There are three things I enjoy in this game: Raiding,Pvp, and Defensive Base Building. I have extensive experience in all three areas, but I'm here to talk about the latter.
Regardless of my trolling on the forums, I have been busy inside of Salem. I have seen raids from the mightiest humor characters decimate a massive base in hours, and have been part of massive raids myself. Recently, after understanding what it is like to be inside the mind of the raider and seeing how they operate against us, and being one myself, I started thinking outside the box when it comes to defensive mechanics of bases.
Currently, I have been traveling all over the world searching for perfect base spots and claiming them, while building hearthvaults in locations I find just too good to ignore. I have quite a few locations that I have been testing different defensive mechanics, and I will eventually replace the paint pictures with in game screenshots when I get around to it.
So lets get right into it shall we?
WHAT NOT TO DO:
1. Two walls and then thinking your safe. Do you understand that just ONE raider can come along and use both free crimes on each one of your walls before a brazier activates? Boom. Free access. This is the most common thing I see on my travels around the world. Add in more raiders and these small amount of walls villages quicky have a BIG problem.
2. A Large claim/village with multiple gates access. Gates are evil. They are the highway for a raider to enter deeper and deeper into your base. Not one but TWO people can attack a gate at the same time, making destroying one much more efficient then tanking a wall under brazier fire. Two is always better then one, this situation is no different.
I understand it can be annoying on a large claim to only have one way in and out, but you won't feel so annoyed if you don't heed my advice and raiders can't make off/destroy your ENTIRE base. It will ALWAYS be easier to break another group of gates down on a large claim to make it easier for raiders to walk loot off claim that is closer to that set of gates. Remember that. I have been there and done that myself.
While we are on the topic, boats and chests. Don't leave them lying around unsecured. You make it 100% easier for a raider to take your **** if a boat is just sitting there on your claim with chests nearby it full of all your good ****. We load the boat up with 4 chests, and rinse repeat. You just got completely ransacked. Thanks for the assistance. If you a truly too lazy to build a separate small walled in area to store your boats and chests, or you don't keep the chests inside locked/walled in houses. Congratulations, your lazy and your months of grind and work in this game is for nothing.
Large villages with "Roads" to each claim by using the village claim only. This is another huge no-no. Don't do it. You give raiders free access to your individual claims and they can take all the time they need to rob all of you blind. Once again, thanks for the assistance in taking all your hard work.
Wrong way.
Right way.
Build a core defensive area, and surround your personal claims around that, making it all the harder for raiders to get inside the middle, and get access to your loot.
"Well, Uncle Realak, how many walls do I need?"
Well casual, it depends on your future in this game. Do you plan on making waves and being somebody? Or are you just a farmville pubbie casual?
If you checked in the first box, are investing a significant amount of time into this game, then let me throw some things out there for you.
Two of the biggest raids in this game, at BTK and at the Chiefs Apple, were done by 5-6 members of Stax's village at BTK, then 8-9 Russians at the Apple. I was there for both.
So what am I recommending? A Minimum of twenty walls. That is, if you wish to make a raid by these two factions more difficult, and not just a cake walk into your base.
Now, chances are pretty good you won't raise the ire of either of these factions anytime soon, so smaller will be fine for now. Just remember, the Russians are Xenophobic and just like in HnH, once they feel strong enough, they will attempt to kill anyone who isn't them with the end game goal of being the only people left playing.
If you checked the second box, then you might as well stick with those two walls, your just resources lying around unclaimed anyways to most people. This game, really isn't for you. The only thing you have going is you can plays months without meeting another single person ( just depends where you are) but heed my words, the day will come when someone with vile intentions appears in your area. Heed my warning.
TIPS AND TRICKS FOR DEFENSIVE BASE MECHANICS
1. The Stagger Method. This avoids two people from hitting your gate at the same time. Observe.
This basically makes your gates as strong as walls, no longer can they attack the same gate, two at a time. Be warned though, it can be difficult to move through at first, but once you learn the right areas to click move upon, you will be right through in a jiffy. Sadly, carrying things like logs or boats is impossible at this time. I would recommend to most people to use this method in the area you store all your good loot, and leanto, not where you work your claim normally. (aka, the most well defended area.) But if your a true dungeon master (and paranoid) like me, build this on all your gates, and just suck it up and chop some logs on a claim outside your defensive area.
2. The Strong Gate Method. Wanna really mess up your raiders plans for a quick and easy in and out of your base? Check this out.
Genius right? Incorporate trees and a claim stone into your defensive strategy. I never laughed so hard as having someone attempt to chop a freaking tree WHILE taking brazier fire just to be able to hit my gate. The claim stone? you can walk through it yes, but you can't destroy something while standing inside of it. Pure genius, I know. Have fun with this one.
BRAZIERS Wall those suckers in, coming from first hand experience, if you don't wall your brazier in, they become almost useless. Once the raider breaks through the walls, every fifteen minutes they just charge in, destroy some braziers, and charge out. Rinse repeat until no more braziers. Free reign of your base. Wall in your braziers people. Do it!
And last but not least, THE (almost except for digging) IMPENETRABLE LEANTO VAULT
Part of me didn't want to reveal this to everyone, but I think everyone should have a chance to look for one, plus mine is already finished.
What you do:
1.Search for natural cliffs.
2. Find a raised natural cliff.
3. Try to find a raised cliff area as large as the summoning radius of a leanto.
4. Climb up this area, and flatten it.
5. Build walls on the exact edges ( not all places you find will let you do this, it's very rare if you can flatten it right, trust me, I know)
6. Profit. If your walls are on the exact edges, no one can climb up and hang in mid air amd be able to destroy your walls on the edge. You don't get stuck, you can climb back down.
What mine looks like.
The only ONLY way someone can get to your leanto is by actually dropping enough dirt to raise an area up enough for them to be able to destroy your wall. Practically impossible if this is done inside of a large base, with multiple walls going around the vault, and braziers everywhere. The raiders would literally have to destroy huge sections of walls in order to just be able to drop dirt correctly.
If your like me, you will dig around your hearthvault deep enough where to get down yourself, you need mountain climbing. Genius, I know.
And that's it, if anyone has any additonal idea's pm them to me and I will credit you in this post with your own section. I will clean this post up down the road, as I wrote this in haste before work, and I plan to replace the paint pictures for in game screenshots of my different area's when I have time. Thanks for reading.
-Realak
![¦]](./images/smilies/troll.gif "Trollface")
jk. This is turning over a new leaf Realak, I realize I can never win on the forums since most mods hate me. Trying to contribute back to society, and be a good little boy.