What to do when your Dwarf Falls into a secretive mood in Dwarf Fortress

Dwarf Fortress is a game with many, many secrets, secrets which you must unearth. However, sometimes there are more explicit features of secrecy. If you have a dwarf in a secretive mood, then you may be quite stuck at what to do. You will have to help them, however, else they may go insane. Here is what to do with a secretive dwarf in Dwarf Fortress.

What to do with a secretive dwarf in Dwarf Fortress

What is a secretive mood?

A secretive mood is one of the strange moods in Dwarf Fortress. A dwarf of yours, at random, may adopt a secretive mood. When this happens, you’ll be alerted in the top left of your screen. You can recentre the camera to see the secretive dwarf.

Secretive dwarves, like all other strange moods, will be out to complete an artefact. They will immediately take over the required workshop to build their artefact. However, instead of simply stating what materials they need, they will instead draw sketches of what they want.

For example, if they want metal bars, then they will draw shining bars, or if they want wood, they may draw a forest. It will be up to you to decipher the material from their sketch and make sure it is available. Depending on your stock, they may require a few other components.

You will need to source these materials for the dwarf to complete the artefact. If they cannot construct the artefact within a few months, they will go insane and die. You cannot force them from the workshop whilst they are in there.

Related: How to Bury Your Dead in Dwarf Fortress

Helping your dwarf

Simply make sure the resources are available and they’ll gather what they need and begin construction. After a small while, another alert will inform you that they have finished construction of the artefact. They will store it wherever they can.

Upon doing this, they will become the highest skill level in the skill required to make that item. Secretive moods are only beneficial for you and your dwarves.

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