So what if there's a gate in Haven that you can pass through for a certain fee (400 crowns, or 5 energy) that will let you out into the wilderness to simply explore around?
You have a certain time limit you're allowed into the wilderness and you try to collect all the materials and minerals you can. There can be some wild beasts that jump out at you, you can try harvesting minerals by digging using the slime slasher, chopping things with the hatchet, or mining with the beast basher. There can be 3 tiers of wilderness you can choose from depending on which tiers you have unlocked from the Clockworks Terminal.
i am reminded of the safari area in pokemon