Finewood

Finewood is a crafting material obtained mainly from Birch and Oak trees in the Meadows and Plains biomes. It is one of the first refined woods the player will need in any serious building or crafting progression, but it is not available from ordinary trees such as Beech or Fir. Birch and Oak require at least a Bronze Axe to chop, which in practice means the player must first defeat Eikthyr and progress far enough to craft Bronze tools. The Meadows are the safer and more practical place to gather it early, while the Plains contain abundant Birch but are much more dangerous to farm consistently.

Finewood can also be found in a few other places. Shipwrecks on the coasts can be dismantled for a sizable amount, and furniture or other objects made from Finewood in abandoned ruined structures can be broken down as well. A Stone Axe is enough to harvest Finewood from these wooden structures, making shipwrecks and old furniture a useful early source before the player has access to bronze. Another way to gather it is to knock down Birch or Oak by felling nearby trees or logs into them; rolling logs into each other or into the target tree can damage it until it falls. A Troll or other large creature can also be lured into destroying the trees, though this is slow and imprecise. Rocks do not work for this method.

Finewood is used in a wide range of crafting and construction recipes, especially furniture, utility stations, boats, and advanced weapons. It is required for:

• Weapons and tools such as the Abyssal Harpoon, Abyssal Razor, Finewood Bow, Huntsman Bow, and the black metal weapon line.
• Shields including the Banded Shield, Serpent Scale Shield, Silver Shield, Black Metal Shield, and Black Metal Tower Shield.
• Stations and crafting structures such as the Forge Cooler, Fermenter, Spinning Wheel, Butcher's Table, Food Preparation Table, Pots and Pans, and Tool Shelf.
• Boats and major functional structures such as the Karve, Longship, Portal, Reinforced Chest, and Stone guardian.
• Furniture and decorations including benches, chairs, tables, stools, item stands, banners, Yule decorations, and the Dragon Bed.

Because so many recipes depend on it, Finewood remains important far beyond the point where the player first gathers it. It is also one of the materials that encourages exploration and resource planning, since large quantities can be collected from the safer Meadows, from risky Plains expeditions, or from dismantling wrecks and abandoned structures. For players who want a steady supply, planting Birch or Oak seeds after harvesting the trees is especially useful, since it creates a renewable source for future Finewood production.