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Base building has gotten a lot more complicated since The Forest. Sons of the Forest now stands beside great survival games like Valheim and Enshrouded in its ability to produce some jaw-dropping bases. Of course, beautiful buildings aren’t worth much if they don’t keep you safe. Thankfully, it’s now easier than ever to create a base that’s as gorgeous as it is practical. Here are our 10 best base-building tips for Sons of the Forest, in no particular order.
10. Practice Efficient Logging
If there’s one constant when it comes to base building in Sons of the Forest, it’s the constant need for more logs. To construct a large, safe base, you’ll need to deforest at least part of the island. Use ziplines to move logs for you, and use log collectors to catch them on the other side. If you’re building on low ground, cut trees down on the slopes above and let the wood come to you. The more efficient your logging, the faster you can build your base.
9. Supports Allow Wider Rooms
There’s a limit on how wide you can make a wooden beam while base building in Sons of the Forest without the structure collapsing on itself. Thankfully, there’s also a way around this limit. By placing a half log at the corner of a beam, you can bolster the structure, allowing you to build wider rooms and larger bases than you’d otherwise be able to. That means more room to store your valuables and take shelter away from the hungry mouths outside.
8. Uneven Floors Even Themselves Out
A lot of tips for building a base in Sons of the Forest explain how to keep you safe, but too few explain how to make your base beautiful. If you’re a stickler for aesthetics, you may avoid building on uneven terrain for fear of the uneven floors that will result. In Sons of the Forest, there’s no need to do that because the game will automatically level out the floor titles as you build. That expands the list of possible build sites by quite a bit.
7. Sea Bases Mean Salt Water
Water is a fantastic defense against cannibals because they have a nasty habit of drowning when they try to cross it, so mostly, they leave it alone. For that reason, you might want to build on a lake or even the ocean. Though sea bases are possible, there’s one disadvantage you must account for the lack of fresh water. Make sure you have already constructed rain catchers in the area before diving into construction. If nothing else, keep some bottled water handy.
6. Lake Bases Require Seasonal Building
When building a base on land, you’re free to start chopping down trees and laying a foundation whenever you’d like. Things are a bit more complicated when building on lakes. Here are the steps you’ll need to take:
- Lay down a log foundation during winter
- Sleep until spring
- Leave the area to make the lake ice melt
- Build upon your foundation
5. You Can Build Two-Level Fences
Many players don’t bother with fences due to their short height and lack of decorative charm, but there’s a way to improve both. By aiming your cursor at the ground while holding a stick beside a stick fence, you can add a second level to the fence. You can also build skull lamps and torches on top of fences, adding a bit of creepy charm to your base’s exterior while also making it harder for cannibals to sneak in during the night. Finally, a use for all those sticks.
4. Loose Logs Will Disappear
You’ll probably have a ton of loose logs lying around on the ground during big construction projects. Logging out of the game will cause logs on the ground to disappear, which can slow down base-building quite a bit. To prevent this, either use the logs for whatever you’re building or store them properly in a log holder. Doing so will ensure you’re not wasting any valuable daylight redoing the previous day’s work.
3. Log Ramps Can Replace Ziplines
If you want to build a treehouse, you’ll need to figure out how to get yourself and your lumber up there. Ziplines are usually the easiest method, but if you don’t have a zipline gun yet, there’s another method. Build a simple ramp using a few logs and supports, and then you can simply stroll up it with logs in hand. Log ramps take a few resources and only a little time to set up, making them an attractive option if you’re trying to get settled in the trees in the early game.
2. You Can Mix Materials
Though some players prefer to build only with wood or stone, Sons of the Forest allows you to mix materials. You can build one wall of stone, slap down a wooden column, and then fill the space between with more stone if you want. Mixing and matching materials doesn’t give you much of a tactical advantage, but it allows you to create unique-looking bases that would otherwise be impossible.
1. Minimize Base Access
Utilizing chokepoints and other terrain advantages are important tips when building a safe base in Sons of the Forest. Reduce access points as much as possible, ideally only leaving one or two ways that cannibals can approach. The easiest way to do this is by using nearby mountain slopes and cliffs that cannibals are incapable of scaling. Yes, doing so will restrict your build options slightly, but it’s still one of the best ways to keep your base safe without taking advantage of bugs or problematic AI.
Sons of the Forest is available for PC.
