Building a custom base is one of the main goals of many DayZ players. Luckily, you can easily create an effective base once you know how. We’ll be covering exactly how to build a base, from collecting materials to finishing your first full compound.
Before Getting Started
Before you get started with building a base in DayZ, you’re first going to have to craft some vital items that will allow you to smoothly create all the necessary parts of your base.
Resources You’ll Need to Build a Base
The most important resource when it comes to building any structure in DayZ is wood – you’ll need a ton of it to create everything from walls to gates to stairs. You’ll need both wooden logs and wooden planks to get started with the base building.
You’ll also need to find some nails to create bases. You can find nails in boxes around the world or by dismantling another player’s base with a hatchet or axe.
Finally, you’ll need metal wire to create a gate for your base. You can loot this item from farms or hunting areas.
Tools You’ll Need to Build a Base
Once you have the materials needed for the base building, you’ll need some tools to assemble them with. The necessary tools are:
- Hatchet – used to chop wood among many other tasks. Found in farms and villages.
- Shovel – used in creating fences. Found in industrial areas and farms.
- Hammer – used in creating fences. Found in industrial areas, farms, and villages
- Pliers – are used to turn fences into gates. Found in industrial areas and farms.
Kits You’ll Need to Build a Base
As well as tools and general resources, you’ll also need materials to create kits, the foundations for your base building components. Kits are reusable, so you’ll only need one of each.
There are two kinds of kits – fence kits, and watchtower kits. Both kits require crafting, with each requiring some rope and wooden sticks. You can create rope by crafting together two stacks of six rags, and can find sticks by chopping firewood with a hatchet.
Building a Base in DayZ
Once you have the tools and resources you’ll need to build a base, you can finally get started.
There are two main types of base components in DayZ: fences and watchtowers. Watchtowers provide a lookout spot for your base, while fences will act as the walls of your structures.
Building Fences
You should start the building process by creating fences, the walls of your base. To do this, first, place your fence kit down in the location where you want to build a fence.
You can start the foundation of the fence by walking up to the fence kit with a wooden log in hand. Open your menu and drag the log over to the fence kit on the left to attach it.
Repeat this for a second log, then use your shovel on the fence kit to finish building the foundation of the fence.
Next, you’ll have to work on the lower and upper frames of the fence. You’ll need four wooden planks and eight nails for each section of the frame.
You can attach the frame’s materials to the fence in the same way as you added the foundation. You’ll then have to use a hammer or hatchet on the fence to finish the frame construction process.
With the frame completed, you’ll next have to build the lower and upper walls of the fence. Carry out the same process as before, this time using five wooden planks and ten nails to construct each part of the wall.
With the wall finished, you’ve successfully finished your first fence piece. Simply repeat this process next to the first fence piece to create a longer wall or compound.
Turning a Fence into a Gate
Once you have a finished fence piece, you can choose to turn it into a gate by attaching some metal wire to it, then using pliers on it. This will add hinges to interact with and open this fence piece.
You can also add code locks to your gates in order to deter other players that may seek to loot or infiltrate your base. You can occasionally find code locks in farms and industrial areas.
Building Watchtowers
Building watchtowers is very similar to building fences. First, you’ll have to place your watchtower kit down where you want to build a watchtower.
Once the kit is placed, you can start building the foundations of the watchtower. To do this, attach four logs to the watchtower kit, then use a shovel to finish the step.
You’ll now need to add lower and upper frames to three of the watchtower’s four sides. Each frame segment will take four wooden planks and eight nails to build. Once the materials are attached, use a hammer or hatchet to finish the frames.
Next, you’ll need to build lower and upper walls by attaching five planks and ten nails per segment. Attach these to the three walls and finish them off with a hammer or hatchet.
With the walls completed, build a roof panel on top of the walls by attaching 10 planks and 20 nails, then interact with a hammer or hatchet.
The final part of this floor is the staircase. You can build this by attaching 10 planks and 20 nails to the base of the tower, then interacting with a hammer or hatchet.
With the walls, ceiling, and stairs completed, you’ve successfully built the first floor of the watchtower. You can now head upstairs and repeat this process twice to reach the maximum watchtower height.
With all three floors completed, you’ll have to build the watchtower roof.
A watchtower roof can be built by attaching six metal sheets, five wooden planks, and 20 nails to the 3F base. You can find metal sheets by looting industrial areas.
Finish off the roof with a hammer or hatchet to complete the watchtower.
Tips For a Great Base
Once you’ve got the basics of base construction down, you can get to work designing the base of your dreams. While almost any layout will work, there are some tips to have a secure base:
- If your base is in the woods, keep your base small and use camo nets to avoid attracting attention.
- Replace wooden walls with metal sheets to improve durability
- Large bases attract attention – don’t hide your most valuable loot in a large base
Extra Base Features
There’s much more to the base building in DayZ than just the basic fences and watchtowers. Once you’ve set up your main structure, there are some extras you can add to your base to improve its security and make it a better place to live.
- Add platforms to the inside of fences to easily peek over the side and shoot at enemies.
- Add electricity to your base by looting a power generator and using a spark plug to connect it to some lights.
- Add barbed wire to fences to make it harder to infiltrate the base.
The base building takes time, so make sure you have your basic necessities sorted out first:
How to Make a Tent in DayZ | DayZ: How to Find Food | How to Use the Gas Stove in DayZ
