With the recent updates, and the availability of Ylands on steam Dec. 6 2017, some of the previous tips are no longer appicable
It can be frustrating arriving, not knowing whats what and ending up as a predator meal. Hers some tips ...not spoilers..
1) Note your spawn point and construct something to help identify it. This is so later on when you v have items you can come back and enhance it with items needed to survive.
During the game, visit it often and place some containers... put in the containers superseded weapons... ie stone spears wood spears etc. Also put in some basic clothing, a torch, flint lighter, food axe knife and wood pieces etc. place a marker thats hightly visible...and also add a lantern. if you are so inclined maybe a small log shelter. Some wooden spikes will help to act as a anti predator barrier.
2) Upon Initial arrival, look for grass flint, stone and sticks. Craft a knife . then you can fashion a wooden spear .. great for initial defense. Collect and store feathers for later weapons, and stock up on food.
3) Predators.... if you see sharks near the shore they could be guarding an escape route for a land predator or two nearby. When exploring do not run everywhere... take small movements, keeping to higher areas so you can look down on any predators and scan around you
4) weapons .. spears are essential early in the game for close in defense. as your crafting expands. grab a sabre.... very effective against wolves and pumas etc. Crossbows are the best for long range stealth attack on bears, but not for wolves as they will rush you and the bow / crossbow reload time is not quick enough
5) Predator characteristics... bears will awaken and search for your scent ... keep back and kill at long range with a bow/crossbow.. close in combat with a sabre if a surprise attack. Wolves will growl and warn ....wait then attack ..a sabre is the best, a spear 2nd choice. Try to move to a higher open area otherwise your weapon will miss the beast and strike nearby objects instead. Wolves are on packs ..if you find one, scan for others usually 3 or 4 sometimes more. Sometimes they lurk near other predators like bears or pumas etc! Pumas and leopards etc give little warning and spring surprise attacks and can be hard to see ..if you are at a safe distance a bow/crossbow is effective. Again after killing one, scan for other predators before claiming the hide and meat.
6)Storage of items in your base .. I craft stone letters to identify whats in any container ..which i place around the walls ( cu = copper, fe= iron Sa = saltpeter, etc also cabinets with tools ) Place a container with wood pieces and any ores close to your smelter/ forge/.kiln
7) doors... construct them to keep unwanted animals out.. place near them spears to grab in an emergency
8) Build your base on a shoreline where there's a deep water area nearby ... construct a dockyard where you can build your ships and use place tp put in temporary wooden poles as a barricade around your dock entrance to keep sharks out while you are building.
Construct a tower on your base fitted with lanterns or other forms of lighting, to make your base locatable from land or sea approach. Place columns with lamps at the entrance of your dock as a guide.
9) construct multiple weapons and their ammo for placement on you base, ship, and spawn point.. so you have something to use if you lose a battle with a predator etc. When exploring, only take with you essentials...
10 ) craft a map and pencil and place in dynamic area .. to record where you are.. check map often to see where you are in case you get " terminated" and therefore you will have an idea where t your tombstone is and you can recover your items. Check to see if your penci is not broken ..if it is your map may not update
11) when stopping to read map or eat, choose a elevated point where you can have uninterrupted 360 degree view around you, to thwart any surprise attack by lurking predators.
12) sharks will attack your boat especially if you are sleeping on it.. or away from the helm feeding... place helm and any sleeping bed a good distance from stern. If you put a brazier on your ship to keep warm, make sure its covered 3 sides from the weather. Put containers around the sides of you ship as a barrier to prevent falling off your ship.
whew that's all for now others will ad more tips for sure. have fun!
Addendum:
If you encounter a strange bug or glitch, copy your logfile to an area in the forums before you try and re log ..( its location etc can be found in correspondence there) ..that way the developers will see the data that caused the issue, as that file is automatically cleared on log in