The Tool Desk
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This guide explains where to build, how to create a stable foundation grid, which layouts suit solo, clan, PvE and PvP play, and how to plan for purges without sacrificing everyday access.
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What makes a base “best” in Conan Exiles?
Conan Exiles gives you unusual freedom: square and triangular foundations can be raised or lowered to follow terrain, walls snap to foundations, ceilings create additional floors, and furniture, crafting stations, traps and defenses can turn a shelter into a working settlement. Funcom has described the goal as giving players “as much freedom as possible when it comes to building.” That freedom means there is no official winning footprint or ranked list of designs.
Judge a layout against the things you actually need:
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- Daily function: Can you move from bed to storage to crafting stations without a maze of doors and stairs?
- Expansion: Is there a clean edge where another room, tower or outer wall can be added?
- Defense: Can defenders and traps cover likely approaches without blocking you?
- Purge pathing: Will attacking NPCs have a readable route to the base rather than getting stuck on decorative geometry?
- Accessibility: Can clan members, visiting players and your own thralls reach the important rooms?
- Style: Does the shape fit the role-play setting you want to inhabit?
A beautiful design that prevents you from reaching a crafting station is a poor base, just as a fortress with no practical route for a purge can fail its defensive purpose.
Four base designs worth considering
The following archetypes cover most successful builds. Costs and construction speed are relative: exact recipes, durability and material requirements vary by building tier and game update, so check the current in-game crafting menu.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware match| Design | Resource cost and speed | Expandability | Crafting capacity | Defense and purge pathing | Access and visual style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter hut | Lowest practical footprint; fastest to erect | Limited unless placed with future space in mind | Bed, storage and a basic crafting line | Simple walls and one controlled entrance; few options for layered defense | Easy access; functional survival look |
| Courtyard compound | Moderate materials and a longer build | Excellent: rooms and wings can grow around the yard | Many stations, storage rooms and thrall work areas | Outer wall and gate create a perimeter; courtyard gives defenders room | Convenient circulation; village, fort or estate appearance |
| Tower or vertical base | Small ground footprint but more planning for upper floors | Good upward, poor sideways once the core is fixed | Efficient if floors are wide enough; stairs consume usable space | Few ground approaches, but stairs, landings and roof access become critical | Excellent landmark; dramatic skyline profile |
| Terrain-integrated base | Can save materials by using cliffs, rocks, islands or ruins | Constrained by the terrain you adopt | Usually strong for compact, specialized rooms | Natural barriers reduce approaches; inaccessible routes can confuse purge behavior | Distinctive and immersive; access must be deliberately preserved |
| Dedicated purge base | Additional materials because it is separate from your main home | Built for one purpose rather than continual expansion | Enough stations and storage to repair and resupply | Optimized for visibility, approach lanes, defender placement and repairs | Keeps an attractive role-play base away from combat damage |
Starter hut: the right first base
Use a small square or rectangle close to early resources and water. The first objective is not a castle; it is a safe production loop. Reserve space for a bed, a storage container, a basic crafting line and a door you can reach quickly after a death. Keep the footprint regular so you can add another room or replace the hut with a compound later.
Do not scatter stations outside the walls while you are gathering materials. An orderly interior reduces travel time and makes it obvious which items are missing. A hut is also a good place to learn how foundations, walls and ceilings snap before you commit to an ambitious design.
Courtyard compound: the all-rounder
Put living and workshop rooms around an open inner yard, then surround the whole group with an outer wall and gate. The yard separates daily circulation from the defensive perimeter, leaves room for thralls and stations, and gives you a visible space for expansion.
Keep critical storage and high-value crafting behind a second door rather than directly beside the gate. A courtyard is flexible enough for solo play and can scale to a clan by adding sleeping rooms, a dedicated kitchen or a second workshop wing.
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Tower or vertical base: when land is scarce
A narrow footprint with stacked floors saves ground area and can fit on a ledge or crowded island. Plan the vertical route before placing decorative pieces: every floor needs a reliable stair or ladder connection, adequate headroom and a landing where a player or thrall will not jam the doorway.
Vertical construction transfers complexity from the ground to the support grid. Broad roofs and upper floors may need pillars or additional supports. Build and test each level before adding the next; a tower that looks complete but has an unstable or inaccessible floor is expensive to rebuild.
Terrain-integrated base: let the map defend you
Cliffs, rock faces, islands and existing ruins can remove exposed approaches and reduce the number of walls you must place. Leave one obvious friendly route, with enough width for you and your defenders, and inspect it from the perspective of an attacking NPC. Natural protection is helpful, not a guarantee: terrain changes, server behavior and purge routing can make an apparently sealed location unreliable.
Dedicated purge base: separate function from identity
If your server rules and play style make a second site practical, keep a visually ambitious home away from a purpose-built defensive platform. A purge site should prioritize sightlines, a controlled approach lane, repair access and safe defender placement. It can be plain, because its job is to absorb an attack while your main base remains a living space.
