Anyone still trying to live on ground level?

[theFlu]

I took over a POI and figured I'd give it a go, build something that's usable on ground level. I'm not sure if I already gave up, but the new pathing feels like it's become practically pointless to try.

Granted, I'm in wasteland, but after one night, this was the result:

Spoiler: Holes

Two holes, each a full breach of the perimeter with the new pathing. Previously they'd have broken the block one higher and stayed outside, now they're in my face after any single block breaks.
Curiously, plugging one of the holes made the next guy dig himself a new one next to it and got stuck behind that trash can. /shrug

Options.. moats and force fields. I could dig, done it a lot. It kinda makes sense, except it's basically just moving to the second floor; as it's just a pathing exploit anyway, identical to removing entrances to second floor and rolling your own. Force fields aren't necessary, but the draw bridges are quite clunky; and I'm assuming they're still broken, making zeds think they're always open. Gotta test, maybe. But a force field will do just fine for a drive-thru loot-drop area.

Option two, traps, turrets etc.. yeah, it would work. Grover High is a bit big to protect properly that way; already sectioned it down somewhat. Not getting any turret ammo in loot, so I'd have to start a manufacturing line for that. Ehh, I'll just pick up my stations and put them on the next floor.

Whaddya think, are we supposed to live on the second floor by design, or is this just me being a lazy ¤#"%?

 

[Vaeliorin]

I tend to build my horde base at ground level (unless I'm doing a stun baton knock them back so they fall through a dozen or so blade traps on the way down build) but living at ground level would just be way too annoying, imo. Gotta keep the goodies away from the zombies. Don't want a stray cop spit or yeti boulder to blow up any of my storage/workbenches.

But yeah, unless you're wanting to set up a kill zone and traps for random guests, I'd avoid living on ground level.

 

[theFlu]

I'd avoid living on ground level.

Ye, you aren't wrong. I just kinda wanted to try for the challenge, but with that one block break = free path, it won't be as much a "first floor" as it's a "second floor, just dug a floor down"

I've been there for one horde by now, made a ground level base at the main loot, but messed it up by just guessing what the zeds would crawl thru. They didn't, they ate their way through a wall next to a free crawl tunnel. Oh well, had fun sprinting around in the parking lot for the night.

I've got a guess about that trash-can that jammed the zed, might try a design based on that next. Pet zeds in all of the walls, should it work ..

 

[Riamus]

I have only done a base in the wasteland once and it was to rebuild one of ZZTong's remnant bases. I normally stick to desert or forest (forest most often since I don't usually bother moving). And I probably won't ever build in the desert again now that we have the spitters. They are find to fight when doing stuff in the desert, but I don't want them hanging out at my base.

I also split my bases between everyday and horde, so I don't have a lot to worry about from zombies at my main base. They aren't going to break in, even with only one block needed because as soon as I hear them, I'll go kill them and repair any damage. For horde bases, I almost always am on the second level. So I don't think I'll need to make any real changes as far as location with 2.x. I may need to make some changes for the horde base itself, depending how well old ways of doing things works with the new zombies and zombie tiers.

 

[LittleNightma]

 

[theFlu]

as soon as I hear them, I'll go kill them and repair any damage.

Dunno what it was, but I didn't hear either of these, nor plenty of others over the week. Granted, the place is huge and I might just not be paying attention, but those I screenshot I'd have expected to have, they were close. With the first one, first my indication was getting hit, the second one was stuck, so dunno how long.

Ofc not

 

[pApA^LeGBa]

Well you choose a POI that is hard to defend to begin with. Already was before the update. I think the size of it is your main problem. Tried such big POIs in many versions of the game and it always was a pain.

We currently live in Hershs Farm, in the forest and it´s not any different from what you experience, not far enough in to properly defend it yet. A moat and a drawbridge always worked well for us, we do dig 4 deep though so they can´t even reach the drawbridge.

 

[theFlu]

Well you choose a POI that is hard to defend to begin with. Already was before the update.

Certainly, it's a big build. I did section off the main loot stash into its own area, blocking the corridors out with conc, so the footprint I actually occupied is something like 20x20. Defending that with moats and/or traps wouldn't be a huge deal.

Been thinking about it, I guess what most bothers me about the whole ordeal is the direction it's pushing. The change in pathing doesn't do much for the cheesy elevated builds, they'll work just fine. But anything you'd build "realistically" will have a rat hole problem. It's about as bad for ground dwellers as the "structural engineer" -AI update; now they can properly utilize the degrees.

As in, earlier a wall would hold until a LOT of it was down as the zeds would aim for the 2nd block, and break several of those before a breach occurred. Now, any wall will fail at exactly one block broken, at minimum halving the effectiveness of walls, but more realistically they're 3-4x weaker.

we do dig 4 deep though so they can´t even reach the drawbridge.

