Dwarf Fortress: A Grim Guide to Butchering Corpses

Butchering corpses is a vital, albeit morbid, part of survival in Dwarf Fortress. It’s essential for food, leather, bones, and even training skills. This guide provides a detailed walkthrough of how to effectively butcher corpses, covering everything from setting up workshops to dealing with the consequences of your actions. Be warned: this process can impact your dwarves’ happiness and sanity. Understanding the mechanics and implementing strategies to mitigate negative effects is key to a successful fortress.

## Why Butcher Corpses?

Before diving into the how-to, let’s understand *why* butchering corpses is so important:

* **Food:** Meat is a primary food source in Dwarf Fortress. Butchering animals, including those killed in hunting or defense, provides a steady supply of meat to keep your dwarves fed.
* **Leather:** Leather is used to make clothing, armor, and other valuable items. Butchering animals is often the most reliable way to acquire large quantities of leather, especially early in the game.
* **Bones:** Bones can be used to craft bolts for marksdwarves, tools, and decorative items. They’re a readily available resource, especially in a fortress that experiences regular combat.
* **Skulls:** Skulls, like bones, have crafting applications. They also can be useful for decoration.
* **Training:** Butchering provides experience to your butcher dwarves, improving their skill and efficiency. A skilled butcher will produce more meat and materials from each corpse.
* **Resource Management:** Efficient butchering minimizes waste and maximizes the use of available resources. This is crucial for surviving in harsh environments where resources are scarce.
* **Dealing with Casualties:** After battles, sieges, or unfortunate accidents, butchering the corpses of your enemies (and sometimes even your own fallen dwarves in desperate situations, though this *severely* impacts morale) is necessary to prevent miasma and disease. This is a grim necessity, but a crucial one.

## Setting Up Your Butchering Operation

Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up your butchering infrastructure:

1. **Designate a Stockpile:**

* You’ll need a stockpile to store the corpses before butchering. Designate a stockpile by pressing **p** and then selecting **o** (for refuse stockpile). Place the stockpile somewhere easily accessible to your dwarves, but preferably away from living areas to minimize the negative impact on their mood.
* Configure the stockpile to accept *only* corpses. Press **q** while hovering over the stockpile to bring up the stockpile settings. In the settings, disable everything except “corpses”.
* Consider creating multiple refuse stockpiles specialized for different types of refuse to improve organization and efficiency. This allows you to quickly find specific corpses or body parts when needed for crafting.

2. **Build a Butcher’s Shop:**

* Go to the workshop menu by pressing **b**. Select **o** to build a Butcher’s shop. Place it near the corpse stockpile to minimize hauling distances.
* Ensure the Butcher’s shop is indoors. This protects your dwarves from the elements and helps maintain a stable temperature, which is crucial for food preservation.
* Having a dedicated room for butchering can also help contain miasma if something goes wrong (e.g., a decaying corpse is left unattended).

3. **Assign a Butcher:**

* You’ll need a dwarf with the “Butcher” labor enabled. Go to the Units menu (**u**), select a dwarf, and then enable the “Butcher” labor in the labors tab.
* Consider designating a dedicated butcher. This dwarf will gain experience quickly and become more efficient at butchering.
* Make sure your butcher has access to food and drink. A hungry or thirsty dwarf will be less productive.

4. **Create a Butchering Job:**

* Select the Butcher’s shop (**q**) and choose “Add new task” (**a**). Select “Butcher creature”.
* If you want to butcher all available corpses, set the task to repeat. This will keep your butcher constantly working as long as there are corpses available.
* You can specify which types of creatures to butcher by setting custom profiles in the Work Orders menu. This is useful if you want to prioritize butchering certain animals or avoid butchering specific creatures (e.g., pets).

## Understanding Butchering Outputs

When a creature is butchered, it yields various products, including:

* **Meat:** The primary food source. Different creatures yield different amounts and types of meat.
* **Hides/Leather:** Used to make clothing, armor, and other leather goods. The quality and type of leather depend on the creature.
* **Bones:** Used for crafting bolts, tools, and decorations.
* **Skulls:** Can be used for decoration or crafting.
* **Organs:** Some creatures yield organs that can be cooked or used in other recipes.
* **Fat:** Can be rendered into tallow, which is used for making soap.

The amounts and types of products obtained depend on the size and species of the creature. Larger creatures generally yield more resources.

## Automating Butchering with Work Orders

Work orders automate the butchering process, ensuring a continuous supply of meat and other materials. Here’s how to set them up:

1. **Access the Work Orders Menu:**

* Press **o** to access the Work Orders menu.

2. **Create a New Work Order:**

* Press **a** to add a new work order.

3. **Select “Butcher Creature”:**

* Scroll down the list and select “Butcher Creature”.

4. **Set Conditions:**

* Set the conditions for the work order to trigger. Common conditions include:
* “If less than X meat in the fortress”
* “If less than Y leather in the fortress”
* “If more than Z corpses available”

5. **Set the Reaction:**

* Set the reaction to “Butcher Creature”.

6. **Specify Creature Types (Optional):**

* If you want to butcher only specific types of creatures, use the “Custom” profile option and select the desired creatures.

