:** Failing to meet a dwarf’s demands during a strange mood can lead to madness, which can have devastating consequences for your fortress. They can go berserk, harm other dwarves, or destroy valuable items.

**6. Necromancy (Advanced):**

* **Raising the Dead:** While not for every fortress, bones are essential for necromantic experiments. They are necessary for reanimating corpses and creating undead minions. This is a highly advanced and dangerous field and comes with risks like attracting unwanted attention.

## Conclusion

Obtaining bones in Dwarf Fortress is a multi-faceted process that requires careful planning and resource management. By mastering the various methods outlined in this guide, you can ensure your fortress has a steady supply of bones for all your needs, from crafting ammunition to creating valuable trade goods. Remember to prioritize breeding, automate slaughtering, and manage labor assignments efficiently to maximize your bone production. And always be prepared for the dangers that lurk in the depths of the earth, where forgotten remains and powerful creatures await.