DayZ Base Building Guide: How & Where to Build Your Base (2024)

Before we start with the guide, we would like to give you an overview of what base building in DayZ involves. Unlike typical survival games with base building like ARK, Conan Exiles, or Rust, you only have limited building options in DayZ. These are mainly:

• Chests
• Fences and Gates
• Watchtowers
• Flagpoles

With these options, you can only build discreet bases in the wilderness or simply barricades in houses, barns, or warehouses.

Before starting the base building, you should gather the right equipment in Chernarus or Livonia. This includes:

Tools:

• Shovel or Garden Hoe, Pickaxe.
• Hammer or Hatchet.
• Pliers.
• Saw and Axe.

You will need a shovel or similar tools to build the foundations of your base. The hammer or hatchet is needed to nail boards to the fence elements. With the pliers, you can make a gate out of a fence, and with the saw and axe, you will get the necessary wood or process it into boards.

Resources:

• Wood: logs, sticks, and boards
• Ropes
• Wire
• Nails
• Metal sheet
• Optional: barbed wire
• Optional: camouflage net

To build a decent base, you will mainly need wood and nails in masses, but you can quickly get the wood from nearby trees.

How to build your base in DayZ

We will now go through the individual building elements and what you require for them, step by step.

How to build a Fence

To start with your base, a fence is the best choice. You have to start with a fence kit, in which you connect the following resources:

• 2 x sticks
• 1 x rope

Then you can take it in your hand and place it on the ground with the left mouse button pressed.

Then you require 2 logs to build the foundation. Take one log at a time and approach the fence. Then you can place the log as the foundation. Then pick up your shovel and interact with the foundation.

Once your foundation is in place, build the fence frame. This is separated into an upper and lower part. For each part, you require 4 boards and 8 nails. In total you need 8 boards and 16 nails. With a hammer or hatchet you can nail the boards to the foundation.

At the end you have to finish the fence with more boards. Again, the fence is divided into an upper and lower part, for each of which you require 5 boards and 10 nails.

If you want to make a gate out of a fence piece, you will need a wire to attach to the fence with a plier.

Total cost per fence:

• Fence Kit:
  • 2 x sticks
  • 1 x rope
• Fence:
  • 2 x logs
  • 18 x boards
  • 36 x nails
• Gate:
  • 1 x wire

You can also extend your fence with a platform to have a better view over the fence. To do this, you just need to put boards and nails in the inventory of the fence and interact with the equipped hammer or axe. You can also attach a staircase to get up more quickly.

• Platform:
  • 5 x boards
  • 15 x nails
• Stairs:
  • 4 x boards
  • 8 x nails

Before you finish your fences, you should carefully plan your base and place the fence foundations first. It may happen that you can't build the way you want due to obstacles, and then gaps appear, or you have to start all over again.

How to build a Watchtower

As with the fence, you will first need a kit to plan the watchtower. You build the watchtower kit by connecting the following materials together:

• 4 x sticks
• 1 x rope

Now you can take the kit in hand and set it up like the fence. Here, too, you must then set a foundation of tree trunks and gradually complete the watchtower. For this you will need the materials, a hammer or a hatchet. For the foundation you will still need your shovel.

• Foundation:
  • 4 x logs
• Frame:
  • 24 x boards
  • 48 x nails
• Walls:
  • 30 x boards
  • 60 x nails
• Ceiling:
  • 10 x boards
  • 20 x nails
• Stairs:
  • 10 x boards
  • 20 x nails

With this, you have finished the first level of the watchtower; you still need 2 more. For the roof at the end, you need less wood, but for the first time, metal sheets. You can also build some walls only halfway to create windows, this saves resources but is less protective.

If you build the watchtower completely, you will need a total of:

• 12 x logs
• 207 x boards
• 424 x nails
• 6 x metal sheets

How to build a Flagpole

You need a flagpole to keep your base and all items in it from despawning. We have described in an extra guide how you can build one.

How to build a flagpole in DayZ

Basically you need the following materials:

• 10 x logs
• 32 x stones
• 60 x nails
• 1 x wire rope
• 1 x rope

Optional additions to Basebuilding

You can further equip your fences and watchtowers with the help of camouflage nets or barbed wire. Camouflage nets make them harder to spot in the wilderness, and barbed wire ensures players and zombies get hurt if they get too close to your base.

You can also reinforce your base with metal sheets. You can attach them to fences to increase their protection.

To further equip your base, you can fill it with various containers like barrels, where you can store your loot. Tents are also suitable for this purpose. A campfire is also a must. You can get a generator and construction lights if you require even more light.

To operate such a generator, however, you need gasoline. By the way, it is not quiet either.

Where should you build your base in DayZ?

In general, look for a location that offers a lot of protection. Churches that have only one entrance are especially suitable. Here you can build several gates and walls in a row to keep players away from your valuable loot for a long time.

The best location for your base, according to DayZ pro Anarchy, is right in the heart of Chernarus' capital city. He reveals why in this post: "DayZ Streamer Reveals Top Base Location."

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