Where should you build your first base?
Choose a location by combining resources, movement and future risk rather than by chasing a famous landmark. A good first site usually has:
- Reliable water nearby without placing your door in a flood-prone or awkwardly steep approach.
- Early-game materials within a short circuit, so gathering does not consume the time your base is meant to save.
- A level or adjustable building area. Foundations can be raised or lowered, but extreme slopes require more pieces and create more collision problems.
- Room for a second footprint. Leave a side or rear edge open for a workshop, outer wall or defensive platform.
- A visible, controllable entrance. You want to see visitors and attackers before they are inside your crafting rooms.
- Server-appropriate exposure. On PvP servers, weigh sightlines and raid traffic; on PvE servers, prioritize purge routes and convenience.
Before committing, walk the perimeter in first person and in third person. Check door clearance, ceiling height, stair turns and whether a thrall can follow you. Place a temporary foundation grid and remove it after testing if the location fails.
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Step-by-step construction workflow
This sequence is practical guidance based on the available building pieces, not a mandatory in-game quest order.
- Mark a compact foundation footprint. Start with a square or rectangle. Use square pieces for the core and triangles only where they solve a specific corner or terrain problem.
- Adjust foundations to the terrain. Raise or lower pieces until the grid is as level as the site allows. A clean grid makes every later wall and ceiling decision easier.
- Add the first walls and a door. Place the entrance where it can be seen from your main work area. Test that your character can enter while carrying a full load and that the door does not collide with nearby furniture.
- Cap the first level with ceilings. A complete ceiling creates a safe, usable floor and lets you evaluate the interior before committing to a second story.
- Install stairs and test the route. Put stairs in a position that does not divide the room into unusable strips. Walk the route with a thrall and check headroom at every landing.
- Add the second floor only after the first is stable. Use pillars or extra supports for broad spans and inspect for gaps, floating pieces or inaccessible corners.
- Build the roof or upper platform. Decide whether it is a weather-protected roof, a lookout, a landing for defenders or a future expansion pad. Avoid sealing access you still need.
- Place stations and storage by workflow. Put raw-material storage near the stations that consume it, finished-goods storage near the exit, and a bed where you can reach it without crossing the entire compound.
- Add lighting and decoration last. Decorative pieces can block doors, stairs and thrall routes. Furnish after movement and defense have passed a test.
Foundation stability, supports and terrain tricks
Foundations are the structural language of a Conan Exiles build. Walls snap to them, and ceilings allow additional stories. Use that behavior to create a predictable grid rather than improvising each room from free-floating pieces.
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How to keep upper floors stable
- Keep major rooms aligned with the foundation grid instead of cantilevering large areas over empty space.
- Use pillars or additional supports under broad roofs, long ceilings and heavy-looking corner features.
- Build a test section first. If a ceiling refuses to place, adjust the foundation height or add support before decorating.
- Leave inspection gaps until the structure is proven. Closing every surface hides problems and makes repairs slower.
Round rooms, castles and wedge pieces
Wedge and triangular pieces can create circular halls, towers and castle-like corners, but they require more planning and often more pieces than a rectangle. A hybrid is usually easier to live in: use a rectangular core for storage and crafting, then attach wedge-based towers, porches or corner turrets. This preserves straight interior walls while giving the exterior a fortified silhouette.
Stairs and clearance
Stairs are a common source of wasted space. Leave a landing at the top and bottom, keep doors from opening directly into a stair edge, and test the route with armor and a follower. If a turn feels tight during construction, it will feel worse after chests, benches and decorations occupy the room.
Layouts for solo, clan, PvE and PvP play
| Play situation | Recommended core | Priorities | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo PvE | Starter hut growing into a compact courtyard | Short travel loops, low upkeep, one secure storage room and a simple purge route | Building a huge perimeter that takes longer to maintain than the player can use |
| Solo PvP | Small, compartmentalized compound or concealed terrain build | Minimize visible value, separate critical storage, provide more than one retreat route | Putting every resource and station in one obvious room |
| Small clan | Courtyard compound with a tower or corner turrets | Shared workshop, clear traffic lanes, defender staging and room for new members | Decorative corridors that trap thralls and block repairs |
| Large clan | Multiple functional buildings inside a readable perimeter | Specialized workshops, internal logistics, layered gates and assigned defense positions | One giant undivided hall with no fallback room |
| PvE purge focus | Dedicated defensive site or heavily legible compound | Approach lanes, visibility, traps where appropriate, repair access and robust buildings | Making the base so inaccessible that the event cannot resolve correctly |
| Role-play or showcase | Hybrid rectangle with wedge towers, plazas and themed interiors | Silhouette, circulation, believable room functions and a hidden practical core | Prioritizing screenshots over beds, storage and working stations |
How to design for a purge
Funcom describes a purge as NPCs attacking a base after activity thresholds, with the revamped system tied to the Stygian invasion. The official survival guidance warns that difficult purges require “a combination of smart base design, thrall defenders, higher tier buildings and good teamplay.” Treat that as a planning principle, not a promise that any footprint is invulnerable.
