Everything you need to know about DayZ base building, including recipe ideas, tips for beginners, and the best solo base locations for easy bases

DayZ base building is a core mechanic that you’ll need to master if you want to survive for longer and keep your loot safe. There’s only one rule in the popular post-apocalyptic zombie game – survival. But the longer you survive, the more dangers you’re likely to face. Like most survival games with a major online component, you’re going to meet other players, and they’re more likely than not going to want to take all of your stuff.

That’s where DayZ base building comes in. A major feature that sets the standalone version apart from the original ARMA 2 mod of yore is that you can now build your own complex bases, rather than just try to hide a tent somewhere.

Whether you’re taking over an existing structure and slapping on a door, or building your own watchtower from scratch, you can now create secure places to rest up and defend yourself. It’s not as hard as it sounds to create a basic stronghold – either from scratch or using existing buildings – but the more complex the er, complex you want to put together is, the more materials you’ll need to gather. Here’s everything you need to know about building a base in DayZ.

There are several crucial recipes you’ll need to build a base in DayZ. Generally speaking, everything you’ll need to make will involve one or more of the following items:

The most important piece of kit you’re going to need to build a base is the Fence kit. This is used to mark out a straight line on the ground that will then let you build a fence frame, and then the fence itself. Once you’ve got the frame in place the kit will then drop on the ground, which lets you pick it up and use it again.

Here are some key Dayz base building recipes:

You can make DayZ bases out of existing structures, which saves a ton of work but you don’t get a lot of choice in terms of placement, and they’re difficult to hide. Still, these kinds of bases are especially useful for solo players as the material cost is relatively low, and you won’t need much help getting it setup before someone finds you.

Some basic tips on picking existing structures for bases:

Generally speaking, the right location should only require one or two fence panels, with only one being used as a gate. Depending on the building you may need to angle the fence panel so it all fits within the confines for the building, but once it’s down it will block off access further in. Don’t worry about the space you’re building the gate into – fence gates will clip through walls without issue, and still function as needed. Bonus points for pickling a building with its own external doors you can close to hide the fact that there’s a secure area inside.

DayZ Youtuber Nitno has an excellent video that goes through some of the best choices of buildings to barricade for solo players and beginners:

To build a gate in DayZ, you need to do the following:

Repeat for any additional gates you want to place inside your base structure, assuming there’s room.

If you want to build your own base from scratch, then you’re going to need a lot of the materials listed above. There are plenty of theories as to what the best base design is, but you’ll find a lot of love for basic watchtowers.

To build a watchtower, instead of a fence kit you will need to create a Watchtower kit. It functions exactly like a fence kit, except it places three sides down simultaneously.

You then need four wooden logs, instead of two, to place the pillars for the frames, at which point you get the watchtower kit back. After that the process is as above, using nails and wooden planks to create the rest of the frame, as well as boarding up each section.

You will then need to do the following:

To put in extra levels, you need at least to put down four wooden poles. You can then create the frames and board up if you want, or just leave them as is. You will still need to create a roof, and another set of stairs though, to build additional levels. Adding attachments like camouflage nets will work even if there’s no frame for a section, provided there’s a roof.

If you’re looking for DayZ base building plus, then you’ll want to head to the Steam Workshop. BaseBuildingPlus is a DayZ mod that adds “much needed life, polish, and love” to DayZ’s base building mechanics.

This mod adds in new building parts, more advanced rotation mechanics, new UI elements, as well as new models for existing parts. Head on over to the mod’s Steam Workshop page for more details, although remember to use this mod you’ll need to be playing on a server that supports it.

That’s everything you need to know about DayZ base building. Sadly, DayZ crossplay isn’t a thing still but there are plenty of other survival multiplayer games you can check out if you want to play with your friends.

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Strategy games aficionado Joe was previously editor of Wargamer and has written for RPS. Enjoys Hearts of Iron 4, Kerbal Space Program, Halo, and long walks on the beach.