first Ashlands experience

After abandoning 6? games in the mistlands over the past few years, I finally pushed through and defeated the Queen a couple days ago. Today I entered Ashlands for the first time.

Lost my ship on the way in and boiled. Didn't have any stamina potions to fight the sea serpents with rested bonus gone and only had enough wood for one workbench. Didn't like that at all. Refused to build another boat and do that again, I don't have the time I used to. Flew back in god mode, got my stuff and built a portal on a tall rock on shore. Entered combat and it wasn't nearly as overwhelming as I expected. Died when I tried to run across some lava, dont know what da fuck I was thinking there. Died again trying to recover and had to god mode again to get my stuff back. Not farming a whole new carapace suit. Changed server setting to keep my stuff on death for the first time.

After a couple hours of gathering resources I have a pretty good feel for the biome. Vastly prefer it to Mistlands, give me straight combat over the cliffs and not being able to see. Difficulty is just right, I have yet to die in fair combat on the ground but I've burned a stack of heal pots. Came in with 60+ block so I've been able to block everything. Haven't seen valkyries or a fortress yet.