7. **Enable the Work Order:**

* Ensure the work order is enabled.

With a properly configured work order, your dwarves will automatically butcher creatures whenever the specified conditions are met, ensuring a steady supply of resources without constant manual intervention.

## Dealing with Miasma and Negative Thoughts

Butchering corpses, especially those of sentient creatures like goblins or elves, can negatively impact your dwarves’ moods. Here’s how to mitigate these effects:

* **Miasma:** Decaying corpses release miasma, which causes unhappiness and can attract vermin. To prevent miasma:
* Ensure corpses are stored in a designated stockpile. Regularly check the stockpile and remove any rotting corpses.
* Keep the butchering area clean and well-ventilated. Use smoothing and engraving to improve the room’s aesthetics.
* Butcher corpses as quickly as possible to minimize decay.
* Consider building a refuse stockpile outside the fortress for rotting corpses, away from living areas.

* **Negative Thoughts:** Butchering sentient creatures can cause negative thoughts, especially for dwarves with ethical concerns.
* Minimize contact with the butchering process. Assign only dwarves with neutral or negative ethical values to butchering tasks.
* Provide comfortable living conditions. Well-furnished rooms, access to good food and drink, and opportunities for recreation can help offset the negative effects of butchering.
* Assign dwarves to other tasks that provide positive thoughts, such as crafting or socializing.
* Consider creating a separate fortress for dwarves with strong ethical objections to butchering sentient creatures.
* Ensure dwarves have access to religious services and temples. These can provide solace and reduce stress.
* Decorate the fortress with engravings, statues, and other artwork to improve the overall atmosphere.
* When butchering dwarves, if absolutely necessary, do so far away from other dwarves. Consider using a magma disposal system to obliterate the remains.

## Advanced Butchering Techniques

Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can explore more advanced butchering techniques:

* **Specialized Butchering:**
* Create custom work orders to prioritize butchering specific types of creatures based on their resource yields or rarity.
* Set up multiple Butcher’s shops, each dedicated to butchering different types of creatures.

* **Tallow Production:**
* Render fat into tallow at a Soap Maker’s workshop. Tallow is used to make soap, which helps dwarves maintain hygiene and reduces the spread of disease.

* **Bone Carving:**
* Use bones to craft bolts, tools, and decorations at a Bone Carving workshop. Bone bolts are a cheap and readily available ammunition for marksdwarves.

* **Leatherworking:**
* Use leather to craft clothing, armor, and other leather goods at a Leather Works. Leather armor provides decent protection and is a good alternative to metal armor early in the game.

* **Corpse Disposal:**
* Develop efficient methods for disposing of unwanted corpses and bones. Options include magma disposal, dumping into a deep pit, or constructing a dedicated burial site.

* **Pet Management:**
* Avoid accidentally butchering pets. Set up zones to restrict pets from entering butchering areas and use custom work orders to exclude pets from butchering tasks.

## Ethical Considerations

Butchering sentient creatures, especially dwarves, raises ethical concerns. While necessary in some situations, it can have severe consequences for your dwarves’ morale and sanity. Consider the following:

* **The Moral Compass:**
* Dwarves have individual ethical values that influence their reactions to butchering. Some dwarves are more tolerant of butchering than others.

* **The Slippery Slope:**
* Butchering sentient creatures can lead to a cycle of violence and despair. It can also trigger mental breakdowns and other negative behaviors.

* **The Alternatives:**
* Explore alternative food sources, such as farming and fishing. Consider importing food from other civilizations.

* **The Last Resort:**
* Reserve butchering sentient creatures as a last resort, only when all other options have been exhausted.

* **The Consequences:**
* Be prepared to deal with the consequences of butchering sentient creatures. Monitor your dwarves’ moods and provide support to those who are struggling.

## Troubleshooting Common Issues

Here are some common issues you might encounter while butchering corpses and how to resolve them:

* **No Corpses Being Hauled:**
* Ensure the refuse stockpile is configured to accept corpses.
* Check that the dwarves assigned to hauling have the “Refuse Hauling” labor enabled.
* Verify that there are no obstructions preventing dwarves from reaching the corpses.

* **Butcher Not Working:**
* Ensure the butcher has the “Butcher” labor enabled.
* Check that there are corpses available in the designated stockpile.
* Verify that the Butcher’s shop is accessible and not blocked by any obstructions.

* **Miasma Problems:**
* Ensure corpses are stored in a designated stockpile and not left lying around.
* Regularly clean the butchering area.
* Consider building a refuse stockpile outside the fortress for rotting corpses.

* **Negative Thoughts:**
* Minimize contact with the butchering process.
* Provide comfortable living conditions and opportunities for recreation.
* Consider creating a separate fortress for dwarves with strong ethical objections to butchering sentient creatures.

## Conclusion

Butchering corpses is a crucial skill in Dwarf Fortress. By understanding the mechanics, setting up efficient workshops, and mitigating negative effects, you can ensure a steady supply of resources and improve your fortress’s chances of survival. Remember to consider the ethical implications and take steps to protect your dwarves’ sanity. Good luck, and may your fortress prosper, even in the face of grim necessities!