Give attackers a readable route
Create an outer wall, gate or chokepoint that makes the intended approach obvious. A clear lane lets you see where enemies are moving and gives defenders a place to concentrate. If every side is equally exposed, you spread your thralls and traps too thin.
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Protect the working core
Place critical crafting and storage behind a fallback door or inner wall. Keep a repair path from that room to the exterior. You should be able to reach damaged gates, replace compromised pieces and resupply defenders without crossing an open kill zone.
Use defenders and traps deliberately
Put thralls where they can see the approach and move around each other. Decorative walls, narrow stairs and misplaced furniture can trap them. Traps are most useful in locations you can inspect and maintain; a device hidden behind geometry does not help when it cannot be repaired.
Account for server and map behavior
Cliffs and islands reduce approaches, but an inaccessible base can prevent a purge encounter from resolving as intended. Because pathing and event behavior can change with updates and server settings, verify how your current server handles the location before relying on it. Do not advertise a design as raid-proof, purge-proof or guaranteed to survive.
Building tiers and material planning
Think of construction as a progression ladder. Begin with early stone pieces so you can secure a bed, storage and production quickly. Replace vulnerable sections with stronger higher-tier sets as your character, thralls and resource income improve. Additional sets can change the visual language of a build, so reserve the main footprint and upgrade walls, gates and critical rooms in a deliberate order.
Recipe costs, durability and availability are patch-sensitive. Open the current in-game crafting menu for exact numbers on your platform and server. Avoid designing a large castle around an old cost list or assuming that a piece available in one expansion or server configuration exists in another.
A practical upgrade order
- Secure the bed, door, storage and core crafting stations.
- Upgrade the entrance and the walls protecting storage before adding cosmetic wings.
- Harden the route used by defenders and the room where repairs are staged.
- Expand the workshop and living areas only after your resource loop can support their upkeep.
- Add towers, turrets, balconies and themed façades after the structural core is complete.
Isle of Siptah and current-version considerations
The Conan Exiles Isle of Siptah Edition includes the full base game and the Isle of Siptah expansion. Siptah is a separate island with its own gameplay cycle and additional building sets; the official Xbox description specifically highlights pirate-town construction and stormglass castle building. Platform and regional availability can vary, so confirm the edition offered for your system before planning around an exclusive set.
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Funcom’s homepage has promoted a major Unreal Engine 5 visual upgrade announced in October 2026. Visual changes can affect how you judge lighting, silhouettes and performance, but no universal frame-rate or hardware result should be assumed. Use the graphics and performance options available in your current build, and test a heavily decorated area rather than relying on a trailer or another platform’s settings.
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Common building problems and fixes
“The wall or ceiling will not snap.”
Check that the foundation is aligned and at a compatible height. Remove nearby pieces that may be taking the snap point, adjust the foundation up or down, and try placing the structural piece before decorations. For a wide ceiling, add a support rather than forcing an unsupported span.
“The second floor feels unstable or incomplete.”
Inspect every connection to the foundation grid. Add pillars or supporting pieces beneath broad sections, and keep the upper footprint within the area your lower level can actually support. Build one room at a time and test it before extending the roof.
“I cannot move through my own base.”
Temporarily remove furniture, widen the landing, reverse a door swing or relocate a station. Walk the route with a follower. If the path is uncomfortable before decoration, redesign it instead of accepting permanent congestion.
“Thralls are stuck.”
Clear narrow corners, decorative railings and low ceilings around their assigned stations. Give defenders a direct line to the gate or approach lane, and place workstations where they do not overlap the main traffic route.
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“The purge does not reach the base.”
Review the server’s current purge rules and your activity threshold, then inspect the approach for an accessible route. A base hidden behind impassable terrain may be safe from contact but unsuitable for an event that needs pathing to the structure. Do not rebuild the entire site until you have confirmed the server behavior.
Expansion and maintenance checklist
- Keep one edge of the original footprint free for a future room or outer wall.
- Label storage by material or production stage so a growing clan does not create duplicate piles.
- Maintain a repair route that does not depend on crossing a decorative roof.
- Check doors, stairs and thrall paths after every major expansion.
- Walk the intended purge approach from outside the wall and from the defender positions.
- Review building-tier recipes in the current crafting menu before starting a large upgrade.
- On Siptah or another map with specialized sets, verify which pieces your edition and server provide.
- Keep a small emergency cache of building materials near the repair area rather than in the most exposed room.
Best base design: the practical verdict
For most players, start with a compact rectangle and evolve it into a courtyard compound. It delivers the shortest early travel loop, straightforward support, room for stations and thralls, and a natural place for an outer wall and controlled gate. Choose a tower when land is scarce, terrain integration when the map offers a safe but accessible barrier, and a separate purge base when combat priorities conflict with the home you want to inhabit. Build the stable core first, test movement and pathing, then spend your resources on the style that makes the base yours.
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