A planning guide based on the official game description and full-release features. Recipe costs depend on your installed build.
Start with the work area
Before choosing a large footprint, decide where you will put storage and the stations you use most. The game description lists wells, furniture, storage containers, furnaces and workbenches as parts of a functional base.
NoteKeep frequently used materials near the appropriate station. Check collision and access before adding another structure.
Choose a building material
The full-release announcement lists wood, stone, metal, glass and hay bale voxel blocks for walls, floors, stairs and roofs. Multi-story construction lets you move furniture and workbenches upstairs.
NoteUse the current placement preview rather than inferring structural rules from a screenshot.
Plan power as a system
Generators, refrigerators, electric fences and energy storage appear in the official feature description. Decide which devices you need before expanding your electricity setup.
NotePatch 1.0.15 says an underpowered Electric Furnace now slows in proportion to its power supply and shows its power status.
Leave room for defenses
The developer describes spike traps, electric fences, mines and automated turrets. The full release adds Crossbow, Machine Gun, Laser and Tesla turrets through the skill tree.
NoteCheck friendly-fire settings in co-op and preserve a clear route in and out. Do not assume a closed wall makes a Horde Mode camp safe.
Check stairs and roofs after updates
Patch 1.0.12 changed how stairs create openings above them and fixed roof display issues. If an older building guide disagrees with your placement preview, use the current game behavior and check that patch.
NoteTest a short stair run before committing materials to an entire upper floor.
Sources & references
Reviewed against published documentation on 12 Nov 2026. Advice is editorial unless identified as a documented game behavior; no in-game testing is claimed.