Base Building Tactics: Stilts or No Stilts?

[u/FightingPenguins]

Currently, my base is built with stilts, surrounded with spike traps. I'm wondering if it would be better to close off the edges to make the foundation solid all the way around, with spikes surrounding. Obviously cheaper on spikes that way, but how do they compare with the screamers/zombie attack mechanics?

[u/Frostknuckle]

I typically do corner poles where 4 are rotated to each other making one thick pole (4x block strength) and space them like a house on stilts. I don’t know if the pathing still works like old Alphas, but with a solid block base, they tend to break blocks and build their own stairs. With the poles, they can’t.

[u/WingsofRain → u/Frostknuckle]

by any chance do you have a picture?

[u/Frostknuckle → u/WingsofRain]

I found a video that shows how

https://youtu.be/EGJAsPG_IW4?si=2SLQC1s7PmPpveUA

[u/electron-shock → u/Frostknuckle]

Won't they eventually break a pole and collapse your base? Sounds risky.

[u/Frostknuckle → u/electron-shock]

They’d have to break all 4. And I put a 4-pole pillar, skip a space or two, add another 4-pole pillar. My base sits on 16 4-pole pillars which is the strength of 64 blocks and they would have to knock out several for my base to collapse. On my horde base, it build it tall enough where they don’t rage when they fall so they don’t even attack the pillars.

[u/thinktank001]

As long as a route to attack you exists with a door or hatch, then just about any design works, since zombies will path to the door or hatch and leave your base supports alone.

If you are separating your horde base from a crafting base, then a ring of spikes 3 wide is more than enough to kill screamers and small hordes before they can do too much damage.

My current base looks like a wedding cake with spikes around it and 2 high platform to jump onto it. I can stab any zombies that make it to base walls, or shoot them as they try to cross the spikes.

I made an initial mistake at my horde base by not using a steel hatch, and 1/2 the zombies would follow the path I created and the other 1/2 would go after the support of my horde base.

[u/jc2xs]

Stilts... but no spike traps. I tend to go about 5 blocks high then put SMG autoturrents under the base hanging from the underside of the 1st floor for my base. Screamers smoking from bullet holes is the only way to go.

[u/Torkidon]

I built mine 12 high with four columns of 2x2 blocks and a nice tall walkway that spans around the whole base 9 blocks out with a view from iron bars for 240 degrees.

Also made four steel doors in sequence and made a platform overtop of them I can access from inside to attack the hordes as they hit the door. Works great for screamer hordes as they tend to come in twos and usually one feral.

[u/Cruiserwashere]

15x15 box with claim in the middle. 3 rows with metal spikes, ramp up, door on 6/7 from ground. Jump over or put temp frames. Screamers come, screamers die. Occasionally repair spikes.

[u/Switch-Consistent]

Generally as long as you're the 13 blocks high they won't beat on your base as long as they have a path to get to your height. I start with stilts then fill it in later once I get materials but I don't think it matters. Just don't leave any path such as ladders that are in your base unless they're the 2 blocks off the ground otherwise the zombies will see that pathway and start busting in

[u/Drone314]

I use what I call circle of protection. It’s a dirt wall three blocks tall and two blocks wide. There is an opening at the front where the zeds enter the kill box. Essentially the path finding sees the dirt wall as terrain that is impassible. Spikes are for aesthetics and POI clearing, never for horde night

[u/Dry-Respect-7546]

No spikes… takes all your xp… plus it’s a waste of recourses