Enshrouded features an incredibly deep building system that’s a joy for creative players! You get a wide range of shapes and materials to design your home exactly the way you want. Compared to other survival games, this system is not just cosmetic—it’s essential if you want to progress through the story. You can build a cozy cabin in the woods or a massive castle on a mountain. Getting started can feel overwhelming, especially with all the options available. So we’ll ease you in and show you how to build your first small house step by step.
Building a base in Enshrouded: Why it matters and how it helps early on
A base serves several purposes you can take advantage of. At the most basic level, it’s simply fun to construct your own home—this system is so well designed that every player should try it at least once.
In Enshrouded, a building is also used as:
- a home for the NPCs you can find in the world
- a place to rest for better status effects
- a place for your Flame Altar, which lets you teleport or respec your skill points, among other things
Enshrouded building guide: Step-by-step to your starter base
Find the perfect location: Access to resources and safety
You can build your base anywhere you like. The game places no restrictions on you, meaning you can build anywhere as long as you can place a Flame Altar. You also won’t be attacked at your base, unlike in many other survival games. So you don’t have to find a strategically perfect location—there’s little difference in that regard. That’s also what makes Enshrouded so great: every base is unique! Still, some places are more useful than others and worth considering.
The ideal spot should:
- offer quick, easy access to essential building materials
- be relatively flat and buildable to leave room for expansion
- provide a nice view
- be safe, far away from monsters
Place your workbench and Flame Altar: Build menu and construction hammer
Once you’ve found your spot, mark it with a Flame Altar. You can craft the altar from five stones and place it anywhere. It’s a crucial hub for base building and for your overall progress. When you place it, you’ll see its boundary. Everything inside this boundary persists and can be used for your base. Everything outside despawns after 30 minutes or when you restart the game. Upgrade the altar to expand the area and your options! The altar sits at the center of your base and can be integrated into the structure.
Next, craft a construction hammer from one stone directly in your inventory. Equip it and press Tab to open the build menu. Along the bottom, you can choose different walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs. On the right, scroll through the building materials and select them. The relevant keys and actions are clearly shown, so you should be able to get the hang of it quickly.
You’ll also need a workbench, made from three thread and eight wood, to craft materials. You always craft 100x pieces at a time, and you can stack up to 5000x materials in a single inventory slot. With those blocks in your inventory, you can build directly, too—great for adding details one block at a time.
Lay the foundation and shape the terrain: Hoe and base materials
Now it’s time to set up the foundation of your base. You can use a hoe to even out the terrain, though that’s not always necessary if the ground is already flat.
It’s usually best to start by laying foundation pieces to create a rough floor plan. Build the foundation slightly above ground level to get a level surface—that also makes your house more interesting! Using stone or wood for the base is a great choice, though any material will work. As you pick up materials, you’ll learn the related recipes. Some are only unlocked through quests.
To gather materials quickly and efficiently, we recommend crafting a pickaxe and an axe. Once you’ve unlocked the Blacksmith, you can buy and craft better versions. The “Mason” and “Lumberjack” skills are also worth picking up to speed up resource harvesting.
Plan the layout and build the walls: Stairs, windows, doors
With the basic foundation and flooring in place, it’s time for the walls. To make your house more visually appealing, use a different material for the corners to create contrast. It can look as if the house’s frame is supporting the rest.
Walls come in two- or four-meter heights, and you can also place individual blocks. You’ll find stairs and steps in the same subsection of the build menu. Windows and doors are available as prefabs, but you can later cut them out of solid walls, too.
Build a roof in Enshrouded: Shapes, materials, and snapping
Roofs also come in shapes sized two to four meters. They can be a bit trickier, so we recommend turning on the snapping tool. That will help your gables line up perfectly. Enshrouded currently offers only pitched roofs, but you can mix and match them in different ways.
Roof materials are categorized separately and give you a variety of visual options. From thatched roofs to professional-looking clay shingles, there’s plenty to choose from! For added depth, consider a roof overhang, maybe even in a different material. You can craft these at the workbench as well, though some recipes produce only 50x at a time.
Interior and decor: Increase comfort and unlock recipes
Your interior ties everything together. It doesn’t just look great—it’s also essential for your Comfort. Comfort determines how well you recover and how effective your “Rested” status effect is. The higher your base’s Comfort, the longer the effect lasts. That translates to better stamina, so it really pays to decorate.
Available decor includes:
- Beds
- Doors
- Windows
- Tables
- Benches
- Chairs
- Lights
- Fireplaces
- Rugs
- Bathroom decor
- Wall decor
Most of these can be crafted at the workbench, but some items require specific survivors to be present at your base. Try to rescue the Carpenter early—he unlocks many new recipes. Other NPCs with decor include the Hunter for rugs and wall decor, and the Collector for tables, chairs, and lighting. You’ll also need other workstations to use certain recipes.
Conclusion on Enshrouded base building: Be creative and maximize comfort
Base building in Enshrouded is a core system that gives you tons of room for creativity. You can use a wide variety of materials for floors, walls, and roofs, and even place individual blocks for custom details. Thanks to the survivors who move into your base, you’ll unlock even more decor later on to boost your Comfort and improve your stamina!
Rent your own Enshrouded server from us and build your first house together with your friends. Once you upgrade the Flame Altar, you can place multiple buildings in one region and create a small town!