Last I tried, (1.x), the "proper" setup for a drawbridge over a moat would have the zeds think the drawbridge was open when it wasn't.. they'd try to run it and just run into the moat. Not a huge problem as such, just .. silly. Passive afk base if you gave them a way out on the outer rim.

I guess the game is doomed to be an arms race of dropper designs. /shrug

 

[zztong]

My home base is usually a ground level POI. I leave the doors open so the zombies don't bother to destroy blocks. They just come right to me.

 

[ElCabong]

I've given up on ground level baces. When I'm at my base I just don't want to mess with zombies. Doesn't always work out that way.

 

[BFT2020]

Right now, I am based in the snow biome (I just unlocked the wasteland badge) and picked one of the log cabin style POIs as my main base (not horde base, I picked a building in the city for that). It was mostly wood and cobblestone blocks so the yetis were destroying the wood blocks quite easily.

I did upgrade everything at least to cobblestone so it had more durability and painted them to look like wood (for the aethestics).

Currently I have feral sense turned on so I do have to clear out zombies at night when they get pulled towards my base, but if you actively clear them out, your base will survive a lot longer.

Spikes against the wall is something I have used in the past. Typically I would go 2 layers, 2 high around everything but the doors. Doors are usually metal doors and I use those to deal with the zombies that are in the area.

Post automatically merged: Jul 10, 2025

My home base is usually a ground level POI. I leave the doors open so the zombies don't bother to destroy blocks. They just come right to me.

Previous run I had one of the car POIs as my main base, I think it had 4 doors leading inside. I didn't leave the doors open, but I sure opened them up when I had too many to deal with at one time. Always fun to run around my base picking them off, but knowing that they won't start destroying things in my base because of pathing issues.

 

[theFlu]

Currently I have feral sense turned on so I do have to clear out zombies at night when they get pulled towards my base, but if you actively clear them out, your base will survive a lot longer.

Ye, I guess perimeter sweeps are the only real way; sadly in the wasteland that'll do roughly nothing..
"Pick yer glitch" it is ..

 

[pApA^LeGBa]

@theFlu In my experience they drop down everywhere, not just at the drawbridge. That might have changed, we didn´t get there yet.

 

[murky water]

since the update me and my two friends have tried branching out(we do snow biome and burnt biome now though desert is still the default) and have started making bugout micro bases for horde night (the bugout is between 6x6 and 9x9 and square depending). it used to be super easy to defend the main base but now it just feels easier to hop a biome over and just spend the night there instead

 

[Kazgrel]

Being in the wasteland, you definitely need to minimize noise even as you move about in your base due to all the zeds that naturally spawn in the biome. Especially if you're taking over a POI in a town

In our recently concluded 2.0 playthrough, my squad set up in the T3 fire station (forget it's name) and had our crafting stations/storage on ground level. The most annoyance was getting moved in there because all the running around and building/upgrading had Zed's after us near constantly. Once it was set up, things were peaceful unless a screamed popped off

 

[warmer]

I have always assumed they'd dig underneathe your walls unless you start your walls a few blocks down. above ground seems the cheapest/safeteat solution.

 

[theFlu]

I have always assumed they'd dig underneathe your walls unless you start your walls a few blocks down.

They don't dig down unless you're underground yourself, with them not having a good path to you. They're also really reluctant to touch any terrain blocks in any case, probably mostly to avoid tunneling under your walls. That's quite exploitable in itself

 

[Samcharles]

They don't dig down unless you're underground yourself, with them not having a good path to you. They're also really reluctant to touch any terrain blocks in any case, probably mostly to avoid tunneling under your walls. That's quite exploitable in itself

I tend to make a cube shaped blood moon base. Zombies sometimes dig the ground from when I shoot their legs off or as a result of an explosion. I usually build two blocks down to protect from dig under.

 

[hampy_251]

You guys built bases?

I just put my sleeping bag down so, when I die, I return there and wait out the horde.

 

[Caelynd Maclyrr]

I tend to build my horde base at ground level (unless I'm doing a stun baton knock them back so they fall through a dozen or so blade traps on the way down build) but living at ground level would just be way too annoying, imo. Gotta keep the goodies away from the zombies. Don't want a stray cop spit or yeti boulder to blow up any of my storage/workbenches.

But yeah, unless you're wanting to set up a kill zone and traps for random guests, I'd avoid living on ground level.

After many versions (A13+) of trying to deal with blood moons and hordes, we have generally stuck with a "second level" home at least, and a blood moon "battle base" at a different location so structural failure does not eliminate all that you have obtained.