If you’ve spent even a few hours exploring Enshrouded’s overgrown, fog-shrouded valleys, you’ve probably run into a roadblock when trying to craft advanced spells, decorative signs, or high-tier quest items: paper. It’s one of those mid-game resources that feels impossible to find at first, but once you know the right spots and crafting paths, you can stock up in 10 minutes or less. I can’t tell you how many times I got stuck mid-quest because I forgot to stock up on paper before heading into the shroud. I’ve spent dozens of playthroughs testing every possible way to get paper in Enshrouded, and I’m breaking down all the reliable, low-effort methods that work for both brand new players and endgame builders.
How to Get Paper in Enshrouded: 3 Fastest Farming Methods
When you’re first learning how to get paper in Enshrouded, looting is the easiest method to start with, but you’ll want to switch to crafting eventually for consistent, unlimited supply. All three of these methods have been tested across multiple playthroughs, and each works for different player progression levels:
- Looting residential ruins in the Revelwood and Kindlewastes regions
- Crafting it yourself using wood pulp and water at a Carpenter’s Bench
- Trading excess animal hides and berries with the Hunter NPC at your base
Residential ruin looting is best for players who haven’t unlocked the Carpenter NPC yet. You won’t need any special tools or crafting stations, just a backpack with empty slots to carry your finds. You can usually find 2 to 5 pieces of paper per ruined house, and most of these spots are guarded by only weak wolves or scavengers, no high-tier shroud enemies. Crafting at the Carpenter’s Bench is the most sustainable long-term method, and it’s the only way to get hundreds of pieces of paper quickly for large base builds or bulk spell crafting. Trading with the Hunter is a great option if you spend a lot of time hunting for meat and fur, as you’ll likely have stacks of extra hides sitting unused in your storage.
Best Low-Level Spots to Farm Paper Without Crafting
If you’re below level 15, you probably haven’t unlocked the Carpenter or the ability to craft wood pulp yet, so looting is your only option for getting paper. This spot is perfect for new players still figuring out how to get paper in Enshrouded without unlocking advanced crafting.
The small village west of the first Ancient Spire in the Revelwood is by far the best early-game paper farming spot. The entire village is above the shroud line, so you won’t have to worry about your shroud timer running out while you loot. There are 8 small residential buildings in the village, and each has at least one bookshelf or desk that spawns paper. You can get 15 to 20 pieces of paper in a single 5-minute run, and the only enemies you’ll run into are a few level 8 wolves that you can take down with even a basic stone sword.
Make sure you only check bookshelves, desks, and small storage cabinets in these houses. Crates, barrels, and food storage containers almost never spawn paper, so don’t waste your time opening them. I’ve even found rare scroll recipes tucked next to paper stacks in these houses, which is a nice free bonus for your looting runs. If you clear the village once every in-game day, you’ll never run out of paper for early fire and healing scrolls.
Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Paper Sustainably
Once you hit level 12, you can unlock the ability to craft your own paper, which means you’ll never have to run looting runs again if you don’t want to. First, you’ll need to rescue the Carpenter NPC from his cell in a small dungeon just north of the Revelwood Ancient Spire. The dungeon is full of level 10 scavengers, so you’ll only need a basic iron gear set to clear it easily.
Once you place the Carpenter at your base, you’ll automatically unlock the paper crafting recipe. Each batch of 3 pieces of paper requires 2 wood pulp and 1 full water bottle. 10 pieces of raw wood make 2 wood pulp at a standard Sawmill, so you don’t need to chop down entire forests to make hundreds of pieces of paper. If you’ve built a water well at your base, you’ll have an unlimited supply of water for the recipe, so you can craft as much paper as you want without leaving your base.
If you want to get even more use out of your paper, you can upgrade the recipe once you unlock the Alchemist NPC. Mixing wood pulp with excess ash from your smelters lets you make fire-resistant paper, which is required for high-tier fire spells and explosive scrolls that deal damage to large groups of shroud enemies. Most players don’t know about this upgraded recipe, so it’s a great trick to save resources later in the game.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Farming Paper
I’ve made every possible mistake when farming paper in Enshrouded, so you don’t have to. These small errors can waste a lot of your time, so keep them in mind next time you need to stock up.
The first big mistake is wasting time looting shrouded ruins for paper. Paper spawn rates in shrouded areas are 50% lower than above-ground ruins, and you’re wasting your limited shroud protection time that could be spent farming rarer resources like shroud cores or ancient amber. You’re far better off sticking to above-ground residential spots for all your paper looting needs.
Another mistake is crafting paper one small stack at a time. If you craft 10 or more stacks of paper in a single batch at the Carpenter’s Bench, you get a 10% bonus output, which adds up fast when you’re making hundreds of pieces for base signs or bulk spell scrolls. It’s much more efficient to save up your wood pulp and water and craft all your paper for the week in one go.
Never throw away paper you find while looting, even if you think you have more than enough stored. Paper is used in almost every late-game base upgrade, quest, and high-tier crafting recipe, and you’ll always find a use for extra stacks. Don’t sell excess paper to NPCs either, the trade value is extremely low, and you’ll regret getting rid of it later when you need 50 pieces for a new spell station upgrade.
At the end of the day, figuring out how to get paper in Enshrouded doesn’t have to be a frustrating chore. Whether you’re looting small villages for quick stacks early on or setting up a permanent crafting line at your base for late game builds, the methods we covered will make sure you never run out when you need it most. If you have a favorite paper farming spot we didn’t mention, drop it in the comments below to help other players out.