DayZ Base Building – Complete Guide

Surviving in DayZ requires you to focus on a core mechanic that is sometimes overlooked by players – base building. After scouting and gathering loot, eventually you need a safe place to stash everything, shelter you from the harsh environment, and hide from enemies. Building a base plays an important role in your survival, so we’ve created this Nitrado article to help you get started 👏

Tools & Materials for DayZ Building

Before you start chopping down trees, you need to gather specific tools and materials. Navigating base building in DayZ means you cannot skip corners. If you lack even one essential tool, your construction will come to a halt.
 
Required Tools:

• Hatchet or Axe: For chopping down trees and gathering Wooden Logs.
• Handsaw: For cutting Wooden Logs into Wooden Planks.
• Shovel or Pickaxe: Essential for digging the base logs into the ground.
• Hammer or Hatchet: Used to build the frames and coverings (walls).
• Pliers: Mandatory for gate building (attaching wire to create hinges).

Required Materials:

• Rope & Short Sticks: Used for crafting layout kits.
• Nails: You will need hundreds of these. Loot industrial zones and outhouses to find them in boxes of 70.
• Metal Wire: Used for crafting gates.
• Wooden Logs & Planks: The backbone of your base.
• Combination Lock (3-dial or 4-dial): To secure your gates and keep raiders out.

DayZ Base Building Recipes

You need to familiarize yourself with a few fundamental DayZ base building recipes to construct your fortress. In Vanilla, you build items by combining base components in your inventory or on the ground.

• Fence Kit: 2x Short Sticks + 1x Rope
• Watchtower Kit: 4x Short Sticks + 1x Rope
• Wooden Crate (Storage): 2x Wooden Planks + 10x Nails
• Improvised Shelter: 4x Long Sticks + 50x Short Sticks (or 4x Animal Pelts / 8x Tarps)

Step-by-Step Building

Now that you have your tools and recipes, it’s time to break ground. Here is your step-by-step DayZ building guide for creating standard walls:

1. Place the Kit: Equip your crafted Fence Kit or Watchtower Kit. Left-click to choose your placement and hold the action button to deploy it.
2. Add the Foundation Logs: Chop down trees to get 2 Wooden Logs. Carry them to your placed kit and attach them to the inventory slots of the fence.
3. Erect the Pillars: Equip your Shovel or Pickaxe. Look at the base of the logs and hold the action button to “Build Base.” Your two logs will now stand upright.
4. Attach Building Materials: Cut logs into Wooden Planks using a Handsaw. Attach the Wooden Planks and a large stack of Nails to the fence’s inventory.
5. Build the Frames and Coverings: Equip your Hammer or Hatchet. Look at the fence to receive prompts to “Build Lower Frame” and “Build Upper Frame.” Once the frames are up, continue holding the action button to “Build Wooden Coverings” to make the wall solid.

Securing Your DayZ Base

A base without a door is just a wooden box you can’t get into, which isn’t good. DayZ gate building is a crucial step in finishing your compound. To turn a standard fence into an interactive gate:

1. Complete a standard fence (including the frames and coverings).
2. Find Metal Wire and attach it to the fence’s inventory slot.
3. Equip your Pliers in your hands.
4. Look at the fence and select the prompt to “Build Gate.”
5. The fence will now act as a swinging door. Attach a 3-dial or 4-dial Combination Lock to the gate’s inventory to lock it securely.

Storage Solutions

Once your base is secure, you need a place to stash your gear. Standard DayZ building allows for a few excellent storage options:

• Wooden Crates: Easy to craft (2 Planks, 10 Nails), hold 50 slots, and can be buried underground with a shovel.
• Barrels: Found in industrial zones, hold 150 slots.
• Sea Chests: Rare spawns, hold 100 slots, and can also be buried.
• Tents: Car tents, medium tents, and military tents provide massive storage and can be pitched safely behind your new walls.

Final Thoughts

Establishing a foothold in Chernarus takes time, patience, and a lot of nails. By utilizing this DayZ base building guide, you’ll be on your way to creating an impenetrable fortress. Remember to choose your location wisely and maybe pick up some friends along the way to help the building go faster. It might be worth building more than one base, especially if you’re stashing a lot all over the map.